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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 3 of the claim, delete “that”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-2, 4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tajima (US 20160329533 A1, disclosed in IDS) in view of Izawa et al. (“Izawa”, JP 2014136653 A, see machine translation), Kwon et al. (“Kwon”, US 20140335391 A1, disclosed in IDS) and Ahn et al. (“Ahn”, US 20120282419 A1, disclosed in IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Tajima teaches a film for covering an entire outer surface of a secondary battery electrode assembly (Tajima, Title, Figs. 1, 4-6 and 9-11), the film comprising:
a mechanical support layer that is a polymer layer (Tajima, Figs. 1-2, [0063], [0072], [0135], e.g., the exterior body 116 includes exterior films 112 and 113 (one of which is being interpreted as mechanical support layer) and a region 111 therebetween; the exterior film 112 or the exterior film 113 preferably contains an organic material; as the exterior body 116, for example, an exterior film having a three-layer structure can be employed in which a layer (or a region) containing reduced graphene oxide is provided over a film containing an organic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, ionomer, or polyamide, and a film containing an organic material such as an insulating synthetic resin, e.g. a silicone resin, a polyamide-based resin, or a polyester-based resin, is provided as an outer surface of the exterior body over the layer containing reduced graphene oxide);
a reduced graphene oxide layer disposed on an outer surface of the mechanical support layer, the reduced graphene oxide layer including a plurality of reduced graphene oxide sheets, the reduced graphene oxide layer having a thickness ranging from 100 nm to 10 um (Tajima, Figs. 1-2, [0063], [0064], [0066], [0067], [0070], [0073], e.g., the exterior body 116 includes exterior films 112 and 113 and a region 111 (which is being interpreted as reduced graphene oxide layer) therebetween; in the region 111, a plurality of thin flakes 114 (which are being interpreted as reduced graphene oxide sheets) including graphene or graphene oxide is stacked; graphene includes single-layer graphene and multilayer graphene including two or more and a hundred or less layers (which is being interpreted as graphene includes 1 to 100 layers graphene); single-layer graphene refers to a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon molecules having π bonds; graphene oxide refers to a compound formed by oxidation of such graphene; when graphene oxide is reduced to give graphene; graphene obtained by reducing the graphene oxide includes a region where an interlayer distance is greater than or equal to 0.335 nm and less than or equal to 0.700 nm; graphene obtained by reducing graphene oxide (abbreviated to GO) is referred to as reduced graphene oxide (RGO); the thin flakes 114 containing reduced graphene oxide are dispersed substantially uniformly in the region 111; the thin flakes 114 containing reduced graphene oxide are actually thin films each having a thickness corresponding to the thickness of a single layer or a multi-layer of carbon molecules; the region 111 may be formed by stacking the thin flakes 114 including sheets of reduced graphene oxide; the region 111 may be formed in such a manner that a plurality of thin flakes 114 containing reduced graphene oxide are stacked (when the graphene includes 1 to 100 layers graphene, the interlayer distance is greater than or equal to 0.335 nm and less than or equal to 0.700 nm, and reduced graphene oxide layer (region 111) formed by a plurality of reduced graphene oxide sheets (thin flakes 114) as shown in Figs. 1-2, the thickness of the reduced graphene oxide layer (region 111) overlaps the claimed range of from 100 nm to 100 um, therefore, a prima facie case of obviousness exists (see MPEP § 2144.05, I.))); and
a sealant layer disposed on an outer surface of the reduced graphene oxide layer (Tajima, Figs. 1-2, [0063], [0067], [0073], [0176], e.g., the exterior body 116 includes exterior films 112 and 113 (one of which is being interpreted as sealant layer) and a region 111 therebetween; in the region 111, a plurality of thin flakes 114 including graphene or graphene oxide is stacked; graphene obtained by reducing graphene oxide (abbreviated to GO) is referred to as reduced graphene oxide (RGO); the region 111 may be formed by stacking the thin flakes 114 including sheets of reduced graphene oxide; an exterior film having a three-layer structure can be used in which a layer (or a region) containing reduced graphene oxide is provided over a film containing an organic material such as polyethylene, and a film containing an organic material such as an insulating synthetic resin is provided as the outer surface of the exterior body over the layer containing reduced graphene oxide; with such a three-layer structure, permeation of an electrolytic solution and a gas can be blocked and an insulating property and resistance to the electrolytic solution can be obtained),
wherein each of the reduced graphene oxide sheets has a thickness ranging from 0.002 to 10 um (Tajima, Figs. 1-2, [0063], [0064], [0066], [0067], [0070], [0073], e.g., in the region 111, a plurality of thin flakes 114 (which are being interpreted as reduced graphene oxide sheets) including graphene or graphene oxide is stacked; graphene includes single-layer graphene and multilayer graphene including two or more and a hundred or less layers (which is being interpreted as graphene includes 1 to 100 layers graphene); single-layer graphene refers to a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon molecules having π bonds; graphene oxide refers to a compound formed by oxidation of such graphene; when graphene oxide is reduced to give graphene; graphene obtained by reducing the graphene oxide includes a region where an interlayer distance is greater than or equal to 0.335 nm and less than or equal to 0.700 nm (when the graphene includes 1 to 100 layers graphene and the interlayer distance is greater than or equal to 0.335 nm and less than or equal to 0.700 nm, the thickness of the reduced graphene oxide sheet (e.g., every 2 to 3 layers graphene) overlaps the claimed range of from 0.002 to 10 um, therefore, a prima facie case of obviousness exists (see MPEP § 2144.05, I.)); graphene obtained by reducing graphene oxide (abbreviated to GO) is referred to as reduced graphene oxide (RGO); the thin flakes 114 containing reduced graphene oxide are dispersed substantially uniformly in the region 111; the thin flakes 114 containing reduced graphene oxide are actually thin films each having a thickness corresponding to the thickness of a single layer or a multi-layer of carbon molecules; the region 111 may be formed by stacking the thin flakes 114 including sheets of reduced graphene oxide).
