DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because (1) where only a single view is used in an application to illustrate the claimed invention, it must not be numbered and the abbreviation "FIG." must not appear. See MPEP §1.84(u): Numbering of views; and (2) accordingly, the specification should be amended to reflect changes made to the single figure. For example, “FIG. 1” may be removed from the image and --The Figure-- may be used throughout the specification.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: please see above. The specification should be amended to reflect changes made to the single figure. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Aizawa et al. (JPH-117936), machine translation.
Regarding claims 1 and 7, Aizawa discloses a battery separator comprising:
a sulfonic group-containing cellulose (abstract; Fig. 1).
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In Figure 1, R represents an acid group, specifically SO3X (para 0028). X may be an alkali metal (para 0028).
Regarding claim 2, Aizawa discloses n = 1 to 4 alkylene group (Fig. 1; para 0028).
Regarding claim 3, Aizawa discloses cellulose, which includes a plurality of hydroxyl groups (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Aizawa discloses cellulose (Fig. 1), which is a derivative of a polysaccharide.
Regarding claim 5, when n =1 the polymer above, the mass (EW value) is 175 g/mol.
Regarding claim 6, Aizawa discloses alkali metal (para 0028), which includes lithium.
Claim 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pirk et al. (US 2014/0227607).
Regarding claims 1 and 6, Pirk discloses a layer configuration comprising:
an organic matrix (e.g., chitosan, polyethylene oxide) having functional SO3X groups wherein the X may denote, for example, monovalent ions such as alkali metal ions as well as lithium, sodium or potassium ions (para 0016).
Regarding claim 3, Pirk discloses chitosan, which includes a plurality of hydroxyl groups (para 0016). Chitosan is illustrated below.
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Regarding claim 4, Pirk discloses chitosan (para 0016), which is a derivative of a polysaccharide.
Regarding claims 7 and 10, Pirk discloses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery including a top electrode 16, electrolyte layer 18 (separator), and bottom electrode 14 (Fig. 1), wherein at least the electrolyte layer and one of the top electrode layer or the bottom electrode layer have an organic matrix (abstract).
Regarding claim 16, Pirk discloses electrolyte layer 18 (separator) as a sheet (Fig. 1).
Claim 1-4, 11-13, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kasai et al. (JP 2010-218742), machine translation.
Regarding claims 1-4 and 11-13, Kasai discloses a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and method comprising:
adding sodium 2-bromomethanesulfonate (a halogenated alkyl sulfonate) to a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution including cellulose powder (Example 1: para 0017) to replace at least one hydrogen of the hydroxyl group with -R-SO3X (sulfoethylation reaction). Cellulose is the polymer and 2-bromomethanesulfonate (shown below) has the recited -R-SO3X formula:
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.
Regarding claim 15, Kasai discloses 2-propanol (Example 1: para 0017).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 9, and 14 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS BARCENA whose telephone number is (571)270-5780. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8-5 pm.
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/CARLOS BARCENA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723