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 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) 1-6, 9, 11-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Zhu et al. (CN 110611123 A).
As to claims 1 and 9, Zhu et al. discloses an electrochemical apparatus (battery) [0025], comprising:
a positive electrode plate, [0026]
a negative electrode plate [0026],
a separator [0026], and
electrolyte [0051], comprising:
a fluorine-containing sulfonimide lithium salt (1 wt. % of LiFSI-lithium difluorosulfonyimide) [0051]
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and
a trinitrile compound (1 wt. % of HTCN – 1,3,6-hexanetrionitrile)
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;
wherein based on a weight of the electrolyte, a percentage of the fluorine-containing sulfonimide lithium salt is X%, and a percentage of the trinitrile compound is Y%;
wherein,
1< X + Y < 6.
X + Y = 2 thus within the claimed range.
As to claims 2 and 11, Zhu et al. discloses the electrolyte according to claim 1, further comprising lithium hexafluorophosphate [0083]; wherein based on the weight of the electrolyte, a percentage of the lithium hexafluorophosphate is Z% (4.5 wt. %); wherein, X+Z<7.5 (1+4.5=5.5), and X/Z<1 (1/4.5 = 0.222). [0083, 0051]
As to claim 3 and 12, Zhu et al. discloses the electrolyte according to claim 2, wherein, Z is less than 5 (Z=4.5 –[0083]); and/or, 0.8<(X+Z)/(X+Y)<3.5 0.8 < (1+4.5)/ (1 + 1) < 3.5; (0.8 < 2.75 < 3.5). [0083, 0051]
As to claims 4 and 13, Zhu et al discloses the electrolyte according to claim 1, wherein the fluorine-containing sulfonimide lithium salt comprises lithium bisfluorosulfonimide (also known as LiFSI-lithium difluorosulfonyimide) [0051]
As to claim 5, Zhu et al. discloses the electrolyte according to claim 1, wherein the trinitrile compound comprises a compound of formula III; and in formula III, g, h, and i are each independently selected from integers in the range of 0 to 6. g = 2, h = 0 and i =3
As to claims 6 and 14, Zhu et al. discloses the electrolyte according to claim 1, wherein the trinitrile compound comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,3,6-hexanetricarbonitrile (also known as 1,3,6-hexanetrionitrile [0051].
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) 17 and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu et al. (CN 110611123 A).
As to claim 17, Zhu et al. discloses an electrochemical apparatus (battery) [0025], comprising:
a positive electrode plate, [0026]
a negative electrode plate [0026],
a separator [0026], and
electrolyte [0051], comprising:
a fluorine-containing sulfonimide lithium salt (1 wt. % of LiFSI-lithium difluorosulfonyimide) [0051]
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310
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and
a trinitrile compound (1 wt. % of HTCN – 1,3,6-hexanetrionitrile)
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;
wherein based on a weight of the electrolyte, a percentage of the fluorine-containing sulfonimide lithium salt is X%, and a percentage of the trinitrile compound is Y%;
wherein,
1< X + Y < 6.
X + Y = 2 thus within the claimed range.
While, Zhu et al. does not explicitly state that the battery is used in an electronic device, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was effectively filed to use the battery to power an electronic device.
As to claim 19, Zhu et al. discloses the electrolyte according to claim 17, further comprising lithium hexafluorophosphate [0083]; wherein based on the weight of the electrolyte, a percentage of the lithium hexafluorophosphate is Z% (4.5 wt. %); wherein, X+Z<7.5 (1+4.5=5.5), and X/Z<1 (1/4.5 = 0.222). [0083, 0051] and wherein, Z is less than 5 (Z=4.5 –[0083]); and/or, 0.8<(X+Z)/(X+Y)<3.5 0.8 < (1+4.5)/ (1 + 1) < 3.5; (0.8 < 2.75 < 3.5). [0083, 0051].
As to claim 20, Zhu et al discloses the electrolyte according to claim 17, wherein the fluorine-containing sulfonimide lithium salt comprises lithium bisfluorosulfonimide (also known as LiFSI-lithium difluorosulfonyimide) [0051]
Claim(s) 7 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao et al. (CN 110611123 A ) in view of Ren et al. (CN 102738511 A).
