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 .
This office action is a response to the restriction requirement filed on 7/9/2026.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group I, Species A, claims 1-6 and 10-14, in the reply filed on 7/9/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 7-9 and 15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/9/2026.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: --ELECTRODE MANUFACTURING METHOD--.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-6 and 10-14 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Re. claim 1: The phrase “an electrode cut out in a desired shape” as recited in line 9 appears to be --an electrode cut out in the desired shape--.
Re. claim 5: The phrase “cut by laser light” as recited in line 3 appears to be --cut by a laser light--.
Re. claim 6: The phrase “the positional information is acquired by image recognition” as recited in line 3 appears to be --the positional information is acquired by an image recognition--.
Re. claim 7: The phrase “the positional information is acquired by image recognition” as recited in line 3 appears to be --the positional information is acquired by an image recognition--.
Re. claim 12: The phrase “containing an electrode mixture material” as recited in lines 3-4 appears to be --containing the electrode mixture material--.
The phrase “containing an electron insulating layer forming material” as recited in lines 6-7 appears to be --containing an electron insulating layer forming a material--.
Re. claim 14: The phrase “and a position at which and a shape in which the electrode liquid composition is applied” as recited in lines 4-5 appears to be --and the position at which and the shape in which the electrode liquid composition is applied--.
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)(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 1-6, 10, 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Masuzawa et al. (PGPub 2020/0119333 A1).
Masuzawa et al. teach a process of making an electrode, comprising steps of: a first step of applying an electrode liquid composition (13a, 13b, Fig. 2C, paragraphs )0186]-[0187]) in a desired shape at a desired position on a substrate (2, Fig. 2C), the electrode liquid composition containing an electrode mixture material; a second step of acquiring positional information as to where the electrode liquid composition is applied as shown in Fig. 2C (paragraph [0144]); and a third step of cutting only the substrate at a desired position in a region other than an electrode mixture material region where the electrode liquid composition is applied to obtain an electrode cut out in a desired shape as shown in Figs. 4A and 4B (paragraph [0191]).
Re. claim 2: The desired position as to where the electrode liquid composition is applied, the desired shape in which the electrode liquid composition is applied, and the desired position as to where the substrate is cut in the first to third steps are controllable by a control device as shown in Fig. 2C and 4B (paragraph [0142]).
Re. claim 3: The desired position as to where the electrode liquid composition is applied, the desired shape in which the electrode liquid composition is applied, and the desired shape at which the substrate is cut are controllable based on digital data by the control device as shown in Fig. 2C and 4B (paragraph [0142]).
Re. claim 4: The electrode liquid composition is discharged from a nozzle (paragraph [0118]).
Re. claim 5: Only the substrate is cut by laser light as shown in Fig. 4B (paragraph [0149]).
Re. claim 6: The positional information is acquired by image recognition performed with respect to an end shape of the electrode mixture material region (paragraphs [0140]-[0144]).
Re. claims 10 and 11: The substrate is a strip of metallic foil or an insulating substrate (paragraph [0183]).
Re. claim 13: A step of inverting the substrate and applying the electrode liquid composition at a desired position on a second surface of the substrate, the second surface being a surface on which the electrode liquid composition has not been applied as shown in Fig. 2E (paragraph [0189]).
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, 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.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Masuzawa et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Singh et al. (PGPub 2015/0027615 A1).
Masuzawa et al. teach all limitations as set forth above, but silent how to form an electrode mixture layer and an electron insulating layer. Singh et al. teach a process of making a multilayer electrical device such that a liquid composition (20, Fig. 1(A), (2), paragraph [0032]) containing an active material is applied to form an electrode mixture layer (22, Fig. 1(A), (2), paragraph [0032]), and a step of applying a liquid composition containing (26, Fig. 1(A), (3), paragraph [0032]) an electron insulating layer forming material without the active material onto the electrode mixture layer to form an electron insulating layer (28, Fig. 1(A), (3), paragraph [0032]) on the electrode mixture layer, wherein the electron insulating layer covers the entire electrode mixture layer. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify a process of fabricating an electrode of Masuzawa et al. by forming an electrode mixture layer and an electron insulating layer deposited on top of the electrode mixture layer as taught by Singh et al. in order to produce a multilayer energy storge device or a multilayered electrode.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Masuzawa et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yamazaki et al. (US PAT. 7,038,836).
Masuzawa et al. teach all limitations as set forth above, but silent at least the first step conducted under an environment filled with dry air or an inert gas. Yamazaki et al. teach a process of making an electrical device such that “A leading electrode 115 extracts the organic resin liquid that has become charged particles from the nozzle 113, an accelerating electrode 116 accelerates the charged particles in a flying direction. Further, a controlling electrode 117 controls the application position to thereby apply the liquid on the desired position of the substrate 110” in col. 4, lines 33-39 and “During the formation of the EL layer 42, the atmosphere for processing is an atmosphere that contains little moisture and oxygen because the EL layer is easily degraded due to the presence of moisture and oxygen. That is, it is desirable to perform the formation of the EL layer in an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon” in col. 9, lines 42-47. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify a process of fabricating an electrode of Masuzawa et al. by applying a liquid under an environment filled with dry air or an inert gas as taught by Yamazaki et al. in order to control a rate of the liquid material when the liquid material is applied on the substrate.
The Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nishio et al. (PGPub 2019/0198860 A1), Kawase (PGPub 2004/0071872 A1), and Yamazaki et al. (PGPub 2003/0206332 A1) are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to a process of making an electrode by discharging a liquid active material on the substrate.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL D KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4565. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:00 AM-2:00 PM.
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/PAUL D KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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