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
Claim 6 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 01/05/2025.
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-5 and 7-10 in the reply filed on 01/05/2025 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.
Claims 1-5 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LEE (US20230006211A1) in view of Kelly (US20240120469A1).
Regarding claims 1-3, Lee discloses a pressing machine (abstract and paragraphs 0040-0041) comprising:
a plurality of pressing devices (fig.1: (114) and (116)), wherein at least one of the plurality of pressing devices comprises a surface having a fluoropolymer material (fig.1: (20)) (paragraphs 0039 and 00176);
wherein the plurality of pressing devices being configured to apply a on one or more lithium foils (fig.1: (10)), such that the surface presses against one of the one or more lithium foils to form a protective layer (fig.1: (25)); and
control at least one of thickness of the protective layer and fluoride content of the protective layer (paragraphs 0067-0068).
Regarding claims 1-3, Lee does not disclose a plurality of actuators, wherein at least one of the plurality of actuators being configured to adjust pressure of the plurality of pressing devices on one or more lithium foils; and a control module configured to control the at least one of the plurality of actuators to adjust a parameter; wherein the parameter is i) a rolling speed of the plurality of pressing devices, ii) the pressure of the plurality of pressing devices, or iii) a temperature of the one or more lithium foils; and wherein the control module is configured to adjust at least one of i) rolling speed of the plurality of pressing devices, ii) the pressure of the plurality of pressing devices, iii) temperature of the pressing devices, and iv) temperature of the one or more lithium foils, to control the at least one of the thickness of the protective layer and the fluoride content of the protective layer.
Kelly teaches a pressing machine (abstract) comprising:
a plurality of pressing devices (fig.1: (114) and (116)), wherein at least one of the plurality of pressing devices comprises a surface having a fluoropolymer material (fig.1: (106)) (paragraph 0019);
a plurality of actuators, wherein at least one of the plurality of actuators being configured to adjust pressure of the plurality of pressing devices on one or more lithium foils (paragraphs 0024 and 0027), such that the surface presses against one of the one or more lithium foils (fig.1: (110)) to form a protective layer; and
a control module (fig.1: (112)) configured to control the at least one of the plurality of actuators to adjust a parameter to control the pressure as a function of a thickness (paragraphs 0025-0026);
wherein the parameter is i) a rolling speed of the plurality of pressing devices, ii) the pressure of the plurality of pressing devices, or iii) a temperature of the one or more lithium foils (paragraphs 0024 and 0027); and
wherein the control module is configured to adjust at least one of i) rolling speed of the plurality of pressing devices, ii) the pressure of the plurality of pressing devices, iii) temperature of the pressing devices, and iv) temperature of the one or more lithium foils, to control the at least one of the thickness of the protective layer and the fluoride content of the protective layer (paragraphs 0024 and 0027).
Both of the prior arts of Lee and Kelly are related to a pressing machine for processing lithium foils and a fluoropolymer material for forming a protective layer on the lithium foils.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Lee to have the configuration of a plurality of actuators and a control module as taught by Kelly, since it has been held that combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results requires only routine skill in the art. [KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 127 S.Ct. 1727, 1742, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1396 (2007)]. Thereby having a plurality of actuators, wherein at least one of the plurality of actuators being configured to adjust pressure of the plurality of pressing devices on one or more lithium foils, such that the surface presses against one of the one or more lithium foils to form a protective layer; and a control module configured to control the at least one of the plurality of actuators to adjust a parameter to control at least one of thickness of the protective layer and fluoride content of the protective layer; wherein the parameter is i) a rolling speed of the plurality of pressing devices, ii) the pressure of the plurality of pressing devices, or iii) a temperature of the one or more lithium foils; and wherein the control module is configured to adjust at least one of i) rolling speed of the plurality of pressing devices, ii) the pressure of the plurality of pressing devices, iii) temperature of the pressing devices, and iv) temperature of the one or more lithium foils, to control the at least one of the thickness of the protective layer and the fluoride content of the protective layer.
Regarding claim 4, Lee discloses wherein the at least one of the plurality of pressing devices i) is at least partially wrapped with the fluoropolymer material, ii) comprises an outer layer comprising the fluoropolymer material, iii) is formed of a fluoropolymer including the fluoropolymer material, or iv) is coated with a fluoropolymer lubricant including the fluoropolymer material (paragraph 0042).
Therefore, the modification of Lee in view of Kelly teaches the limitations of claim 4.
Regarding claim 5, Lee discloses wherein the plurality of pressing devices comprise a plurality of rollers (fig.1: (30)).
Therefore, the modification of Lee in view of Kelly teaches the limitations of claim 5.
Regarding claim 7, Lee discloses wherein the plurality of pressing devices are configured to laminate the one or more lithium foils on a current collector to form an electrode having the protective layer (paragraphs 0070 and 0102).
Therefore, the modification of Lee in view of Kelly teaches the limitations of claim 7.
Regarding claim 8, Lee discloses a LiF-rich coating system (abstract, paragraph 0060 and claim 1) comprising: the pressing machine of claim 1; and at least one material feeding device configured to feed the one or more lithium foils to the plurality of pressing devices (paragraphs 0039-0040: providing a lithium metal strip (10) “corresponding to the feeding device”).
Therefore, the modification of Lee in view of Kelly teaches the limitations of claim 8.
Regarding claim 9, Lee discloses wherein the at least one material feeding device is configured to feed the fluoropolymer material to the pressing machine (paragraphs 0039-0040: providing a lithium metal strip (10) “corresponding to the feeding device”).
Therefore, the modification of Lee in view of Kelly teaches the limitations of claim 9.
Regarding claim 10, Lee discloses wherein: the at least one material feeding device is configured to feed a current collector to the pressing machine; and the pressing machine is configured to laminate the one or more lithium foils on the current collector to form an electrode (paragraph 0076).
Therefore, the modification of Lee in view of Kelly teaches the limitations of claim 10.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED S ALAWADI whose telephone number is (571)272-2224. The examiner can normally be reached 08:00 am- 05:00 pm.
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/MOHAMMED S. ALAWADI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725