DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s Amendment filed 12/01/25.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
The rejection of Claim 5 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ikenaga et al. (WO 2022/255243 A1) as set forth in the Non-Final Rejection filed 08/01/25 is overcome by the Applicant’s amendments.
The rejection of Claims 1-4, 6, and 7 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ikenaga et al. (WO 2022/255243 A1) as set forth in the Non-Final Rejection filed 08/01/25 is herein amended due to the Applicant’s amendments.
The rejection of Claims 8-10 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Suh et al. (KR 10-2021-0045244) as set forth in the Non-Final Rejection filed 08/01/25 is overcome by the Applicant’s amendments.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ikenaga et al. (WO 2022/255243 A1).
Examiner’s Note: The Office has relied on national phase publication US 2024/0237522 A1 as the English equivalent of WIPO publication WO 2022/255243 A1 (herein referred to as “Ikenaga et al.”). Unless otherwise noted, all figure, page, and paragraph numbers referenced herein correspond to numbers found in the national phase publication.
Regarding Claims 1-4, 6, and 7, Ikenaga et al. discloses the following organic electroluminescent (EL) device comprising the following layers: substrate (1), anode (2), hole-injecting layer (3), hole-transporting layer (4), light-emitting layer (5), electron-transporting layer (6), and cathode (7); the light-emitting layer comprises a compound of formula (1) or a mixture of a compound of formula (1) and a compound of formula (3) as host material in the light-emitting layer ([0023], [0059]). Additional host material can be further added ([0060], [0079], [0083]). Ikenaga et al. discloses the following embodiment for the compound of formula (1):
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(page 5) (second host) such that A1-2 = unsubstituted C6 aryl (phenyl) and X11-26 = hydrogen or deuterium of Applicant’s formulae (2) and (2-1); corresponds to H2-1 as recited in Claim 6 (with n = 10-24). Ikenaga et al. discloses the following embodiment for the compound of formula (3):
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(page 28) (first host) such that L2 = single bond, a = b = c = 1, R1-3 = hydrogen, Ar = substituted 6-membered heteroaryl (substituted triazinyl), L1 = unsubstituted C6 arylene (phenylene), and HAr = substituted 6-membered heteroaryl (substituted triazinyl) of Applicant’s formulae (1) and (1-1).
Regarding Claims 8 and 9, Ikenaga et al. discloses the following compound:
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(page 28) such that L2 = single bond, a = b = c = 1, R1-3 = hydrogen, Ar = quaterphenyl, L1 = unsubstituted C6 arylene (phenylene), and HAr = substituted triazinyl of Applicant’s formulae (1-1’) and (1-1’-1).
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (WO 2021/066370 A1).
Kim et al. discloses the following compound as host material in the light-emitting layer of an organic electroluminescent (EL) device, the use of which results in increased luminous efficiency and lifetime (Abstract; [6], [12]):
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(page 18) such that n = 8 of H1-177 as recited in Claim 10; L2 = single bond, a = b = c = 1, R1-3 = hydrogen, Ar = phenyl, L1 = unsubstituted C6 arylene (phenylene), and HAr = substituted triazinyl of Applicant’s formulae (1-1’) and (1-1’-2).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating
obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikenaga et al. (WO 2022/255243 A1) in view of Kim et al. (WO 2021/066370 A1).
Examiner’s Note: The Office has relied on national phase publication US 2024/0237522 A1 as the English equivalent of WIPO publication WO 2022/255243 A1 (herein referred to as “Ikenaga et al.”). Unless otherwise noted, all figure, page, and paragraph numbers referenced herein correspond to numbers found in the national phase publication.
Ikenaga et al. discloses the following organic electroluminescent (EL) device comprising the following layers: substrate (1), anode (2), hole-injecting layer (3), hole-transporting layer (4), light-emitting layer (5), electron-transporting layer (6), and cathode (7); the light-emitting layer comprises a compound of formula (1) or a mixture of a compound of formula (1) and a compound of formula (3) as host material in the light-emitting layer ([0023], [0059]). Additional host material can be further added ([0060], [0079], [0083]). Ikenaga et al. discloses the following embodiment for the compound of formula (1):
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(page 5) (second host) such that A1-2 = unsubstituted C6 aryl (phenyl) and X11-26 = hydrogen or deuterium of Applicant’s formulae (2) and (2-1); corresponds to H2-1 as recited in Claim 6 (with n = 10-24). However, Ikenaga et al. does not explicitly disclose a first host as recited in Claim 1.
Kim et al. discloses the following compound as host material in the light-emitting layer of an organic electroluminescent (EL) device, the use of which results in increased luminous efficiency and lifetime (Abstract; [6], [12]):
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(page 18) such that n = 8 of H1-177 as recited in Claims 5 and 10; L2 = single bond, a = b = c = 1, R1-3 = hydrogen, Ar = unsubstituted C6 aryl (phenyl), L1 = unsubstituted C6 arylene (phenylene), and HAr = substituted 6-membered heteroaryl (substituted triazinyl) of Applicant’s formulae (1), (1-2), (1-1’) and (1-1’-2). It would have been obvious to incorporate compound EH-2 as disclosed by Kim et al. (above) into the light-emitting layer of the organic EL device as disclosed by Ikenaga et al. (as part of the host material composition). The motivation is provided by the disclosure of Kim et al. which teaches that the use of its inventive compounds in such a manner results in a device with increased luminous efficiency and lifetime.
Response to Arguments
12. Applicant’s arguments with respect to the deficiencies of the previously cited prior art have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection as set forth above.
Conclusion
13. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
14. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAY L YANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1137. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 6am-3pm.
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/JAY YANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786