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 .
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 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cui (US 2020/087311 A1) in view of Galan (US 2023/0240136 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Cui teach an OLED with multiple EL units as shown in Figure 2:
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A tandem OLED. FIG. 2 schematically shows the tandem organic light emitting device 500 without limitation. The device 500 may include a substrate 101, an anode 110, a first unit 100, a charge generation layer 300, a second unit 200, and a cathode 290. Wherein the first unit 100 includes a hole injection layer 120, a hole transporting layer 130, an electron blocking layer 140, an emissive layer 150, a hole blocking layer 160, an electron transporting layer 170, and the second unit 200 includes a hole injection layer 220, a hole transporting layer 230, an electron blocking layer 240, an emissive layer 250, a hole blocking layer 260, an electron transporting layer 270, and an electron injection layer 280. The charge generation layers 300 include an N type charge generation layer 310 and a P type charge generation layer 320 (paragraph 59).
The office notes that the hole injection layer 120 is closers to the anode 110 than the P type charge generation layer 320.
Based on the specification, hole injection layer 120 is viewed as the semiconductor layer. Cui teaches the hole injection layer material can be represented by Formula 1’ (paragraphs 35-37).
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A specific example is represented by Compound 56 (page 115):
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Compound 56 reads on applicants’ Formula 1 wherein Z1 and Z2 = O; X and Y = CR3R4, R3 and R4 = CN.
The p-type charge generation layer further comprises at least one hole transporting material (paragraph 133), but Cui fails to teach applicants’ hole transporting material.
The prior art as exemplified by Galan teaches as number of dopant materials for a p-type charge generation layer such as a radialene compound (paragraph 636).
As Cui does not mention any synergistic significancy to the combination of Compound 56 and a host represented by other hole transporting materials (paragraph 131), the office views the selection of materials known in the prior art to functional in the same or similar capacity as obvious, absent unexpected results.
Garlan teaches p-type charge generation layers may be doped with a radialene compounds (paragraph 636). A radialene compound is represented by A2 (page 13):
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A2 reads on applicants’ Formula 2 wherein A1, A2, A3 = ArCH2R’’, Ar1, Ar2, Ar3=tertraflouro-cyano-phenyl; R’ = cyano.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of invention to have selected from known charge p-type generation layer dopants which would have included A2 which reads on the instant limitations, absent unexpected results (per claim 1).
Regarding Claims 2-14, Cui in view of Garlan teach the invention of claim 1. Cui further teaches the OLED can have two or more MED units may be a series connected to form a tandem OLED (paragraph 59). The office view this as inclusive of three MED units, absent unexpected results (per claim 2).
Based on the specification, hole injection layer 120 is viewed as the semiconductor layer. Cui teaches that the hole injection layer material can be triarylamine derivative (known hole transporting material) (paragraph 131) (per claim 3).
Figure 2 below shows an anode 110 adjacent to a hole injection layer 120 (per claim 4).
The charge generation layer contains p-type charge generation layer and an n-type charge generation layer (paragraph 28) (per claim 5).
The charge generation layers 300 include an N type charge generation layer 310 and a P type charge generation layer 320, which are adjacent (paragraph 59) (per claim 6).
Compound 56 reads on applicants’ Formula 1 wherein Z1 and Z2 = O; X and Y = CR3R4, R3 and R4 = CN=
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(per claims 7-9)
R1 and R2 =
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(per claim 10). The above X and Y along with R1 and R2 reads on applicants’ B2 (per claim 11).
A2 reads on applicants’ Formula 2 wherein A1, A2, A3 = ArCH2R’, Ar1, Ar2, Ar3=
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; R’ = cyano (per claims 12-13, 14).
Regarding Claim 15, Cui in view of Garlan teach the device of claim 1. Cui teaches the OLED can be incorporated into a wide variety of consumer products that have one or more of the electronic component modules (or nits) incorporated therein. Some examples of such consumer products include flat panel displays, monitors, medical monitors, televisions, billboards, lights for interior or exterior illumination and/or signaling, heads-up displays, fully or partially transparent displays, flexible displays, smart phones, tablets, phablets, wearable devices, smart watches, laptop computers, digital cameras, camcorders, viewfinders, micro-displays, 3-D displays, vehicles displays, and vehicle tail lights (paragraph 61) (per claim 14).
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.
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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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