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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 03/25/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-3, 5-8, and 10-12 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.
Lee (WO-2019240500-A1) (see US-20210242538-A1 for translation) is newly applied.
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 following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-8, and 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (WO-2019240500-A1) (see US-20210242538-A1 for translation).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses
a method for manufacturing a composite separator for an electrochemical device (see e.g., Lee; [0088]-[0089], regarding the examples of manufacturing the separator), the method comprising:
applying a polymer solution to at least one surface of a separator substrate layer (see e.g., Lee; [0089], regarding PVDF-HFP with NMP applied to the surface of the porous coating layer corresponding to a separator substrate, and further applying water to the surface of the layer be dipping the separator in water), followed by drying the coated polymer solution to obtain an electrode adhesive layer (see e.g., Lee; [0089], regarding drying), wherein the polymer solution comprises a binder resin (the PVDF-HFP), wherein the binder resin comprises a fluorine-containing binder resin (the PVDF-HFP).
Lee provides an example 4 which has the same adhesive layer as formed in example 1 (section [0089] as addressed above), except that the binder solution was prepared by mixing NMP and water (see e.g., Lee; [0092]), which corresponds with the claimed mixed solvent wherein the mixed solvent comprises a first solvent (the NMP) and a second solvent (water), wherein a ratio of a polarity of the first solvent to a polarity of the second solvent is 0.360 or more and 0.450 or less, and each of the polarity of the first solvent and the polarity of the second solvent independently follows the Dimroth-Reichardt ET(30) polarity scale (see e.g., Lee; [0092], wherein the polarity of NMP to water is 0.404 as also described in table 1 of the instant specifications).
Lee provides in example 4 that the solvent is formed by 50 vol% of NMP as a solvent mixed with 50 vol% of water as a non-solvent (see e.g., Lee; [0092]). While Lee labels the water in the solvent mixture as a “non-solvent”, the water still functions as a solvent. That is, the water in the mixture still takes part in dissolving the solute to form the separator and is therefore a solvent.
Lee discloses that the PVDF-HFP is Solef 21510 available from Solvay Co. (see e.g., Lee; [0089]), which is the same PVDF-HFP used and described in the instant specifications, such as in example 1.
Lee further corresponds with example 1 of the instant specification. Lee provides that alumina is used as the inorganic particles (see e.g., Lee; [0088]) which corresponds with the Al2O3 powder prepared in the instant specification. As described above, Lee provides the PVDF-HFP as the binder polymer and the mixed solvent comprising of NMP and water. As in example 1 of the instant specification, Lee discloses that both surfaces of the substrate are coated (see e.g., Lee; [0089], regarding patterned coating layers on both surfaces). While the example in Lee uses microgravure coating method, Lee discloses that doctor blade coating process may also be used (see e.g., Lee; [0075]). Lee discloses that the coating is dried (see e.g., Lee; [0089]), and Lee further provides that heating may occur using an oven (see e.g., Lee; [0063]), and may be carried out at a temperature of 40-200 °C and more preferably at 80-120 °C (see e.g., Lee; [0063]), which corresponds with both the method and temperature of drying as provided in the instant specification. Lee further discloses that the thickness of the separator may be 10-40 μm (see e.g., Lee; [0074]), which corresponds with the thickness of the separator in instant specification examples 1-2. Lee further provides that the separator of example 1 has an air permeation time of 215 sec/100 cc (see e.g., Lee; [0089]), 208 sec/100 cc in example 2 (see e.g., Lee; [0090]), 221 sec/100 cc in example 3 (see e.g., Lee; [0091]), 217 sec/100 cc in example 4 (see e.g., Lee; [0092]), and 247 sec/100 cc in example 5 (see e.g., Lee; [0093]), which corresponds with the air permeability ranging from 118-227 sec/100 mL as provided in table 1 of the instant specifications. Lee discloses that the separator provides excellent electrolyte impregnation property and maintains a low level of resistance (see e.g., Lee; [0024]), which also corresponds with table 1 of the instant specification.
