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 1-10 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) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (CN 111224077; English translation relied upon, translation obtained from Espacenet).
Regarding Claim 1, Liu meets the claimed,
A core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive ([0004] teaches the use of adding lithium as an additive), comprising a core body ([0010] teaches a lithium nitride particle) and a coating layer covering the core body ([0010] teaches a carbon coating on the lithium nitride), wherein the coating layer is an isolating conductive packaging layer ([0010] teaches that the coating protects the lithium nitride from reacting with external solvents but is also conductive), the core body contains a lithium-supplementing material ([0010] teaches the core made of lithium nitride), and the lithium-supplementing material comprises
L
i
2
+
c
A
c
B
(
1
-
c
)
and/or
L
i
a
X
b
; wherein, 0<=c<=1, A is at least one of N and P, B is at least one of S and O, 1<=a<=3, 1<=b<=3, and X is any one selected from F, S, N, B, P, O, and Se ([0010] teaches the core made of lithium nitride,
L
i
3
N
, which meets the formula
L
i
a
X
b
where a is 3, b is 1, and X is nitrogen. It also meets the formula
L
i
2
+
c
A
c
B
(
1
-
c
)
when c is 1 and A is nitrogen).
Regarding Claim 2, Liu meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 1, wherein the core body is a primary particle or/and a secondary particle; and wherein a particle size of the primary particle is 50nm - 500nm, and a particle size of the secondary particle is 0.1 µm-10µm ([0010] teaches that the particle has a size of 200 nm - 500 nm, which makes some particles primary particles and others secondary particles).
Regarding Claim 3, Liu meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 1, wherein the
L
i
2
+
c
A
c
B
1
-
c
comprises at least one of [LIST] ([0010] teaches the core made of lithium nitride,
L
i
3
N
); and/or the lithium-supplementing material is
L
i
2
+
c
A
c
B
1
-
c
([0010] teaches the core made of lithium nitride,
L
i
3
N
, which meets the formula
L
i
2
+
c
A
c
B
1
-
c
when c is 1 and A is nitrogen), and a mass content of the lithium-supplementing material in the core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive is 90%-99% ([0010] teaches a lithium nitride mass% of 95-98%).
Regarding Claim 4, Liu meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 1, wherein the Li(a)X(b) comprises at least one of [LIST]; and/or the lithium-supplementing material is Li(a)X(b), and a mass content of the lithium-supplementing material in the core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive is 70%-90%. ([0010] teaches the core made of lithium nitride,
L
i
3
N
).
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) 5-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (CN 111224077; English translation relied upon, translation obtained from Espacenet) in view of You et al. (US 2018/0241073).
Regarding Claim 5, Liu meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 1, wherein the isolating conductive packaging layer comprises at least one layer of a conductive carbon layer ([0010] teaches a carbon coating on the lithium nitride) […] and/or a total mass of the isolating conductive packaging layer accounts for 1%-10% of a mass of the core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive ([0010] teaches that the coating carbon accounts for 1-3 wt%); and/or a total thickness of the isolating conductive packaging layer is 1 nm-100 nm ([0010] teaches that the carbon coating has a thickness of 2-5 nm).
Liu does not specifically teach a conductive oxide layer.
You is analogous as it teaches a core-shell structure used in a cathode.
You meets the claimed,
[…] and a conductive oxide layer ([0015] teaches a core-shell positive electrode active material. [0018] teaches a secondary coating on the surface of the shell. [0031] teaches the secondary coating being made of an oxide);
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add an inorganic material layer, made of an oxide, to enhance the structural stability of the active material (see You [0014]).
Regarding Claim 6, Liu meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 5, wherein the lithium-supplementing material is
L
i
a
X
b
([0010] teaches the core made of lithium nitride,
L
i
3
N
), the isolating conductive packaging layer comprises the conductive carbon layer ([0010] teaches a carbon coating on the lithium nitride), and the conductive carbon layer directly covers a surface of the core body ([0027] teaches the outer surface of the lithium nitride particles is coated with carbon material).
Regarding Claim 7, Liu does not teach a second conductive coating layer that covers the outer surface of the first layer.
You is analogous as it teaches a core-shell structure used in a cathode.
You meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 6, wherein the isolating conductive packaging layer further comprises another conductive coating layer, and the conductive coating layer covers an outer surface of the conductive carbon layer ([0018] teaches a secondary coating on the surface of the shell).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add an inorganic material layer to enhance the structural stability of the active material (see You [0014]).
Regarding Claim 8, Liu meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 7, wherein the conductive carbon layer is a graphite coating layer(This limitation is considered an alternative); and/or a thickness of the conductive carbon layer is 5 nm-20 nm ([0010] teaches that the carbon coating has a thickness of 2-5 nm);
Liu does not teach a secondary conductive coating layer made with either conductive carbon or a conductive oxide.
You is analogous as it teaches a core-shell structure used in a cathode.
You meets the claimed,
and/or the another conductive coating layer comprises another conductive carbon layer and/or conductive oxide layer ([0018] teaches a secondary coating on the surface of the shell).
Regarding Claim 9, Liu meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 5, wherein a material of the conductive carbon layer comprises at least one of graphene, carbon nanotubes, amorphous carbon, graphite, and carbon black ([0014] teaches that carbon gas is used to thermally deposit carbon onto the core body, which would produce a coating made of carbon black);
Liu does not teach a conductive oxide layer.
You is analogous as it teaches a core-shell structure used in a cathode.
You meets the claimed,
and a material of the conductive oxide layer comprises at least one of
I
n
2
O
3
,
Z
n
O
,
a
n
d
S
n
O
2
([0015] teaches a core-shell positive electrode active material. [0018] teaches a secondary coating on the surface of the shell. [0031] teaches the use of
S
n
O
2
as the material for the secondary coating).
The examiner finds that Liu differs from the claim only in the combination of the use of stannic oxide as the material for a secondary coating as taught by You. The examiner finds that one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods, and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately. The examiner notes that one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the use of stannic oxide as the material for a secondary coating with Liu because it yields the predictable result of a secondary coating made of
S
n
O
2
(See You [0031]).
Regarding Claim 10, Liu meets the claimed,
The core-shell cathode lithium-supplementing additive according to claim 9, wherein the isolating conductive packaging layer comprises a conductive carbon layer ([0010] teaches a carbon coating on the lithium nitride).
Liu does not specifically teach a Raman spectrum of the particle.
However, Liu/You teaches all structural elements as recited by Claim 10, and as such, the combination of Liu and You would have the recited Raman spectrum scattering peaks at the recited wavelengths.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Cairns et al. (US 2017/0233250) teaches a core-shell cathode material with a secondary coating layer.
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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