DETAILED ACTION
Application 18/189230, “SOLID-STATE SECONDARY BATTERY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SOLID-STATE SECONDARY BATTERY”, was filed with the USPTO on 3/24/23 and claims priority from a foreign application filed on 3/29/22.
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 5/13/26.
Claim Interpretation
Claim 1 recites, “… wherein the solid electrolyte layer is provided with a binding-material-free regions where the binding material is not contained…”.
The “binding-material-free regions” may be interpreted to be a region defined by a lack of the previously recited “the binding material”, rather than a region which is free of any form of binding material whatsoever. This is the broadest reasonable interpretation of the expression.
This interpretation is based on reading the claims in light of the specification. More specifically, applicant’s specification supports the solid electrolyte layer (items 41) being comprised of a plurality of solid electrolyte particles (e.g. Fig. 1 items 41) which are adhered together without the disclosed binder (item 5). However, the specification appears to be silent regarding the means by which the solid electrolyte particles 41 are held together. For such a structure to possess adequate structural resiliency, the individual particles must be bonded together by some means, such as via the use of an additional component that takes the place of a conventional binding material (such as item 5) or via a generated adhesion between the particles 41 [such as by sintering the particles]. Since the specification does not clarify by what means the particles are held together, if not by the binder, then broad interpretation of the limitation is appropriate.
Alternatively, the expression “the binding-material-free regions” could be interpreted to refer to a region which excludes any binding material, with “where the binding material is not contained in the region” not redefining or clarifying the scope of “the binding material free regions”. This is a narrower interpretation.
For the purposes of patent prosecution, the broadest reasonable interpretation is controlling (MPEP 2111). However, for completeness of record, two ground(s) of rejection based on the different interpretations are given.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to for the following minor informality. The expression, “…a binding-material-free regions…” appears to be inadvertently plural, and actually intended to mean --a binding-material-free region--.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 5/13/26 have been fully considered, but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection necessitated by amendment.
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.
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 of this title, 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.
Grounds of Rejection based on the interpretation that “…a binding-material-free regions where the binding material is not contained…” allows the inclusion of binding materials other than the previously claimed “the binding material”
Claims 1, 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yao (US 2023/0011811).
Regarding claim 1, Yao teaches solid-state secondary battery (e.g. Fig. 7 [see also the Examiner’s Modified Figure 7 below]; paragraph [0048]) comprising:
a negative electrode layer (item 620);
a positive electrode layer (item 660); and
a solid electrolyte layer (items 630, 640, 670 and 680 together form a solid electrolyte layer. The solid electrolyte layer comprises an electrolyte-anode composite portion 640, a homogeneous electrolyte portion 630-670, and an electrolyte-cathode composite portion 680), the solid electrolyte layer containing a sulfide-based solid electrolyte (paragraph [0044]),
the solid electrolyte layer containing a binding material (the portions 630 and 670 each contain “a second binder material”; the portion 640 contains the “a second binder material” and also contains “a first binder material” due to the anode mixture extending into the portion 640; the portion 680 contains the “a second binder material and also contains “a third binder material” due to the cathode mixture extending into the portion 680; see paragraph [0007] for reference to the “a first binder material”, “a second binder material”, and “a third binder material”; for the purposes of the rejections, the “first binder material” and the “third binder material” of Yao are interpreted to read on the claimed “a binding material”, the “second binder material” of Yao is not interpreted to read on the claimed “a binding material” noting that claim 1 uses the transitional term “comprising”) ,
the binding material being contained in a greater amount on a side closer to the negative electrode layer and a side closer to the positive electrode layer than sides closer to the center in thickness directions in the solid electrolyte layer (as to the Yao electrolyte layer, portion 640 is readable on “a side closer to the negative electrode layer”, portion 680 is readable on “a side closer to the positive electrode layer”, and portions 630 and 670 are readable on “sides closer to the center in thickness directions”; since the “first binder material” and “third binder material” of Yao are interpreted to read on the “a binding material” of claim 1, the binding material is contained in a greater amount in the sides closer to the electrodes [portions 640 and 680] than sides closer to the center [items 630 and 670] which do not contain any of the first/third binder material of Yao, read on the claimed “a binding material”).
