Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Drawing
The drawing is objected to. C.F.R. 1.84(u)(1) explicitly states that where only a single view is used in an application to illustrate the claimed invention, it must not be numbered and the abbreviation “FIG.” must not appear. Applicants should submit a replacement drawing sheet where “FIG. 1” is replaced with FIGURE.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Chemical Formulae 1-1 and 1-4 fail to further limit claim 1. Specifically, claim 1 requires that linker L be bonded to the phenylene rings shown in Chemical Formula 1 at the para position, however, Chemical Formulae 1-1 and 1-4 as drawn allow for ortho, metal, and para linkages, which is broader than claim 1. Applicant may cancel the claim, amend the claim to place the claim in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim complies with the statutory requirements.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 11, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tanaka et al. (JP-2011001462). Copies of the original and a machine translation are included with this Office action.
Claim 1: Example 1 of Tanaka et al. teaches a method for preparing a hyperbranched polymer wherein 1,4-phenyleneboronic acid, 1,3-phenyleneborinic acid are co-reacted with tris(4-bromophenyl) amine. After reaction, phenylboronic acid ester is added as a capping agent to ensure that all of the end groups are phenyl. The final polymer is taught as having a number average molecular weight of 2,886 and a weight average molecular weight of 3,705 by GPC. This molecular weight ensures that the number of repeating units m1 in Chemical Formula 1 would fall within the 1-10,000 range. The hyperbranched product prepared in example 1 has n1, n2 equal to zero, a and b equal to 1, L and L1-L4 equal to phenylene.
Claim 2: The hyperbranched polymer prepared in example 1 of Tanaka et al. anticipates Chemical Formula 1-1 of claim 2 with n3 equal to zero and all other variables being described in claim 1 above.
Claim 5: Tanaka et al. teaches in example 2 preparing a coating composition comprising the hyperbranched polymer prepared in example 1 and a polycarbonate solution. The composition is employed as a coating composition as explicitly taught in example 2, thereby anticipating claim 5.
Claim 11: The polymer prepared in example 1 of Tanaka et al. has L equal to the first structure shown in claim 11 with g1 equal to zero, thereby anticipating claim 5.
Claim 12: The polymer prepared in example 1 of Tanaka et al. has aryl end groups, thereby anticipating claim 12.
Claims 1, 2, 5-7 and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Funyuu et al. (US 2012/0074360).
Claim 1: Funyuu et al. teaches in oligomer synthesis example 1 the preparation of an oligomer1 having a number average molecular weight of 4,652. Paragraph 0249 shows the reaction scheme to prepare the oligomer in synthesis example 1. Tris(4-bromophenyl) amine is co-reacted with 1,4-diboronic acid ester and a capping monomer, referred to as monomer A. The structure as shown anticipates Chemical Formula 1 of claim 1 with L equal to phenyl, a, and b equal to 1, n1 and n2 equal to zero, and L1-L4 equal to phenylene. The number average molecular weight ensures that m1 in Chemical Formula 1 is within the 1-10,000 range. Additionally, Funyuu et al. shows some of the representative structures which are prepared according to paragraphs 0133-0137 (pages 26-28). Structures of the type described in paragraphs 0133 and 0137 anticipate the limitations of Chemical Formula 1 as shown on pages 26-28.
Claim 2: The oligomer prepared in synthesis example 1 anticipates Chemical Formula 1 of claim 2 with n3 equal to zero and all other variable assignments being described in claim 1 above.
Claim 5: The oligomer prepared in synthesis example 1 is referred to as oligomer A in paragraph 0248. Example 1 of Funyuu et al. teaches preparing a coating solution comprising oligomer A (paragraph 0298) which anticipates claim 5.
Claims 6 and 7: Example 1 of Funyuu et al. teaches preparing an organic electroluminescent element where oligomer A is employed as a hole transport layer (paragraph 0296). Example 1 teaches applying the polymeric hole transport layer onto an ITO anode, followed by adding an emission layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and an Al cathode (paragraphs 0297-0300), thereby anticipating claims 6 and 7.
Claim 9: Example 1 of Funyuu et al. described in claims 6 and 7 employes a method for preparing an organic electroluminescent device where a first electrode is prepared, organic material layers are deposited on the first electrode, and a second electrode is prepared, wherein the hole transport region (which is located between the anode and the cathode) comprises the coating composition of claim 5, thereby anticipating claim 9.
