Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 23, 2026
Application No. 18/273,423

METHOD FOR CHARGING NONAQUEOUS ELECTROLYTE SECONDARY BATTERY, CHARGING/DISCHARGING METHOD, AND CHARGING SYSTEM FOR NONAQUEOUS ELECTROLYTE SECONDARY BATTERY

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Jul 20, 2023
Priority
Jan 29, 2021 — JP 2021-013753 +1 more
Examiner
HENZE, DAVID V
Art Unit
2859
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Panasonic Holdings Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
70%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 70% — above average
70%
Career Allowance Rate
511 granted / 733 resolved
+1.7% vs TC avg
Strong +23% interview lift
Without
With
+23.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
49 currently pending
Career history
798
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.3%
-37.7% vs TC avg
§103
52.8%
+12.8% vs TC avg
§102
19.1%
-20.9% vs TC avg
§112
20.6%
-19.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 733 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
CTNF 18/273,423 CTNF 90228 DETAILED ACTION 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-02-aia AIA This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-4 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aradachi et al. US PGPUB 2006/0220620 in view of Miura US PGPUB 2014/0191731 . Regarding claims 1 and 7, Aradachi discloses a charging method of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising a negative electrode [par. 17; charging a lithium-ion battery], the charging method including a switching step of switching a control temperature of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery from a high temperature to a low temperature [pars. 18, 37-39, 43 & 48; the temperature is controlled to fall into a certain range by heating or cooling, thus a step of switching a control temperature to a lower range (to a low temperature)]. Aradachi does not explicitly disclose the negative electrode including a carbon material as a negative electrode active material. However, Miura discloses a charging system for a non-aqueous battery [abs.; figs. 1-4] wherein the negative electrode including a carbon material as a negative electrode active material [par. 37 & 40; a negative electrode of the li-ion battery has both carbon and silicon]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Aradachi to further include wherein the negative electrode includes a carbon material as a negative electrode active material for the purpose of providing a battery with high-capacity that can be charged and discharged smoothly, as taught by Miura (par. 40). Regarding claim 7, Aradachi discloses the charging system of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, the charging system comprising: a charging control apparatus that performs the charging method according to claim 1 [pars. 17-18 & 30; charge controlling unit 60 and charger 200]. Regarding claim 2, Aradachi does not explicitly disclose wherein the negative electrode further includes a silicon compound as the negative electrode active material. However, Miura as applied in claim 1 discloses wherein the negative electrode further includes a silicon compound as the negative electrode active material [par. 37 & 40; a negative electrode of the li-ion battery has both carbon and silicon]. Regarding claim 3, Aradachi discloses wherein the high temperature is greater than or equal to 35°C and less than or equal to 60°C [fig. 4; 55 degrees Celsius; par. 49; fig. 5; 35 degrees Celsius the fan is turned on to reduce the temperature to a temperature below 35 degrees Celsius, par. 52]. Regarding claim 4, Aradachi discloses wherein the low temperature is greater than or equal to 0°C and less than 35°C [fig. 5; the lower temperature can be 0 degrees Celsius, par. 52]. Regarding claim 6, Aradachi discloses a charging and discharging method of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, wherein after the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is charged by the charging method according to claim 1 , the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is discharged [par. 4; the battery is used in appliances like portable devices or tools, thus after being charged, the battery is discharged] . 07-21-aia AIA Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aradachi et al. US PGPUB 2006/0220620 in view of Miura US PGPUB 2014/0191731, and further in view of Antwerpen et al. US PGPUB 2021/0320347 . Regarding claim 5, Aradachi discloses wherein the switching step is performed in such a range that a state of charge (SOC) of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is greater than or equal to 30% and less than or equal to 60%. However, Antwerpen discloses a battery charging system with temperature control wherein the switching step is performed in such a range that a state of charge (SOC) of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is greater than or equal to 30% and less than or equal to 60% [pars. 11, 17, 19, 29 and 53; a state of charge for operating the heater or stopping operating the heater is between 30-60% SOC]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Aradachi to further include wherein the switching step is performed in such a range that a state of charge (SOC) of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is greater than or equal to 30% and less than or equal to 60% for the purpose of preventing damage to the battery, as taught by Antwerpen (pars. 11, 17, 19, 29 and 53) . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure : Matsuyama JP2011109824A discloses a nonaqueous battery with a silicon or graphite negative electrode and the temperature is controlled according to the SOC. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID V HENZE whose telephone number is (571)272-3317. The examiner can normally be reached M to F, 9am to 7pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman can be reached at 571-272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DAVID V HENZE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/273,423 Page 2 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/273,423 Page 3 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/273,423 Page 4 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/273,423 Page 5 Art Unit: 2859 Application/Control Number: 18/273,423 Page 6 Art Unit: 2859
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 20, 2023
Application Filed
May 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Aug 05, 2026
Response Filed
Oct 19, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
70%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+23.2%)
2y 9m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 733 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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