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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 11 August 2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant amended claims 1, 4, 5, 12 and 17; claims 2-3, 6-11, 13-15 and 18-22 are cancelled. Claims 1, 4, 5, 12 and 16-17 are pending and considered in the present Office action.
All of the rejections to the claims are withdrawn in view of the amendments. However, a new ground of rejection is necessitated by amendment.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 4-5, 12, and 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or (a)(2) as being anticipated by Maxwell et al. (US 2022/0020977), hereinafter Maxwell.
Regarding Claims 1, 4-5, 12, 16, and 17, Maxwell suggests a cathode active material comprising Li(NiaMnbCoc)O2 (e.g., 102, LMO, see e.g., [0034, 0047] and Fig. 1), wherein 0 < a ≤1, 0 ≤ b ≤ 1, 0 ≤ c ≤ 1, and a+b+c=1 (e.g., LiNi0.333Mn0.333Co0.333O2, see e.g., [0047]), having a ternary lithium metal oxide coating (e.g., 106, LAO, LFO, see [0034-0035, 0046-0047, 0050-0051]) on a surface of the Li(NiaMnbCoc)O2, wherein the ternary lithium metal oxide comprises Li5AlO4 and Li5FeO4 (see e.g., [0035] and Fig. 1). Maxwell suggests the cathode active material detailed above is coated on a current collector comprising a metal (i.e., aluminum, [0135]). Moreover, the current collector coated with the cathode active material forms the cathode of a lithium ion battery which further includes an anode, separator, an electrolyte, and housing (see e.g., coin cells detailed in [0132-0135]).
Claim(s) 1, 4-5, 12, and 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or (a)(2) as being anticipated by Li et al. (US 2014/0087261), hereinafter Li.
Regarding Claims 1, 4-5, 12, 16, and 17, Li suggests a cathode active material comprising Li(NiaMnbCoc)O2 (e.g., 12, lithium transition metal oxide, see e.g., [0018-19]), wherein 0 < a ≤1, 0 ≤ b ≤ 1, 0 ≤ c ≤ 1, and a+b+c=1 (e.g., LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2, see e.g., [0019]), having a ternary lithium metal oxide coating (e.g., 14, [0022]) on a surface of the Li(NiaMnbCoc)O2 (see Fig. 1), wherein the ternary lithium metal oxide comprises Li2SnO3 and Li2MnO3 (see e.g., [0022]). Li suggests the cathode active material detailed above is coated on a current collector comprising a metal (i.e., aluminum, titanium, etc., [0057-58]). Moreover, the current collector coated with the cathode active material forms the cathode of a lithium ion battery which further includes an anode, separator, an electrolyte, and housing (see e.g., Fig. 7, [0057-0063], and examples).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yang et al. (Layered Li[Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3]O2-Li2MnO3 core shell structured cathode material with excellent stability, Journal of Power Sources 242 (2013) 589-596).
Hu et al. (Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 Cathodes Produced via Nanoscale Coating of Li+-Conductive Li2SnO3, Electrochimica Acta 213 (2016) 547–556).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANNA KOROVINA whose telephone number is (571)272-9835. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7am - 6 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ula Ruddock can be reached at 5712721481. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ANNA KOROVINA/Examiner, Art Unit 1729
/ULA C RUDDOCK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1729