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 .
Claim Interpretation
The term “paste” refers to a mixture in which a part or all of the solid content is dispersed in a solvent, and includes so-called “slurry,” “ink,” and the like based on 0024 of the published specification.
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, 3-9, 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Honami Hirabayashi (Japanese Patent: 6933285, here after 285), further in
view of Masaro Nakajo et al (U. S. Patent Application: 2021/0387205, here after 205), Ryan M. Walczak et al (WO 2012/138632, here after 632), and Yuka Miyafusa et al (Japanese Patent: 2013-229263, here after 263).
Claim 1 is rejected. 285 teaches a method for manufacturing a positive electrode(cathode) of a secondary battery [page 22 last paragraph], and comprising: preparing a carbon nanotube (CNT) paste (conductive material dispersion) including at least CNTs and a copolymer [abstract, page 18 lines 6-19];
passing the CNT paste(dispersion) through a magnetic separator using magnets with magnetic flux density of 500 mT(5000 Gauss) [page 18 last paragraph, page 19 paragraph 3] to adsorb metal existing inside the CNTs and removing the metal from the CNTs [page 18 last paragraph, page 19 paragraph 2], to obtain a metal content of 1.6% by mass or less (when a total of the CNTs and the metal is 100% by mass) when a total of the CNT’s and the metal is 100% by mass [page 4 paragraph 7];
adding a positive electrode active material, and a binder to the CNT paste directly after said removing the metal to prepare a positive electrode active material layer forming paste (slurry) [page 21 last paragraph page 22 first paragraph]; wherein a content of CNT(conductive material) in a total solid content consisting the positive electrode active material layer forming slurry(paste) is 0.1% by mass or more and 3% by mass or less(considering 90% of slurry is solid content and 1% of slurry comprising CNT’s)[page 18 lines 6-10, page 21 paragraph 5, paragraph 7] ; and applying the prepared positive electrode active material layer forming slurry (paste) to a positive electrode current collector to form a positive electrode active material layer on the positive electrode current collector [page 22 paragraph 2]. Although 285 does not teach passing the paste at least 4 times through a magnetic separator, however teaches it is preferable to have a circulation type filtration [page 19 paragraph 4], which in fact passing the paste through the magnetic separator more than one to be more effective. It is to the skill of an ordinary person to adjust the time passing through the filter separator based on concentration of impurities viscosity of the slurry and accepted impurity amount more than 4 times in absence of criticality. Although 285 does not teach the magnet is permanent magnet. However, 205 teaches permanent magnets are used in magnetic separator for applying 5000 gauss (500 mT) [0066] to remove impurities. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 285 to have the magnetic separator as permanent magnet, because it is suitable for creating 5000 gauss magnetic force.
285 does not teach copolymer containing aromatic unit. 632 teaches forming carbon nanotube paste(dispersion) when copolymer(dispersant) is an aromatic copolymer [page 2 lines 1-2, claim 1]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 285, and 205 to make positive electrode where the slurry(paste) comprising copolymer containing aromatic unit, because it is suitable dispersant for making CNT’s paste (slurry or dispersion). 285 does not teach simultaneously adding a positive electrode active material, and a binder to the CNT paste. 263 teaches forming positive electrode for a battery by applying a paste(dispersion) to a current collector, and also teaches adding binder and active material simultaneously to CNT (conductive additive) dispersion or in sequences [page 84 lines 5-8]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 285, 205, and 632 to make positive electrode where the binder and active material are added simultaneously to CNT paste (conductive dispersion), because 632 teaches binder and active material can be added together or separately (in sequence) in absence of criticality.
Claim 3 is rejected. 285 teaches the formed positive electrode active material has a basis weight on both sides of 20 mg/cm2[page 34 last 5 lines].
Claim 4 is rejected, 285 teaches solid content in slurry (paste) is 74% [page 31 Example 2-1], therefor after drying a porosity of 26% obtained for a formed positive electrode active material layer.
