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 .
Claim Status
Claims 1–12 are pending. Claims 1–12 are rejected.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: The word “or” should precede the last compound. Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2021/0284619 Al by Lee et al. which claims priority to KR10-2020-0029765 filed March 10th, 2020 (cited in the IDS filed 06/08/2023).
The prior art discloses Compound 41 which reads on instant claims 1-2, and 4-6 (page 13; paragraph [0090] of priority doc):
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Prior art compound 41 is identical to compound 375 of instant claim 6 and is embraced by Chemical Formula 3-2 where R1 and R2 are each C1 alkyl, A10 is hydrogen, A15-A18 are each hydrogen, X11 is O, L3 is absent (p is 0), Ar3 is unsubstituted C6 aryl, L1 is unsubstituted C6 arylene, m is 1, Ar1 is substituted C6 aryl, L2 is unsubstituted C6 aryl, n is 1 and Ar2 is C6 aryl.
Prior art compound 56 reads on claims 1-3 and is embraced by Chemical Formula 2-2 where X11 is O, A10 is hydrogen, A15-A18 are hydrogen, R1 and R2 are C1 alkyl, L3 is absent (p is 0), Ar3 is unsubstituted C6 aryl, Ar1 is unsubstituted C6 aryl, L2 is absent (n is 0), and Ar2 is unsubstituted C14 aryl (page 16; paragraph [0100] of priority doc):
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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) 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2021/0284619 Al by Lee et al. which claims priority to KR10-2020-0029765 filed March 10th, 2020 in view of US 20180093962 A1 by Choi et al.
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. (See MPEP § 2141.01)
The prior art teaches (title) “novel amine compound and high-efficiency organic light-emitting diode including the same”. The prior art discloses Compound 41 which reads on instant claims 1-2, and 4-6 (page 13; paragraph [0090] of priority doc):
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Prior art compound 41 is identical to compound 375 of instant claim 6 and is embraced by Chemical Formula 3-2 where R1 and R2 are each C1 alkyl, A10 is hydrogen, A15-A18 are each hydrogen, X11 is O, L3 is absent (p is 0), Ar3 is unsubstituted C6 aryl, L1 is unsubstituted C6 arylene, m is 1, Ar1 is substituted C6 aryl, L2 is unsubstituted C6 aryl, n is 1 and Ar2 is C6 aryl.
Prior art compound 56 reads on claims 1-3 and is embraced by Chemical Formula 2-2 where X11 is O, A10 is hydrogen, A15-A18 are hydrogen, R1 and R2 are C1 alkyl, L3 is absent (p is 0), Ar3 is unsubstituted C6 aryl, Ar1 is unsubstituted C6 aryl, L2 is absent (n is 0), and Ar2 is unsubstituted C14 aryl (page 16; paragraph [0100] of priority doc):
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Ascertainment of the differences between the prior art and the claims. (See MPEP § 2141.02)
Prior art compound 41 reads on instant claims 1-2 and 4-6 and prior art compound 56 reads on claims 1-3. Lee et al. teach an organic light-emitting diode (title); however, device claims 7-12 are addressed in view of Choi et al. as the priority document is not in English.
Finding of prima facie obviousness --- rationale and motivation (See MPEP § 2142-2143)
Choi et al. teach an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) comprising compounds analogous to the compounds of Lee et al. The following compound of Choi et al. is an example of an analogous compound corresponding to instant Chemical Formula 1, where the compound has the same central 5-ring core and a least one substituent that corresponds to instant Chemical Formula 1-1 (page 64):
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Regarding instant claim 7, Choi et al. teach that the prior art diode may be applied to a device (paragraph [0117]), and state:
the present disclosure addresses an organic light-emitting diode, comprising a first electrode; a second electrode facing the first electrode; and an organic layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the organic layer includes at least one of the organic compounds according to the present disclosure.
Choi et al. further disclose the following in accordance with instant claims 8-9 and 11-12 (paragraph [0072]):
The organic layer including the organic compound can be used in at least one of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a functional layer capable of both hole injection and hole transport, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer, and particularly, the organic compound may be recruited in a hole transport layer.
Regarding the electron blocking or hole bocking layer of claim 10, Choi et al. disclose that materials used as organic layers in OLEDs may be divided into electron-blocking material or a hole-blocking material (paragraph [0006]).
Accordingly, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to prepare devices such as one containing the organic light-emitting diode of Choi et al. and would be motivated to test the device with the analogous compounds of Lee et al. included in the organic material layer to optimize performance of the device.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ASHLI A CHICKS whose telephone number is (571)270-0582. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7 a.m.- 5 p.m..
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/A.A.C./Examiner, Art Unit 1626
/JOSEPH K MCKANE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1626