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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 1/26/24 and 4/9/24 have been considered by the examiner.
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) 1-5, 8 and 13-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Duggal et al., US 2021/0359338 A1.
Duggal teaches a solid state battery comprising a solid electrolyte disposed between a cathode and an anode [0010]. The solid electrolyte structure includes a ceramic electrolyte material. The ceramic material may be any ceramic material having low electronic conductivity with a high ionic transference number, high ionic conductivity, mechanical strength, temperature stability and which is electrochemically stable with the electrode materials. In one aspect, the ceramic material has an ionic conductivity of above 104 S/cm at room temperature. In one aspect, the ceramic material includes, but is not limited to, NASICON-type (sodium super ionic conductor), garnet-type, perovskite-type, LISICON-type (lithium super ionic conductor-type), LiPON-type (lithium phosphorus oxynitride), lithium nitride-type, sulfide-type, agryrodite-type, anti-perovskite-type or mixtures thereof [0047].
In one aspect, the lithium-containing garnet material may be lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO). In another aspect, the LLZO has the formula Li7La3Zr2O12. In another aspect, LLZO may be doped with aluminum, tantalum or gadolinium [0049].
In one aspect, the ceramic material may include Li3BO3 and a LISICON-type ceramic material Li10.42Si1.5P1.5Cl0.08O11.92 (contains Cl element) [0050]. The solid electrolyte material may include additional materials such as lithium borate and lithium tetraborate [0051].
The Examples of Duggal teach the solid electrolyte includes a garnet-type LLZO material and Li3BO3 [0080-0092]. Duggal teaches a mixture of a garnet-type ceramic material and a LISICON-type ceramic material may be used solid electrolyte material [0047]. Duggal teaches the solid electrolyte material may include additional materials such as lithium borate and lithium tetraborate [0051].
Thus, the claims are anticipated. Regarding claim 13, the electrolyte structure may have a porosity of about 50% by volume to about 80% by volume [0043]. The term “porosity” by volume used by Duggal refers to a value estimated by measuring the density of the porous electrolyte structure (ρ) and comparing it with the density of a 100% dense electrolyte structure based on the theoretical density (ρd) of the same solid electrolyte material according to equation 1. Porosity may also be measured experimentally by porometry [0034]. See also [0072].
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) 6-7 and 9-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Duggal et al., US 2021/0359338 A1 in view of Takano et al., US 2020/0106131 A1.
Duggal teaches a solid state battery comprising a solid electrolyte disposed between a cathode and an anode [0010]. The solid electrolyte structure includes a ceramic electrolyte material. The ceramic material may be any ceramic material having low electronic conductivity with a high ionic transference number, high ionic conductivity, mechanical strength, temperature stability and which is electrochemically stable with the electrode materials. In one aspect, the ceramic material has an ionic conductivity of above 104 S/cm at room temperature. In one aspect, the ceramic material includes, but is not limited to, NASICON-type (sodium super ionic conductor), garnet-type, perovskite-type, LISICON-type (lithium super ionic conductor-type), LiPON-type (lithium phosphorus oxynitride), lithium nitride-type, sulfide-type, agryrodite-type, anti-perovskite-type or mixtures thereof [0047].
In one aspect, the lithium-containing garnet material may be lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO). In another aspect, the LLZO has the formula Li7La3Zr2O12. In another aspect, LLZO may be doped with aluminum, tantalum or gadolinium [0049].
In one aspect, the ceramic material may include Li3BO3 and a LISICON-type ceramic material Li10.42Si1.5P1.5Cl0.08O11.92 (contains Cl element) [0050]. The solid electrolyte material may include additional materials such as lithium borate and lithium tetraborate [0051].
The Examples of Duggal teach the solid electrolyte includes a garnet-type LLZO material and Li3BO3 [0080-0092]. Duggal teaches a mixture of a garnet-type ceramic material and a LISICON-type ceramic material may be used solid electrolyte material [0047]. Duggal teaches the solid electrolyte material may include additional materials such as lithium borate and lithium tetraborate [0051].