In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists. (See MPEP § 2144.05, I.).
Tajima dose not teach wherein the plurality of reduced graphene oxide sheets in the reduced graphene oxide layer forms electrostatic interaction between adjacent ones of the reduced graphene oxide sheets via a metal ion; wherein the film further comprises at least one of: an adhesive layer between the reduced graphene oxide layer and the sealant layer, or an adhesive layer between the mechanical support layer and the reduced graphene oxide layer, and wherein the film has a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) ranging from 10-6 g/m2/day to10-3 g/m2/day.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Izawa teaches a film comprising plurality of reduced graphene oxide sheets in the reduced graphene oxide layer forms electrostatic interaction between adjacent ones of the reduced graphene oxide sheets via a metal ion (Izawa, Title, [0025], [0029], e.g., the obtained reduced graphene oxide, especially the metal-doped reduced graphene oxide, has a multilayer structure in which the metal ions intercalate as metal ions between the layers (which is being interpreted as plurality of reduced graphene oxide sheets in the reduced graphene oxide layer forms electrostatic interactions between adjacent sheets of the plurality of reduced graphene oxide sheets via the metal cations); silver metal doped graphene oxide)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein the plurality of reduced graphene oxide sheets in the reduced graphene oxide layer forms electrostatic interaction between adjacent ones of the reduced graphene oxide sheets via a metal ion, for the purpose of providing ionic bonding between layers (Izawa, [0025]).
Tajima in view of Izawa dose not teach wherein the film further comprises at least one of: an adhesive layer between the reduced graphene oxide layer and the sealant layer, or an adhesive layer between the mechanical support layer and the reduced graphene oxide layer, and wherein the film has a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) ranging from 10-6 g/m2/day to10-3 g/m2/day.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Kwon teaches a film comprising an adhesive layer may be added between the moisture-blocking film and the sealant polymer layers, so as to more enhance the adhesiveness (Kwon, Title, Fig. 3, [0064]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein the film further comprises at least one of: an adhesive layer between the reduced graphene oxide layer and the sealant layer, or an adhesive layer between the mechanical support layer and the reduced graphene oxide layer, for the purpose of enhancing the adhesiveness (Kwon, [0064]).
Tajima in view of Izawa and Kwon dose not teach wherein the film has a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) ranging from 10-6 g/m2/day to10-3 g/m2/day.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ahn teaches a graphene protective film comprising the substrate coated with a protective film so as to have maximum moisture transmittance of from 10-5 cc/m2/1 day to 10-6 cc/m2/1 day (which is being interpreted as water vapor transmission rate, which falls in the claimed range of 10-6 g/m2/day to 10-3 g/m2/day) (Ahn, Title, [0004]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein the film has a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) falls in the claimed range from 10-6 g/m2/day to 10-3 g/m2/day, for the purpose of obtaining resistance against moisture (Ahn, [0004]).
Regarding claim 2, Tajima teaches wherein each of the reduced graphene oxide sheets has a structure of one to three layers of reduced graphene oxide particles (Tajima, Figs. 1-2, [0063], [0064], [0066], [0067], e.g., in the region 111, a plurality of thin flakes 114 (which are being interpreted as reduced graphene oxide sheets) including graphene or graphene oxide is stacked; graphene includes single-layer graphene and multilayer graphene including two or more and a hundred or less layers (which is being interpreted as graphene includes 1 to 100 layers graphene); single-layer graphene refers to a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon molecules having π bonds; graphene oxide refers to a compound formed by oxidation of such graphene; when graphene oxide is reduced to give graphene; graphene obtained by reducing graphene oxide (abbreviated to GO) is referred to as reduced graphene oxide (RGO)).
Regarding claim 4, Tajima in view of Izawa, Kwon and Ahn teaches the film of claim 1 as disclosed above. Tajima does not teach wherein the metal ion is at least one of Li+, K+, Age, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Co2+, A13+, Cr3+ and Fe3+.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Izawa teaches a film comprising plurality of reduced graphene oxide sheets in the reduced graphene oxide layer forms electrostatic interaction between adjacent ones of the reduced graphene oxide sheets via a metal ion; and wherein the metal ion is Ag+ (Izawa, Title, [0025], [0029], e.g., the obtained reduced graphene oxide, especially the metal-doped reduced graphene oxide, has a multilayer structure in which the metal ions intercalate as metal ions between the layers; silver metal doped graphene oxide).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein the metal ion is Ag+, for the purpose of providing ionic bonding between layers (Izawa, [0025]).
Regarding claim 7, Tajima teaches wherein the reduced graphene oxide sheets have an interlayer spacing falling in the claimed range of from 0.3 nm to 5.0 nm (Tajima, [0066], e.g., graphene obtained by reducing the graphene oxide includes a region where an interlayer distance is greater than or equal to 0.335 nm and less than or equal to 0.700 nm).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to a new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
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/HAIXIA ZHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723