Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/289,774

SULFIDE SOLID ELECTROLYTE COMPOSITION, ELECTRODE MIXTURE CONTAINING SAME, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SULFIDE SOLID ELECTROLYTE COMPOSITION

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Nov 07, 2023
Priority
May 14, 2021 — JP 2021-082703 +1 more
Examiner
MARTIN, ANGELA J
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Idemitsu Kosan Co.,ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
68%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 3m
Est. Remaining
36%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 68% — above average
68%
Career Allowance Rate
590 granted / 874 resolved
+7.5% vs TC avg
Minimal -32% lift
Without
With
+-32.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 12m
Avg Prosecution
60 currently pending
Career history
953
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
85.5%
+45.5% vs TC avg
§102
12.7%
-27.3% vs TC avg
§112
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 874 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . The pending claims are claims 1-10. 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. Claim(s) 1, 3-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shigeki et al., JP 2014035865. Regarding claim 1, Shigeki et al., teaches a sulfide solid electrolyte composition (0001; 0003; 0009) comprising a sulfide solid electrolyte (0009; 0013) and red phosphorus (0052; 0055; 0067). Regarding claim 3, Shigeki et al., teaches wherein a content of the red phosphorus (0055; 0067) is 0.1% by mass or more and 45% by mass or less based on the total amount of the composition (0010; 0024; 0027). Regarding claim 4, Shigeki et al., teaches wherein the sulfide solid electrolyte has a thio-LISICON Region II-type crystal structure (0029; 0070). Regarding claim 5, Shigeki et al., teaches wherein an instantaneous generation amount of sulfur dioxide is less than 10 ml/min per 1 g of the solid electrolyte (0057). Regarding claim 6, Shigeki et al., teaches wherein the sulfide solid electrolyte has an Li3PS4 crystal structure (0025; 0051; 0055). Regarding claim 7, Shigeki et al., teaches method for producing a sulfide solid electrolyte composition (0013; 0017-0018), comprising mixing a sulfide solid electrolyte and red phosphorus (0055; 0067-0068). Regarding claim 8, Shigeki et al., teaches method for producing a sulfide solid electrolyte composition according to claim 7, wherein the sulfide solid electrolyte is amorphous (0009; 0020-0021). Regarding claim 9, Shigeki et al., teaches method for producing a sulfide solid electrolyte composition according claim 7,comprising heating a mixture obtained by mixing (0019; 0028; 0050). Regarding claim 10, Shigeki et al., teaches electrode mixture comprising the sulfide solid electrolyte composition of, and an electrode active material (0011; 0034) Thus, the claims are anticipated. 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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shigeki et al., JP 2014035865. Regarding claim 2, Shigeki does not teach wherein chromaticity a* in a L*a*b* color system defined by CIE (International Image Committee) thereof is greater than 0.0. However, "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGELA J MARTIN whose telephone number is (571)272-1288. The examiner can normally be reached 7am-4pm. 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, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at 571-272-1330. 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. ANGELA J. MARTIN Examiner Art Unit 1727 /ANGELA J MARTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 1727
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 07, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 04, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

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

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
68%
Grant Probability
36%
With Interview (-32.0%)
3y 12m (~1y 3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 874 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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