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Yao further teaches wherein the solid electrolyte layer (including portions 640,630,670,680) is provided with central regions where “the binding material” is not contained on the sides closer to the center in the thickness directions (the portions 630 and 670 are central regions which do not include the “a first binder material” or “a third binder material” of Yao, which are read on the claimed “a binding material”, thus the central regions do not contain the claimed “a binding material”).
Therefore, under a broadest reasonable interpretation, Yao does teach “a binding-material-free regions where the binding material is not contained in the region closer to the center in the thickness directions” (since the portions 630/670 do not contain the “first binder material” or the “third binding material” of Yao), and claim 1 is anticipated by Yao.
Regarding claim 3, Yao remain as applied to claim 1. Yao further teaches wherein the solid electrolyte layer includes:
a first layer that is a layer closer to the side closer to the negative electrode layer or the side closer to the positive electrode layer in the solid electrolyte layer (see Examiner’s Modified Fig. 7 where electrolyte portions 640 or 680 are layers closer to the negative and positive electrodes, respectively); and
a second layer that is a layer closer to each of the sides closer to the center in the thickness directions in the solid electrolyte layer (see Examiner’s Modified Fig. 7 where electrolyte portions 630 and 670 are layers closer to the center in the thickness direction), and
a contained amount of the binding material in the first layer is greater than a contained amount of the binding material in the second layer (the layers 640/680 include Yao’s “first binder material” and “second binder material” which are read on the “a binding material”, whereas, in the combined embodiment the layers 630 and 670 do not contain the first binder material or second binder material), and
a contained amount of the binding material in at least either of the first layer and the second layer varies in such a manner that the contained amount of the binding material increases toward the side closer to the negative electrode layer or the side closer to the positive electrode layer (for portions 640 and 680, readable on the “first layer” of claim 3, the binder material content is increased close to the adjacent electrode and is lower towards the central portion 630/670 which contain no binder in the combined embodiment).
Regarding claim 4, Yao teaches a method of manufacturing a solid-state secondary battery including electrode layers and a solid electrolyte layer (e.g. Fig. 7 or Examiner’s Modified Fig. 7; see also paragraph [0048]), the method comprising coating an electrode composite material containing a binding material onto a solid electrolyte layer (paragraphs [0051, 0138]).
Claim 4 further requires that the solid electrolyte layer does not contain the binding material. This limitation is anticipated since Yao teaches the layers 630/670 with “the binding material”. See the rejection of claim 1 for more detail.
Claims 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Yao (US 2023/0011811), Farmer (US 2010/0291444) and Chen (US 2019/0319240)
Regarding claim 5, Yao remains as applied to claim 4. Yao does not appear to teach wherein the coating is performed using dip coating.
In the battery art, Farmer teaches that any of the two electrode layers and the electrolyte layer may be formed by conventional methods, which includes dip-coating (paragraphs [0056-0064]).
In the battery art, Chen teaches that dip coating may be particularly desirable, such as in terms of smoothness, for depositing a layer, and that dip coating may be performed in multiple dips or at varying speed to control thickness (paragraphs [0248-0249]).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to perform the coating process of Yao using dip coating since i) this is a one of a small number of conventionally employed electrode deposition techniques disclosed by Farmer, and ii) Chen teaches that additional advantages may be associated with use of dip coating, such as desirable morphology and thickness control.
Claim 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao (US 2023/0011811).
Regarding claim 6, Yao remains as applied to claim 1. Yao suggests a battery structure wherein comprising portions 620 and 640 which include a first binder material, portions 630 and 670 which do not include the first/third binder binder material, and portions 680 and 660 which include a third binder material. See the rejection of claim 1 for more detail.
Yao does not explicitly state that the first binder material and the third binder material, together mapped to the claimed “a binding material”, are a single type of binding material.
