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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-3, 7 and 9-10 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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of an aqueous electrolyte solution comprising water, a salt comprising sodium perchlorate and a chaotropic additive comprising an urea [H2N-C(=O)-NH2] and does not further comprise a second chaotropic additive in the reply filed on 12-9-2024 is acknowledged.
Claims 4-6 and 12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12-9-2024.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 9 is rejected because the step of “adding the mixture to a solvent” should be “adding the mixture to water” because the electrolyte solution is an aqueous electrolyte solution. This makes the claim vague and indefinite.
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, 3, 7, 9-10 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiang et al. (CN 107579291, machine translation). Jiang et al. teaches in claim 1, an electrolyte solution comprising an inorganic salt, water and a stabilizer comprising urea. Jiang et al. teaches in claim 2, that the inorganic salt comprises NaClO4, LiClO4, etc. Jiang et al. teaches in Example 6, an electrolyte solution comprising urea, LiClO4 and H2O in a mol ratio of 1:4:1. Jiang et al. teaches in claim 3, wherein the inorganic salt is present in the claimed mol ratios. Jiang et al. teaches in claim 6, an aqueous battery comprising the aqueous electrolyte solution of claims 1-5. Jiang et al. discloses the claimed invention teaching an aqueous electrolyte solution comprising water, urea and a perchlorate salt in the Examples but does not specifically teach that the perchlorate salt is a sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) instead of a lithium perchlorate (LiClO4). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) instead of a lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) as the inorganic salt because Jiang et al. teaches that both these inorganic salts can be used in the aqueous electrolyte solution as explained above and one would expect therefore that these inorganic salts would function in a similar way and give similar results. Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Amendola et al. (US 2012/0021303) teaches in [0057-0061 and 0063], that the battery electrolyte may be an aqueous, chloride-based electrolyte comprising a mixture of soluble chloride salts in an aqueous solution. The cations of suitable chloride salts may include, zinc, ammonium, sodium or any other cation that can yield soluble chloride salts in an aqueous solution. A conductive electrolyte may be a mixture of soluble salts based on sulfates, nitrates, carbonates, tetrafluoroborates, hexafluorophosphates, borates, phosphates, etc. either singularly or mixed together in an aqueous solution. In an embodiment, KOH or other electrolytes may be used. In some embodiments, the aqueous electrolyte may contain varying amounts of zinc chloride and ammonium chloride or other salts or chlorides such as LiCl. Amendola et al. teaches in [0077 and 0165], that there are water soluble additives such as urea, which are known to react with chlorine (if it is formed) to produce non-toxic, easily vented gases. Urea may be added to the aqueous battery electrolyte to control chlorine generation. Sanchez et al. (CA 1324978) teaches in Figure 12, an “electrolyte” solution comprising ethylenediamine [EDA is an alkaline solvent] in dimethylformamide (DMF) [a chaotropic additive] in lithium perchlorate [LiClO4 salt]. Suemori et al. (JP 7-192758, machine translation) teaches adding an urea compound to a nonaqueous electrolyte solution to suppress self-discharge during storage and increase shelf life. Suemori et al. teaches a battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte solution comprising LiPF6, LiClO4; a solvent and 1.0-20 wt% or 5,0-10 wt% urea compound. Suemori et al. teaches an electrolyte solution comprising 1 M LiPF6 in DME and 10 wt% urea. Hiwara et al. (WO 2006/075392, machine translation) teaches examples of non-aqueous solvents other than carbonate ester include ureas such as N,N-dimethylimidazolidinone, etc. wherein the non-aqueous solvent can be used individually or two or more. Hiwara et al. teaches that the lithium battery may contain a solvent, an additive and like and include ureas, etc. Hiwara et al. teaches that the electrolyte salt can comprise LiPF6, LiClO4, [a known chaotropic additive], etc. in an amount of 0.1 to 10M. Hiwara et al. teaches an electrochemical device comprising a negative electrode, a positive electrode, a separator and the nonaqueous electrolyte. Hiwara et al. teaches adding Varnish C which is a mixed solvent comprising toluene and butanol [a known chaotropic additive] to a nonaqueous electrolyte solution comprising 1 M lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) in ethylene carbonate and ethyl methyl carbonate. Su et al. (US 2021/0028452) teaches in [0112], an electrolyte comprising an aqueous alkaline metal hydroxide including lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), etc. and in some embodiments, may contain hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) suppressors such as sodium chlorate, allyl urea, 1,3-diethylthiourea, N,N’-diethylthiourea, urea, N-allylthiourea, thiourea,
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/LAURA S. WEINER/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1723
/Laura Weiner/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
Prosecution Insights