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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Compounds 001 to 604 depicted in the specification are low quality, pixelated, small, and with blurry atom labels and bonds to the point that the examiner cannot decipher the compound structures (pg 52-82). A screen shot of selected compounds are provided below.
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Compounds depicted in the specification in Table 3 are low quality, pixelated, small, and with blurry atom labels and bonds (Table 3, pg 112). A screen shot of selected compounds are provided below.
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538
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Compounds depicted in the preparation example 4 are low quality, pixelated, small, and with blurry atom labels and bonds (Preparation Example 4, pg 114). A screen shot of selected compounds are provided below.
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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 2-7 and 9-16 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 claim 1, the chemical formula 1 displays R3, (L3)c, and (Rc)r which are drawn as substituents to the core fused ring structure wherein the line is directed to ring C shown below. As drawn, it is unclear if R3, (L3)c, and (Rc)r are (1) substituents only to ring C or (2) substituents to ring C or ring D. For the purposes of examination, the examiner chooses to interpret the claim as (2) R3, (L3)c, and (Rc)r are substituents to ring C or D. The following dependent claims 2-7 and 9-16 are also rejected because they fail to resolve the deficiencies of independent claim 1.
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1828
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Claim 8 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.
Regarding claim 8, the compounds depicted in claim 8 are low quality, pixelated, small, and with blurry atom labels and bonds to the point that the examiner cannot decipher the compound structures 001 to 604. A screen shot of selected compounds are provided below.
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For example, compound 560 is a compound of Chemical Formula 1 wherein the substituents are unclear from pixelated and blurry bonds and atom labels. For the purposes of examination, the examiner will best interpret the compounds based on the claims and specifications.
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.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 2015/0243908 A1).
In the pertinent art of organic light-emitting devices, Lee teaches a condensed cyclic compound and an organic light-emitting device including the condensed cyclic compound wherein the compound is represented by Formula 1-1 and compound 8B is a specific compound of Formula 1-1, shown below (pg 4, 36, ¶ [0019]).
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Compound 8B is a compound of Lee’s Formula 1-1 wherein L1 is unsubstituted phenyl and R32 is a substituted triazine group with two phenyl groups attached. Lee does not particularly limit R1 to the examples listed above: Lee defines R1 as independently selected from an amino group (¶ [0012], [0055]). Lee teaches examples of compounds of Formula 1-1 where L1 is a phenyl group substituted by R1 wherein R1 contains nitrogen such as a nitro-, cyano-, pyridine-, and other nitrogen-containing heterocyclic-groups (pg 19, 21-23). In compound 41A shown below, Lee teaches a compound wherein R1 is an N-phenyl carbazole, which is a functional group where an amine is substituted by three phenyl groups wherein two of the phenyl groups are connected by a bond to form a ring system (pg 27).
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Lee teaches the above; however, Lee fails to teach a specific compound wherein L1 is a phenyl group substituted by R1 wherein R1 is a diphenyl-amino group.
Lee teaches that an organic light-emitting device containing a condensed cyclic compound of Formula 1-1 displays excellent characteristics such as low driving voltage, high brightness, high efficiency, and long lifespan (Table 2, ¶ [0563]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the compound 8B of Lee to include a diphenyl-amino group as R1, based on the teachings of Lee. The motivation for doing so would have been to obtain a device with low driving voltage, high brightness, high efficiency, and long lifespan, as taught by Lee (Table 2, ¶ [0563]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the compound 8B of Lee to include a diphenyl-amino group as R1, because it would have been a choice from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions of a compound useful as the compound in the organic layer of the light-emitting device of Lee and possessing the benefits taught by Lee. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to produce additional compounds represented by Formula 1-1 comprising an R1 group containing an amino group with two aryl substituents having the benefits of low driving voltage, high brightness, high efficiency, and long lifespan, as taught by Lee (Table 2, ¶ [0563]) in order to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp with a reasonable expectation of success. See MPEP 2143.I.(E).
The resulting Modified Compound of Lee is shown below.
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Modified Compound of Lee
The Modified Compound of Lee is a compound of instant Chemical Formula 1 of instant claim 1 wherein:
L1 is unsubstituted C6 arylene;
R1 is a substituted amine group;
L2 is a direct bond;
R2 is hydrogen;
L3 is unsubstituted C6 arylene;
R3 is substituted C3 heteroaryl;
Ra, Rb, and Rc are H;
p and q are 4;
r is 5;
Chemical Formula 1 is represented by Chemical Formula 1-2;
R11 and R12 is unsubstituted C6;
Represented by compound 017.
Therefore, the Modified Compound of Lee reads on instant claims 1-8.
Regarding instant claims 9-14, Lee teaches the organic light-emitting device Example 2 containing the following structure:
ITO glass substrate (¶ [0557]);
2-TNATA forms an HIL and NPB forms HTL (¶ [0558]);
ADN as a host and DPAVBi as a dopant forming an emission layer (¶ [0559]);
Compound 14A forming an ETL, LiF forms an EIL, and a layer of Al (¶ [0560]).
The compound 14A is a compound of Lee’s Formula 1-1 wherein L1 is phenyl and R1 is a nitrogen-containing group featuring at least two aryl-groups wherein two of the aryl groups are bonded together to form a ring system.
Lee teaches the above; however, Lee fails to teach an organic light-emitting device wherein the condensed ring compound is the Modified Compound of Lee.
Lee teaches an anode, a cathode, and an organic layer and the compound 14A is in the organic layer as discussed above. It would have been obvious to use the Modified Compound of Lee in the electron transport layer with the device structure of the electrode, hole injection layer, hole transport layer, emission layer, electron transport layer, electron injection layer as Lee demonstrates this device structure was known prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
The resulting Modified Device of Lee, containing the Modified Compound of Lee in place of compound 14A, reads on instant claims 9-14.
Regarding claims 15-16, Lee teaches a full color organic light-emitting device containing a red emission layer, a green emission layer, and a blue emission layer wherein each of the layers are sequentially stacked (¶ [0156]). Lee teaches that the hole transport region may further include a charge-generation material for the improvement of conductive characteristics (¶ [0152] – [0153], claim 19). Lee teaches that the condensed cyclic compound of Lee’s claim 1 may be included in the organic layer between the first and second electrodes in the organic light-emitting device of Lee (claim 14). Lee teaches that the organic layer may include a hole transport region (claim 15).
Lee teaches an anode, a cathode, and an organic layer with (1) a first stack comprising a first light emitting layer and a charge generation layer and (2) a second stack comprising a second light emitting layer wherein the compound is in the organic layer as discussed above. It would have been obvious to use the Modified Compound of Lee in the charge generation layer that is in the organic layer with the device structure of first electrode, first light emitting layer, charge generation layer containing the Modified Compound of Lee, second light emitting layer, and second electrode as Lee demonstrates this device structure was known prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUCAS Q NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1199. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 7:30 am - 5:00 pm Fridays 7:45 am to 12:00 pm.
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/L.Q.N./Examiner, Art Unit 1786
/JENNIFER A BOYD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1786
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