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 Invention I and III, a battery cathode in the reply filed on 10-20-2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 5-8 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 10-20-2025.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because in Fig 5, reference characters "34" and "38" are both pointing to the same line shown in the Figure. 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. 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 objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because in Fig 5, reference characters "40" and "42" are both pointing to the same line shown in the Figure. 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. 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 objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because in Fig 8, reference characters “34”, "40", "42" AND “34”, “38” are both pointing to the same line shown in the Figure. 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. 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: In [0001], the specification needs to be updated to cite that US Application 17/340,063 is now US Patent 11,427,756.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhu et al. “Effects of fibrous nickel additives on the electrochemical properties of LiFePO4 cathode for lithium-ion battery”. Zhu et al. teaches in the abstract that highly conductive nickel additive can enhance the electronic conductivity of LiFePO4 when the fiber content is present at 10 wt % [teaching claims 1 and 9]. Zhu et al. teaches adding nickel fibers to a cathode material comprising LiFePO4 with different fiber content as shown in Table 1, teaching adding a nickel-fiber loading of 4% [specifically teaching claims 2, 4, 10 and 12] and 8% [specifically teaching claims 2-3 and 10-11] to the active material. Zhu et al. teaches on page 10601, that the average crystallite size of the nickel fibers was determined as 25.85 nm [teaching nanostrands]. Zhu et al. teaches on page 10598, that it has been found that porous nickel fibers with low aspect ratio is conducted additives could improve the electrochemical performance of LiFePO4 cathodes.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Laura Weiner whose telephone number is (571)272-1294. The examiner can normally be reached 9 am-5 pm EST M-F.
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/LAURA S. WEINER/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1723
/Laura Weiner/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723