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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 13-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant’s election without traverse of Group 1, Claims 1-12 in the reply filed on 02/09/2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references filed 11/01/2022 do not a have proper information disclosure statement. 37 CFR 1.98(b) requires a list of all patents, publications, or other information submitted for consideration by the Office. Therefore, unless the references have been cited by the examiner on form PTO-892, they have not been considered.
Drawings
The drawings received on 11/01/2022 were reviewed and are acceptable.
Specification
The specification filed on 11/01/2022 was reviewed and is acceptable.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 4-6, and 9-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bao et al. (WO 2020072650 A1, citations from corresponding US 20220045332 A1, hereinafter Bao).
Regarding Claim 1, Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode for lithium secondary battery (Bao, anode, Abstract), comprising:
an anode current collector layer (Bao, anode includes a current collector, Abstract);
an anode material layer disposed on the anode current collector layer and comprising lithium metal (Bao, the anode material further includes an anode material disposed between the current collector and the interfacial later, wherein the anode material is lithium metal, [0015-0016]); and
an interfacial layer disposed on the anode material layer and comprising a coordination compound (Bao, the interfacial layer includes an ion-conductive organic network (ION) including anionic coordination units, [0008]); wherein
the coordination compound comprises a complex ion (Bao, the anionic coordination unit is a four-coordinate complex, [0105]) and a counter ion (Bao, the ION further includes counterions dispersed in a bonded network of the anionic coordination units and the organic ligands, [0107]),
the complex ion comprises a central cation (Bao, Al center, [0075] and [102]); and
a ligand coordinated to the central cation and comprising a fluorocarbon moiety having 1 to 4 carbon atoms (Bao, soft organic ligand-containing precursors also include fluoro-hydrocarbon-based precursors, such as fluorinated alkyl-diols, [0114]), and
the counter ion comprises a lithium ion (Bao, the counterions include lithium cations (or Li+) that are mobile within the bonded network, [0107]).
Regarding Claim 4, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract), wherein the complex ion comprises a plurality of central cations connected to each other via the ligand (Bao, to form a substantially single-ion conductive network structure of an ION, multiple coordination units comprising of soft ligands and an aluminum coordination center are bonded to each other, [0102-0106], Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 5, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract), wherein the central cation comprises a cation of a metal, and the metal comprises at least one of Al, Zn, Co, Ni, Cu, Fe, or any combination thereof (Bao, each anionic coordination unit includes a metal cation Mm+, where M is a post-transition metal (e.g., Al or zinc (Zn)), a transition metal (e.g., cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), or iron (Fe)), and m is an integer that is 1 or greater than 1, such as 2 or 3, [0105]).
Regarding Claim 6, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract), wherein the central cation comprises Al3+ (Bao, Al center, [0075] and [102]).
Regarding Claim 9, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract), wherein the interfacial layer has a lithium ion conductivity of about 9 x 10-6 S/cm or more (Bao, an ionic conductivity of the ION is at least about 10-5 S/cm, [0108]; the disclosed ionic conductivity of at least about 10-5 S/cm falls within the claimed range of about 9 x 10-6 S/cm or more).
Regarding Claim 10, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract), wherein the interfacial layer exhibits a peak at a binding energy of about 531 ev to 534 eV in O1s spectrum of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis (Bao, Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphases exhibits a peak at a binding energy of about 531 ev to 534 eV in O1s spectrum, [0058], Figure 19G).
Regarding Claim 11, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract), wherein the interfacial layer exhibits a peak at a binding energy of about 685 eV to 687 eV in F1s spectrum of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis (Bao, Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphases exhibits a peak at a binding energy of about 685 eV to 687 eV in F1s spectrum, [0058], Figure 19G).
Regarding Claim 12, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding a lithium secondary battery (Bao, lithium ion battery, [0004]) comprising:
an anode current collector layer (Bao, anode includes a current collector, Abstract);
an anode material layer disposed on the anode current collector layer and comprising lithium metal (Bao, the anode material further includes an anode material disposed between the current collector and the interfacial layer, wherein the anode material is lithium metal, [0015-0016]); and
an interfacial layer disposed on the anode material layer and comprising a coordination compound (Bao, the interfacial layer includes an ion-conductive organic network (ION) including anionic coordination units, [0008]); wherein
the coordination compound comprises a complex ion (Bao, the anionic coordination unit is a four-coordinate complex, [0105]) and a counter ion (Bao, the ION further includes counterions dispersed in a bonded network of the anionic coordination units and the organic ligands, [0107]),
the complex ion comprises a central cation (Bao, Al center, [0075] and [102]); and
a ligand coordinated to the central cation and comprising a fluorocarbon moiety having 1 to 4 carbon atoms (Bao, soft organic ligand-containing precursors also include fluoro-hydrocarbon-based precursors, such as fluorinated alkyl-diols, [0114]), and
the counter ion comprises a lithium ion (Bao, the counterions include lithium cations (or Li+) that are mobile within the bonded network, [0107]);
a cathode (Bao, cathode, [0024]); and
an electrolyte interposed between the anode and the cathode (Bao, an electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode, [0024]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bao et al. (WO 2020072650 A1, citations from corresponding US 20220045332 A1, hereinafter Bao), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Yoon et al. (US 20220149426 A1, hereinafter Yoon).
