Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/360,049

ELECTROLYTE SOLUTION FOR LITHIUM SECONDARY BATTERY AND LITHIUM SECONDARY BATTERY COMPRISING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jul 27, 2023
Examiner
USYATINSKY, ALEXANDER
Art Unit
1751
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
ULSAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 12m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allow Rate
724 granted / 875 resolved
+17.7% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+19.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 12m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
913
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
46.3%
+6.3% vs TC avg
§102
19.8%
-20.2% vs TC avg
§112
25.3%
-14.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 875 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority Acknowledgement has been made of applicant’s claim for priority under 35 USC 119 (a-d). The certified copy has been filed on 09/01/2023 . Information Disclosure Statement The Information Disclosure Statements (IDS) filed 07/27/2023 have been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered. Drawings The drawings received 07/27/2023 are acceptable for examination purposes. 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. Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. In claim 1 it is not clear what the limitation “ the functional additive comprises a first electrode film additive, which is (4-( 1 H-1,2,4-triazol- 1 -yl)phenyl)( fluorosulfonyl ) sulfamoyl fluoride )” exactly claims. In fact compound of formula 1 is a functional additive to the electrolyte solution , said compound is responsible for formation of SEI film on an electrode and improvement of electrode properties. In another words, said compound is additive to the electrolyte solution and forms film on a surface of the electrode as a result of electrochemical decomposition of the compound of formula 1 and electrolyte. In addition it is not clear if “first” belongs to the electrode (first electrode) or to the functional additive ( first additive). The main purpose of definiteness of claim language is to ensure that the scope of the claims is clear so the public is informed of the boundaries of what constitutes infringement of the patent; and to provide a clear measure of what the applicant regards as the invention so that it can be determined whether the claimed invention meets all the criteria for patentability. MPEP 2173. Claims must be interpreted in light of the specification without reading limitations from the specification into the claim. See: MPEP §2111.01 Claims 2-16 depends from claim 1 directly or indirectly and fall there with. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 17 is allowed . The closest prior art of record : US 20130298386 , US 20160268636 , K. Kim et al., "Electrolyte-Additive-Driven Interfacial Engineering for High-Capacity Electrodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries: Promise and challenges", ACS Energy LETTERS, Vol. 5, pgs. 1537-1553 (2020) , Bai et all , Journal of Organic Chemistry (2022), 87(7), 4998-5004 , US 20220115697 A1 fail to teach or suggest the following limitation: 4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)phenyl)( fluorosulfonyl ) sulfamoyl fluoride of Formula 1: Specifically: US 20130298386 teaches a of use tetrazine salt as and additive but this salt is not analog of compound of Formula 1. US 20160268636 teaches a use a number of sulfur containing heterocycles, which including sulfonic groups. Bai et al. teaches structural related compound (below as synthon (different field of endeavor) Compound below available for custom syntheses no data of use: Kim et al. teaches additive to electrolyte solution for building SEI for high capacity positive electrode but does not disclose even remote analogs of claimed compound of Formula 1. Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action. Claims 2-16 depend from claim 1 directly r indirectly and would be allowed as well. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT ALEXANDER USYATINSKY whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-7703 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT IFP . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Jonathan Leong can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 270-1292 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Alexander Usyatinsky/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 27, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 06, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+19.4%)
2y 12m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 875 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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