DETAILED ACTION
The applicant’s amendment filed on June 23, 2025 was received. Claims 1, 2 and 23 were amended.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 1-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Su et al. (hereinafter “Su”) (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0254485, already of record) in view of Yoon et al. (hereinafter “Yoon”) (U.S. Pub. No. 2014/034680A1, already of record).
Regarding claims 1 and 2, Su teaches an aluminum secondary battery including a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte including an aluminum salt and a solvent (see paragraph 78). A desirable anode layer structure is composed of a network of electron-conducting pathways (e.g., mat of graphene sheets, carbon nano-fibers, or carbon-nanotubes) and a thin layer of aluminum metal or alloy coating deposited on surfaces of this conductive network structure (see paragraph 79). The cathode layer may be formed of a layer of oriented graphene structure positioned and aligned in such a manner that one of the graphene edge planes is substantially parallel to the anode layer or the porous separator layer (see paragraph 71). The graphene may be formed by subjecting exfoliated graphite or graphite worms high-intensity mechanical shearing to form separated single-layer and multi-layer graphene sheets 112. Multiple graphene sheets may be made into a sheet of paper 114 using a paper-making process (see paragraph 63). In Example 4, Su teaches that exfoliated carbon worms may be airjet-milled to form graphene sheets and then roll-pressed to different extents to obtain recompressed graphene sheets having different densities, specific surface areas, and degrees of orientation (recompressed exfoliated graphite worms having constituent graphite flakes) (see paragraph 97).
Su is silent as to a wound cathode roll.
Yoon teaches a rolled electrode structure for a secondary battery cell in which a graphene film is wound in the form of a roll, and a predetermined space between facing graphene film surfaces may be secured, in which adjacent surfaces of the graphene film are not attached to each other owing to a nanomaterial dispersed on the surface of the graphene film. In this rolled graphene film structure, electrolyte ions may diffuse between the facing graphene film surfaces even though they are not attached to each other (see paragraphs 26 and 78; FIG. 1). The rolled graphene film may be aligned perpendicular to an adjacent separator or current collector such that open channels defined by facing graphene film surfaces are aligned vertically so as to facilitate the diffusion of the electrolyte ions. A length of a diffusion path of the electrolyte ions may thereby be significantly decreased (see paragraph 84; FIG. 2(c)). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have utilized the rolled graphene film of Yoon in place of the stacked structure of Su because the change in form or shape, without any new or unexpected results, is an obvious engineering design. See In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
Regarding claims 3 and 5, the limitations recited therein are considered product-by-process limitations. Even though product-by-process claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself. The patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process. See In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 698, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (see MPEP § 2113).
Regarding claim 4, Su teaches that the oriented graphene sheets in the cathode layer are bonded together by a binder (see paragraph 19).
Regarding claims 6 and 7, Su teaches that the oriented graphene sheets have a physical density from 1.1 to 1.8 g/cm3 and has pores having a pore size from 2 nm to 5 nm (see paragraph 18).
Regarding claim 8, Su teaches that the oriented graphene sheets have a specific surface area from 20 to 1500 m2/g (see paragraph 73).
Regarding claims 9 and 12, Su teaches that the integrated 3D conductive nano-structure of the anode may also serves as the anode current collector (see paragraph 102).
Regarding claim 10, Su teaches that the anode’s integrated nano-structure may be composed of electrically conductive nanometer-scaled filaments that are interconnected to form a porous network of electron-conducting paths comprising interconnected pores, wherein the filaments have a transverse dimension less than 500 nm (see paragraph 79).
Regarding claim 11, Su teaches that the filaments may comprise an electrically conductive material selected from the group consisting of electro-spun nano fibers, vapor-grown carbon or graphite nano fibers, carbon or graphite whiskers, carbon nano-tubes, nano-scaled graphene platelets, metal nano wires, and combinations thereof (see paragraph 79).
Regarding claim 13, Su teaches the electrolyte may be selected from an aqueous electrolyte, organic electrolyte, molten salt electrolyte, ionic liquid electrolyte, or a combination thereof (see paragraph 25).
Regarding claim 14, Su teaches that the electrolyte contains an aluminum salt such as, AlF3, AlCl3, AlBr3, AlI3, AlFxCl(3-x), AlBrxCl(3-x), AlIxCl(3-x), or a combination thereof, wherein x is from 0.01 to 2.0 (see paragraph 25).
Regarding claim 15, Su teaches that the electrolyte contains an ionic liquid that contains an aluminum salt mixed with an organic chloride selected from n-butyl-pyridinium-chloride (BuPyCl), 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium-chloride (MEICl), 2-dimethyl-3-propylimidazolium-chloride, 1,4-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazolium chloride (DMTC), or a mixture thereof (see paragraph 26).
