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 Group I (Claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 4/10/2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 7/31/23, 9/5/23, 1/24/24, 5/7/24, 9/25/25, and 1/30/26 were filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 7/31/23. These drawings are acceptable.
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.
Claims 1 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2018/175465 A1 (WO'465).
As to Claim 1:
WO'465 discloses a method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet (Abstract and Claim 22 disclosing a "dry fabrication process" for an "electrode film" for a "battery"; Claim 20 disclosing an electrolyte comprising lithium ions; WO'465 [0006]–[0009], [0027]–[0030], [0060]–[0062], [0067], [0075]–[0077], [0082]);
preparing a composition for producing a secondary battery sheet by using a binder that is a powder which comprises a polytetrafluoroethylene resin and a conductive aid homogeneously mixed and which is free of an active material (Claim 23 disclosing a "milling apparatus" for coating "fibrillizable binder particles" with a "coating material" to form "coated binder particles" in powder form; Claim 18 identifying that the binder particles comprise "PTFE" and the coating material comprises "conductive carbon"; and WO’465 teaching that the binder particles are first coated with the coating material and then "the coated binder particles are combined with active material particles to form a first mixture," such that the binder powder is free of active material during its preparation; WO'465 [0008]–[0014], [0021]–[0026], [0031], [0046]–[0049]); and
preparing the composition into a sheet by applying shear stress to the composition in solvent content of 10% by mass or less relative to the composition (WO’465 disclosing a "high shear process at a shear velocity sufficient to fibrillize the binder" and a step of "calendering" the mixture to form a "free-standing electrode film," which is a sheet; and WO’465 defining the method as a "dry fabrication process" in which "no or substantially no solvents are used" to produce a "solvent-free" film; [0009], [0017]–[0018], [0021], [0066]–[0067], [0095]–[0096], [0110]).
As to Claim 7:
WO'465 discloses a method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet wherein the composition for producing a secondary battery sheet includes a positive electrode active material (WO'465 disclosing that the "coated binder particles are combined with active material particles to form a first mixture" for an "electrode film," where the active material in the context of a battery as claimed in Claim 22 constitutes a positive electrode active material; WO'465 [0009], [0062], [0075], [0079]–[0082]).
As to Claim 8:
WO'465 discloses a method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet wherein the secondary battery is a lithium-ion secondary battery (Claim 22 identifying the energy storage device as a "battery"; and Claim 20 disclosing that the battery comprises an "electrolyte comprising lithium ions" in contact with the electrode film; WO'465 [0027]–[0030], [0060]–[0062], [0075]–[0079], [0082]).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2018175465 A1 (WO'465), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of US 20150303481 A1 (US'481).
As to Claim 9:WO'465 discloses the method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet according to claim 1 wherein the polytetrafluoroethylene resin has a fibrous structure (Claim 13 and Page 8 disclosing that a "matrix, lattice, or web of fibrils can be formed" by fibrillizing the binder component to provide "mechanical structure to the electrode film"; WO'465 [0017]–[0022], [0066]–[0067], [0098]–[0100], [0110]).
However, WO'465 does not explicitly disclose that the fibrous structure has a fibril diameter on average of 20 nm or more.
US'481 teaches a dry manufacturing method for battery electrodes where a high shear process (specifically jet milling) is utilized to fibrillate PTFE binder (Claim 26, 20; US'481 [0017]–[0021], [0023]–[0026], [0095]–[0101], [0116]–[0118]). US'481 further teaches that this high-shear process is configured to provide a "mixture comprising a plurality of fibrils" that form a "matrix, lattice and/or web of fibrils" to provide "desired structural support" for the other components of the mixture (paragraph [0100], [0096]; US'481 [0096], [0099]–[0100], [0116]).
WO'465 and US'481 are analogous arts because both are in the field of battery manufacturing and are directed toward the common goal of creating cohesive, free-standing dry electrode sheets through the mechanical high-shear fibrillization of polytetrafluoroethylene binders to form a structural matrix (WO'465 [0002]–[0009]; US'481 [0004], [0006]–[0008]).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to optimize the shear intensity and duration in the process of WO'465 to achieve a fibril diameter of 20 nm or more because WO'465 teaches that the starting binder particles in the mixture can have sizes as small as "about 50 nm" (paragraph [0086]; WO'465 [0086]). Fibrillizing such particles using the high-shear milling or jet-milling mechanisms disclosed in both references would predictably result in structural fibrils with a diameter of 20 nm or more, which is a result-effective variable adjusted through routine optimization to ensure the mechanical stability and tensile strength of the resulting free-standing electrode sheet.
