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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statements (IDS) filed 05/16/2023 have been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings received 05/16/2023 are acceptable for examination purposes.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of pre-AIA 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 –
(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of application for patent in the United States.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Markey et. al. “Effective Upcycling of Graphite Anode: Healing and Doping Enabled Direct Regeneration” Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 2020,167,160511.
Regarding claim 1, Markey discloses a method for removing bulk defects from spent graphite particles from a Li- ion battery anode (Title), comprising: treating the spent graphite particles in a boric acid solution to form borated graphite particles, drying the borated graphite particles; and fast annealing the borated graphite particles (p. 160512, left. Col. para 2,3)
Regarding claim 2, Markey discloses prior to the step of treating, washing the spent graphite particles in a solvent and drying to form a powder (p. 160512, left. Col. para 2).
Regarding claim 3, Markey discloses at least one annealing step at 850oC for 1 h (p. 160512, left. Col. para 3). It is noted that a specific example in the prior art which is within a claimed range anticipates the range. See MPEP 2131.03
Regarding claim 3, Markey discloses method for restoring electrochemical activity and cycling stability to spent graphite anode material for use in a lithium-ion battery comprising, exposing powdered graphite anode material (C graphite) to boric acid to form borated material; and sintering the borated material, wherein dead lithium in a bulk structure of the graphite anode material is extracted and boron doping is applied to surfaces of the graphite material ((p. 160512, left. Col. para 2,3, Fig. 6, pathway d, see below)
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Regarding claim 5, Markey discloses prior to the step of treating, washing the spent graphite particles in a solvent and drying to form a powder (p. 160512, left. Col. para 2).
Regarding claim 6, Markey discloses at least one annealing step at 850oC for 1 h (p. 160512, left. Col. para 3). It is noted that a specific example in the prior art which is within a claimed range anticipates the range. See MPEP 2131.03.
Regarding claim 6, Markey discloses a method for regeneration of spent anode material of a lithium-ion battery comprising :harvesting graphite particles from the spent anode material (Degraded graphite powder from cycled LIB anode was harvested from a spent pouch cell, p. 160512, left. Col. para 3), washing the harvested graphite particles in a solvent solution (NMP, p. 160512, left. Col. para 2), precipitating graphite powder from the solution (centrifugation, p. 160512, left. Col. para 2) rinsing the graphite powder in water (washed with distilled water drying the graphite powder (p. 160512, left. Col. para 2), dispersing the graphite powder in a boric acid solution; exposing the borated graphite powder to a drying temperature until dry; and sintering the dried borated graphite powder at a sintering temperature for a sintering period (p. 160512, left. Col. para 3).
Regarding claim 8, Markey discloses wherein washing the graphite particles in the solvent solution further comprises heating the solution at a temperature of 70-90°C until dried (The black powder collected from a second centrifuging was dried under vacuum at 80 °C for 12 h, p. 160512, left. Col. para 2).
Regarding claims 9 and 10, Markey discloses wherein the sintering temperature is within a range of 750°C to 1050°C (samples were sintered at 750 °C (S-750C-Graphite), 850 °C (S-850C-Graphite), 950 °C (S-950CGraphite) and 1050 °C (S-1050C-Graphite) for 1 h, re claim 10), respectively, p.160512, left. Col. para 3). It is noted that a specific example in the prior art which is within a claimed range anticipates the range. See MPEP 2131.03
Regarding claim 11, Markey discloses a method for removing bulk residual lithium and reopening channels for lithium transport from graphite anode material of a spent Li-ion battery comprising: exposing powdered graphite anode material to boric acid to form borated material; and sintering the borated material, wherein boron doping is applied to surfaces of the graphite material (p. 160512, left. Col. para 2,3, Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 12, Markey discloses wherein the step of sintering comprises annealing the borated material for at least one hour at a temperature in a range of 750°C to 1050°C (p.160512, left. Col. para 3).
Conclusion
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/Alexander Usyatinsky/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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