DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Election/Restrictions
The applicant’s election without traverse of (i) wherein the second compound in the first emitting layer is represented by Formula 3a and (iii) wherein the second compound in the intermediate functional layer is represented by Formula 3b in the reply filed on 07/22/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-3 and 6-22 encompass the elected species.
Response to Amendment
The applicant's amendment of 07/22/2026 is entered.
Claim 1 is amended, claims 21-22 are new, and claims 4-5 are cancelled due to the applicant's amendment.
Claims 1-3 and 6-22 are pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
in claim 1, it is suggested that the comma before "comprising" in the preamble be deleted for ease of reading; and
in claim 1, "wherein in each of Formulas 3-a ad 3-b" should read "wherein in each of Formulas [[3-a]]3a and [[3-b]]3b" on line 5 of numbered page 3 of 12.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 6-22 are 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.
Regarding claims 1 and 20, the claims recite "wherein the second compound in the first intermediate functional layer has a core that is the same as the second compound in the first emitting material layer." The claim is indefinite because it is unclear what is encompassed by "a core" of the second compound in the first intermediate functional layer and the second compound in the first emitting material layer. Formula 3a and 3b differ in their substitution patterns on the central benzene ring, so does this "core" encompass only this central benzene ring or more than the central benzene ring, say some of the further substituent groups Y?
For purposes of examination, the claim will be interpreted such that "a core" is the central benzene ring that appears in both Formula 3a and 3b and therefore, by meeting Formula 3a and 3b, this limitation is met.
Claims 2-3, 6-19, and 21-22 are rejected as being dependent on indefinite claim 1.
Regarding claim 13, the claim recites in the definitions of variables R1 to R5 and R6 "a substituted or unsubstituted C6 to C30 arylene group and a substituted or unsubstituted C5 to C30 heteroarylene group". The "-ene" suffix on "aryl" and "heteroaryl" implies divalent groups; however, these groups are drawn as monovalent groups. Therefore, the claim is indefinite because it is not clear if these groups may be monovalent or must be further substituted, and if so, with what groups.
For purposes of examination, the claim will be interpreted such that it reads "a substituted or unsubstituted C6 to C30 aryl
Regarding claim 22, the claims recites "wherein the second compound in the first intermediate functional layer is another one of the compounds in Formula 4b." It is unclear what "another one of" means and if more than one second compound in the first intermediate functional layer is required.
For purposes of examination, the claim will be interpreted such that it reads "wherein the second compound in the first intermediate functional layer is
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Yoshizaki et al. US-20210020846-A1 teaches an organic electroluminescence device comprising a first organic layer interposed between an anode and a cathode, in which the first organic layer contains a first compound, a second compound, and a third compound, wherein the first compound is a compound represented by a formula (1), the second compound is a delayed fluorescent compound, and the third compound is a compound represented by a formula (3) (¶ [0010]-[0016]) and teaches examples of the device including Ex. 1-1 with D1 as the first compound, TADF1 as the second compound, and Mat 3 as the third compound (Table 14 and ¶ [0502]-[0512]);
Hong et al. US-20200119299-A1 teaches an organic light-emitting diode with enhanced luminous efficiency and color continuity (¶ [0027]) comprising a first emitting material layer having a first host and a first delayed fluorescent material and a second emitting material layer having a second delayed fluorescent material and a first fluorescent material, between a cathode electrode and an anode electrode (¶ [0010]) and teaches examples of the first and second emitting material layers in Example 1 wherein the first emitting material layer comprises 4CzIPN as first delayed fluorescent dopant and the second emitting material layer comprises 4CzIPN as the second delayed fluorescent dopant (¶ [0205]);
Kim et al. US-20200203621-A1 teaches an organic light-emitting device comprising an emission layer comprising a first compound, a second compound, and a third compound, the first compound is represented by Formula 1, the second compound is represented by Formula 2, the third compound is represented by Formula 3 (¶ [0007]); and
Choi et al. US-20200251663-A1 teaches an organic electroluminescence device comprising an emission layer comprising a first host, a second host, a first dopant, and a second dopant, wherein the first host is represented by Formula 1, the first dopant is a thermally activated delayed fluorescence material having an electron donor and an electron acceptor, and the second dopant is represented by Formula 2 (¶ [0007]).
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Elizabeth M. Dahlburg whose telephone number is 571-272-6424. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, and alternate Fridays.
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/ELIZABETH M. DAHLBURG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786
