DETAILED ACTION
Application 18/186338, “Modified Anode For Lithium Metal Battery For Uniform Lithium Deposition”, was filed with the USPTO on 3/20/23.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This Office Action on the merits is in response to communication filed on 3/20/23.
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.
Claims 17, 18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (US 2019/0181435).
Supporting evidence is provided by Koestner (US 2022/0238885) and Knoche (US 2022/0203659).
Regarding claim 17, Lee teaches a lithium metal battery (Figs. 5A and 4A, 4H considered together) comprising: a cathode (item 21); an electrolyte (item 24,17) comprising sulfur (paragraph [0161], e.g. “a SiS2-type glass”, paragraph [0055]), a single layer of particles deposited on the electrolyte (see particles 13,14 deposited on an electrolyte 17), which are nano-sized particles (paragraph [0151] describes the layer 12 having thickness as small as 1 μm, thereby teaching particles having a diameter at least as low as 1 μm; such particles may be considered nano-sized particles in the battery art**), each particle having a first portion of a first material (item 14) having affinity to the electrolyte (because acrylate based compounds are disclosed by Lee at paragraphs [0134-0136], and are suggested by applicant’s published paragraph [0031] to have affinity to electrolyte, or alternatively, because the first portion is configured to be ionically conductive as disclosed by Lee at paragraph [0129], and thus must be compatible with the electrolyte to facilitate ion conduction) and a second portion of a second material (item 13) having affinity to lithium (paragraph [0041, 0125-0126] indicates that the particles are bondable with lithium), wherein the first material and the second material are discrete from each other (see Fig. 4H), and each particle is positioned such that the first portion is in contact with the electrolyte (see Fig. 4H); and an anode current collector (item 10).
**As supporting evidence only, consider Koestner (US 2022/0238885) which teaches, “Notably, these high aspect ratio carbon-based conductive additives may be nanoparticles that are “nano-sized” or “nanometer-sized” and have at least one spatial dimension that is less than about 10 μm (i.e., 10,000 nm), optionally less than about 1 μm (i.e., 1,000 nm), optionally less than about 0.5 μm (i.e., 500 nm), optionally less than about 0.4 μm (i.e., 400 nm), optionally less than about 0.3 μm (i.e., 300 nm), optionally less than about 0.2 μm (i.e., 200 nm), and in certain variations, optionally less than about 0.1 μm (i.e., 100 nm)” at paragraph [0067], suggesting that particles with a smallest dimension as large as 10 μm may be considered “nano-sized” particles.
Consider also Knoche (US 2022/0203659) which teaches, “Nanoparticles are understood in the context of the invention to mean particles having a particle size of 1 μm or less, the measurement of particle sizes being carried out by laser diffraction particle size analysis” at paragraph [0031].
Regarding claim 18, Lee remains as applied to claim 17. Lee further teaches wherein the first material comprises nitrogen (see the nitrogen containing embodiments of paragraphs [0134-0136, such as the nitriles or vinylpyridines).
Regarding claim 20, Lee remains as applied to claim 17. Lee further teaches wherein the second material is gold (paragraph [0128, 0178]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-16 are allowed.
Claim 19 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding independent claim 1, the closest prior art includes Lee (US 2019/0181435) which are relevant to the claimed invention as described in the rejection of claim 17. Lee teaches a lithium metal battery comprising a layer of particles each having a first portion of electrolyte affinity material and a second portion of lithium affinity material, with the electrolyte affinity material in contact with the electrolyte.
However, Lee fails to teach at least the following features of claim 1: the lithium metal battery as an anode-free lithium metal battery; each particle is positioned such that the second portion [lithium affinity material] faces the anode current collector [noting that the first and second portions of the Lee particles have a core-shell type structure such that the particles cannot be positioned as claimed. Therefore, the invention of claim 1 is not found to be anticipated by or obvious over Lee.
As to dependent claim 19, Lee fails to further teach the first material comprising one or both of silver and molybdenum. Instead, the shell layer interpreted as the first material of Lee is an ion conductive polymer which a skilled artisan would not modify to include silver and/or molybdenum. Therefore, the invention of claim 19 is not found to be anticipated or obvious over Lee.
The closest prior art further includes the following references which were discovered in the search and are relevant to the claimed invention, but deficient as described below:
Nishikubo (US 2015/0132646) particles comprising first portion and second portion (Fig. 1a, 3a) with differing lithiophilicities (paragraph [0104]) in a layer (e.g. Fig. 1a), but does not teach each particle of the first layer of particles deposited on the electrolyte and positioned as claimed;
He (US 2022/0263070) lithium metal battery showing with/without lithium metal layer, current collector has layer of lithiophilic metal or graphene, but particles are core-shell particles which cannot be oriented as claimed, and not of the materials required by claim 19;
Kim (US 2023/0395801) lithium battery comprising no anode in uncharged state (Fig. 4) [an anode-free lithium metal battery], lithium metal layer 120 in charged state (Fig. 6), active layer comprising carbon nanofibers and silver nanoparticles (abstract), but does not teach each particle having claimed first and second portions, which are discrete and oriented as claimed;
Parrvinian (US 2024/0105984) composite particles on a current collector [e.g. Fig. 8], but the composite particles comprise a conventional core-shell type structure such that they cannot be positioned such that the second portion faces the anode current collector as in claim 1;
Choi (US 2024/0120463) negative electrode comprising Ag as a lithiophilic element, but Ag is not present in a first portion oriented as claimed with respect to claim 19, and each particle does not have the claimed first and second portions;
Im (US 2024/0204201) lithium battery comprising lithiophilic metal particles (Fig. 2A; paragraph [0016]), but does not teach each particle having a first and second portion positioned as claimed;
Kim (US 2024/0339596) lithium battery comprising first and second lithiophilic layers (e.g. gold and silver), but not in same particle;
Jahnke (US 2024/0421320) electrodes comprised of lithiophilic agent [e.g. Sn] on metal fiber; however, no current collector is utilized with the fiber embodiment;
Nagy (US 2025/0140775) support structure comprising lithiophilic oxide layer (ZnO), but the particles are core-shell type and therefore cannot be positioned as claimed in claim 1, and the materials are different from required by claim 19;
Ma (US 2025/0233157) current collector comprising affinity material in pores of porous material, but does not comprise particles having the claimed first and second portions.
A detailed search has been performed; however, no closer prior art has been discovered which fairly teaches or suggest the invention of claim 1 or dependent claim 19; therefore, claims 1-16 are found to be allowable, and claim 19 is only objected to for being dependent on a rejected base claim.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEREMIAH R SMITH whose telephone number is (571)270-7005. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 9 AM-5 PM (EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tiffany Legette-Thompson can be reached on (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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/JEREMIAH R SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723