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
Claims 1, 4 & 7 are amended and claims 14-17 are new.
Claims 1, 4-7, and 14-17 are pending examination as discussed below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 12/3/25 has been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered as to the merits.
Claim Interpretation
Regarding claim 1 and the “mixed layer”, due to the amendment, this term is considered to be required and have patentable weight.
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 1, 4-7 and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210159505 (Kato) in view of US 2016/0043373 (Arishima) in view of EP 2450989 (Tanaka).
Regarding claims 1, 6, and 7, Kato teaches a lithium battery with a positive electrode having a current collector substrate (32), an insulation layer on the substrate (36a), and a composite layer of active material (34) arranged on the substrate (Abstract, Figs. 4,6; [0028-0030]). The composite layer extends above and overlaps the insulation layer (Fig. 4).
Kato is silent to a mixed layer is arranged between the insulation layer and the distal end portion of the composite layer extending into the interface region and where the mixed layer extends to a position where the composite layer does not exist above the insulation layer.
Arishima teaches a lithium battery with a positive electrode having a current collector substrate (1b), an insulation layer on the substrate (5), and a composite layer of active material (1a) arranged on the substrate (Abstract, Figs. 5-7; [0026, 0035]). A mixed layer (13) is formed between the insulation layer and the composite layer, which is a mixture of the two said layers, and is arranged in a range where the insulation layer covers the substrate (Figs. 5-7). The mixed layer is arranged between the insulation layer and the distal end portion of the composite layer extending into the interface region (Figs. 5-7). As such, the mixed layer extends to a position where the composite layer does not exist above the insulation layer. The mixed layer forms an anchoring effect which adds adhesion strength and avoids generation of nan internal short circuit ([0042]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time of filing to combine the mixing effect of Arishima with the electrode end of Kato to improve the anchoring effect of the mixed layer to improve the adhesion of the electrode layers.
Regarding claim 4, Kato teaches the composite layer has a slope to it, over the part that overlaps with the insulation layer. The composite layer also has an area where the layer directly touches the current collector and as such the insulation layer does not extend into an area below the composite layer.
Regarding claim 5, Kato teaches the insulation layer has more binder content ratio than the composite layer ([0038, 0070,0071]). Furthermore, it would be obvious to have more binder in the insulation layer since having more in the active material layer would reduce the amount of active material and reduce the effectiveness of the electrode layer.
Regarding claim 14, Kato in view of Arishima teaches the mixed layer has an arcuate shape that, in a thickness direction of the substrate, gradually approaches the substrate as the mixed layer becomes farther away from an end of the substrate on which the insulation layer is arranged (Kato Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 15, Kato in view of Arishima teaches the mixed layer includes a first end located close to the end of the substrate on which the insulation layer is arranged, and a second end located on an opposite side from the first end, and the first end rises more steeply than the second end (Kato Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 16, Kato in view of Arishima teaches the insulation layer extending in the interface region includes an insulation slope having a thickness that gradually decreases as the insulation slope becomes farther away from the end of the substrate on which the insulation layer is arranged (Kato Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 17, Kato in view of Arishima teaches the insulative material included in the insulation layer can be 0.05 microns ([0040]). While the average particle diameter of the active material is not taught by Kato or Arishima, it is known and would be obvious that the active material in the composite layer has a larger average particle diameter than the insulation layer.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Due to the amendments, a new ground of rejection has been presented, as discussed above.
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.
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/KEITH WALKER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1735
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