Claims 2-6 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2018175465 A1 (WO'465), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of US 20090191460 A1 (US'460.
As to Claim 2:WO'465 discloses the method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet according to claim 1 further preparing the composition into a sheet by applying shear stress to the composition in solvent content of 10% by mass or less relative to the composition (Page 31 disclosing a "high shear process at a shear velocity sufficient to fibrillize the binder" and a step of "calendering" the mixture to form a "free-standing electrode film," which is a sheet; and Page 1 defining the method as a "dry fabrication process" in which "no or substantially no solvents are used" to produce a "solvent-free" film; WO'465 [0009], [0017]–[0018], [0021], [0066]–[0067], [0095]–[0096], [0110]).
However, WO'465 does not explicitly disclose that the binder has a moisture content of 1,000 ppm or less.
US'460 teaches a method for producing a secondary battery where a "particulate binder" comprising a binder material and an electrically conductive material is provided (Claims 11, 12; US'460 [0032]–[0033], [0051]–[0055], [0090]–[0091], [0099], [0107]–[0108]). US'460 further teaches that the step of providing these particulate binders includes "drying" the binder composition to form the particulate binder powder (Claim 12; US'460 [0033], [0053]–[0057], [0107]–[0108]).
WO'465 and US'460 are analogous arts because both are in the field of battery electrode manufacturing and are directed toward the common goal of producing dry, particulate binder-conductive agent composites for use in creating free-standing electrode sheets (WO'465 [0002]–[0009]; US'460 [0003]–[0006]).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to include the drying step taught by US'460 when preparing the binder particles of WO'465 because WO'465 identifies that moisture and impurities in the electrode can lead to "gas formation" and deterioration of device performance (Paragraph [0004]; WO'465 [0004]). A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that performing the drying step as taught by US'460 would naturally and predictably reduce the moisture content of the binder powder to a level sufficient to prevent such degradation, such as a moisture content of 1,000 ppm or less, which is a standard threshold for dried powders used in battery applications to ensure electrochemical stability.
As to Claim 3: WO'465 discloses the method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet according to claim 1 further preparing the composition into a sheet by applying shear stress to the composition in solvent content of 10% by mass or less relative to the composition (Page 3 disclosing a "high shear process at a shear velocity sufficient to fibrillize the binder" and a step of "calendering" the mixture to form a "free-standing electrode film," which is a sheet; and Page 13 defining the method as a "dry fabrication process" in which "no detectable processing solvents" are used to produce a "solvent-free" film; WO'465 [0009], [0095]–[0096], [0110]).
However, WO'465 does not explicitly disclose that the binder is produced by a production method comprising (A) mixing a polytetrafluoroethylene resin and a conductive aid in the presence of a liquid medium.
US'460 teaches a method for producing a secondary battery where "particulate binders" comprising a binder material and an electrically conductive material are provided (Claims 11, 12; US'460 [0032]–[0033], [0051]–[0055], [0090]–[0091], [0099], [0107]–[0108]). US'460 further teaches that the step of providing these particulate binders includes "preparing a solution containing a raw material for the binder, the electrically conductive material and a solvent" (Claim 12; US'460 [0033], [0053]–[0057], [0107]–[0108]).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to use the production method of US'460, comprising mixing the PTFE and conductive aid in the presence of a liquid medium, to prepare the binder particles of WO'465 because mixing the components in a solution (liquid medium) prior to drying allows for superior uniform dispersion and high homogeneity of the conductive aid on the binder particles, which WO'465 indicates is desirable for improving the structural integrity and electrical contact within the electrode.
As to Claim 4: WO'465 discloses the method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet according to claim 1 wherein the binder is produced by a production method comprising (A) mixing a polytetrafluoroethylene resin and a conductive aid in the presence of a liquid medium (Page 13 disclosing that the coating can be applied to the binder particles by "spraying"; WO'465 [0059], [0098]–[0106]).
