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: the specification contains compounds with small atom labels that are difficult to read such as the example shown below (pg 131 ¶ [0241]).
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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 1-12, 14, 16-25, 27-31, and 34 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 describes general formula (1) containing a group A attached to a pyrimidine core wherein group A is represented by formula (2) containing HAr1 and HAr2, both connected to L2, wherein HAr1 is represented by formula (3). Claim 1 defines: HAr1, represented by formula (3) wherein one of X1 to X8 is a carbon atom that is bonded to *a; group *a is connected to group **, and ** represents a bonding site to L1. It is unclear how: (A) HAr1 can be defined as connected to ** which is bonded to L1 whereas (B) the formula (2) defines HAr1 as connected to L2. Therefore, claim 1 is indefinite. For the purposes of examination, the examiner will interpret claim 1 as either (A) or (B). Claims 2-12, 14, 16-25, 27-31, and 34 are also rejected as they depend from claim 1 and do not cure the deficiencies of the claims from which they depend.
Claim 19 is dependent on claim 1 wherein claim 1 defines X1 to X8 in formula (3) as each independently a nitrogen atom or CR1 provided that one selected from X1 to X8 is a carbon atom that is bonded to *a. Claim 19 defines X1 to X8 as CR1. It is unclear how a compound of claim 1 has X1 to X8 as all CR1 in claim 19 when a compound of claim 1 has one of X1 to X8 as carbon bonded to *a. Therefore, claim 19 is indefinite. For the purposes of examination, the examiner will interpret claim 19 as a compound according to claim 1, wherein X1 to X8 that are not a carbon atom bonded to *a are all CR1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-8, 14, 16-20, and 22-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2017/0155048 A1).
In the pertinent art of organic light-emitting devices, Kim discloses (1) compounds of general Formula 4-1 including a ring-forming moiety and a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, shown below, and (2) a specific compound 4-11 that features a pyrimidine core substituted by a fluorene and a dibenzofuran group, also shown below (¶ [0084] – [0091], pg 48 column I row II).
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Compound 4-11 of Kim is a compound of instant general formula (1) in instant claim 1 wherein:
A is a group represented by formula (2);
Har1 is represented by formula (3);
Y1 is O;
X1 to X3 and X5 to X8 are CR1;
CR1 is hydrogen;
X4 is bonded to *a;
m and n are 1;
m + n = 2;
L2 is a trivalent linking group (phenyl);
Ar1 is an unsubstituted aryl group having 6 ring carbon atoms;
Ar1 is phenyl;
Ar2 is a substituted aryl group having 13 ring carbon atoms;
Ar2 is fluorenyl;
p is 0 and (L1)0 means a single bond.
Represented by formula (4) in claim 2;
R10, R12, and R14 are H;
R11 is attached to *b;
R13 is attached to *c;
Represented by formula (4A) in claim 3;
R20 to R24 are H;
Represented by formula (5) in claim 4;
Represented by formula (4A) in claim 5;
Represented by formula (4A-1) in claim 6;
Represented by formula (4A-1a) in claim 7;
Represented by formula (4A-1a-2) in claim 8;
Therefore, the compound 4-11 of Kim anticipates claims 1-8, 14, 16-17, 19-20, and 22-23.
Regarding claim 24, compound 4-11 is a compound according to claim 3 represented by Formula 4A and does not contain R30-R37. Note that claim 24 does not require formula 4B to be selected. Therefore, compound 4-11 anticipates claim 24.
Regarding claim 18, compound 4-11 may be reinterpreted as a compound of claim 1 wherein p is 1 and (L1)1 is a phenyl group and Ar2 is H. Therefore, compound 4-11 anticipates claim 18.
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 9-12, 21, 25, 27-31, and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2017/0155048 A1, hereinafter "Kim") as applied to claims 1-8, 14, 16-20, and 22-24 described above.
Regarding claims 9-12, Kim teaches general Formula 4-1 and a specific compound 4-11 that features a pyrimidine core substituted by a fluorene and a dibenzofuran that reads on claims 1-8, 14, 16-17, 19-20, and 22-24 as described above. Compound 4-11 is a compound of Kim’s general Formula 4-1 where the heterocyclic core is substituted with a phenyl as L31, and L31 is substituted with both a dibenzofuran as Ar31 and a phenyl group. Kim does not particularly limit the substitution of L31 to a dibenzofuran group and a phenyl group for Ar31. Kim teaches that a dibenzothiophene group and a naphthalene group are known and appropriate substitutions for L31 in compounds 4-12 (pg 48 col I row III) and 4-7 (pg 64 col II row I) respectively. Kim also specifically defines that Ar 31 may be naphthyl (¶ [0122]) and benzothiophenyl (¶ [0123]) groups.
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Kim teaches that an organic light-emitting device containing the compound of Kim has high efficiency and long lifespan (¶ [0006]).
Kim teaches the above; however, Kim fails to teach a compound of instant claim 1 represented by instant formula 4B-1 that features a naphthalene moiety.
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 substitute L31 in the Compound 4-11 with a dibenzothiophene and a naphthalene group as Ar31, based on the teachings of Kim. The motivation for doing so would have been to obtain a device with high efficiency and long lifespan, as taught by Kim (¶ [0006]). The resulting Modified Compound of Kim is shown below.
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Modified Compound of Kim
Therefore, the Modified Compound of Kim reads on instant claims 9-12 and 21 because it is a compound of instant claim 1 wherein:
Y1 is S;
Represented by Formula (4B-1) of claim 9;
Represented by Formula (4B-1b) of claim 10;
Represented by Formula (4B-1b-2 of claim 11;
Represented by Formula (4B’-2) of claim 12.
Regarding claim 25, Kim teaches that L31-L33 may be Formula 7-23, which is a phenyl group substituted by deuterium, shown below (pg 14, ¶ [0116]).
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Formula 7-23 of Kim
Regarding claims 27-31, Kim teaches Example 1 having the following structure:
A glass substrate with an ITO layer (¶ [0275]);
A first hole injection layer and a second hole injection layer (¶ [0276]);
An emission layer containing a host and a dopant (¶ [0276]);
A first electron transport layer (¶ [0277]);
A second electron transport layer containing compound 4-1 as a compound of general formula 4-1 of Kim (¶ [0277]);
An electron injection layer and a cathode layer.
Kim teaches the above, however, Kim fails to teach an organic light-emitting device containing the compound 4-11 of Kim. Kim teaches an anode, a first HIL, a second HIL, an EML, an ETL, a second ETL containing a compound of general formula 4-1, an EIL, and a cathode, and the compound 4-1 is in the second ETL layer as discussed above. It would have been obvious to use the compound 4-11 of Kim in the organic layer with the device structure of anode, a first HIL, a second HIL, an EML, an ETL, a second ETL containing a compound 4-11 of Kim, an EIL, and a cathode as Kim demonstrates this device structure was known prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention. The resulting modified device reads on claims 27-29 and 34, wherein the organic light-emitting device is an electronic device.
Regarding claims 30-31, the Modified Device of Kim may be reinterpreted wherein the second electron transport layer containing the compound 4-11 reads on the hole blocking layer.
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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