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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Claims 1-6 in the reply filed on July 27th, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (High-Performance Electrospun Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/Poly(propylene carbonate) Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium-Ion Batteries).
Regarding Claim 1, Huang meets the claimed,
A gel polymer electrolyte composition, comprising (Abstract teaches a gel polymer electrolyte): an oligomer represented by Formula 1 as shown below (Abstract teaches poly(propylene carbonate), which can be represented by the Formula 1); a reaction additive including phosphate-based compounds (Experimental Section teaches the use of LiPF6, which is a phosphate-based compound); a polymerization initiator (Experimental Section teaches the use of LiPF6, which is a polymerization initiator); a non-aqueous solvent (Experimental Section teaches a non-aqueous solvent of ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate); and a lithium salt (Experimental Section teaches LiPF6, which is a lithium salt):
Regarding Claim 2, Huang does not particularly teach a curing time while under a heat treatment of 55 to 80°C.
However, the examiner notes that this claim is directed towards a product. Product claims are not limited by the manipulation of the recited steps only the structure implied by the steps. Since the product of the prior art is substantially identical to that of the instant claim, the burden shifts to the Applicant to show a nonobvious difference (see MPEP 2113).
Regarding Claim 3, Huang meets the claimed,
The gel polymer electrolyte composition of claim 1, wherein the content of the oligomer is in the range of 0.1 to 30 parts by weight based on the total 100 parts by weight of the gel polymer electrolyte composition (Preparation of Nanofiber Membrane teaches that PVdF and PPC were mixed in ratios of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40, with the combination being 12 wt% of the total weight, which results in PPC wt% of 0 wt%, 1.2 wt%, 2.4 wt%, 3.6 wt% and 4.8 wt%).
Regarding Claim 6, Huang meets the claimed,
The gel polymer electrolyte composition of claim 1, wherein the content of the reaction additive is in the range of 0.01 to 10 parts by weight based on the total parts by weight of the gel polymer electrolyte composition (Preparation of Nanofiber Membrane teaches that PVdF and PPC were mixed in ratios of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40, with the combination being 12 wt% of the total weight, which results in PPC wt% of 0 wt%, 1.2 wt%, 2.4 wt%, 3.6 wt% and 4.8 wt%).
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(s) 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang et al. (High-Performance Electrospun Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/Poly(propylene carbonate) Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium-Ion Batteries) in view of Ahn et al. (US 2018/0323471).
Regarding Claim 4, Huang does not teach a reaction additive represented by Formula 2.
Ahn is analogous as it teaches a secondary battery with a phosphate based electrolyte.
Ahn meets the claimed,
The gel polymer electrolyte composition of claim 1, wherein the reaction additive is represented by Formula 2 as shown below ([0018], [0019], and Formula (1) teach a phosphate-based acrylate. In particular, Ahn meets the claim when R1 and R2 are hydrogen atoms and n is 1).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to use this phosphate-based acrylate in order to achieve higher elasticity which increases coordination with lithium ions in the gel polymer electrolyte; (See Ahn [0022]).
Ahn’s Formula 1:
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216
421
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Greyscale
Regarding Claim 5, Huang does not teach the reaction additive being represented by one or more of the formulas 1 to d.
Ahn is analogous as it teaches a secondary battery with a phosphate based electrolyte.
Ahn meets the claimed,
The gel polymer electrolyte composition of claim 1, wherein the reaction additive is represented by one or more of the following Formulas a to d ([0018], [0019], and Formula (1) teach a phosphate-based acrylate, and having R1 and R2 both independently hydrogen, and having n =1, meets specifically Formula a).
Ahn Formula 1 is attached above.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to use this phosphate-based acrylate in order to achieve higher elasticity which increases coordination with lithium ions in the gel polymer electrolyte; (See Ahn [0022]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Okumura et al. (US 2005/0260501) teaches an electrolyte polymer represented by a formula identical to the instant’s Formula 1. Further, [0013] teaches that R1 is a hydrocarbon group with a carbon number of 2 to 7, and n is an integer from 10 to 10,000.
Ahn et al. (US 2015/0079480) teaches a reaction additive that meets the instant Formula 2.
Park et al. (US 2020/0203762) teaches a polymer with a formula that is identical to the instant Formula 1. Further, [0020] and [0021] teach that R1 is an alkylene group with 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and that n is an integer from 10 to 10,000.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW Y. HO whose telephone number is (571)842-1342. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 - 6:00, Mon - Thurs.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Xiao S. Zhao can be reached at (571) 270-5343. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/A.Y.H./ Examiner, Art Unit 1744
/MICHAEL M. ROBINSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744
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