However, Yao paragraphs [0056-0057] suggests that the cathode and the anode of the battery may be formed using the same species of binder, such as PVDF.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use a single type of binding material, such as PVDF, as both the first binding material and third binding material of Yao, since PVDF would be expected to be effective in either electrode. It is noted that this rejection is crafted in an obviousness type format because it is not immediately clear that the materials suggestion of Yao paragraphs [0056-0057] is the same embodiment as the embodiments (e.g. Yao Fig. 7) relied on in the rejection of claim 1.
Grounds of Rejection based on the narrower interpretation that “…a binding-material-free regions where the binding material is not contained…” excludes any binding material, not just the previously claimed “a binding material”
Claims 1, 3, 4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Yao (US 2023/0011811) and Lee (US 2023/0307793).
Regarding claim 1, Yao teaches solid-state secondary battery (e.g. Fig. 7 [see also the Examiner’s Modified Figure 7 below]; paragraph [0048]) comprising:
a negative electrode layer (item 620);
a positive electrode layer (item 660); and
a solid electrolyte layer (items 630, 640, 670 and 680 together form a solid electrolyte layer. The solid electrolyte layer comprises an electrolyte-anode composite portion 640, a homogeneous electrolyte portion 630-670, and an electrolyte-cathode composite portion 680), the solid electrolyte layer containing a sulfide-based solid electrolyte (paragraph [0044]),
the solid electrolyte layer containing a binding material (the portions 630 and 670 each contain “a second binder material”; the portion 640 contains the “a second binder material” and also contains “a first binder material” due to the anode mixture extending into the portion 640; the portion 680 contains the “a second binder material and also contains “a third binder material” due to the cathode mixture extending into the portion 680; see paragraph [0007] for reference to the “a first binder material”, “a second binder material”, and “a third binder material”; for the purposes of the rejections, the “first binder material” and the “third binder material” of Yao are interpreted to read on the claimed “a binding material”, the “second binder material” of Yao is not interpreted to read on the claimed “a binding material” noting that claim 1 uses the transitional term “comprising”) ,
the binding material being contained in a greater amount on a side closer to the negative electrode layer and a side closer to the positive electrode layer than sides closer to the center in thickness directions in the solid electrolyte layer (as to the Yao electrolyte layer, portion 640 is readable on “a side closer to the negative electrode layer”, portion 680 is readable on “a side closer to the positive electrode layer”, and portions 630 and 670 are readable on “sides closer to the center in thickness directions”; since the “first binder material” and “third binder material” of Yao are interpreted to read on the “a binding material” of claim 1, the binding material is contained in a greater amount in the sides closer to the electrodes [portions 640 and 680] than sides closer to the center [items 630 and 670] which do not contain any of the first/third binder material of Yao, read on the claimed “a binding material”).
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Yao further teaches wherein the solid electrolyte layer (including portions 640,630,670,680) is provided with central regions where “the binding material” is not contained on the sides closer to the center in the thickness directions (the portions 630 and 670 are central regions which do not include the “a first binder material” or “a third binder material” of Yao, which are read on the claimed “a binding material”, thus the central regions do not contain the claimed “a binding material”).
It is noted that the central regions 630/670 of Yao do, at least in some embodiments, contain “a second binder material” (see paragraph [0007]) and therefore, the paragraph [0007] embodiment of Yao does not appear to teach where the central regions are “binding-material-free regions”, if interpreted narrowly so as to exclude the second binder material of Yao.
However, regarding the solid electrolyte layers of the invention, Yao teaches that the solid electrolyte layers may include “a second binder material” (paragraph [0007]), but further teaches that solid electrolyte based on sulfide ceramics may be “cold sintered” to create high ion conductivity porous separator particle structures (paragraph [0063]).
This section does not expressly state that a sintered versions of the sulfide electrolyte omits the binder of the paragraph [0007] embodiment. However, in the battery art, Lee teaches that when a solid electrolyte layer is prepared by sintering sulfide solid electrolyte particles by pressure, the binder may be omitted (paragraph [0162]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to omit the second binder material from the solid electrolyte layer (items 630/670) of Yao, as when sulfide solid particles are used as the solid electrolyte, they may be adhered together by sintering without a binder.
