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 .
Claim Status
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
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, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 17,19 and 20is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Park et al. (KR 20200001244 A, machine translation is used in the rejection below).
As to claims 1 and 12, discloses a lithium metal battery [0029], a negative electrode current collector [0001] comprising:
a porous current collector substrate (carbon containing polymer fibers) comprising a plurality of pore channels, wherein each of the pore channels comprises a pore wall;
a lithium dissolving agent filled in the pore channels, wherein the lithium dissolving agent is a liquid or a gel capable of dissolving lithium metal ([0076-0077] lithium ion conductive protective layer which is of a lithium ion conductivity which includes polymer or polyethylene oxide or polypropylene oxide or polyethylene glycol [0079] these polymers are the same as those of the applicant therefore would function in the same manner) ; and
a locking layer attached to the pore wall (metal coated on the fiber which forms the pores)[0048], located between the pore wall and the lithium dissolving agent, and configured to constrain the lithium dissolving agent to the pore channel.
A positive electrode ([0004]); and a separator located between the negative electrode current collector and the positive electrode [0004], where in the lithium metal battery is configured to use the negative electrode current collector as a negative electrode [0131,0128].
As to claim 4. The negative electrode current collector of claim 1, wherein the lithium dissolving agent comprises: a polymer that contains an aromatic hydrocarbon group and is capable of complexing the lithium ions, a small-molecule solvent capable of complexing the lithium ions, and a polymer capable of complexing the lithium ions, and wherein the polymer capable of complexing the lithium ions comprises a polyether polymer (polyethylene oxide or polypropylene oxide or polyethylene glycol [0079]).
As to claim 6. The negative electrode current collector of claim 4, wherein the small-molecule aromatic hydrocarbon the polyether polymer comprises polyethylene oxide or polypropylene oxide.
As to claims 9 and 10. The negative electrode current collector of claim 1, wherein the pore wall comprises a location inducing layer possessing a property of a chemical reaction with lithium ions or a lithiophilic property and configured to cooperate with the locking layer to control a deposition position of the lithium ions and a deposition direction of the lithium ions. The negative electrode current collector of claim 9, wherein the location inducing layer is at least one of zinc [0018] (claim 10).
As to claim 17, Park discloses a preparation method comprising:
providing a current collector substrate (carbon fibers);
forming a plurality of pore channels in the current collector substrate (the carbon fibers form the pores) [0054-57];
forming locking layers (metal coating on the fibers) on pore walls of the pore channels [0014]; and
filling a lithium dissolving agent in the pore channels to cause the locking layers to constraint the lithium dissolving agent to the pore channels, wherein the lithium dissolving agent is a liquid or a gel capable of dissolving lithium metal ([0076-0077] lithium ion conductive protective layer which is of a lithium ion conductivity which includes polymer or polyethylene oxide or polypropylene oxide or polyethylene glycol [0079] these polymers are the same as those of the applicant therefore would function in the same manner) [0076-78].
As to claims 19-20. The preparation method of claim 17, further comprising forming, before forming the locking layers, location inducing layers on the pore walls to cooperate with the locking layers to control deposition positions and deposition directions of the lithium ions, wherein each of the location inducing layers possesses a property of a chemical reaction with lithium ions or a lithiophilic property. The preparation method of claim 19, wherein a coating thickness of each of the location inducing layers ranges from 10 nanometers (nm) to 800 nm (0.3-0.7 micrometer) [0019], and wherein each of the location inducing layers zinc, [0018] (as applied to claim 20)
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) 2, 3, 5, 15, 16, 18, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (KR 20200001244 A, machine translation is used in the rejection below).
As to claims 2 and 15. The negative electrode current collector of claim 1, wherein a pore size of each of the pore channels is less than 100 micrometers (μm), and wherein a porosity of the porous current collector substrate ranges from 20 percent (%) to 85%. [0020] discloses the porosity of 50-99 and [0021] discloses the pores from 5-500 μm.
In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior
art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
As to claims 3 and 16, The negative electrode current collector of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the porous current collector substrate ranges from 5 micrometers (μm) to 150 μm (30-100 μm)[0060].
In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior
art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
As to claim 5. The negative electrode current collector of claim 4, but does not disclose wherein a volume molar concentration of lithium in the lithium dissolving agent ranges from 0.1 moles per liter (M) to 10 M.
However, it has been held that generally, differences in concentration or temperature will not support the patentability of subject matter encompassed by the prior art unless there is critical evidence indicating such concentration or temperature is critical. In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955).
As to claim 18, Park et al. discloses the preparation method of claim 17, wherein forming the pore channels comprises forming each of the pore channels to have a pore size less than 100 micrometers (μm), and wherein a porosity of the current collector substrate ranges from 20 percent (%) to 85%. [0020] discloses the porosity of 50-99 and [0021] discloses the pores from 5-500 μm.
In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior
art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-8, 11, 13-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of Park discloses the porous current collector but does not disclose the
locking layer is at least one of polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene oxide, polyacrylic acid, styrene-butadiene rubber, carboxymethyl cellulose, polypyrrole, polyacrylonitrile, plant fiber, graphene, graphene oxide, hard carbon, soft carbon, graphite, carbon nitride (C3N4), rosin acid, rosin glycerol ester, polyvinyl alcohol, naphthalenesulfonic acid, benzamide, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethyleneimine, tetraethyl orthosilicate, polyvinyl chloride, hydrazine hydrate, trimethylsulfoxide iodide, polytetrafluoroethylene, a copolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene, polyurethane, or polyacrylate. And wherein a coating thickness of the locking layer ranges from 50 nanometers (nm) to 10 micrometers (μm).
wherein the porous current collector substrate further comprises: a first surface comprising a plurality of first pore channels; and a second surface disposed opposite to the first surface and comprising a plurality of second pore channels, wherein the first pore channels and the second pore channels do not run through the porous current collector substrate, and wherein the first pore channels and the second pore channels are not coupled.
a positive and negative electrode isolation layer located between the positive electrode and the negative electrode current collector and configured to: exchange lithium ions; and prevent the lithium dissolving agent from reacting with the positive electrode.
The positive and negative electrode isolation layer comprises a cation exchange membrane and a solid-state electrolyte, and wherein a thickness of the positive and negative electrode isolation layer ranges from 20 micrometers (μm) to 500 μm.
Conclusion
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/Maria Laios/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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