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
Claims 1-11 of Y. Zhang et al., US 18/224,256 (Jul. 20, 2023) are pending. Claims 4-10 drawn to the non-elected inventions of Groups (II) and (III) are withdrawn from consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b). Claims 1-3 are under examination on the merits. Claims 1 and 2 are rejected. Claim 3 is objectionable.
Election/Restrictions
In response to the Restriction dated January 2, 2026, Applicant elected Group (I), claims 1-3 drawn to a cyclic metal palladium dimer, having a structure shown in any one of (I) to (VI), without traverse in the Reply to Restriction Requirement filed on February 11, 2026. Claims 4-11, to the non-elected invention of Groups (II) and (III), are withdrawn from consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b). The restriction/election requirement is made FINAL.
Claim Objections
Typographical
Claim 2 is objectionable because it is not punctuated with a period.
Dependent upon a Rejected Base Claim
Claim 3 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102 (AIA )
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
§ 102(a)(1) Rejection over J. Pérez et al., 43 Dalton Transactions, 9625-9636 (2009) (“Pérez”)
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by J. Pérez et al., 43 Dalton Transactions, 9625-9636 (2009) (“Pérez”). Pérez discloses the following palladium dimer:
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Pérez at page 9626, col. 1, Scheme 1.
Complex [(ppy)Pd(m-pz)]2 meet each and every limitation of claim 1, formula (I), where R1 is hydrogen and the claim 1 dinitrogen linking group:
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where claim 1 variable R2 is hydrogen. Claim 2, formula (I-2) is anticipated by Pérez’s above palladium dimer.
Subject Matter Free of the Art of Record
Claims 3 is free of the art of record. Claim 3 is directed to thirteen species of the Markush formulae depicted in claim 1. The specification teaches that the claimed cyclic metal palladium dimers have excellent luminous efficiency and long luminous lifetime, and can be used as a luminescent center for an emission layer of an OLED. Specification at page 7, [0025].
References J. Pérez et al., 43 Dalton Transactions, 9625-9636 (2009) (“Pérez”) and M. Santana et al., 40 Dalton Transactions, 3537-3546 (2011) (“Santana”) are cited as the closest art of record.
As discussed above, J. Pérez et al., 43 Dalton Transactions, 9625-9636 (2009) discloses the following palladium dimer:
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Pérez at page 9626, col. 1, Scheme 1. Pérez differs from species C8 of claim 3 in that it lacks the claimed t-butyl substituents. Claim 3 is not obvious over Pérez because neither Pérez nor secondary art teaches any specific or significant utility for Pérez’s disclosed compound. As such, one of ordinary skill has little motivation to make structurally related compounds. MPEP § 2144.09(VI) (citing In re Lalu, 747 F.2d 703, 223 USPQ 1257 (Fed. Cir. 1984); In re Stemniski, 444 F.2d 581, 170 USPQ 343 (CCPA 1971)); see also, In re Albrecht, 514 F.2d 1389, 1396, 185 USPQ 585, 590 (CCPA 1975).
M. Santana et al., 40 Dalton Transactions, 3537-3546 (2011) (“Santana”) teaches a study on the synthesis and luminescence properties of cyclopalladated complexes of the general formula of general formula [ {Pd(μ-N[Symbol font/0xD9]S)(C[Symbol font/0xD9]N)2. Santana at Abstract; Id. at page 3538, col. 2. Santana teaches that all palladium complexes under study show photoluminescence in solution (Table 3) and in solid state (Table 4). Santana at page 3835, col. 2.
For example, Santana discloses the following compound ([{Pd(μ-Sbimid)(Phpy)}2] I2), which is the closest structurally to the claimed compounds.
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Santana at page 3544, col. 1; see also, CAS Abstract and Indexed Compounds, M. Santana et al., 40 Dalton Transactions, 3537-3546 (2011). Santana compound ([{Pd(μ-Sbimid)(Phpy)}2] I2) differs from claim 3 formula C8 in at least the arrangement of nitrogen atoms in the heterocyclic ring and by the presence of a sulfur atom in the palladium bridge.
Claim 3 is not obvious over Santana because while Santana may suggests to one of ordinary skill to explore the emission and luminescent properties of Santana’s palladium dimers and similar compounds, one of ordinary skill is not motivated to make the specific structural modifications to ([{Pd(μ-Sbimid)(Phpy)}2] required in order to achieve claimed palladium dimer C8. MPEP § 2143(I)(B) (see for example, MPEP § 2143(I)(B) Example 9, citing Eisai Co. Ltd. v. Dr. Reddy’s Labs., Ltd., 533 F.3d 1353, 87 USPQ2d 1452 (Fed. Cir. 2008).
Conclusion
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ALEXANDER R. PAGANO
Examiner
Art Unit 1692
/ALEXANDER R PAGANO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1692