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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-24 are currently pending.
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.
Claims 1-4 & 9-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Batholomew (US 2009/0050199 A1).
Regarding claims 1-4 & 9-21, Batholomew teaches a composition comprising an inorganic salt such as lithium triflate comprising a metal ion having a charge of at least +1 and an anion having a charge of at least -1; and a complex with a net charge of zero and comprising a first species including one or more positively charged polymerizable monomer such as [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium (i.e methacryloxy(2-hydroxyl)propyltrimethylammonium) and a second species including one or more negatively charged polymerizable monomer such as 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonate ([0027]-[0035] & [0054]).
Claims 1-12, 14-16, 19, 21 & 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Savoie (US 2017/0275399 A1).
Regarding claims 1-12, 14-16, 19, 21 & 23-24, Savoie teaches a lithium-ion battery comprising a Li metal as an anode and a metal oxide as a cathode ([0249]-[0252]) with a separator comprising a composition including an inorganic salt such as a lithium halide (i.e which includes lithium fluoride) comprising a metal ion having a charge of at least +1 and an anion having a charge of at least -1; and an anion-coordinating polymer comprising a first species including one or more positively charged polymerizable monomer (i.e monomer with anion-coordinating unit) and a second species including one or more negatively charged polymerizable monomer (i.e monomer with cation-coordinating unit), wherein a net charge of the anion-coordinating polymer can be 0 (i.e when u=v such that the number of cation coordination units and anion coordination units are equal) ([0083] & [0112]-[0148]).
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.
Claims 1-4, 9-21 & 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shaplov (Recent Advances in Innovative Polymer Electrolytes based on Poly(ionic liquid)s).
Regarding claims 1-4, 9-21 & 23-24, Shaplov teaches a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) composition usable for a separator for a lithium battery, wherein the SPE composition comprises an inorganic salt such as LiTFSI comprising a metal ion having a charge of at least +1 and an anion having a charge of at least -1; and a poly(ionic liquid) (Section 4.1.1). Shaplov further teaches that the bulk ionic conductivity of poly(ionic liquid)s can be improved by copolymerizing a positively charged polymerizable monomer and a negatively charged polymerizable monomer (Section 2.6 which cites Ohno et.al [79] as well as Shaplov [18]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 22 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art of record, Bartholomew (as cited in the above rejection), does not fairly teach or suggest a composition comprising a plurality LiF particles present with a complex comprising poly(diallyldiemthylammonium 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonate) having a net charge of 0.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANAEL T ZEMUI whose telephone number is (571)272-4894. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm (EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BARBARA GILLIAM can be reached at (571)272-1330. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHANAEL T ZEMUI/Examiner, Art Unit 1727