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 .
The Applicant has amended claims 1 and 7; canceled claim 2-6. The pending claims are claims 1, 7, 8.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 3/23/2026 has been entered.
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, 7, 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rho et al., CN 106605313 (Rho et al., US 20170288258 used as translation), in view of Fukumoto et al., JP 2014154447, Ju Qun et al., CN 105304906.
Regarding claim 1, Rho et al., teaches a method for manufacturing a flexible battery (0001; 0014-0015), wherein flexible battery comprises an electrode assembly (abstract) encapsulated by an exterior material (abstract; 0011) with an electrolyte (abstract; 0016), comprising manufacturing the electrode assembly by a method comprising the steps of: forming a positive electrode mixture (0022; 0069-0071) by coating (0022) and drying a composition for forming a positive electrode active material having a solid content of 60 to 90% by weight and on part or all of at least one surface of a positive electrode current collector (0127-0129); vacuum drying the positive electrode current collector at a temperature of 90 to 170 deg C for 8 to 16 hours to manufacture a positive electrode (0070-0073); forming a negative electrode mixture by coating and drying a composition for forming a negative electrode active material having a solid content of 30 to 65% by weight and on part or all of at least one surface of a negative electrode current collector (0070-0073); drying the negative electrode current collector to manufacture a negative electrode (0022; 0069-0073) ; and laminating by interposing a separator between the positive electrode and the negative electrode (0022). Rho et al., teaches vacuum drying of the negative electrode current collector is performed at a temperature of 40 to 90C (0135) for 12 hours (0135). Rho et al., teaches the composition for forming the negative electrode active material comprises 3.5 to 8 parts by weight of PVDF (0024; 0048; 0058) based on 100 parts by weight of the negative electrode material.
Rho does not teach the positive electrode active material coated on part or all of the at least one surface of the positive electrode current collector has a moisture content of 500 ppm or less.
However, "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).
Rho et al., does not teach wherein the positive electrode mixture has a back spring calculated according to Mathematical Formula 1 below of 3.5% or less, wherein the negative electrode mixture has a back spring calculated according to Mathematical Formula 2 below of 4.5% or less: [Mathematical Formula 1] Back spring (%) = ((layer thickness of a positive electrode mixture after vacuum drying (pm) / layer thickness of a positive electrode mixture before vacuum drying (um))- 1) x 100(%) [Mathematical Formula 2] Back spring (%) = ((layer thickness of a negative electrode mixture after vacuum drying (um) / layer thickness of a negative electrode mixture before vacuum drying (um))-1) x 100(%).
Fukumoto does not teach a viscosity of 7000 to 17,000 cps at 25 deg C and a viscosity of 5000 to 15,000 cps at 25 deg C.
However, A prima facie case of obviousness may be made when chemical compounds have very close structural similarities and similar utilities. "An obviousness rejection based on similarity in chemical structure and function entails the motivation of one skilled in the art to make a claimed compound, in the expectation that compounds similar in structure will have similar properties." In re Payne, 606 F.2d 303, 313, 203 USPQ 245, 254 (CCPA 1979). See In re Papesch, 315 F.2d 381, 137 USPQ 43 (CCPA 1963).
Fukumoto et al., teaches the positive electrode mixture has a back spring (0067) of “within about 4%” (0082) which overlaps with claim 1 (“below of 4.5% or less”) (0082).
In addition, Fukumoto et al., teaches PVDF based on 100 parts by weight of a positive electrode material (0011; 0024).
Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to insert the teachings of Fukumoto into the teachings of Rho because Fukimoto teaches a spring back rate (0067; 0082) which measures the thickness of the structures (0011; 0052).
Rho et al., does not teach wherein the composition for forming a positive electrode active material comprises 0.1 part by weight of a first conductive material, 0.1 to 1 part by weight of a second conductive material and 1 to 4 parts by weight of PVDF based on 100 parts by weight of a positive electrode material.
Ju Qun et al., teaches wherein the composition for forming a positive electrode active material comprises “1 part by weight” (0028) of a first conductive material (0028), 0.1 to 1 part by weight of a second conductive material (0032).
Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to insert the teachings of Ju Qun into the teachings of Rho because Ju Qun greatly increases the effective specific surface area of the electrode and improves the mass transfer rate of the lithium-ion negative electrode reaction.
Rho et al., does not teach wherein the composition for forming a positive electrode active material comprises 0.1 part by weight of a first conductive material, 0.1 to 1 part by weight of a second conductive material and 1 to 4 parts by weight of PVDF based on 100 parts by weight of a positive electrode material.
Ju Qun et al., teaches wherein the composition for forming a positive electrode active material comprises “1 part by weight” (0028) of a first conductive material (0028), 0.1 to 1 part by weight of a second conductive material (0032).
Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to insert the teachings of Ju Qun into the teachings of Rho because Ju Qun greatly increases the effective specific surface area of the electrode and improves the mass transfer rate of the lithium-ion negative electrode reaction (0008).
Regarding claim 7, Rho et al., teaches the composition for forming the negative electrode active material comprises 3.5 to 8 parts by weight of PVDF (0024; 0048; 0058) based on 100 parts by weight of the negative electrode material.
Regarding claim 8, Rho et al., teaches further comprising forming a pattern for contraction (abstract; 0016) and relaxation (“extension”; abstract; 0016) in a longitudinal direction (abstract; 0016; 0019) when bending (abstract; 0014-0015).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The Applicant argues that:
“First, none of Rho, Fukumoto, and Ju Qun discloses or would have suggested that "the positive electrode active material coated on part or all of the at least one surface of the positive electrode current collector has a moisture content of 500 ppm or less" and "the negative electrode active material coated on part or all of the at least one surface of the negative electrode current collector has a moisture content of 200 ppm or less," as recited in amended claim 1. Thus, claim 1 as amended is patentable over the cited references for at least this reason. PAR.”
Rho teaches forming a positive electrode mixture (0022; 0069-0071) by coating (0022) and drying a composition for forming a positive electrode active material having a solid content of 60 to 90% by weight and on part or all of at least one surface of a positive electrode current collector (0127-0129); vacuum drying the positive electrode current collector at a temperature of 90 to 170 deg C for 8 to 16 hours to manufacture a positive electrode (0070-0073). Rho teaches the same materials within the same range and
"[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).”
Applicant argues:
“Second, claim 1 as amended is patentable over Rho, Fukumoto, and Ju Qun because the cited references, even in combination, fail to disclose or suggest the specific combination of composition components and their amounts, viscosities, and drying conditions recited in amended claim 1 that are capable of achieving the claimed moisture content and back spring. Rho discloses a manufacturing process of a flexible battery including specific vacuum drying temperature and time conditions. However, as acknowledged in the Office Action, Rho does not teach that the composition for forming a positive electrode active material comprises 0.1 part by weight of a first conductive material, 0.1 to 1 part by weight of a second conductive material, and 1 to 4 parts by weight of PVDF based on 100 parts by weight of a positive electrode material. Office Action p. 5. Additionally, Rho does not disclose and would not have suggested that the composition for forming a positive electrode active material has "a viscosity of 7,000 to 17,000 cps at 25°C" or that the composition for forming the negative electrode active material has "a viscosity of 5,000 to 15,000 cps at 25°C," as recited in claim 1.”
"[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).”
Conclusion
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ANGELA J. MARTIN
Examiner
Art Unit 1727
/ANGELA J MARTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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