DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 02/23/2026 has been entered.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Elected Species
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A search of the prior art did not show the elected species. Under MPEP 803.02, The search was expanded again to find an examinable species.
Examinable Species
The examinable species is represented by an iridium complex MA-pg24
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The examinable species reads on claims 1-2, 4, 8, 18, 20-21, 23, 25,-27, 33. Claims 3, 5, 7, 9, 13, 28, 28, 31-32 are withdrawn from further consideration as not reading on the examinable species.
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 1-2, 4, 8, 18, 20-21, 23, 25,-27, 33 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.
Claim 1 recites: wherein X is selected from the group consisting of BR', NR', PR', O.S. Se, C=0, S=O, SO₂, CR'R", SiR'R", and GeR'R"; wherein R', R", Rₐ, Rb, Rc, and Rd are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof;
As Ra, Rd, and Rc are bonded to aromatic carbon(s) CR'R" cannot be bonded to an aromatic position as this would result in 5 bonds at carbon which is a violation of known bonding rules. CR’ or CR’’ would be proper not CR'R". As a result, claim 1 and all claims treat in this office action requiring the limitation of claim 1 are indefinite as the office cannot determine the mete and bounds of the bond when CR'R" is used.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4, 8, 18, 20-21, 23, 25-27, 33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MA ( US 2015/0115250 A1)
Regarding Claims 1-4, 4, 8, 21, 23, 26-27, 33, MA teaches MA-pg24:
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MA-pg24 reads on applicants’ compound wherein LA =Formula CX1-X4, X6, X8-X13 = C-H; X5 = alkyl; X7 = aryl; LB = pyridine-phenyl, X10; X1-X8 = C-H; h=2, y=1, z= 0; M=Ir (per claims 1, 27).
M = Ir (per claim 2)
X1-X10= C (per claim 4)
LA =
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(per claims 8, 21)
X5 = Rb = alkyl (per claim 23)
LB =
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(per claims 26, 33)
Regarding Claims 18, 20, 25, Ma teaches and OLED including a first organic light emitting device, that includes an anode, a cathode, and an organic layer disposed between the anode and the cathode. The organic layer may include a host and a phosphorescent dopant. The emissive layer can include a compound according to Formula I (MA-pg24) (paragraph 97) (per claims 18, 25).
The host can be
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(paragraph 94)(per claim 20)
Response to Amendment
The applicant’s arguments with respect to the pending claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection necessitated by the applicant’s amendment.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY D CLARK whose telephone number is (571)270-7087. The examiner can normally be reached on 8AM-4PM M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Chriss can be reached on 571-272-7783. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GREGORY D CLARK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786
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