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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/9/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is responsive to the amendment filed on 1/9/2026. Claim 2 has been canceled. Claims 1, 3-15, 17 are pending. Claims 5-15 are withdrawn from further consideration as being drawn to a non-elected invention, in accordance with 37 CFR 1.142(b). Claims 1 and 3 have been amended. Applicant’s arguments have been considered. Claims 1, 3, 4, 17 are non-finally rejected for reasons stated herein below.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 4, 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu (CN 109103438) in view of Lee (US 2013/0189583).
Regarding claims 1, 17, Hu discloses a multi-component composite anode material, comprising a core and a shell covering surface of the core, wherein the core comprises graphite and a composite component embedded in the graphite, and the composite component comprises nano-silicon, and lithium titanate; and the shell comprises a second non-graphitic carbon material.
Regarding claims 1, 17, Hu does not disclose the composite component comprises a first non-graphitic carbon material. Regarding claim 4, Hu does not disclose in the multi-component composite anode material, the nano-silicon has a mass fraction of 5%-50%, the graphite has a mass fraction of 5%-70%, the lithium titanate has a mass fraction of 15%-60%, and the first non-graphitic carbon material and the second non-graphitic carbon material have a total mass fraction of 5%-30%; and/or
each one of the first non-graphitic carbon material and the second non-graphitic carbon material is independently at least one of hard carbon, soft carbon, activated carbon and amorphous carbon; and/or
the first non-graphitic carbon material and the second non-graphitic carbon material are a same material; and/or
the first non-graphitic carbon material is amorphous carbon.
Lee teaches a nanoparticle coated with a carbon material. Hence, the conductivity of the anode active material is improved [0034]. The nanoparticle is silicon [0027]. Regarding claim 4, the first non-graphitic carbon material is amorphous carbon [0035]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to coat the nanosilicon of Hu with carbon material, as taught by Lee, for the benefit of increasing the conductivity of Hu’s nanosilicon.
Regarding claim 1, 17, Hu discloses the lithium titanate, but does not disclose the lithium titanate has a porous network structure, and the nano-silicon is dispersed in the pores of the lithium titanate, and the first non- graphitic carbon material is filled in gaps between the nano-silicon and the lithium titanate, Lee teaches lithium titanate has a porous network structure, and the nano-silicon and the first non-graphitic carbon material are both located in pores of the lithium titanate [0023, 0027, 0034]. Lee teaches that silicon undergoes volumetric expansion during charge and discharge [0006]. Lee teaches a lithium titanate constituting a matrix has a high operating voltage of approximately 1.5 V with respect to lithium metal and a high thermal stability, and thus suppresses side reactions between metal nanoparticles and an electrolyte, whereby a lithium battery may have improved lifetime characteristic and thermal stability [0024]. The matrix particles may have a spinel structure. Due to the spinel structure of the matrix particles, a change in volume between lattices is suppressed during charging and discharging of the battery, and thus, a lithium battery including the composite anode active material may exhibit improved lifetime characteristics [0030].
Regarding claim 1, the lithium titanate has a pore size ranging from 30 nm to 200 nm, Lee teaches a method of preparing a composite anode active material includes mixing nanoparticles, a titanium-containing precursor, and a solvent to prepare a mixed solution; mixing the mixed solution and water to induce a reaction therebetween to obtain nanoparticles coated with a titanium compound; mixing the coated nanoparticles and a lithium-containing precursor and drying the mixture to prepare a dried mixture; and sintering the dried mixture to prepare lithium titanate matrix particles [0014]. As described above, the lithium titanate matrix is formed by mixing titanium-coated silicon nanoparticles with lithium source. Lee’s lithium titanate is formed as a matrix structure that is formed as a coating on the nanosilicon particles. Hence, Lee’s pore size is the same size as the particle size of the nanosilicon particles. Lee teaches that the nanosilicon particle diameter is between 10 nm to 100 nm.