Regarding claim 16, Su teaches the electrolyte also supports reversible intercalation and de-intercalation of ions (cations, anions, or both) at the cathode (see paragraph 20).
Regarding claim 17, Su teaches that the layer of oriented graphene may operate as a cathode current collector to collect electrons during a discharge of the aluminum secondary battery such that the battery contains no separate or additional cathode current collector (see paragraph 27).
Regarding claims 18 and 19, Su teaches that the oriented graphene sheets in the cathode layer are bonded together by an electrically conductive binder. The electrically conductive binder material may be selected from coal tar pitch, petroleum pitch, meso-phase pitch, a conducting polymer, a polymeric carbon, or a derivative thereof. (see paragraphs 19 and 28).
Regarding claims 20-22, Su teaches that the aluminum secondary battery may have an average discharge voltage no less than 2.0 volts and a cathode specific capacity greater than 100 mAh/g based on a total cathode active layer weight (see paragraph 30).
Regarding claim 23, Su teaches an aluminum secondary battery including a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte including an aluminum salt and a solvent (see paragraph 78). A desirable anode layer structure is composed of a network of electron-conducting pathways (e.g., mat of graphene sheets, carbon nano-fibers, or carbon-nanotubes) and a thin layer of aluminum metal or alloy coating deposited on surfaces of this conductive network structure (see paragraph 79). The cathode layer may be formed of a layer including multiplier layers of oriented graphene structure stacked and/or bonded together (graphite flakes), and positioned and aligned in such a manner that one of the graphene edge planes is substantially parallel to the anode layer or the porous separator layer (see paragraph 71). Graphene sheets typically have a thickness less than 10 nm (see paragraph 62). The graphene structure may be formed by a wet process in which the graphene sheets are assembled with electrolyte residing in the inter-graphene spaces. The oriented graphene sheets have a physical density from 1.1 to 1.8 g/cm3 and a specific surface area from 20 to 1500 m2/g when measured in a dried state (see paragraph 73). The cathode active layer comprises oriented graphene sheets having inter-graphene spaces or pores from 2 nm to 10 μm in size (see paragraph 31). Given an inter-graphene space from 2 nm to 10 μm in size, electrolyte residing in the inter-graphene space is understood to have a thickness that is approximately 2 nm to 10 μm.
Su teaches that the graphene structure may comprise multiple graphene layers stacked and/or bonded together, but is silent as to a wound cathode roll.
Yoon teaches a rolled electrode structure for a secondary battery cell in which a graphene film is wound in the form of a roll, and a predetermined space between facing graphene film surfaces may be secured, in which adjacent surfaces of the graphene film are not attached to each other owing to a nanomaterial dispersed on the surface of the graphene film. In this rolled graphene film structure, electrolyte ions may diffuse between the facing graphene film surfaces even though they are not attached to each other (see paragraphs 26 and 78; FIG. 1). The rolled graphene film may be aligned perpendicular to an adjacent separator or current collector such that open channels defined by facing graphene film surfaces are aligned vertically so as to facilitate the diffusion of the electrolyte ions. A length of a diffusion path of the electrolyte ions may thereby be significantly decreased (see paragraph 84; FIG. 2(c)). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have utilized the rolled graphene film of Yoon in place of the stacked structure of Su because the change in form or shape, without any new or unexpected results, is an obvious engineering design. See In re Dailey, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
Regarding claim 24, Su teaches the electrolyte may be selected from an aqueous electrolyte, organic electrolyte, molten salt electrolyte, ionic liquid electrolyte, or a combination thereof (see paragraph 25).
Regarding claim 25, Su teaches that the electrolyte contains an aluminum salt such as, AlF3, AlCl3, AlBr3, AlI3, AlFxCl(3-x), AlBrxCl(3-x), AlIxCl(3-x), or a combination thereof, wherein x is from 0.01 to 2.0 (see paragraph 25).
Regarding claim 26, Su teaches that the electrolyte contains an ionic liquid that contains an aluminum salt mixed with an organic chloride selected from n-butyl-pyridinium-chloride (BuPyCl), 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium-chloride (MEICl), 2-dimethyl-3-propylimidazolium-chloride, 1,4-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazolium chloride (DMTC), or a mixture thereof (see paragraph 26).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-26 have been considered but are no longer relevant to the current rejection(s).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHAN J ESSEX whose telephone number is (571)270-7866. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm.
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/STEPHAN J ESSEX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727