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 with traverse of Species I in the reply filed on May 15, 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the species are sufficiently related that a thorough and complete search for the elected species would necessarily encompass a thorough and complete search for non-elected species. This is not found persuasive because the non-elected species encompass materially different features that would require different search strategies and fields of search.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okochi et al. (hereinafter “Okochi”) (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0280272 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 4 and 9, Okochi teaches an LDH separator 10 comprising an internal porous layer 10b interposed between two LDH separator bodies 10a (see paragraph 33). The LDH separator bodies 10a comprise a porous substrate composed of a polymeric material, and the pores of the substrate are filled with LDH (see paragraph 30). The internal porous layer 10b has pore-rich portions of the porous substrate and is free from or deficient in the LDH such that zinc dendrites are preferentially deposited and grown in the pores not filled with the LDH of the porous substrate, and the deposition and growth of zinc dendrite are confined only within the internal porous layer 10b, resulting in blocking or significantly delaying the penetration of the dendrites through the separator (see paragraph 33).
Regarding claim 2, Okochi teaches hydrotalcite as an exemplary LDH compound (see paragraph 81). Hydrotalcite has the formula Mg6Al2(CO3)(OH)16·4H2O.
Regarding claim 3, Okochi teaches that the LDH is preferably embedded over the entire thickness of the porous substrate other than the dendrite buffer layer (see paragraph 42).
Regarding claim 7, Okochi teaches that the LDH separator preferably has a helium permeability per unit area of 3.0 cm/atm·min or less (see paragraph 37).
Regarding claim 10, Okochi teaches a secondary zinc battery comprising the LDH separator (see paragraph 47).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHAN J ESSEX whose telephone number is (571)270-7866. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at (571) 272-1330. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/STEPHAN J ESSEX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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