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 .
2. The Applicant's amendments filed on September 10, 2025, were received. Claim 13 has been amended. Claims 1-12 and 16 have been previously cancelled. Claims 17, 19 and 20 have been previously withdrawn from consideration. Therefore, Claims 13-15, 18 and 21 are pending in this office action.
3. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S.C. code not included in this action can be found in the prior Office Action issued on March 11, 2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. The rejection of Claims 13-15, 18 and 21 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hosoe et al. (US 2013/0040196 A1) in view of Zhamu et al. (US 2017/0098856 A1) and in further view of Barker et al. (US 7,759,008 B2), has been overcome based on the amendments to the Claims and the arguments presented on page 5 of the Remarks dated September 10, 2025.
5. Claims 13-15, 18 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hosoe et al. (US 2013/0040196 A1) in view of Zhamu et al. (US 2017/0098856 A1) and in further view of Zhamu et al. (US 20170077546 A1).
With regard to Claim 13, Hosoe et al. disclose a process for producing an alkali metal battery wherein said alkali metal is selected from Li, or a combination thereof; said process comprising: (A) continuously feeding an electrically conductive porous layer to an anode or a cathode material impregnation zone, wherein said conductive porous layer has two opposed porous surfaces and contains interconnected electron-conducting pathways (paragraphs 0088-0090-0093; 0121-0124); (B) impregnating a wet anode or cathode active material mixture into said electrically conductive porous layer from at least one of said two porous surfaces to form an anode electrode or cathode electrode, wherein said wet anode active material mixture or wet cathode active material mixture contains an anode or a cathode active material and a conductive additive mixed with a first liquid electrolyte (paragraphs 0085, 0088-0090, 0124); and (C) supplying at least a protective film, such as a porous separator, to cover said at least one porous surface to form said electrode (paragraphs 0093-0094).
Hosoe et al. do not specifically disclose wherein a cathode active material in the alkali metal battery is an organic material or polymeric material selected from poly(anthraquinonyl sulfide) (PAQS), a lithium oxocarbon, 3,4,9,10- perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA), poly(anthraquinonyl sulfide), pyrene4,5,9,10-tetraone (PYT), polymer-bound PYT, quino(triazene), redox active organic material, tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexamethoxytriphenylene (HMTP), poly(5- amino-1, 4-dyhydroxy anthraquinone) (PADAQY), phosphazene disulfide polymer ([(NPS2)3]n), and lithiated 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetraclformaldehyde polymer. Hosoe et al. also do not specifically disclose wherein said anode active material contains an alkali intercalation compound selected from hollow carbon nanowires, hollow carbon sphere, NaTi2(PO4)3, Na2Ti3O7, Na2C8H4O4, carboxylate based materials, C8H4Na2O4, C8H6O4, C8H5Na2O4, C8Na2F4O4, C10H2Na4O8, C14H4O6, C14H4Na4O8, or a combination thereof.
Zhamu et al. ‘856 disclose the process for producing a lithium battery, comprising preparing a plurality of conductive layers, wet anode layers and wet cathode layers; stacking a desired amount of porous layers and wet cathode layers in an alternating manner to form a cathode electrode; stacking a desired number of porous layers and wet anode layers in an alternating manner to form an anode electrode; and assembling and sealing the cathode electrode, separator, and anode electrode in a housing to produce a lithium battery (paragraphs 0016-0021). Zhamu et al. ‘856 disclose wherein the cathode active material in the lithium battery is an organic material or polymeric material selected from poly(anthragquinonyl sulfide) (PAQS), a lithium oxocarbon, 3,4,9,10- perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA), poly(anthraquinonyl sulfide), pyrene4,5,9,10-tetraone (PYT), polymer-bound PYT, Quino(triazene), redox active organic material, tetracyanoqui nodimethane (TCNQ), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexamethoxytriphenylene (HMTP), poly(5-amino-1, 4-dyhydroxy anthraquinone) (PADAQ), phosphazene disulfide polymer ([((NPS2)3]n), and lithiated 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetraclformaldehyde polymer (paragraph 0039). Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the process of Hosoe et al. to include a cathode active material of an organic material or polymeric material selected from poly(anthraquinonyl sulfide) (PAQS), a lithium oxocarbon, 3,4,9,10- perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA), poly(anthraquinonyl sulfide), pyrene- 4,5,9,10-tetraone (PYT), polymer-bound PYT, Quino(triazene), redox active organic material, tetracyanoqui nodimethane (TCNQ), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexamethoxytriphenylene (HMTP), poly(5- amino-1, 4-dyhydroxy anthraquinone) (PADAQ), phosphazene disulfide polymer ([(NPS2)3]n), and lithiated 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetraclformaldehyde polymer, because Zhamu et al. ‘856 teach that these cathode active materials are excellent for storing lithium ions when the lithium battery is discharged and releasing lithium ions into the electrolyte when recharged (paragraph 0104).
