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 Group I, claims 1-6 in the reply filed on 6 January 2026 is acknowledged.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noguchi et al. (‘Fabrication and performances of all solid-state symmetric sodium battery based on NASICON-related compounds’, Electrochimica Acta, 101, 1 July 2013, pp. 59–65; hereinafter “Noguchi”), in view of Yoshioka (WO 2020/054544 A1, listed in the IDS filed 27 April 2023; using US PGPub 2021/0203007 for the English translation and citations).
Regarding claim 1, Noguchi teaches a solid-state cell (NVP/NASICON/NVP all solid-state symmetric cell, see p. 59) having an electrolyte which comprises NaSICON (see p. 59-60) having a first electrode arranged at a first region of the electrolyte (NVP electrode arranged at one side of the NaSICON solid electrolyte; see p. 59-60) and having a second electrode arranged at a second region of the electrolyte (NVP electrode arranged at other side of the NaSICON solid electrolyte; see p. 59-60).
Noguchi is silent to wherein a continuous material layer is arranged at a third region of the electrolyte on an outer surface of the electrolyte, or in that a chemical composition of the outer surface is changed in the third region of the electrolyte.
Yoshioka teaches a solid-state cell (solid-state battery 200A, see Fig. 1A; [0033]) having an electrolyte (solid electrolyte layer 3, see Fig. 1A; [0034]) which comprises NaSICON structure (see [0061]), having a first electrode arranged at a first region of the electrolyte (positive electrode layer 1, see Fig. 1A; [0034]) and having a second electrode arranged at a second region of the electrolyte (negative electrode layer 2, see Fig. 1A; [0034]), wherein a continuous material layer is arranged at a third region of the electrolyte on an outer surface of the electrolyte (protective layer 5, see Fig. 1A; [0034]), or in that a chemical composition of the outer surface is changed in the third region of the electrolyte. Yoshioka teaches that this protective layer 5 is formed on an outer surface of the battery element 100 and is for electrically, physically, and chemically protecting the battery element 100 (see [0065]).
In view of Yoshioka’s teachings, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the cell of Noguchi to include wherein a continuous material layer is arranged at a third region of the electrolyte on an outer surface of the electrolyte, as taught by Yoshioka, because it is used to electrically, physically, and chemically protect the battery.
Regarding claims 2 and 3, their limitations do not limit the case wherein a continuous material layer is arranged at a third region of the electrolyte on an outer surface of the electrolyte, as in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Noguchi and Yoshioka teaches wherein the first electrode and/or the second electrode comprises metallic sodium (Noguchi: both electrodes which are NVP, which is Na-3V2(PO4)3, comprises metallic sodium, see p. 59-60).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Noguchi and Yoshioka teaches wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are configured in the same manner (Noguchi: both the first electrode and the second electrode are NVP, see p. 59-60).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Noguchi and Yoshioka teaches wherein the continuous material layer is a polymer layer (Yoshioka: see [0066] and [0069]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN HA whose telephone number is (571)270-5934. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00 EST.
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/S.S.H/Examiner, Art Unit 1735 5 February 2026
/KEITH WALKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1735