Duggal is silent regarding the amount of the garnet-type ceramic, LISICON-type ceramic containing Cl element and/or lithium borate contained in the solid electrolyte based on a total volume of the composite solid electrolyte. However, Takano teaches a solid electrolyte that includes a lithium ion conductive material having a garnet-type structure, a lithium ion conductive material having a LISICON-type structure, and a compound containing Li and B (abstract). When a volume ratio of the lithium ion conductive material having a garnet-type structure is X, a volume ratio of the lithium ion conductive material having a LISICON-type structure is Y, and a volume ratio of the oxide containing Li and B is Z, preferably, 10%≤X≤89.5%, 10%≤Y≤89.5%, 0.5%≤Z≤30%, and X+Y+Z≤100%, more preferably, 37%≤X≤70%, 20%≤Y≤60%, 3.0%≤Z≤20%, and 80%≤X+Y+Z 100% are satisfied [0033]. See Table 1 of Takano.
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Therefore, the invention as a whole would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed because Takano teaches it was known in the art to provide a solid electrolyte having the claimed volume amounts of a garnet-type structure, a lithium ion conductive material having a LISICON-type structure, and a compound containing Li and B to achieve a high ionic conductivity [0005-0008] for a solid electrolyte of an all solid state battery. One of skill would have been motivated to use the volume amounts disclosed by Takano for the solid electrolyte composite disclosed by Duggal to achieve a high ionic conductivity solid electrolyte.
*
Claim(s) 20-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Duggal et al., US 2021/0359338 A1 in view of Kim et al., US 2021/0167418 A1.
Duggal teaches a solid state battery comprising a solid electrolyte disposed between a cathode and an anode [0010]. The solid electrolyte structure includes a ceramic electrolyte material. The ceramic material may be any ceramic material having low electronic conductivity with a high ionic transference number, high ionic conductivity, mechanical strength, temperature stability and which is electrochemically stable with the electrode materials. In one aspect, the ceramic material has an ionic conductivity of above 104 S/cm at room temperature. In one aspect, the ceramic material includes, but is not limited to, NASICON-type (sodium super ionic conductor), garnet-type, perovskite-type, LISICON-type (lithium super ionic conductor-type), LiPON-type (lithium phosphorus oxynitride), lithium nitride-type, sulfide-type, agryrodite-type, anti-perovskite-type or mixtures thereof [0047].
In one aspect, the lithium-containing garnet material may be lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO). In another aspect, the LLZO has the formula Li7La3Zr2O12. In another aspect, LLZO may be doped with aluminum, tantalum or gadolinium [0049].
In one aspect, the ceramic material may include Li3BO3 and a LISICON-type ceramic material Li10.42Si1.5P1.5Cl0.08O11.92 (contains Cl element) [0050]. The solid electrolyte material may include additional materials such as lithium borate and lithium tetraborate [0051].
The Examples of Duggal teach the solid electrolyte includes a garnet-type LLZO material and Li3BO3 [0080-0092]. Duggal teaches a mixture of a garnet-type ceramic material and a LISICON-type ceramic material may be used solid electrolyte material [0047]. Duggal teaches the solid electrolyte material may include additional materials such as lithium borate and lithium tetraborate [0051].
Duggal does not explicitly teach the solid state battery has the structure recited by claim 20. However, Kim teaches a solid state battery having the structure shown by at least Figure 2:
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468
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wherein the all-solid battery 100 includes a body 110 that includes a solid electrolyte layer 111, and an anode layer 121 and a cathode layer 122 alternately stacked with the solid electrolyte layer 111 interposed therebetween, first and second external electrodes 131 and 132 disposed on external surfaces of the body 110. The anode layer 121 and the cathode layer 122 include an active electrode material, and the active electrode material included in the anode layer 121 and the cathode layer 122 may be the same non-polar material [0037]. One of skill in the art would have been motivated to use the composite electrolyte of Duggal in the known all solid battery structure of Kim because Duggal teaches and suggests the disclosed composite electrolyte is used for a solid state battery.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Takano (US2020/0259213) teaches a solid electrolyte layer containing a solid electrolyte having at least one of an oxide having a garnet-type crystal structure or an oxide having a LISICON-type crystal structure. Takano does not teaches a LISICON-type solid electrolyte containing Cl element.
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/TRACY M DOVE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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