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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of Application
1. This application is a 371 of PCT/CL2021/050003, which was filed on 01/05/2021.
Claims 1-18 were originally presented in this application for examination.
Claims 1-18 are currently pending in this application and under consideration.
Specification
2. The examiner has not checked the specification to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors (grammatical, typographical, and idiomatic). Cooperation of the applicant(s) is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant(s) may become aware of in the specification, in the claims and in any further amendment(s) that applicant(s) may file.
Applicant(s) is also requested to complete the status of the copending applications referred to in the specification by their Attorney Docket Number or Application Serial Number, if any.
The status of the parent application(s) and/or any other application(s) cross-referenced to this application, if any, should be updated in a timely manner.
Claim Objections
3. Claims 1-3, 6-7, 9-10, & 13-18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
A. In claim 1, line 3-4, “wherein it includes” should change to --the method comprises--.
B. In claim 1, line 1 of stage a), “convert” should change to --converting--.
C. In claim 1, line 2 of stage a), “LiOH,” should change to --(LiOH)--.
D. In claim 1, line 1 of stage b), “crystallize” should change to --crystallizing--.
E. In claim 1, line 3 of stage b), “H2O” should change to --H2O--.
F. In claim 1, line 1 of stage c), “re-crystallization” should change to --recrystallization--.
G. In claim 1, line 2-3 of stage c), “with the purpose of eliminating” should change to --to remove--.
H. In claim 1, line 3 of step c), “from which” should change to --thus--.
I. In claim 1, line 1 of step d), “submitting” should change to --subjecting--.
J. In claim 1, line 1 of step d), “Stage” should change to --stage--.
K. In claim 1, line 1 of step d), “Caustisization” should change to --caustisization--.
L. In claim 1, line 1 of step f), “submit” should change to --subjecting--.
M. In claim 1, line 1 of step f), “Mother Liquor” should change to --mother liquor--.
N. In claim 1, last line, a period --.-- should be inserted at the end of the claim.
O. In claim 2, line 2, “such” should change to --the--.
P. In claim 2, line 2, “this” should change to --the--.
Q. In claim 3, last line, a period --.-- should be inserted at the end of the claim.
R. In claim 6, line 2, “such” should change to --the--.
S. In claim 7, line 2, “such” should change to --the--.
T. In claim 9, line 2, “such” should change to --the--.
U. In claim 10, last line, a period --.-- should be inserted at the end of the claim.
V. In claim 13, line 2, “such” should change to --the--.
W. In claim 13, last line, a period --.-- should be inserted at the end of the claim.
X. In claim 14, last line, “:” should change to --.--.
Y. In claim 15, line 2, “Mother Liquor” should change to --mother liquor--.
Z. In claim 15, last line, a period --.-- should be inserted at the end of the claim.
AA. In claim 16, line 3, “may be” should change to --is--.
BB. In claim 17, line 2, “wherein it also” should be deleted.
CC. In claim 18, line 2, “wherein it also” should be deleted.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 (Second Paragraph)
4. 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 1-18 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.
A. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the mother liquor (ML1)" in line 1 of stage d). There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
B. Regarding claim 2, line 2, the phrase “other ions” does not appear to particularly point out specific ions considered included as part of the claimed method.
C. Regarding claims 9 & 11, the claims recite percentages but fail to recite a basis for the percentages. If the percentages are in weight %, the claims must clearly point out so.
Reasons for Allowance
5. Claims 1-18 are allowable over the prior art made of record. Claims 1, 9, & 11 would be allowable if the 112(b) rejections are overcome. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art does not appear to disclose or fairly suggest a method for the production of lithium hydroxide monohydrate directly from lithium chloride brine by reaction with sodium hydroxide, comprising stages a), b), c), d), e), and f) as recited in the instant claim 1, wherein the brine with Li content between 1% and 4% w/w, Li/Na ratio between 2 and 30 (as recited in claim 1, step a)) and a NaOH concentration range between 10.5% w/w and 0.1% w/w (as recited in claim 1, step b)).
Sharma (US 2017/0233261 A1), is identified as the closest prior art, which discloses a process for the production of lithium hydroxide comprising the steps of:
(i) causticizing lithium chloride with sodium hydroxide to produce a lithium hydroxide product;
(ii) collecting the solids resulting from the causticization of step (i) and filtering same;
(iii) the filtered solids from step (ii) are passed to a heating step in which anhydrous lithium hydroxide is produced;
(iv) filtering the anhydrous lithium hydroxide product of step (iii); and
(v) quenching the anhydrous lithium hydroxide of step (iv) with water to produce lithium hydroxide monohydrate crystals (see page 3, claim 1).
The lithium chloride of step (i) is obtained from either a brine or spodumene source (see page 3, claim 3).
The causticizing step (i) employs a stoichiometric ratio of lithium chloride and sodium hydroxide (see page 3, claim 4).
The lithium hydroxide monohydrate crystals produced in step (v) are dried at about 45oC under vacuum (see page 4, claim 12). See also page 4, claims 14-16.
There is no motivation to combine the teachings of the prior art references together to arrive to the claimed invention.
Citations
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. All references are cited for related art. See PTO-892 Form prepared.
Conclusion
7. Claims 1-18 are pending. Claims 1-18 are rejected. No claims are allowed.
Contacts
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Primary Examiner CAM N. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1357. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) at alternative worksite or at cam.nguyen@uspto.gov.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anthony Zimmer, can be reached at 571-270-3591. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Cam N. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1736
/CNN/
January 15, 2026