Regarding Claim 2, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract). Bao is silent regarding the coordination compound has a crystalline or semicrystalline structure.
Yoon discloses an anode (Yoon, protected negative electrode, [0030]) wherein the coordination compound (Yoon, a solid ion conductor in a protective layer on the negative electrode layer, [0030]) has a crystalline or semicrystalline structure (Yoon, the solid ion conductor has an orthorhombic crystal structure, [0038]).
Yoon teaches that a solid ion conductor that has an orthorhombic crystal structure may have improved electrochemical stability and thermodynamic stability with an electrode active material, for example, lithium metal (Yoon, [0068]).
Bao and Yoon are analogous to the current invention as they are all directed towards an anode interfacial layer wherein the anode is lithium metal.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention for the coordination unit of Bao to have an orthorhombic crystal structure, as taught by Yoon, in order to improve electrochemical stability and thermodynamic stability.
Regarding Claim 3, modified Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract), wherein the coordination compound (Bao, the interfacial layer includes an ion-conductive organic network (ION) including anionic coordination units, [0008]) has an orthorhombic crystal structure (Yoon, the solid ion conductor has an orthorhombic crystal structure, [0038]).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bao et al. (WO 2020072650 A1, citations from corresponding US 20220045332 A1, hereinafter Bao).
Regarding Claim 7, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract), wherein the coordination compound comprises an amount of about 2 to 7 by weight of the counter ion (Bao, a concentration of the counter ions is at least about 1% by weight relative to a total weight of the ion-conductive organic network, Claim 7; the Examiner notes that coordination compounds make up the ion-conductive organic network. The disclosed counter ion range of at least about 1% by weight relative to a total weight of the ion-conductive organic network overlaps the claimed range of about 2 to 7 by weight of the counter ion).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing date of the current invention to select the overlapping portions of the disclosed ranges because selection of overlapping portions of ranges has been held to be a prima facie case of obviousness (see MPEP 2144.05 (I)).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bao et al. (WO 2020072650 A1, citations from corresponding US 20220045332 A1, hereinafter Bao), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Xiao et al. (US 20150236343 A1, hereinafter Xiao).
Regarding Claim 8, Bao discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Bao discloses the limitations regarding an anode (Bao, anode, Abstract). Bao is silent regarding the interfacial layer has a Young's modulus of about 30 GPa to 40 GPa and a hardness of about 2 GPa or more.
Xiao discloses an anode (Xiao, negative electrode, Abstract), wherein the interfacial layer (Xiao, coating adhered to a surface of the negative electrode that is like an artificial solid electrolyte interphase layer, Abstract, [0029]) has a Young's modulus of about 30 GPa to 40 GPa and a hardness of about 2 GPa or more (Xiao, the coating exhibits desirable properties that contribute to the mechanical strength and integrity of the negative electrode. For example, the coating may have a Young's modulus ranging from about 5 GPa to about 200 GPa and a hardness ranging from about 1 GPa to about 20 GPa, [0026]; the disclosed Young’s modulus range of about 5 GPa to about 200 GPa overlaps the claimed range of about 30 GPa to 40 GPa, and the disclosed hardness range of about 1 GPa to about 20 GPa overlaps the claimed hardness range of about 2 GPa or more).
Bao and Xiao are analogous to the current invention as they are directed towards an interface layer on the surface of a negative electrode.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to routinely design the interface layer of Bao to have a Young’s modulus from about 5 GPa to about 200 GPa and a hardness ranging from about 1 GPa to about 20 GPa, as taught by Xiao, in order to improve the mechanical strength and integrity of the negative electrode.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the time of the effective filing date of the current invention to select the overlapping portions of the disclosed ranges because selection of overlapping portions of ranges has been held to be a prima facie case of obviousness (see MPEP 2144.05 (I)).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 8535834 B1 discloses a Battery Having Electrolyte Including Multiple Passivation Layer Forming Components (Title).
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/K.N./Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/OSEI K AMPONSAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752