Claim 5 is rejected. 285 teaches a method for manufacturing a positive electrode(cathode) of a secondary battery [page 22 last paragraph], by preparing a CNT slurry(paste) including at least CNTs and a copolymer [abstract, page 18 lines 6-19];
passing the CNT paste(dispersion) through a magnetic separator using magnets with magnetic flux density of 500 mT(5000 Gauss) [page 18 last paragraph, page 19 paragraph 3] to adsorb metal existing inside the CNTs and removing the metal from the CNTs and [page 18 last paragraph, page 19 paragraph 2], so that a metal content of 1.6% by mass or less (when a total of the CNTs and the metal is 100% by mass) when a total of the CNT’s and the metal is 100% by mass[page 4 paragraph 7],
adding a positive electrode active material, and a binder to the CNT paste directly after said removing the metal to prepare a positive electrode active material layer forming paste (slurry) [page 21 last paragraph page 22 first paragraph]; wherein a content of CNT (conductive material) in a total solid content consisting the positive electrode active material layer forming slurry(paste) is 0.1% by mass or more and 3% by mass or less (considering 90% of slurry is solid content and 1% of slurry comprising CNT’s)[ page 18 lines 6-10, page 21 paragraph 5, paragraph 7] ; and applying the prepared positive electrode active material layer forming slurry (paste) to a positive electrode current collector to form a positive electrode active material layer on the positive electrode current collector [page 22 paragraph 2], and constructing the secondar battery suing the manufacture positive electrode. Although 285 does not teach passing the paste at least 4 times through a magnetic separator, however teaches it is preferable to have a circulation type filtration [page 19 paragraph 4], which in fact passing the paste through the magnetic separator more than one to be more effective. It is to the skill of an ordinary person to adjust the time passing through the filter separator based on concentration of impurities viscosity of the slurry and accepted impurity amount more than 4 times in absence of criticality. Although 285 does not teach the magnet is permanent magnet. However, 205 teaches permanent magnets are used in magnetic separator for applying 5000 gauss (500 mT) [0066] to remove impurities. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 285 to have the magnetic separator as permanent magnet, because it is suitable for creating 5000 gauss magnetic force.
285 does not teach copolymer containing aromatic unit. 632 teaches forming carbon nanotube paste(dispersion) when copolymer(dispersant) is an aromatic copolymer [page 2 lines 1-2, claim 1]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 285, 205 to make positive electrode where the slurry(paste) comprising copolymer containing aromatic unit, because itis suitable dispersant for making CNT’s paste (slurry or dispersion).285 does not teach simultaneously adding a positive electrode active material, and a binder to the CNT paste. 263 teaches forming positive electrode for a battery by applying a paste(dispersion) to a current collector, and also teaches adding binder and active material simultaneously to CNT (conductive additive) dispersion or in sequences [page 84 lines 5-8]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 285, 205, and 632 to make positive electrode where the binder and active material are added simultaneously to CNT paste (conductive dispersion), because 632 teaches binder and active material can be added together or separately (in sequence) in absence of criticality.
Claims 6-7 are rejected as 632 teaches the copolymer comprising pyrene or anthracene [claim 8].
Claims 8 and 9 are rejected as 285 teaches the metal comprises Cr, Ni, or Co [page 19 first paragraph].
Claims 12-13 are rejected as 285 teaches removing the metal from the CNTs [page 18 last paragraph, page 19 paragraph 2], to obtain a metal content of 0.2% (less than 20 ppm) by mass or less (when a total of the CNTs and the metal is 100% by mass) when a total of the CNT’s and the metal is 100% by mass [page 4 paragraph 6]. Although 285 does not teach passing the paste at least 10 times through a magnetic separator, however teaches it is preferable to have a circulation type filtration [page 19 paragraph 4], which in fact passing the paste through the magnetic separator more than one to be more effective. It is to the skill of an ordinary person to adjust the time passing through the filter separator based on concentration of impurities viscosity of the slurry and accepted impurity amount more than 4 times in absence of criticality.
Claims 14-15 are rejected as 285 teaches the CNT’s have a metal content of more than 4% by mass before passing through the magnetic separator(filter) [page 4 paragraph 6].
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Honami Hirabayashi (Japanese Patent: 6933285, here after 285), Masaro Nakajo et al (U. S. Patent Application: 2021/0387205, here after 205), Ryan M. Walczak et al (WO 2012/138632, here after 632), and Yuka Miyafusa et al (Japanese Patent: 2013-229263, here after 263), further in view of Ye Lin Kim et al (Japanese Patent: 6732295, here after 295).
Claims 10-11 are rejected. 285 teaches carbon nanotube with diameter of 10-15 nm, but does not teach length of CNT’s. 295 teaches making positive electrode for batteries comprising CNT’s [page 17, paragraph 8], and teaches diameter of carbon nanotube is 0.5-200 um with aspect ratio of 10-20000(length to diameter) [page 6 first paragraph] (considering the aspect ratio is 50 with length of 0.5 um, diameter of CNT is 10 nm which is within 636 range). 295 also teaches if the CNTs are short, it is hard to form conductive path and very long CNT’s decrease dispersibility [page 6 first paragraph]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 285, 205, 632, 263 to make positive electrode where CNT’s have average length of 0.5 um, because 925 teaches it is suitable length for CNTs with diameter of 10 nm.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07/15/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant argues 636 does not teach the magnetic flus density is 400-700 mT, however 285 teaches flux density of 5000 Gauss which is 500 mT( see claim rejection 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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/TABASSOM TADAYYON ESLAMI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718