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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show contact layer 10 as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are also objected to because Figures 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and 1e are identical. It is apparent from the original specification that each of the referenced figures represent different embodiments however the differences in these embodiments are not reflected in the identical figures.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-8, 19 and 20 (Group 1) in the reply filed on December 15, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 9-18 are withdrawn.
The preliminary amendment of January 3, 20023 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "contact layer" in claim 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It appears claim 5 should depend on claim 4 where said contact layer is first introduced.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-3, 6, 8-10, 12, 14, 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being clearly anticipated by ….CHUNG et al. (US 2012/0058280 A1)
CHUNG et al. teaches a solid-state battery ([0028], [0005]-[0006], [0035]-[0037] that supplies a vehicle [0008] and is manufactured by providing a cathode at a thickness of 100 to 10,000 Angstroms (0.01-1 mm) [0009]-[0010], [0015], anode [0038], [0048] and a solid electrolyte deposited therebetween in a thickness of 50 to about 2000 Angstroms (0.005 – 0.2 mm) [0005], [0012]; [0015], [0031] which includes a bilayer application process [0059] and a barrier layer [0044], [0047]. In the process of manufacturing the solid-state battery, a cathode source and an anode of sources can be subjected to one or more energy sources to transfer thermal energy into a portion of the source materials to evaporate into a vapor phase (abstract, [0006]). It also is taught to increase nitrogen in the doping in the cathode film [0056].
Claims 1-3, 6, 8-13-16, 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being clearly anticipated by ANAPOLSKY et al. (US 2016/0099468 A1).
ANAPOLSKY et al. teaches a method of forming a solid-state lithium battery wherein a first current collector is provided, a first electrode (cathode) is formed using PVD, an electrolyte is formed above the first electrode, a second electrode (anode) is formed above the electrolyte and a second current collected is formed above the second electrode (claim 1). The electrolyte can be deposited using PVD ([0023], [0053], [0069]) in a thickness of between 1.0 and 5.0 mm ([0067]). The second electrode (anode) has a thickness of between 1.0 and 5.0 mm [0058]. The first electrode, the cathode, has a thickness between about 1 and 10 mm ([0056], claim 13) The second electrode comprises lithium (claim 15) and can be heated [0057].
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.
Claims 4, 7, 17, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANAPOLSKY et al. (US 2016/0099468 A1).
ANAPOLSKY et al. teaches additional layers may be included between the component layers and other process steps may also be performed between formation of the components [0063]. For example, a carbon layer may be formed at the surface of either electrode [0072] and it is clear adjustments can be made to the metals used and the compositional makeup of the lithium material [0048, [0054], [0067]-[0068], [0084].
Therefore it would have been obvious to modify the basic teachings of ANAPOLSKY et al. by improving the outcome by incorporating additional layers and post improvement processes when adjustments are made to the compositions of any of the taught layers in order to perfect the performance of the solid-state battery.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
In US 2021/0320335 A1, HORIBE teaches a solid-state thin film battery for microcomputing devices including adhesive layers (abstract; [0036]).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Srilakshmi Kumar can be reached at 571-272-7769. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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BARBARA L GILLIAM
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 1727
/BARBARA L GILLIAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1727