However, WO'465 does not explicitly disclose that the binder is produced by a production method comprising (A) mixing a polytetrafluoroethylene resin and a conductive aid in the presence of water.
US'460 teaches a method for producing a secondary battery where "particulate binders" comprising a binder material (such as PTFE) and an electrically conductive material are provided (Claims 11, 12; US'460 [0032]–[0033], [0051]–[0055], [0090]–[0091], [0099], [0107]–[0108]). US'460 further teaches that the step of providing these particulate binders includes "preparing a solution containing a raw material for the binder, the electrically conductive material and a solvent" and "spraying the solution" to form droplets (US'460 [0033], [0053]–[0057], [0107]–[0108]). US'460 explicitly states that the solvent for the solution is "not particularly limited" and discloses the use of "water soluble" materials such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) in the manufacture of battery electrode mixture layers (US'460 [0055], [0076]).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to use the liquid-mixing production method of US'460 to prepare the binder particles of WO'465, and further to select water as that liquid medium, because US'460 teaches that the choice of solvent is "not particularly limited" and identifies the widespread use of water-soluble components in the electrode manufacturing process. A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that water is a standard, non-toxic, and predictable solvent choice for mixing materials in the presence of water-compatible binders—such as the CMC and PEO disclosed in both WO'465 and US'460—to achieve a homogeneous solution for subsequent spray-processing.
As to Claim 5:
WO'465 discloses the method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet according to claim 1 further preparing the composition into a sheet by applying shear stress to the composition in solvent content of 10% by mass or less relative to the composition (Page 3 disclosing a "high shear process at a shear velocity sufficient to fibrillize the binder" and a step of "calendering" the mixture to form a "free-standing electrode film," which is a sheet; and Page 13 defining the method as a "dry fabrication process" in which "no detectable processing solvents" are used to produce a "solvent-free" film; WO'465 [0009], [0017]–[0018], [0021], [0066]–[0067], [0095]–[0096], [0110]). WO'465 further discloses that the coating can be applied to the binder particles by "spraying" (Page 13; WO'465 [0059]).
However, WO'465 does not explicitly disclose that the binder is obtained by a production method comprising (A) mixing a polytetrafluoroethylene resin and a conductive aid in the presence of a liquid medium and (B) drying the composition obtained in step (A) by spray drying.
US'460 teaches a method for producing a secondary battery where "particulate binders" comprising a binder material (such as PTFE) and an electrically conductive material are provided (Claims 11, 12; US'460 [0032]–[0033], [0051]–[0055], [0090]–[0091], [0099], [0107]–[0108]). US'460 further teaches that the step of providing these particulate binders includes "preparing a solution [liquid medium] containing a raw material for the binder, the electrically conductive material and a solvent", "spraying the solution to make the solution in a droplet state", and "drying the solution in a droplet state to make the particulate binders". US'460 explicitly identifies this process as the "spray drying method" which involves nebulizing a liquid into hot wind and drying to obtain solid particles (US'460 [0033], [0053]–[0057], [0107]–[0108]).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to produce the coated binder particles of WO'465 using the liquid-mixing and spray-drying method taught by US'460 because spray drying allows for the efficient, large-scale production of spherical particulate binders with a highly uniform and homogeneous distribution of the conductive material throughout or on the surface of the binder. A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that using a spray-drying step (B) to dry a liquid-mixed composition (A) as taught by US'460 would naturally and predictably result in high-quality binder powder suitable for achieving the "homogeneously mixed" requirement and the "dry" sheet processing performance goals (e.g., reduced internal resistance and improved film uniformity) shared by both references.
As to Claim 6:
WO'465 discloses the method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet according to claim 1 further preparing the composition into a sheet by applying shear stress to the composition in solvent content of 10% by mass or less relative to the composition (Page 31 disclosing a "high shear process at a shear velocity sufficient to fibrillize the binder" and a step of "calendering" the mixture to form a "free-standing electrode film," which is a sheet; and Page 1 defining the method as a "dry fabrication process" in which "no or substantially no solvents are used" to produce a "solvent-free" film; WO'465 [0009], [0017]–[0018], [0021], [0066]–[0067], [0095]–[0096], [0110]); and wherein the binder comprises a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resin (Claim 18 identifying the binder as "PTFE"; and Paragraph [0042] identifying "polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)" as a binder "commonly used in electrodes"; WO'465 [0010], [0022], [0026], [0042], [0047], [0052]).