Claim 10: Paragraph 0298 in Example 1 of Funyuu et al. teaches the photoirradiation and heating of the hole transport coating to form the final hole transport layer. The light-treatment and heat treatment anticipates claim 10.
Claim 11: Oligomer A as described by Funyuu et al. above has L equal to the first structure recited in claim 11 with g1 equal to zero, thereby anticipating claim 11.
Claim 12: Oligomer A of Funyuu et al. is capped with an aryl group. Claim 12 does not limit the aryl group to unsubstituted aryl groups and the curable end-groups in oligomer A anticipates claim 12 in that they are aryl groups.
Claims 1-7 and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korai et al. (JP-2020105469). Copies of the original and a machine translation are included with this Office action.
Claims 1 and 2: Korai et al. teaches polymers such as those shown on page 37. It can be said that polymers 1 and 2 of Korai et al. include a unit represents by Chemical Formula 1 where m1 is equal to 1. Further a and b are equal to 1, n1 and n2 are equal to 1, R1 and R2 are equal to methyl, L is equal to dihexylphenylene, and L1-L4 being arylene groups. Chemical Formula 1-1 of claim 2 is also anticipate by polymers 1 and 2 taught by Korai et al. It should be noted that because claim 1 is directed towards a polymer including a unit represented by chemical formula 1 and variable m1 is recited to include 1, polymers 1 and 2 of Korai et al. may be properly relied upon to reject claims 1 and 2. The open bonds on L1-L4 are not required to be bonded to other m1 units since the polymer only needs to comprise a unit of chemical formula 1, not consist of or consist essentially of units of chemical formula 1. For these reasons, the prior art reference Korai et al. may be properly relied upon since Korai et al., as discussed below.
Claim 3: For claim 3, polymer 1 may be described as one where L1 and L2 are biphenyl groups, which are capped with propyl groups and L3 and L4 are biphenyl groups. The open bonds at L3 and L4 are both further bonded to biphenyl groups which is how each repeating unit is arranged. For claim 3, polymer 2 may be described as one where L1 and L2 are biphenyl groups, which are capped with propyl groups and L3 and L4 are terphenyl groups. The open bonds at L3 and L4 are both further bonded to terphenyl groups which is how each repeating unit is arranged.
Claim 4: For claim 4, polymer 1 is relied upon. Polymer 1 satisfies all of the limitations of the first structure of claim 1 with m1 equal to 1 and two of the biphenyl groups bonded to propyl groups, and the other two of the biphenyl groups are bonded with biphenyl groups which is how each repeating unit is arranged.
Claim 5: The polymers prepared by Korai et al. are used as coating materials, thereby anticipating claim 5.
Claims 6 and 7: The working examples of Korai et al. teach employing polymers 1 and 2 as charge transport materials in organic electroluminescent devices. Example 1 teaches an ITO anode, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer which is prepared by spin coating polymer 1 or polymer 2 onto said hole injection layer, an emission layer, a electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a cathode, thereby anticipating claims 6 and 7.
Claims 9 and 10: The method for preparing the light-emitting device taught in example 1 employs a heating method after the polymeric hole transport layer comprising polymer 1 or polymer 2 is applied, thereby anticipating claims 9 and 10.
Claim 11: Polymers 1 and 2 include as linker L a structure which anticipates the first structure of claim 11 with g1 equal to 2 and G1 equal to a C6 alkyl group.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Claim 8 recites that the organic material layer is employed in a hole blocking layer, an electron transfer layer, an electron injection layer, or an electron injection and transfer layer. Given that the materials taught above are explicitly taught as hole-transporting materials, there would be no incentive or motivation to employ the materials taught above in the electron transport region of an organic light-emitting device as recited in claim 8. A person having ordinary skill in the art understands that triarylamines in general are employed for their hole transport abilities and not as electron transporting materials.
Relevant Art Cited
Additional prior art documents which are relevant to Applicants invention can be found on the attached PTO-892 form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT S LOEWE whose telephone number is (571)270-3298. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Randy Gulakowski, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-1302. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Robert S Loewe/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1766
1 An oligomer can certainly be referred to as a polymer under the broadest reasonable interpretation standard.