Regarding claim 3, Yao and Lee remain as applied to claim 1. The Yao-Lee combined embodiment further teaches wherein the solid electrolyte layer includes:
a first layer that is a layer closer to the side closer to the negative electrode layer or the side closer to the positive electrode layer in the solid electrolyte layer (see Examiner’s Modified Fig. 7 where electrolyte portions 640 or 680 are layers closer to the negative and positive electrodes, respectively); and
a second layer that is a layer closer to each of the sides closer to the center in the thickness directions in the solid electrolyte layer (see Examiner’s Modified Fig. 7 where electrolyte portions 630 and 670 are layers closer to the center in the thickness direction), and
a contained amount of the binding material in the first layer is greater than a contained amount of the binding material in the second layer (the layers 640/680 include Yao’s “first binder material” and “second binder material” which are read on the “a binding material”, whereas, in the combined embodiment the layers 630 and 670 do not contain any binding material), and
a contained amount of the binding material in at least either of the first layer and the second layer varies in such a manner that the contained amount of the binding material increases toward the side closer to the negative electrode layer or the side closer to the positive electrode layer (for portions 640 and 680, readable on the “first layer” of claim 3, the binder material content is increased close to the adjacent electrode and is lower towards the central portion 630/670 which contain no binder in the combined embodiment).
Regarding claim 4, Yao teaches a method of manufacturing a solid-state secondary battery including electrode layers and a solid electrolyte layer (e.g. Fig. 7 or Examiner’s Modified Fig. 7; see also paragraph [0048]), the method comprising coating an electrode composite material containing a binding material onto a solid electrolyte layer (paragraphs [0051, 0138]).
Claim 4 further requires that the solid electrolyte layer does not contain the binding material. This limitation is obvious in view of the cited art, since the art teaches binding the separator layer via a sintering process instead of the use of a dedicated binder. See the rejection of claim 1 for more detail on the Yao-Lee embodiment, wherein the second binder of Yao is omitted in favor of a sintering process for adhesion.
Regarding claim 6, Yao and Lee remain as applied to claim 1. The Yao-Lee combined embodiment suggests a battery structure wherein comprising portions 620 and 640 which include a first binder material, portions 630 and 670 which do not include any binder material, and portions 680 and 660 which include a third binder material. See the rejection of claim 1 for more detail.
Yao does not explicitly state that the first binder material and the third binder material, together mapped to the claimed “a binding material”, are a single type of binding material.
However, Yao paragraphs [0056-0057] suggests that the cathode and the anode of the battery may be formed using the same species of binder, such as PVDF.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use a single type of binding material, such as PVDF, as both the first binding material and third binding material of Yao, since PVDF would be expected to be effective in either electrode. It is noted that this rejection is crafted in an obviousness type format because it is not immediately clear that the materials suggestion of Yao paragraphs [0056-0057] is the same embodiment as the embodiments (e.g. Yao Fig. 7) relied on in the rejection of claim 1.
Claims 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Yao (US 2023/0011811), Lee (US 2023/0307793), Farmer (US 2010/0291444) and Chen (US 2019/0319240)
Regarding claim 5, Yao and Lee remain as applied to claim 4. Yao does not appear to teach wherein the coating is performed using dip coating.
In the battery art, Farmer teaches that any of the two electrode layers and the electrolyte layer may be formed by conventional methods, which includes dip-coating (paragraphs [0056-0064]).
In the battery art, Chen teaches that dip coating may be particularly desirable, such as in terms of smoothness, for depositing a layer, and that dip coating may be performed in multiple dips or at varying speed to control thickness (paragraphs [0248-0249]).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to perform the coating process of Yao using dip coating since i) this is a one of a small number of conventionally employed electrode deposition techniques disclosed by Farmer, and ii) Chen teaches that additional advantages may be associated with use of dip coating, such as desirable morphology and thickness control.
Relevant or Related Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, though not necessarily pertinent to applicant’s invention as claimed.
Ohta (US 2021/0020895) solid electrolyte battery made using dip method for depositing electrode;
Hatayama (US 2021/0273295) multilayer separator with a binder free layer;
Ji (US 2022/0013862) separator comprising inorganic particles or alternatively, inorganic particles and organic binder.
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
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