However, WO'465 does not explicitly disclose that the PTFE has a standard specific gravity of 2.11 to 2.20.
US'460 teaches a method for producing a secondary battery where "particulate binders" comprising a binder material such as "polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)" and an electrically conductive material are provided (Claims 11, 12; Paragraph [0051]; US'460 [0032]–[0033], [0051]–[0055], [0090]–[0091], [0099]). US'460 further teaches that the binder is used to obtain a mixed powder for an electrode mixture layer (Paragraph [0032]; US'460 [0032], [0047]–[0048], [0060]–[0063]).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to select a PTFE resin with a standard specific gravity of 2.11 to 2.20 for the process of WO'465 because WO'465 teaches that the binder must be "fibrillizable" and is processed under high shear to form a "matrix, lattice, or web of fibrils". A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that since WO'465 teaches that PTFE is a binder "commonly used in electrodes" ([0042]), it would be predictable to select a standard, high-molecular-weight PTFE fine powder resin—which is well-known in the industry for its superior fibrillation properties and naturally possesses a standard specific gravity in the claimed 2.11 to 2.20 range—to ensure the formation of the structural matrix and the mechanical stability of the free-standing electrode sheet described in both references.
As to Claim 10:
WO'465 discloses the method for producing a solid-state secondary battery sheet according to claim 1 further preparing the composition into a sheet by applying shear stress to the composition in solvent content of 10% by mass or less relative to the composition (Page 3 disclosing a "high shear process at a shear velocity sufficient to fibrillize the binder" and a step of "calendering" the mixture to form a "free-standing electrode film," which is a sheet; and Page 13 defining the method as a "dry fabrication process" in which "no detectable processing solvents" are used to produce a "solvent-free" film; WO'465 [0009], [0017]–[0018], [0021], [0066]–[0067], [0095]–[0096], [0110]).
However, WO'465 does not explicitly disclose that the binder has an element ratio of fluorine to carbon (F/C ratio) of 0.4 or more and 3.0 or less as measured by elemental analysis.
US'460 teaches a method for producing a secondary battery where "particulate binders" comprising a binder material (such as PTFE) and an electrically conductive material (such as carbon black) are provided (US'460 [0032]–[0033], [0051]–[0055], [0090]–[0091], [0099], [0107]–[0108]). US'460 further teaches that the concentrations in the solution used to make these particulate binders are 4 to 12% by weight for the binder material and 5 to 20% by weight for the electrically conductive material (US'460 [0034], [0055]). WO'465 explicitly identifies the chemical structure of PTFE as –(CF₂–CF₂)ₙ–, which possesses a theoretical elemental F/C ratio of 2.0 (WO'465 [0043]). By mixing the PTFE binder and conductive carbon as taught by US'460, the total amount of carbon in the binder powder increases relative to the fluorine content. Based on the mass ratios disclosed in US'460 (e.g., approximately 1 part binder to 1.6 parts carbon), the resulting composite binder powder would naturally and predictably possess an elemental F/C ratio between 0.4 and 3.0 (US'460 [0034], [0052]–[0055], [0107]–[0108]; WO'465 [0043], [0049], [0052]).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to apply the material concentrations and mass ratios taught by US'460 to the binder-conductive aid mixture of WO'465 because US'460 teaches that these specific ratios ensure a uniform distribution of the conductive material and achieved a desired bonding strength, and a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that adjusting the proportions of the PTFE (inherent F/C ratio of 2.0) and the carbon (inherent F/C ratio of 0) within these established ranges to optimize the performance of a dry-processed electrode would naturally result in an elemental F/C ratio between 0.4 and 3.0.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
JP 3407507 B2 discloses a lithium battery using a polymer electrolyte, and more particularly to an electrode thereof.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIMMY K VO whose telephone number is (571)272-3242. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8 am to 6 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tong Guo can be reached at (571) 272-3066. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIMMY VO/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1723
/JIMMY VO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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