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
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-7, 12-15 in the reply filed on 01/02/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 8-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/02/2026.
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 1-7, 12 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 20190051925 A1, “Li”) in view of Zhang-Beglinger et al. (US 20130228465 A1, “Zhang”).
Regarding claim 1 and claim 12, Li discloses a negative electrode current collector for a solid-state battery (see abstract “anode current collector” & “all solid state battery”), the negative electrode current collector comprising: a metal foil which is electroconductive (see abstract “metal Li as an anode reaction” & Li is electroconductive). Li does not explicitly disclose and a coating layer formed on a surface of the metal foil and comprising metal-carbon composite particles, wherein the metal-carbon composite particles comprise metal particles and carbon particles and one or more of the metal particle and one or more of the carbon particles are attached to each other, the composite particles have a particle diameter of 20 µm or less, and a content of metal in the composite particles is 50 parts by weight or less based on 100 parts by weight of carbon.
Zhang teaches metal carbon composite (see [0035] “The deposited composites are a matrix of metal or metal alloy with carbon black nano-particles substantially uniformly dispersed throughout the metal or metal alloy matrix.”). Zhang teaches in [0011] “The compositions are substantially stable dispersions of carbon black nano-particles and metal ions which can be electroplated on various substrates to form coatings of composites of metal or metal alloy having substantially uniform dispersions of the carbon black nano-particles throughout a metal or metal alloy matrix. The composites are electrically conductive and provide good wear resistance with improved durability in comparison to many conventional metal and metal alloy coatings.”
Li and Zhang are analogous to the current invention because they are related to the same field of endeavor, namely anode materials (see [0043]).
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate composites that are matrix of metal with carbon black as suggested by Zhang ([0035]) into the negative electrode current collector of Li because doing so provides good wear resistance as suggested by Zhang (see [0011]).
Regarding the limitation in claim 1 and claim 12, the composite particles have a particle diameter of 20 µm or less, Li does not explicitly disclose.
Zhang teaches composite particles have a particle diameter of 15 nm to 30 nm (see [0019]).
Zhang teaches a range of 15 nm to 30 nm (equivalent to 0.015 μm to 0.03 μm), which overlaps with the claimed range of 20 μm or less. MPEP 2144.05 I states that 'In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990)'.
Regarding the limitation a content of metal in the composite particles is 50 parts by weight or less based on 100 parts by weight of carbon, Li does not explicitly disclose.
Zhang teaches incorporating silver at 40 g/L (see [0041]) which lies within the claimed range & [0042] describes “composite of silver and carbon black nano-particles”).
Regarding claim 2, Li discloses the negative electrode current collector of claim 1. Li does not explicitly disclose wherein the metal particle comprises Ag.
Zhang teaches silver (see [0021] “Metals which may be co-deposited with the carbon black nano-particles” & “silver is the most preferred metal for forming the composite with the carbon black nano-particles”).
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate silver (Ag), as suggested by Zhang (see [0021]) into the negative electrode current collector of Li because Zhang teaches “silver is the most preferred metal for forming the composite with the carbon black non-particles” (see [0021]).
Regarding claim 3, Li discloses the negative electrode current collector of claim 1 and further discloses wherein the carbon particle comprises carbon black, acetylene black (see [0040] “carbon material and a metal material” & “carbon black such as acetylene black”).
Regarding claim 4, Li discloses the negative electrode current collector of claim 1 and further discloses a negative electrode for a solid-state battery (see title) and further discloses wherein the negative electrode does not comprise negative electrode active material (see [0038] “the porous layer preferably does not comprise an anode active material”), and wherein lithium is electrodeposited to and detached from the surface of the metal foil during operation of a battery (see [0058] “The all solid state battery of the present disclosure comprises an anode current collector, a porous layer, a solid electrolyte layer, a cathode active material layer, and a cathode current collector, in this order. As shown in FIG. 1A, an anode active material layer may not be present between solid electrolyte layer 3 and porous layer 6. In particular, it is preferable that solid electrolyte layer 3 directly contacts with porous layer 6. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1B, all solid state battery 10 may comprise anode active material layer 2 that is a deposition Li between solid electrolyte layer 3 and porous layer 6.”; see [0059] “The all solid state battery of the present disclosure comprises the porous layer, and thus a dense deposition Li layer (anode active material layer) may be formed after charge”).
Regarding claim 5, Li discloses the negative electrode of claim 4 and further discloses wherein the lithium is electrodeposited between the metal foil and the coating layer (see FIG. 3B describes “6 porous layer” & “5 anode current collector” describes Li is deposited between “5” & “6”; see [0030] “the metal Li is deposited uniformly in the interface of solid electrolyte 31 and porous layer 6”).
Regarding claim 6, Li discloses the negative electrode current collector of claim 1. Li does not explicitly disclose wherein the metal particle and the carbon particle are attached to each other chemically.
Zhang teaches silver carbon black composite (see [0021] “Metals which may be co-deposited with the carbon black nano-particles” which reads on chemically attached & “silver is the most preferred metal for forming the composite with the carbon black nano-particles”).
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate silver (Ag), as suggested by Zhang (see [0021]) into the negative electrode current collector of Li because Zhang teaches “silver is the most preferred metal for forming the composite with the carbon black non-particles” (see [0021]).
Regarding claim 7, Li discloses the negative electrode of claim 5 and further discloses a solid-state battery (see abstract “anode current collector” & “all solid state battery”).
Regarding claim 14, Li discloses the solid-state battery of claim 7 and further discloses wherein a solid electrolyte membrane is interposed between a positive electrode and a negative electrode (see FIG. 3b “solid electrolyte 31” & see FIG. 1A & 1B describes “solid electrolyte layer” & “5 anode current collector” & “4 cathode current collector” & see [0034] describes “anode” which reads on negative electrode & see [0051] “cathode” reads on positive electrode).
Regarding claim 15, Li discloses the solid-state battery of claim 14 and further discloses wherein the solid electrolyte membrane comprises a sulfide-based solid electrolyte material (see FIG. 3b “solid electrolyte 31” & see FIG. 1A & FIG. 1B describes “solid electrolyte layer”; see [0044] “sulfide solid electrolyte”).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 20190051925 A1, “Li”) in view of Zhang-Beglinger et al. (US 20130228465 A1, “Zhang”) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yushin et al. (US 20170170515 A1, “Yushin”).
Regarding claim 13, Li discloses the negative electrode current collector of claim 1 and further discloses wherein the coating layer has a porous structure having pores (see [0053] “coating layer” & see abstract “porous layer”; see [0028] “arrangement of a specific porous layer allows an all solid state battery to have high reversibility of deposition and dissolution reaction of a metal Li while inhibiting an occurrence of short circuit”). Li does not explicitly disclose derived from the interstitial volumes among the composite particles.
Yushin teaches interstitial positions (see [0101] “interstitial positions” & “very little change in volume takes place”; see [0017] “the shells may comprise pores”; see [0087] “the presence of pores in such a coating may further assist in stress accommodation”).
Li and Yushin are analogous to the current invention because they are related to the same field of endeavor, namely anodes (see Yushin abstract) and current collector (see Yushin [0019]).
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate interstitial positions and little volume change as suggested by Yushin (see [0101] & shells with pores (see [0017]) into the negative electrode current collector of Li because Yushin teaches doing so “assist[s] in stress accommodation” (see [0087]).
Conclusion
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/S.A.A./Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/JAMES M ERWIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725 03/03/2026