DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Restriction/Election Requirement
The Office has withdrawn the restriction/election requirement as set forth in the Office Action filed 12/04/25.
Claims 1-20 are pending. No claims have been withdrawn from consideration.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claim recites a blue light having a maximum emission wavelength of “about 430 nm to about 490 nm” which renders the exact scope of the claim indefinite as the precise wavelength range of the blue light is not clear due to the term “about.”
Correction is required.
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 9-14 and 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishizuka et al. (JP 2006-104183 A).
Examiner’s Note: The Office has relied on the Machine English translation of JP 2006-104183 A (herein referred to as “Ishizuka et al.”) as the English equivalent. Unless otherwise noted, all figure, page, and paragraph numbers referenced herein refer to numbers found in the Machine English translation.
Ishizuka et al. discloses the following “novel amine compound” that is a chare-transporting material, which exhibits high charge mobility ([0001], [0013], [0100]):
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(page 4 of Ishizuka et al.) such that c1 = 1, L1 = -C(X1)(X2)- (with X1-2 = linked to each other to form an unsubstituted C6 cycloalkane group (cyclohexane)), a5-6 = 1, Ar5-6 = unsubstituted C6 carbocyclic group (phenylene), a1-4 = 1, Ar1-4 = single bond, b2 = 1, W2 = C13 carbocyclic group (fluorenyl) substituted with at least one R10a (with R10a = methyl), T1 = Applicant’s Formula 2 (with Q1 = C(X11)(X12) (with X11-12 = methyl), CY1-2 = C6 carbocyclic group (benzene), and d1-2 =0), b1 = b3 = 1, and W1 = W3 = C6 carbocyclic group (phenyl) substituted with at least one R10a (methyl) of Applicant’s Formula 1; T1 = Applicant’s Formula 4-2 (with e7 = 0).
Claims 1-6 and 9-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ha et al. (WO 2020/060271 A1).
Examiner’s Note: The Office has relied on national phase publication US 2021/0253512 A1 as the English equivalent of WIPO publication WO 2020/060271 A1 (herein referred to as “Ha et al.”). Unless otherwise noted, all figure, page, and paragraph numbers referenced herein refer to numbers found in the national phase publication.
Regarding Claims 1-6, 9-17, and 19, Ha et al. discloses the following organic electroluminescent (EL) device (light-emitting device) for the emission of blue light ([0273]):
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(Fig. 2) comprising substrate (101), anode (201), first hole-transporting layer (302), second hole-transporting layer (303), light-emitting layer (501), electron-transporting layer (401), and cathode (601) ([0147]). Ha et al. discloses the following compound to be present in the hole-injecting/transporting layer (Abstract; [0122]):
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(page 25) such that c1 = 1, L1 = -C(X1)(X2)- (with X1-2 = linked to each other to form an unsubstituted C6 cycloalkane group (cyclohexane)), a5-6 = 1, Ar5-6 = unsubstituted C6 carbocyclic group (phenylene), a1-3 = 1, Ar1-3 = C13 carbocyclic group (fluorenyl) substituted with at least one R10a (methyl), b1-3 = 1, W1-3 = C6 carbocyclic group (phenyl) substituted with at least one R10a (methyl), a4 = 1, Ar4 = single bond, and T1 = Applicant’s Formula 2 (with Q1 = C(X11)(X12) (with X11-12 = methyl), CY1-2 = C6 carbocyclic group (benzene), d1 = 0, d2 = 1, and R2 = substituted C6 carbocyclic group (methyl-substituted phenyl)) of Applicant’s Formula 1; alternatively, a1-3 = 1, Ar1-3 = single bond, b1-3 = 1, and W1-3 = C13 carbocyclic group substituted with at least one R10a (methyl or tolyl) of Applicant’s Formula 1; T1 = Applicant’s Formula 4-2 (with e7 = 1 and R21 = substituted C6 carbocyclic group (methyl-substituted phenyl)).
Regarding Claim 18, Ha et al. discloses another embodiment:
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(page 30) such that c1 = 1, L1 = -C(X1)(X2)- (with X1-2 = unsubstituted C1 alkyl group (methyl)), a5-6 = 2, Ar5-6 = unsubstituted C6 carbocyclic group (phenylene), a1-3 = 1, Ar1-3 = single bond, b1-3 = 1, W1-3 = C13 carbocyclic group (fluorenyl) substituted with at least one R10a (methyl or isopropyl), a4 = 1, Ar4 = single bond, and T1 = Applicant’s Formula 2 (with Q1 = C(X11)(X12) (with X11-12 = methyl), CY1-2 = C6 carbocyclic group (benzene), and d1-2 = 0) of Applicant’s Formula 1.
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.
12. Claims 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ha et al. (WO 2020/060271 A1) as applied above and in further view of Nakamura (US 2006/0113905 A1).
Examiner’s Note: The Office has relied on national phase publication US 2021/0253512 A1 as the English equivalent of WIPO publication WO 2020/060271 A1 (herein referred to as “Ha et al.”). Unless otherwise noted, all figure, page, and paragraph numbers referenced herein refer to numbers found in the national phase publication.
Ha et al. discloses the organic electroluminescent (EL) (electronic apparatus) (OLED) of Claim 6 as shown above in the 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) rejection. However, Ha et al. does not explicitly disclose the specific electronic apparatus as recited in the claims.
Nakamura discloses a method of display device construction utilizing organic EL devices which can suppress degradation and realize high display quality and long lifetime (Abstract; [0008]). The construction comprises a thin-film transistor (20) comprising a source electrode (20S) and a drain electrode (20D) electrically connected to the anode (41) of an organic EL device (40); a polarizer plate PL further exists on the display to suppress ambient light reflection (Fig. 2). It would have been obvious to utilize the method as disclosed by Nakamura for the construction of displays comprising the organic EL device as disclosed by Ha et al. The motivation is provided by the disclosure of Nakamura, which is directed to a known and viable method of display device construction utilizing OLEDs, the use of which results in the suppression of degradation and high display quality and long lifetime.
Allowable Subject Matter
13. Claim 20 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.
Examiner’s Note: The Office has relied on the Machine English translation of JP 2006-104183 A (herein referred to as “Ishizuka et al.”) as the English equivalent. Unless otherwise noted, all figure, page, and paragraph numbers referenced herein refer to numbers found in the Machine English translation.
The closest prior art is provided by Ishizuka et al. (JP 2006-104183 A), which discloses compounds of the following form:
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(page 2 of Ishizuka et al.) where X11 = divalent group including a saturated hydrocarbon group and A13-16 = groups such as substituted or unsubstituted phenyl ([0018]); an embodiment is disclosed:
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(page 4 of Ishizuka et al.). However, it is the position of the Office that neither Ishizuka et al. singly nor in combination with any other prior art disclosed any of the compounds as recited in the claim, particularly in regards to the nature of the substituents attached to the arylamino nitrogen atoms.
Conclusion
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