Zhamu et al. ‘856 also do not specifically disclose wherein the anode active material contains an alkali intercalation compound selected from hollow carbon nanowires, hollow carbon sphere, NaTi2(PO4)3, Na2Ti3O7, Na2C8H4O4, carboxylate based materials, C8H4Na2O4, C8H6O4, C8H5Na2O4, C8Na2F4O4, C10H2Na4O8, C14H4O6, C14H4Na4O8, or a combination thereof.
Zhamu et al. ‘546 disclose the process for producing a rechargeable alkali metal battery, wherein the anode active material contains an alkali intercalation compound selected from hollow carbon nanowires, hollow carbon sphere, NaTi2(PO4)3, Na2Ti3O7, Na2C8H4O4, carboxylate based materials, C8H4Na2O4, C8H6O4, C8H5Na2O4, C8Na2F4O4, C10H2Na4O8, C14H4O6, C14H4Na4O8, or a combination thereof (paragraph 0133). Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the process of Hosoe et al. and Zhamu et al. ‘856 to include an anode active material containing an alkali intercalation compound selected from hollow carbon nanowires, hollow carbon sphere, NaTi2(PO4)3, Na2Ti3O7, Na2C8H4O4, carboxylate based materials, C8H4Na2O4, C8H6O4, C8H5Na2O4, C8Na2F4O4, C10H2Na4O8, C14H4O6, C14H4Na4O8, or a combination thereof, because Zhamu et al. ‘546 teach that these anode active materials are excellent in absorbing alkali metal ions when the battery is charged and releasing alkali meta lions when the battery is discharged (paragraph 0018).
With regard to Claim 14, Hosoe et al. disclose wherein step (A) and step (B) include delivering said wet cathode active material mixture to said at least one porous surface through roller surface delivery (paragraph 0088).
With regard to Claim 15, Hosoe et al. disclose wherein said cathode active material contains a lithium intercalation compound or lithium absorbing compound selected from the group consisting of lithium cobalt oxide, doped lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel oxide, doped lithium nickel oxide, lithium manganese oxide, doped lithium manganese oxide, lithium vanadium oxide, doped lithium vanadium oxide, lithium mixed-metal oxides, lithium iron phosphate, lithium vanadium phosphate, lithium manganese phosphate, lithium mixed-metal phosphates, metal sulfides, lithium polysulfide, and combinations thereof (paragraphs 0088 and 0106-0108).
With regard to Claim 18, Hosoe et al. disclose wherein said first liquid electrolyte contains a lithium salt or sodium salt dissolved in a liquid solvent and wherein said liquid solvent is water, an organic solvent, an ionic liquid, or a mixture of an organic solvent and an ionic liquid (paragraphs 0122-0124).
With regard to Claim 21, Hosoe et al. disclose wherein a conductive additive, such as acetylene black, is also included in said wet anode active material mixture or wet cathode active material mixture (paragraph 0085).
Response to Arguments
6. Applicant's arguments, see page 5, filed September 10, 2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of Claims 13-15, 18 and 21 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hosoe et al. (US 2013/0040196 A1) in view of Zhamu et al. (US 2017/0098856 A1) and in further view of Barker et al. (US 7,759,008 B2), have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Zhamu et al. (US 2017/0077546 A1).
Conclusion
7. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KARIE O APICELLA whose telephone number is (571)272-8614. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST.
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/KARIE O'NEILL APICELLA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725