Regarding claim 3, Lee teaches an overall multi-component composite anode material has a median particle size ranging from 0.4 um to 45 um [0030]; and/or
the nano-silicon has a median particle size ranging from 1 nm to 150 nm [0026].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to use a lithium titanate matrix with carbon-coated nanosilicon particles embedded therein, as taught by Lee, for the nanosilicon and lithium titanate of Hu for the benefit of suppressing a change in volume of silicon during charge and discharge.
Regarding claim 17, Hu modified by Lee teaches a lithium-ion battery, comprising a lithium-ion battery anode material, the lithium-ion battery anode material comprises a multi-component composite anode material, the multi-component composite anode material as claimed.
Response to Arguments
Arguments dated 1/9/2026 are addressed below:
Applicant asserts that the method of the instant Application makes pores having size ranging from 30 nm to 200 nm. Applicant asserts that Hu and Lee, alone or in combination, does not disclose nor suggest the lithium titanate has a porous network structure, wherein the lithium titanate has a pore size ranging from 30 nm to 200 nm.
In response, Lee teaches lithium titanate has a porous network structure, and the nano-silicon and the first non-graphitic carbon material are both located in pores of the lithium titanate [0023, 0027, 0034]. Lee teaches that silicon undergoes volumetric expansion during charge and discharge [0006]. Lee teaches a lithium titanate constituting a matrix has a high operating voltage of approximately 1.5 V with respect to lithium metal and a high thermal stability, and thus suppresses side reactions between metal nanoparticles and an electrolyte, whereby a lithium battery may have improved lifetime characteristic and thermal stability [0024]. The matrix particles may have a spinel structure. Due to the spinel structure of the matrix particles, a change in volume between lattices is suppressed during charging and discharging of the battery, and thus, a lithium battery including the composite anode active material may exhibit improved lifetime characteristics [0030].
Regarding claim 1, the lithium titanate has a pore size ranging from 30 nm to 200 nm, Lee teaches a method of preparing a composite anode active material includes mixing nanoparticles, a titanium-containing precursor, and a solvent to prepare a mixed solution; mixing the mixed solution and water to induce a reaction therebetween to obtain nanoparticles coated with a titanium compound; mixing the coated nanoparticles and a lithium-containing precursor and drying the mixture to prepare a dried mixture; and sintering the dried mixture to prepare lithium titanate matrix particles [0014]. As described above, the lithium titanate matrix is formed by mixing titanium-coated silicon nanoparticles with lithium source. Lee’s lithium titanate is formed as a matrix structure that is formed as a coating on the nanosilicon particles. Hence, Lee’s pore size is the same size as the particle size of the nanosilicon particles. Lee teaches that the nanosilicon particle diameter is between 10 nm to 100 nm.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to use a lithium titanate matrix with carbon-coated nanosilicon particles embedded therein, as taught by Lee, for the nanosilicon and lithium titanate of Hu for the benefit of suppressing a change in volume of silicon during charge and discharge.
The combination of Hu modified by Lee reads on Applicant’s “the lithium titanate has a porous network structure, wherein the lithium titanate has a pore size ranging from 30 nm to 200 nm” as claimed in claim 1.
Applicant argues that Hu cannot be simply combined with Lee due to consideration of chemical compatibility.
In response, it appears that the Applicants are arguing that the method of Hu cannot be combined with the method of Lee. Hu states the method in which lithium titanate was made [0027]. Hu further states that nano-silicon, lithium titanate, and graphite are freely distributed within the pyrolytic carbon matrix [0006]. Hence, the combination would entail replacing Hu’s nano-silicon and lithium titanate with Lee’s titanate matrix embedded with nanosilicon particles.
Hence, the combination of Hu modified by Lee is chemically combinable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CYNTHIA KYUNG SOO WALLS whose telephone number is (571)272-8699. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F until 5pm.
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/CYNTHIA K WALLS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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