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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority based on
applications filed in CN on July 1, 2021. It is noted, however, that the
foreign priority date is the effective filing date of the claimed invention if
a. The foreign application supports the claimed invention under 112(a), and
b. The applicant has perfected the right of priority by providing
i. A certified copy of the priority application, and
ii. A translation of the priority application (if not in English).
In the instant case, the applicant has submitted a certified copy of the priority application, but it is not in English, and the examiner cannot determine if it
supports the claimed invention. The effective filing date of the application is considered to be September 2, 2023, which is the actual filing date of instant application 18/280,214.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: the specification contains structures with small and difficult to read atom labels for Formula (1-1) to (1-7), shown below (¶ [0072]).
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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 4-5 and 10 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 claims 4-5 and 10, the phrase "preferably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d). For the purposes of examination, the examiner will interpret “preferably” as optional.
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 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon et al. (CN11699191, hereinafter "Yoon") in view of Cui et al. (CN111647010, hereinafter "Cui"). Note that machine-generated English translations are relied upon and provided with this office action.
In the pertinent art of organic light-emitting devices, Yoon teaches an organic light-emitting device comprising two electrodes and at least one of the organic layers comprises a heterocyclic compound represented by chemical formula 1 wherein the structure of chemical formula 2 may be fused to the rings of chemical formula 1 as seen in example Compound 1 of Yoon shown below (abstract, pg ¶ [0106]).
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The Compound 1 of Yoon is a compound of the Formula 1 of Yoon wherein the Formula 2 is condensed on the first ring at positions R54 and R53 and condensed on the second ring at positions R32 and R33. Yoon teaches that existing spiral ring structures and simple cyclic compounds, like dimethylfluorene, forming right-angle structures based on a central carbon atom, have limitations in adjusting wavelength and suppressing intermolecular interactions to improve luminous efficiency (Description pg 3). Yoon teaches that organic light-emitting devices containing a compound of the Formula 1 of Yoon have low voltage, high efficiency, and long lifespan (Description pg 59, Table 1). The compound 1 of Yoon contains an adamantane group, which is a sterically bulky cyclic alkyl group.
Yoon teaches the above; however, Yoon fails to teach a compound containing a group other than adamantane. 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 the adamantane group with a cyclopentane group in the compound of chemical formula 1 of Yoon, based on the teachings of Yoon. The motivation for doing so would have been to select a sterically bulky cyclic alkyl group to adjust the wavelength and suppress intermolecular interactions to obtain a device with improved luminous efficiency, as taught by Yoon (Description pg 3).
Given the general formula 1 and teachings of Yoon, 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 the adamantane group with the cyclopentane group, because Yoon teaches the variable may suitably be selected as one of a spiral ring structure, or a simple cyclic compound, forming right-angle structures based on a central carbon atom. The substitution would have been one preferred element for another and one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art would reasonably expect the predictable result that the modified compound would be useful as heterocyclic compound in the organic layer of the light-emitting device of Yoon and possess the benefits of adjusting the wavelength and suppressing intermolecular interactions to obtain a device with improved luminous efficiency, taught by Yoon (Description pg 3). See MPEP 2143.I.(B).
Yoon teaches the above; however, Yoon fails to teach a motivation to select the cyclopentane group in particular.
In the relevant art of organic light-emitting devices, Cui teaches that (1) an alkyl group, such as dimethyl, and (2) a spiro-fused group containing a 5 membered ring, such as a spiro-fused fluorene, are suitable and known substituents for a MR-TADF core having a heterocyclic-fused 5 membered ring containing B and N, shown below in compounds 1-25 and 1-29 (pg 7).
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Cui does not particularly limit the identity of group M in the general formula S to be either dimethyl or a spiro-fused fluorene as shown above. Cui teaches that group M may be C(R)2 wherein R may be unsubstituted alkyl groups with 1 to 20 carbon atoms (Description pg 3). Cui teaches that fixing the boron-containing core with large steric substituents wherein the entire molecule is fixed with a rigid ring demonstrates good properties as organic luminescent materials (Description pg 2 paragraph 3). Cui teaches that the polycyclic boron-containing compound has narrow emission peaks, high thermal stability, good transport performance, high quantum yield of fluorescence, and a simple preparation method (Description pg 2 paragraph 5). Cui teaches that an organic light-emitting device containing the polycyclic boron-containing compound has high luminous efficiency, long lifespan, low driving voltage, narrow half-peak width, and high color purity (Description pg 2 paragraph 5).
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 arrive at the Modified Compound 1 of Yoon in the light-emitting device of Yoon, based on the teachings of Cui. The motivation for replacing adamantane with cyclopentane would have been to select for a spiro-fused, cyclic 5 membered alkyl substituent which was a known and acceptable group for the MR-TADF core with a high steric hindrance and rigid ring which leads to an organic light-emitting device with high luminous efficiency, long lifespan, low driving voltage, narrow half-peak width, and high color purity as taught by Cui (Description pg 2 paragraph 5).
The resulting Modified Compound 1 of Yoon is shown below.
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Modified Compound 1 of Yoon
The Modified Compound 1 of Yoon reads on the organic compound of instant Formula 1 of instant claim 1 wherein:
Ar is formula (2-3);
Na, nb, nc, nd, and ne are 0;
represented by Formula Q;
represented by (2-3);
represented by compound C-62.
Therefore, the Modified Compound 1 of Yoon reads on instant claims 1-9. Note that claims 4-7 does not limit the value of na to ne; therefore, the Modified Compound 1 of Yoon reads on instant claims 4-7 wherein na to ne are 0.
Regarding claim 10, the light-emitting device of Yoon comprises an anode, a cathode, and an organic layer containing an organic compound of Yoon’s Formula 1. However, Yoon does not teach a light-emitting device containing the Modified Compound 1 of Yoon.
Yoon teaches an anode, a cathode, and an organic layer and the compound of Yoon’s Formula 1 is in the organic layer as discussed above. It would have been obvious to use the Modified Compound 1 of Yoon in the organic layer with the device structure of anode, organic layer, and cathode as Yoon demonstrates this device structure was known prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention. The resulting modified device of Yoon reads on instant claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, Yoon teaches the organic light-emitting device containing the Modified Compound 1 of Yoon described above; however, Yoon fails to teach the organic light-emitting device emitting blue light. Yoon teaches the claimed invention above but does not expressly teach the organic light-emitting device emitting blue light. It is reasonable to presume that the blue light emission is inherent to the organic light-emitting device of Yoon. Support for said presumption is found in that the Modified Compound 1 of Yoon has the same structure as instant compound C-62, and therefore are expected to have the same properties of the blue light emission in claimed invention (Instant Specification ¶ [0157]).
Pertinent Prior Arts
The prior art made of record and not relied upon for some subject matter is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Nie et al. (CN 112250701 A). Nie teaches the same MR-TADF polycyclic boron-containing core wherein a bulky steric group such as adamantane and other cyclic groups are known and acceptable substituents.
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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