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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 09/05/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
The examiner notes the following amendments made to the claims
Claim 1 amended to include subject matter from previously presented claim 3
Claim 3 cancelled
Claim 4 amended to depend on claim 1
Claim 17 amended to further specify the composition of the carbon source gas
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Arguments/Remarks Made in an Amendment, filed 12/1/2025, with respect to the objections to the drawings have been fully considered and are persuasive. The objections of the drawings have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Arguments/Remarks Made in an Amendment, filed 12/1/2025, with respect to the objections to claims 3 and 4 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The objections of the claims 3 and 4 have been withdrawn
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Arguments/Remarks Made in an Amendment, filed 12/1/2025, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-2, 5-16 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections of claims 1-2, 5-16 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Arguments/Remarks Made in an Amendment, filed 12/1/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 17-20 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Specifically, the amendments made to claim 17 overcome the previously applied prior art. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Song (US 20140183415 A1) and further in view of Yoo (US 20140141334 A1).
As the instant claims currently stand, claims 1-16 are allowed, and claims 17-20 are rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song (US 20140183415 A1) in view of Yoo (US 20140141334 A1).
Regarding claim 17, Song teaches the following elements:
A method of preparing a porous composite, the method comprising: (“In another embodiment, the method includes: preparing a graphene-carbon-metal oxide composite by mixing graphene, a carbon precursor, a metal oxide precursor, a pore agent and a solvent, followed by heat treatment; and removing a metal oxide from the graphene-carbon-metal oxide composite.” Song [0017])
preparing a composite precursor comprising at least one selected from silica or a first metal oxide (“After a second heat treatment, a third heat treatment is performed at 700.degree. C. for 2 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere using a high-temperature furnace, thereby synthesizing a graphene-carbon-metal oxide (silica) composite” Song [0130]. In this case, the first material is silica)
and SiOx (where 0<x<2) or a second metal oxide by supplying and heat-treating a reaction gas formed in the form of a carbon source gas (“The precursor solution sprayed in a droplet state may be subjected to heat treatment in the reaction tube having a length from 1 m to about 10 m at about 400.degree. C. to about 1,000.degree. C., for example about 450.degree. C. to about 800.degree. C. to thereby form a spherical graphene-based composite (porous graphene-metal oxide composite).” Song [0081] and “The sprayed precursor solution droplets (precursor droplets) flow in the high-temperature reactor by, for example, a carrier gas, such as argon, nitrogen, helium gases and the like, and then reacts.” Song [0082]. In this case, the carbon precursor can be supplied via a carrier gas) to the silica or the first metal oxide; (“The first oxidized graphite is reacted with a potassium permanganate (KMnO.sub.4) solution at 35.degree. C. for 2 hours to prepare a graphene oxide. 0.1 g of the graphene oxide prepared using a modified Hummers method, 8 g of butanol as a carbon precursor, 8 g of tetraethoxy silane (TEOS) as a metal oxide precursor” Song [0130]. In this case, the second material is a metal oxide (TEOS))
and preparing a porous composite by removing at least one selected from the silica or the first metal oxide and SiOx (where 0<x<2) or a second metal oxide from the composite precursor. (“The silica is removed from the prepared graphene-carbon-metal oxide composite using a 0.2 M NaOH aqueous solution, followed by drying, thereby preparing a three-dimensional graphene-based composite (porous graphene-carbon composite)” Song [0130])
Song is silent on the following elements of claim 17:
wherein the carbon source gas comprises a compound represented by Formula 1, or a mixed gas comprising a compound represented by Formula 1 and at least one selected from a compound represented by Formula 2 and an oxygen-containing gas represented by Formula 3, Formula 1 CnH(2N+2-a)[OH]a wherein, in Formula 1, n is 1 to 20, a is 1; Formula 2 CnH2n , wherein, in Formula 2, n is 2 to 6; Formula 3 CxHyOz , wherein, in Formula 3, x is an integer of 0 or 1 to 20, y is an integer of 0 or 1 to 20, and z is an integer of 1 or 2.
