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 .
Foreign Priority Documents
The Japanese foreign priority document(s) JP2020-194748 & JP2020-200578, submitted under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (a)-(d), was/were been received on April 12, 2023 and placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed May 30, 2023 has/have been received and complies with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, 1.98 and MPEP § 609. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner, and an initialed copied is attached herewith.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The term “LDH-like” in claim 1 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “LDH-like” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. In the specification at paragraph [0033]: the LDH-like compound separator includes a layered double hydroxide (LDH)-like compound, and can isolate a positive electrode plate from a negative electrode plate and ensures hydroxide ionic conductivity therebetween in a secondary zinc battery. The LDH-like compound separator functions as a hydroxide ionic conductive separator. Preferred LDH-like compound separator has gas-impermeability and/or water-impermeability. In other words, the LDH-like compound separator is preferably densified to an extent that exhibits gas-impermeability and/or water-impermeability. However, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree required for non-hydroxide compounds to qualify as “LDH-like”.
Claims 2-15 are rejected based on dependency to claim 1.
Claims 2-3, 5-6, 10-11 & 13 include the term “LDH-like” which is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “LDH-like” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. In the specification at paragraph [0033]: the LDH-like compound separator includes a layered double hydroxide (LDH)-like compound, and can isolate a positive electrode plate from a negative electrode plate and ensures hydroxide ionic conductivity therebetween in a secondary zinc battery. The LDH-like compound separator functions as a hydroxide ionic conductive separator. Preferred LDH-like compound separator has gas-impermeability and/or water-impermeability. In other words, the LDH-like compound separator is preferably densified to an extent that exhibits gas-impermeability and/or water-impermeability. However, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree required for non-hydroxide compounds to qualify as “LDH-like”.
For the purposes of this Office Action, the term will be considered an oxide or hydroxide with hydroxide ion conductivity. See the specification at paragraph [0033].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The instant claim would be allowable over the prior art of record, because the prior art is silent to a secondary zinc battery comprising: a unit cell comprising; a positive-electrode plate comprising a positive-electrode active material layer and a positive-electrode collector; a negative-electrode plate comprising a negative-electrode active material layer and a negative-electrode collector, the negative-electrode active material layer comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of elemental zinc, zinc oxide, zinc alloys, and zinc compounds; an LDH-like compound separator covering or wrapping around the entire negative-electrode active material layer; the LDH-like compound separator comprising a layered double hydroxide (LDH)-like compound, and an electrolytic solution, wherein the positive-electrode active material layer, the negative-electrode active material layer, and the LDH-like compound separator each have a quadrilateral planar shape, wherein the positive-electrode collector has a positive-electrode collector tab extending from a first edge of the positive-electrode active material layer, and the negative-electrode collector has a negative-electrode collector tab extending from a second edge of the negative-electrode active material layer and beyond a vertical edge of the LDH-like compound separator, the first edge being opposite to the second edge, the unit cell being capable of collecting electricity from the positive-electrode collector tab and the negative-electrode collector tab, the positive-electrode collector tab and the negative-electrode collector tab being disposed at opposite edges of the unit cell, and wherein the LDH-like compound separator has at least two continuous closed edges, provided that an edge, adjacent to the negative-electrode collector tab, of the LDH-like compound separator is open.
The prior art, such as Gonda et al. U.S. Pub. 2019/0267597, teaches a secondary zinc battery [0003], comprising: a unit cell (Fig. 1), comprising; a positive-electrode plate (12; [0047]), comprising a positive-electrode active material layer (nickel hydroxide and/or nickel oxyhydroxide; [0047]); a negative-electrode plate comprising a negative-electrode active material layer (14; zinc, zinc oxide; [0047]), the negative-electrode active material layer comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of elemental zinc, zinc oxide, zinc alloys, and zinc compounds (zinc, zinc oxide; [0047]); the LDH-like compound separator comprising a layered double hydroxide (LDH)-like compound (LDH separator 16 is capable of conducting hydroxide; ions; [0047]), and an electrolytic solution (electrolytic solution; [0054]), wherein the positive-electrode active material layer, the negative-electrode active material layer, and the LDH-like compound separator each have a quadrilateral planar shape (Fig. 1), wherein the positive-electrode collector has a positive-electrode collector tab extending from a first edge of the positive-electrode active material layer (positive-electrode collector 13. The positive-electrode collector 13 more preferably has a positive-electrode collector tab 13a extending from one side of the outer periphery of the positive-electrode plate 12; [0064]), and the negative-electrode collector has a negative-electrode collector tab extending from a second edge of the negative-electrode active material layer (negative-electrode collector 15 more preferably has a negative-electrode collector tab 15a extending from one side of the outer periphery of the negative-electrode plate 14; [0064]) and beyond a vertical edge of the LDH-like compound separator (FIGS. 6A to 6D). However, the prior art is silent to an LDH-like compound separator covering or wrapping around the entire negative-electrode active material layer; and wherein the LDH-like compound separator has at least two continuous closed edges, provided that an edge, adjacent to the negative-electrode collector tab, of the LDH-like compound separator is open. Therefore, the instant claims are patentably district from the prior art of record.
Claims 2-15 would be allowable based on dependency to claim 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONIQUE M WILLS whose telephone number is (571)272-1309. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 5:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner's supervisor, Tiffany Legette, may be reached at 571-270-7078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Monique M Wills/
Examiner, Art Unit 1722
/TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723