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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/2/23 has 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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Momma et al., US 2022/0059830 A1.
Momma teaches a positive electrode material for a lithium-ion secondary battery which has high capacity and excellent charge and discharge cycle performance. The positive electrode material includes a crystal represented by a crystal structure with a space group R-3m, a first region, and a second region, which is in contact with at least part of an outer side of the first region and whose outer edge corresponds to a surface of the first particle. The ratio of fluorine atoms to oxygen atoms in the first region is lower than the ratio of fluorine atoms to oxygen atoms in the second region (abstract).
A lithium nickel-cobalt-manganese composite oxide is preferably used as the material with a space group R-3m. A halogen source such as a fluorine source is prepared as materials of a mixture 902 as shown in Step S11 in FIG. 6. In addition, a lithium source is preferably prepared as well. An element A source may also be prepared. An example of using magnesium as the element A is described [0143]. The mixture 902 is preferably attached to the surfaces of the composite oxide particles uniformly because both a halogen and magnesium are easily distributed to the surface portion of the composite oxide particles after heating. When there is a region containing neither a halogen nor magnesium in the surface portion, the positive electrode active material might be less likely to have a pseudo-spinel crystal structure in the charged state [0150]. Step 11 is described at [0143-0147].
The positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material layer. The positive electrode active material layer may contain, in addition to the positive electrode active material, other materials such as a coating film of the active material surface, a conductive additive, and a binder. Examples of the conductive additive include natural graphite, artificial graphite such as mesocarbon microbeads, and carbon fiber. Furthermore, as carbon fiber, carbon nanofiber and carbon nanotube can be used. Carbon nanotube can be formed by, for example, a vapor deposition method. Other examples of the conductive additive include carbon materials such as carbon black (e.g., acetylene black (AB)), graphite (black lead) particles, graphene, and fullerene [0203-0207]. The battery further comprises a negative electrode [0228+], a separator [0250+] and an electrolyte solution comprising a solvent and an electrolyte [0240+]. Ionic liquids are disclosed at [0241].
Thus, the claims are anticipated.
*
Claim(s) 1-5 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Satow et al., US 2016/0013478 A1.
Satow teaches a positive electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery that does not undergo a decrease in discharge capacity in low-temperature discharge during charge and discharge after the battery is left standing at high temperature in a charged state. The positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material. The positive electrode active material includes a mixture of lithium nickel cobalt manganate and lithium cobaltate having a compound adhered to part of a surface thereof, the compound containing fluorine and at least one selected from zirconium, magnesium, titanium, aluminum, and a rare earth element; and a ratio of the lithium nickel cobalt manganate relative to a total amount of the positive electrode active material is 1% by mass or more and less than 70% by mass (abstract). The positive electrode may contain a conductive agent such as acetylene black [0021].
The battery includes the positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator and a nonaqueous electrolyte includes a solvent and a lithium salt [0023-0024]. Examiner notes “a conductive material” has been given the broadest reasonable interpretation.
Thus, the claims are anticipated.
*
Claim(s) 1-4 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hong et al., US 2020/0136126 A1.
Hong teaches a composite cathode active material including a secondary particle and a coating on a surface of the secondary particle. The secondary particle comprises a plurality of primary particles, and the plurality of primary particles include a lithium nickel transition metal oxide having a layered crystal structure. The coating formed on the surface of the secondary particle includes a metal oxide including cobalt, and a Group 2 element, a Group 12 element, a Group 13 element, or a combination thereof (abstract). Examples of the lithium nickel transition metal oxide having a layered crystal structure include Li1.03(Ni0.91Co0.06Mn0.03)O2 [0085]. The coating film includes a total amount of Co and Mg of 0.25-5 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the lithium nickel transition metal oxide [0151-0162]. Magnesium is a Group 2 element. Figure 1 depicts a secondary particle 12 having a coating film 15 [0055].
Figure 9 depicts a lithium battery 21 including a cathode 23, an anode 22 and a separator 24. The battery includes an organic electrolyte solution including a solvent and a lithium salt [0118-0212]. The cathode active material may comprise fluorine [0092]. The positive electrode may comprise a carbon conductive agent such as Denka Black (acetylene black) [0177]. Thus, the claims are anticipated.
Conclusion
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/TRACY M DOVE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725