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 .
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure.
A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art.
If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives.
Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps.
Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it is longer than 150 words in length. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 3, 11, and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 14: amend “high” to “higher”
Claim 3, line 2: amend “Aging” to “aging”
Claim 11, line 3: amend “one or more of a” to “one or more selected from”
Claim 19, line 1: amend “the third range” to “the third pH range”
Claim 19, line 2: amend “the fourth range” to “the fourth pH range”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 6 is 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.
The term “an appropriate amount” in claim 6 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “an appropriate amount” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. For the sake of compact prosecution, the Examiner is interpreting “an appropriate amount” to be any amount that changes the pH to within a fourth pH range.
Regarding dependent claim 19, this claim does not remedy the deficiencies of parent claim 6 noted above, and are rejected for the same rationale.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14, 16-17, 19, and 21-23 would be allowable if the formal matters are corrected.
The closest prior art are CN111041217A (hereinafter “CN217”) and CN111115662A (hereinafter “CN662”).
CN217 teaches a method for preparing pre-extraction liquid in the comprehensive recycling of ternary lithium battery waste (CN217, Description). CN217 teaches the method includes a) waste ternary lithium batteries obtained from dismantling are acid-leached to remove copper, iron, and aluminum, to obtain a purification solution, b) adjust the pH of the impurity removal solution to 5.5-6.5 with sodium hydroxide to precipitate a mixture of cobalt hydroxide and nickel hydroxide to obtain a filter cakes and wash solution, c) a mixture of cobalt hydroxide and nickel hydroxide is dissolved in 50-80% to form a mixed solution of cobalt sulfate and nickel sulfate, d) adjust the pH of the mixed solution to 5.0-6.0 using a mixture of cobalt hydroxide and nickel hydroxide, filter, and return the filter cake to step c for further dissolution, e) remove the calcium and magnesium ions from the filtrate with fluoride, f) filter and wash to form a pre-extraction liquid (CN217, [0011-0016]).
However, CN217 does not disclose or suggest controlling a flow rate of a leachate of the scrap positive electrode material and a first alkaline solution at a first temperature higher than a room temperature and a constant first pH value to remove, by precipitation, iron ions, aluminum ions, and at least part of copper ions to obtain a first filtrate, that at least part of lead ions are removed by precipitation using the fluorine-containing precipitant, or the treatment is carried out in an overflow reactor capable of being operated continuously as presently claimed.
CN662 teaches a method for recycling lithium battery materials by adding a leaching agent to the Li battery material until the pH is within a first range for dissolution, followed by a first separation process to obtain a first impurity and a leachate, adding an appropriate amount of a first alkaline solution to the leachate until the pH is within a second range for reaction, followed by a second separation process to obtain a second impurity and a first filtrate, adding an appropriate amount of a second alkaline solution to the first filtrate until the pH is within a third range for sufficient reaction, followed by a third separation process to obtain a precursor precipitate and a second filtrate, the second filtrate includes at least lithium ions and acid radical ions, electrolyzing the second filtrate to obtain a LiOH solution (CN662, [0006]). CN662 further teaches the second impurity includes at least ferric hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide (CN662, [0008-0009]).
However, CN662 does not disclose or suggest at least part of copper ions are precipitated in the first alkaline solution step, dissolving the target substance precipitate to obtain a first solution, controlling a flow rate of the first solution and a fluorine-containing precipitant at a third temperature high than the room temperature and a constant concentration of fluorinion to remove, by precipitation, calcium ions, magnesium ions and at least part of lead ions to obtain a target solution, or wherein the method for impurity removal and treatment is carried out in an overflow reactor capable of being operated continuously as presently claimed.
Therefore, it is clear that CN217 and CN662, either alone or in combination, do not disclose or suggest the present invention.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIELLE CARDA whose telephone number is (571)270-1240. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30-4:00 EST.
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/DANIELLE M. CARDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1738