DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims Status.
This Office Action is responsive to the amendment filed on 03/19/2026. Claims 1-16 were pending. Claim 7 has been cancelled. Claims 1 and 8 have been amended. Claims 1-6 and 8-16 are now pending. Claims 1-6 and 8-16 are presented for examination. Applicant's arguments have been considered.
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.
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.
Claims 1-11, 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over KR 20190064272 to Park (Park, machine translation) in view of JP2006164759 to Takeuchi (Takeuchi, machine translation).
Regarding claim 1, Park discloses an electrolyte for a rechargeable lithium battery, comprising a non-aqueous organic solvent, a lithium salt, and an additive, wherein the additive is a composition including a first compound represented by Chemical Formula (A and A1) and a second compound represented by Chemical Formula (B, X=F, Cl, Br) (Claims 1, 5 and 7).
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Compound A Compound B
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Compound A1
Park does not expressly disclose isocyanate compound 1A (see below), wherein Ra, Rb, R°, Rd, and Re are each independently hydrogen, a halogen, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, a nitro group, a substituted or unsubstituted C1 to C20 alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C1 to C20 alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted C2 to C20 alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C2 to C20 alkynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C3 to C20 cycloalkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C6 to C20 aryl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2 to C20 heteroaryl group.
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Takeuchi teaches a non-aqueous electrolyte for a rechargeable lithium battery, comprising a non-aqueous organic solvent (claims 1, 7), a lithium salt (para 4), and an isocyanate containing additive of general formula I or II. Specifically, Takeuchi teaches compound of Chemical formula (V), which reads on claimed formula 1A for R=H (re claim 8).
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In addition, Takeuchi teaches that using non-aqueous electrolyte containing isocyanate compounds including compound (V) improve cycle characteristics of the solution, and an electrochemical device (battery, para 12)). It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electrolyte solution of Park with the compound of formula (V) as taught by Takeuchi, in order to improve cycle characteristics of the solution, and an electrochemical device.
Regarding claim 2 and 3, Park discloses wherein the content ratio of the compound (A) to the compound (B) in the range 1:1 to 1:5. In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a case of obviousness exists where the claimed ranges and prior art ranges do not overlap but are close enough that one skilled in the art would have expected them to have the same properties. MPEP 2144.05. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to optimize a ratio of compound of Formula A with isocyanate compounds in order, in order to avoid formation of the oxide-containing film and the metal material and prevent swelling and shrinkage of the anode active material layer during charge and discharge and decomposition reaction of the electrolytic solution.
Regarding claim 4, 5 and 6, Park discloses a content of each of compounds A and B in a range 0.01 wt.% to 5 wt.%. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to optimize content of each compound of Formula A, isocyanate compounds and composition of the above mentioned compounds in order to avoid formation of the oxide-containing film and the metal material and prevent swelling and shrinkage of the anode active material layer during charge and discharge and decomposition reaction of the electrolytic solution.
Regarding claim 9, modified Park discloses compound 1A-2 (Takeuchi, compound 5).
Regarding claim 10 and 11, Park disloses compound of Formula (A1):
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Regarding claim 15, Park discloses compound (A1, above).
Regarding claim 16, Park discloses a rechargeable lithium battery (claim 3) comprising a positive electrode including a positive electrode active material (para82- 85) a negative electrode including a negative electrode active material (para 72, para 129).
Claims 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over KR 20190064272 to Park (Park, machine translation) in view of JP2006164759 to Takeuchi (Takeuchi, machine translation) and further in view of KR 20170018739 to Shatunov (Shatunov, machine translation).
Regarding claims 12-15, modified Park discloses the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 1 and incorporated therein. Modified Park does not expressly disclose Compound of claimed Formula 2, wherein X1 is -O-L2-R3, and X2 is -O-L3-R4, wherein L2 and L3 are each independently a single bond or a substituted or unsubstituted C1 to C10 alkylene group, R3 and R4 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C1 to C10 alkyl group, or R3 and R4 are linked to each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic aliphatic heterocycle or polycyclic aliphatic heterocycle.
Shatunov teaches and electrolyte (claim 1) for a lithium secondary battery (para 59) comprising a compounds of Formula (1) (re claim 12), Formula (2-2a and 2-2b) (re claims 13 and 14):
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Compound 1
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2-2a 2-2b
In addition, Shatunov teaches that compounds of Formula 1 (including compounds 2-2a and 2-2b) has a lower oxidation potential than the solvent, so it forms an SEI film on the surface of the cathode before the electrolyte is decomposed, thereby preventing the electrolyte from being oxidized on the upper surface of the anode. (para 51) and formed phosphate moved to cathode and forms SEI film on the cathode (para 52). As such life characteristics of a lithium battery can be improved at high temperatures and high voltages (para 54). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electrolyte solution of modified Park by replacing (or adding to) phosphorus contained compound A with compounds of Formula 1 (including compounds 2-2a and 2-2b) as taught by Shatunov , in order improve life characteristics of a lithium battery can at high temperatures and high voltages.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1-16 have been considered but are moot because due to new ground of rejection (Takeuchi).
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 ALEXANDER USYATINSKY whose telephone number is (571)270-7703. The examiner can normally be reached IFP.
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/Alexander Usyatinsky/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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