As to Claims 7 and 15, Gao et al. discloses the electrolyte according to claims 1 and 9 and discloses X and Y as 1 wt. percent each, but does not disclose the electrolyte further including a compound of formula I
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, wherein R1, R2, and R3 are each independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, a Ci-C12 alkyl group with or without a substituent, a C3-Cs cycloalkyl group with or without a substituent, and a C6-C12 aryl group with or without a substituent, wherein the substituent is selected from at least one of cyano, nitro, halogen, or sulfonyl, and n is an integer ranging from 0 to 7; and
wherein based on the weight of the electrolyte, a percentage of the compound of formula I is A%, wherein 1 < A + X + Y < 7.
Ren et al. discloses a lithium battery and teaches the addition of
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where in R1, R2, R3 are selected from hydrogen atoms, alkyl groups containing 1 to 12 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl groups containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms, and aromatic groups containing 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and n is an integer from 0 to 7 [0013-0014]. Ren et al. further teaches this compound can effectively passivate the surfaces of the positive and negative electrodes, inhibit the oxidative decomposition of electrolyte components on the positive electrode surface and the reductive decomposition on the negative electrode surface, thereby reducing gas production in the battery and improving the high-temperature storage performance of lithium-ion batteries. [0015]. As an improvement to the lithium-ion battery electrolyte of the present invention, the additive accounts for 2 wt.% to 5 wt.% of the total mass of the electrolyte [0019]. [0039] discloses the addition of 2-butenonitrile in the amount 3 wt.% of the total mass of the electrolyte.
2-butenonitrile (the formula above given that R1, R2, and R3 are Hydrogen and n is 1)
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Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to include the 2-butenonitrile to the electrolyte of Gao et al. because this reduces gas production in the battery and improves the high-temperature storage performance of lithium-ion batteries.
Ren et al. discloses the amount can be 3 wt. % thus A is 3, therefor 1 < 3 + 1 + 1 < 7.
Claim(s) 8 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao et al. (CN 110611123 A ) in view of Amiruddin et al. (US 2014/0050972 A1).
As to Claims 8 and 16, Gao et al. discloses the electrolyte according to claims 1 and 9, but does not disclose the addition of a lithium salt additive; wherein the lithium salt additive comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of lithium tetrafluoroborate, lithium difluorophosphate, lithium bis(oxalato)borate, and lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate; and wherein based on the weight of the electrolyte, a percentage of the lithium salt additive is P%, wherein 0.1<P<2.
Amiruddin et al. discloses a battery and teaches the addition of a lithium salt additive such as lithium difluoro oxalato borate or lithium bis(oxalato)borate in the amount of 0.1-5 weight percent [0054] in order to stabilize the cycling properties of the batteries. [0054].
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the application was effectively filed to include the salt additive of Amiruddin to the battery of Gao because this would stabilize the cycling property of the battery.
Claim(s) 10 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao et al. (CN 110611123 A ) in view of Oshima (US 2022/0328804 A1).
As to claim 10 and 18, Gao et al. discloses the electrochemical apparatus according to claim 9,
wherein the positive electrode plate comprises a positive electrode current collector, and the positive electrode current collector comprises an aluminum foil substrate [0047] but does not disclose a copper element contained in the aluminum foil substrate; and based on a weight of the positive electrode current collector, an amount m of the copper element is calculated in ppm, and thickness d of the aluminum foil substrate is calculated in pm; wherein d x m/1000>5.
Oshima et al. discloses a battery and teaches the positive electrode current collector having an aluminum alloy with copper being between 3.5 and 4.5 mass percent, with a thickness of 10 micrometers. This amount of copper helps improve the cycle characteristics of a battery [0027]. [0192] discloses 3.5 wt. percent copper(which is 35000 ppm) the current collector/foil being 10 micrometers thick. Thus, (35000*10)/1000 is 350 which is greater than 5.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was effectively filed to include 3.5 weight percent of copper in the aluminum current collector of Gao because this would improve the cycle characteristics of a battery.
Conclusion
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/Maria Laios/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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