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 § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, because the specification, while being enabling for a limited number of compounds does not reasonably provide a written description for the invention encompassed by the claims.
Applicant recites:
A compound consisting of a first group and a second group; wherein, each of the first group and the second group independently comprises at least one continuous moiety comprising at least three rings; atoms of the first group do not overlap with atoms of the second group, and no fused ring system is part of both groups; the compound has a highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and a lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO); the second group contains at least 70% of the electron density of the HOMO and at least 70% of the electron density of the LUMO; and the first group is at least 30% deuterated.
A compound comprising or consisting of a first group and a second group; wherein each of the first group and the second group independently comprises at least one continuous moiety comprising at least three rings; atoms of the first group do not overlap with atoms of the second group, and no fused ring system is part of both groups; wherein a device lifetime LTI of an OLED in which the compound is used as a host is at least 30% higher than a device lifetime LT2 of a first test OLED in which a first comparative compound is used as a host; wherein the first comparative compound consists of a first group and a second group and has the same chemical structure as the compound except that the first group of the first comparative compound is not deuterated; and wherein the OLED and the first test OLED are different only in deuteration levels of the compound and the first comparative compound.
The written description of a compound with a HOMO and LUMO based on a first group and a second wherein both groups comprising at least three rings; atoms of the first group do not overlap with atoms of the second group, and no fused ring system is part of both groups wherein ); the second group contains at least 70% of the electron density of the HOMO and at least 70% of the electron density of the LUMO; and the first group is at least 30% deuterated, does not allow for a determination of the metes and bounds to conduct a comprehensive structure search as said compound is simply defined as a generic material with no limiting chemical features with exception of comprising at least three rings; atoms of the first group do not overlap with atoms of the second group, and no fused ring system is part of both groups wherein. The unlimited scope makes reasonable a structural search very difficult to impossible to establish search parameters fully encompassing the scope of the claims.
the first group is a fully deuterated triphenyl silyl (paragraph 026)
the second group comprises at least one second moiety selected from the group consisting of carbazole, indolocarbazole, dibenzothiophene, indolodibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, indolodibenzofuran, dibenzoselenophene, indolodibenzoselenophene, 5,9-dioxa-13b-boranaphtho[3,2,l-de ]anthracene, imidazole, pyridine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, pyridazine, triazine, benzo[d]benzo[4,5]imidazo[l,2-a]imidazole; and azavariants thereof (paragraph 0068)
The specification while offering a number of examples is very limited in comparison to the unlimited scope of the claims 1 and 10. claims 1 and 10 lack a defined scope fully supported by a written description commensurate in scope with the claims. The lack of support in the specification for full scope of the claims fails to show that the applicant was in possession of the invention as recited. Therefore, claims 1 and 10 and all claims requiring the limitations claims 1 and 10 are rejected for lacking a suitable written description.
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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