However, Yoo teaches all of the elements of claim 17 that are not found in Song. Specifically, Yoo teaches the inclusion of a carbon source gas in the formation of a porous composite in addition to the presence of a metal oxide.
wherein the carbon source gas comprises a compound represented by Formula 1, or a mixed gas comprising a compound represented by Formula 1 and at least one selected from a compound represented by Formula 2 and an oxygen-containing gas represented by Formula 3, Formula 1 CnH(2N+2-a)[OH]a wherein, in Formula 1, n is 1 to 20, a is 1; Formula 2 CnH2n , wherein, in Formula 2, n is 2 to 6; Formula 3 CxHyOz , wherein, in Formula 3, x is an integer of 0 or 1 to 20, y is an integer of 0 or 1 to 20, and z is an integer of 1 or 2. (“Furthermore, the method of preparing a porous composite according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include mixing the porous composite with a carbon precursor after removing the electrodeposited metal particles and then heat treating the mixture to coat the surface of the porous composite with carbon.” Yoo [0061] and “Any carbon precursor may be used without limitation so long as it may form carbon by a heat treatment, and for example, graphite, pitch or a hydrocarbon-based material may be used. … and an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas, such as ethylene, propylene, or acetylene, or a mixture of two or more thereof.” Yoo [0062]. Instant specification page 19 line 16 teaches that the compound represented by formula 1 may comprise ethylene or propylene.)
Yoo is considered to be analogous to Song because they are both within the same field of methods or preparing porous composites containing metal oxides and having carbon sources. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Song to further include a carbon source gas meeting the amended limitations of claim 17 in order to effectively form a coating layer with optimal electrical conductivity, capacity, and initial efficiency (“In the case that the amount of the carbon precursor used is less than 1 wt %, a uniform coating layer may not be formed, and thus, electrical conductivity may decrease. In the case in which the amount of the carbon precursor used is greater than 30 wt %, an additional irreversible reaction may occur, and thus, the capacity and initial efficiency may be decreased.” Yoo [0064]).
Song teaches all of the additional elements of claims 18-20, and therefore no further modification or motivation is needed.
Regarding claim 18, Song teaches the following elements:
The method of claim 17, wherein the preparing of the porous composite is performed by dry etching or wet etching. (“The silica is removed from the prepared graphene-carbon-metal oxide composite using a 0.2 M NaOH aqueous solution, followed by drying, thereby preparing a three-dimensional graphene-based composite (porous graphene-carbon composite)” Song [0130]. In this case, the NaOH solution is used to wet etch the precursor by reacting it in a basic solution.)
Regarding claim 19, Song teaches the following elements:
The method of claim 17, wherein the wet etching is performed by an acid or a base. (“The silica is removed from the prepared graphene-carbon-metal oxide composite using a 0.2 M NaOH aqueous solution, followed by drying, thereby preparing a three-dimensional graphene-based composite (porous graphene-carbon composite)” Song [0130] In this case, the NaOH solution is used to wet etch the precursor by reacting it in a basic solution.)
Regarding claim 20, Song teaches all of the elements of claim 17, as shown above. Song teaches all of the additional elements of claim 20:
The method of claim 17, wherein the preparing of the porous composite comprises adding the composite precursor to a basic solution and stirring the mixture. (“The silica is removed from the prepared graphene-carbon-metal oxide composite using a 0.2 M NaOH aqueous solution, followed by drying, thereby preparing a three-dimensional graphene-based composite (porous graphene-carbon composite)” Song [0130])
While Song does not explicitly teach “stirring” within the basic solution, it would be obvious to one skilled in the art that stirring is a method to speed up an etching or reacting process.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-16 allowed. As indicated in previous office action, the subject matter of previously presented claims 3 and 4 is considered to be allowable. Due to the amendment made to incorporate the subject matter of previously presented claim 3 into claim 1, claims 1 and all of its dependent claims are allowed.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET whose telephone number is (571)272-0156. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30am-6pm except for the first Friday of bi-week.
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/BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET/Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/NICHOLAS A SMITH/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752