The specific PVDF-HFP which undergoes the same process as in the instant specification therefore corresponds with the claimed fluorine-containing binder in the electrode adhesive layer having a crystallization degree of 40% or more and a content of beta crystals of 80% or more based on a total content of crystals in the fluorine-containing binder, and wherein the beta crystals content is calculated from the following Formula 4:
PNG
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79
298
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Greyscale
where F(B) represents a content ratio of beta crystals, Ka represents an absorption coefficient of alpha crystals, KB represents an absorption coefficient of beta crystals, Aa represents an absorbance of alpha crystals, and AB represents an absorbance of beta crystals, and where Ka= 6.1 x 104 cm2/mol and KB= 7.7 x 104 cm2/mol.
Regarding claim 2, Lee discloses the method for manufacturing the composite separator for the electrochemical device according to claim 1. Lee discloses the same solvents of NMP and water (see e.g., Lee; [0089]). Therefore, it follows that Lee also discloses the polarity of the compositions which may be calculated from formula 1 and formula 2.
Regarding claim 3, Lee discloses the method for manufacturing the composite separator for the electrochemical device according to claim 1, wherein the first solvent comprises NMP, and the second solvent is water (see e.g., Lee; [0089]).
Regarding claim 5, Lee discloses the method for manufacturing the composite separator for the electrochemical device according to claim 1. Lee discloses wherein PVDF-HFP is the only binder for the electrode adhesive layer (see e.g., Lee; [0089]), which falls within the claimed range of the fluorine-containing binder resin present in an amount of 90 wt% or more based on 100 wt% of the binder resin for the electrode adhesive layer.
Regarding claim 6, Lee discloses the method for manufacturing the composite separator for the electrochemical device according to claim 1, wherein the fluorine-containing binder resin comprises PVDF-HFP (see e.g., Lee; [0089]), which is a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride with a copolymerizable monomer as claimed.
Regarding claim 7, Lee discloses the method for manufacturing the composite separator for the electrochemical device according to claim 6, wherein the copolymer of vinylidene fluoride with a copolymerizable monomer is PVDF-HFP (see e.g., Lee; [0089]), which is polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene.
Regarding claim 8, Lee discloses the method for manufacturing the composite separator for the electrochemical device according to claim 6. Lee discloses the binder is PVDF-HFP (Solef 21510 available from Solvay Co.) (see e.g., Lee; [0089]), which is the same PVDF-HFP as described and used in the instant specifications as being a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride with a copolymerizable monomer having a degree of substitution with the copolymerizable monomer of 5 wt% to 20 wt%.
Regarding claim 10, Lee discloses a lithium-ion secondary battery (see e.g., Lee; [0089], regarding manufacturing a unit cell, the positive electrode being LCO which is a lithium-ion type of battery), comprising: a negative electrode, a positive electrode, and a composite separator interposed between the negative electrode and the positive electrode (see e.g., Lee; [0089], regarding separator with negative and positive electrode, [0011] describing the positive of the separator between positive and negative electrode), wherein the composite separator is the same as defined in claim 1 (see e.g., Lee; [0088]-[0089]).
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses the method for manufacturing the composite separator for the electrochemical device according to claim 1, wherein the first solvent comprises N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), and the second solvent comprises H20 (see e.g., Lee; [0089], regarding NMP applied to substrate and dipped in water).
Regarding claim 12, Lee discloses the method for manufacturing the composite separator for the electrochemical device according to claim 1. Lee discloses the solvents are NMP and water (see e.g., Lee; [0089]), which has a ratio of polarity of 0.404 (which is supported by the instant specifications) which falls within the claimed range of 0.386 or more and 0.404 or less.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN SONG whose telephone number is (571)270-7337. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Martin can be reached at (571) 270-7871. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEVIN SONG/Examiner, Art Unit 1728
/MATTHEW T MARTIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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