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 .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/15/25 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 5-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim is indefinite because of it is not clear the phrase within the parenthesis is requires or not.
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.
Claims 1, 6-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsutomu Wakada et al (Japanese Patent: 2014-165131 here after 131), further in view of Junichi Yuki Okumo et al (Japanese Patent: 2012-204303), and Junichi Asano (U.S. Patent Application: 2020/0185724, here after 724).
Claims 1 and 7 are rejected. 131 teaches A method for manufacturing
secondary battery electrode slurry composition, the method comprising:
mixing a composition having a solids concentration of 65% (not less than 60 mass% and equal to or not more than 80 mass%) containing an active material (artificial graphite), a thickener (CMC) and water to obtain a first mixed product [page 28, last 4 lines];
adding an entire amount of a binder which is different from the thickener and water independently to the first mixed product, and mix to obtain a second
mixed product, and adjusting the solids concentration of the second mixed product to equal to 52% [page 29 lines 1-4]. Although 131 teaches mixing and not kneading in this embodiment, and teaches the mixing is a planetary mixer [page 28 last 4 lines], however 131 also teaches mixing can be done on planetary mixer (to add high shear) or a kneader [page 4, lines1-4], and also teaches using planetary mixer to knead mixture [page 15 lines 5-6]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 131 and knead the mixture (all mixtures) rather than mixing because planetary mixer also is suitable to knead mixture and for making electrode slurry. Although 131 does not clearly teaches the binder is hydrophilic binder, however refers to 303 as teaches adding binder such as polyacrylic acid (hydrophilic) suitable for making negative electrodes [131-page 22 line 16, 303-page 14 last 8 lines]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 131 where binder is hydrophilic and based on what 303 teaches because it is suitable binder to be used for making electrodes for secondary batteries. 131 teaches adding ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer [page 9 last 9 lines]. 131 does not teach hydrophilic binder obtained by polymerizing monomer components including an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer. 724 teaches a method of making negative electrode where hydrophilic binder obtained by polymerizing monomer components including an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer constitutes 80 masses% of total monomer components [0017, 0035, 0055], which has good dispersibility of solid content and to form an electrode for an electrochemical device having high flexibility and voltage resistance characteristics [0011]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 131 where the binder is based on what 724 teaches, because it enhances dispersibility and battery characteristics.
Claim 6 is rejected. 724 teaches hydrophilic binder comprising acid functional
group contain polymer (ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer) [see claim 4
rejections above]. 131 teaches acidic functional group-containing polymer can
neutralize the alkali content eluted from the active material [page 7 paragraph 2].
Although 131 does no teach the degree of neutralization of the binder (comprising acid
functional group), however it is obvious that the highest degree which is 100 mol% is
desirable as the entire amount of acid content is neutralized to suppress corrosion of
current collector [page 14 lines 12-25]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of
ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 131,
and 724 where the degree of notarization which of the binder is close to 100 mol%,
because it suppresses corrosion of current collector.
Claim 8 is rejected. 131 teaches adjusting the final solid concentration of the
second kneaded product to more than 40% (52%) [page 29 line, but does not teach the
adjusting includes adding binder (SBR). However, in another embodiment 131 teaches
adjusting solid concentration by using only the aqueous dispersion of the particulate
binder, e.g. using an aqueous dispersion of the particulate binder and separately added
water [page 20 paragraph 20]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary
skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 131 where for
step of making slurry binder and water both added to mixed(kneaded) composition,
because it is an alternative way for adjusting solid concentration of slurry. 131 also
teaches the binder is SBR [page 28 paragraph 3].
Claim 9 is rejected. 131 teaches the method of making slurry of claim 1, and also
teaches method for manufacturing a secondary battery electrode, comprising forming
on a surface of a collector a mixture layer from a secondary battery electrode slurry
[page 29 lines 6-7].
Claim 10 is rejected. 131 teaches limitation of claim 9 and also teaches
manufacturing a secondary battery [page 22 lines 8-9].
Claim 11 is rejected. 724 teaches ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid
monomer is acrylic acid and constitutes is 80 mass% of total monomer components
[0017].
Claim 12 is rejected as 131 teaches the electrode is a negative electrode [page
28 last 5 lines].
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakada
Tsutomu Japanese Patent: 2014-165131 here after 131, Junichi Yuki Okumo et al (Japanese Patent: 2012-204303), Junichi Asano (U.S. Patent Application: 2020/0185724, here after 724), further in view of Yujiro Toyoda (U. S. Patent Application: 2013/0330590, here after 590).
Claim 5 is rejected. 131 does not teach the binder is crosslinkable. 590 teaches a
method of making (negative) electrode for secondary battery [0034, 0001 last sentence]
where the binder is hydrophilic and the binder is crosslinked with a crosslinkable
monomer to increase strength of the electrode [0030, 0063, 0070, 0096]. Therefore, it
would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention
was made to have a method of 131, and 724 where the binder is crosslinked with a
crosslinkable monomer as 590 teaches, because it helps to increase strength of the
electrode. Although 590 does not teach an amount of the crosslinkable monomer used
is equal to or not less than 0.001 mol% and equal to or not more than 2.5 mol% of a
total of a non- crosslinkable monomer. However, the amount of the crosslinkable
monomer is result effective and has to be optimized as if the added amount of the
crosslinking assistant agent is too little, it may be difficult to crosslink, and if the added
amount is too much, the water resistance and the lithium conductivity of the binder
being crosslinked may decline [0071]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of
ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have a method of 131,303 and 590 where the amount of the crosslinkable monomer used is 0.001 mol% to 2.5 mol% of a total of a non-crosslinkable monomer, because it is a result effective variable and has to be optimized.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/15/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant argues Wakada teaches kneading in presence of binder and not without the binder. The examiner disagrees, Wakada in fact clearly teaches mixing(kneading) active material with CMC (thickener) and after that adding water and binder [page 28-29; 1-4 Production of slurry composition for negative electrode). Furthermore, since Wakada teaches the same steps, the same effect of adjusting the viscosity happens and the rest of the applicant argument is not valid.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TABASSOM TADAYYON ESLAMI whose telephone number is (571)270-1885. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6.
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/TABASSOM TADAYYON ESLAMI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718