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, Li+ (Species A), Cl- (Species B), water (Species C), and polyethylene (Species D) in the reply filed on September 4, 2026 is acknowledged.
In light of the search made of record with this Office Action, the following species are no longer considered to be a search burden and consequently have been rejoined:
Species D, directed to the separator: polyethylene (elected) and cellulose (rejoined).
Claim 18 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on September 4, 2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The listing of references in the specification is not a proper information disclosure statement. 37 CFR 1.98(b) requires a list of all patents, publications, or other information submitted for consideration by the Office, and MPEP § 609.04(a) states, "the list may not be incorporated into the specification but must be submitted in a separate paper." Therefore, unless the references have been cited by the examiner on form PTO-892, they have not been considered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the graphs are unclear due to multiple elements being labeled with the same symbol. For example, Li2ZnCl4, LiCl, and ZnCl2 are all labeled as filled in circles and consequently upon conversion to grayscale, it is unclear which line in the graph refers to which compound (particularly Li2ZnCl4 and LiCl). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: RECHARGEABLE BATTERY SYSTEMS COMPRISING SOLVENT-IN-SALT ELECTROLYTE AND METHODS THEREOF.
Claim Interpretation
The term “high entropy electrolyte composition” has been defined by the instant specification to be an electrolyte composition that enables a battery to be charged and discharged in a temperate range of about -100 °C to about 100 °C, about -80°C to about 80 °C, or about -60 °C to about 80 °C ([0071]).
Claim Objections
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: L1 should recite “wherein the electrolyte composition” in order to have correct antecedent basis.
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: L1 should recite “wherein said solvent (S) is water” in order to have correct antecedent basis.
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: L1 should recite “wherein an operating temperature of the battery…” in order to set forth correct antecedent basis.
Appropriate correction is required
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites “wherein said metal salt has one or more cations chosen from…”. However, Claim 1 sets forth 2 or more metal salts and therefore it is unclear which metal salt from the 2 or more metal salts the limitation is referencing.
For purpose of examination, the Examiner will interpret the claim to recite “wherein said metal salts have one or more cations chosen from…”.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "wherein the composition comprises a combination of LiCl and ZnCl2 in a solvent (e.g. water). However, Claim 1 sets forth a solvent (S) in the electrolyte composition and therefore it is unclear if the solvent recited is the solvent (S) previously set forth or an additional solvent.
Regarding Claim 7 the phrase "(e.g., water)" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the number of solvent molecules, R" in L2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
For purpose of examination, the Examiner will interpret the claim to recite “wherein the electrolyte composition comprises a combination of LiCl and ZnCl2 in the solvent (S), wherein a number of solvent molecules, R, is in the range of about 5 to about 56.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Qing (High Energy Zinc Battery System with an Extremely Wide Operating Temperature Window, see NPL provided with this Office Action).
Regarding Claims 1-8 and 10-16, Qing discloses a battery, said battery comprising a cathode (LiFePO4), an anode (Zn), and a solvent-in-salt electrolyte composition (Li2ZnCl4·9H2O) (Abstract), said electrolyte composition comprising a combination of a solvent (S) and 2 or more metal salts,
wherein the metal salts are LiCl and ZnCl2 (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O),
wherein the solvent (S) is water (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O),
wherein the electrolyte composition comprises Li2ZnCl4·9H2O (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O),
wherein each stoichiometry also comprises a number, R, of solvent molecules, wherein the number of solvent molecules, R, is 9 (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O, see Li2ZnCl4·9H2O), which falls within and therefore reads on the instantly claimed range of about 5 to about 56,
wherein z is 2 (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O, see Li2ZnCl4·9H2O).
Qing further discloses wherein an operating temperature of the battery is in the range of -70°C and 70°C (Abstract, P32-33, 3.2 Measurement of Ionic Conductivity of Li2ZnCl4·9H2O), which falls within and therefore reads on the instantly claimed range of about -100°C to about 100°C, and further about -80°C to about 80°C.
In light of the above, Qing discloses wherein the electrolyte composition is a high entropy electrolyte composition, as evidenced by [0071] of the instant specification.
Regarding Claims 1-13 and 15-16, Qing discloses a battery, said battery comprising a cathode (LiFePO4), an anode (Zn), and a solvent-in-salt electrolyte composition (Li2ZnCl4·xH2O) (Abstract), said electrolyte composition comprising a combination of a solvent (S) and 2 or more metal salts,
wherein the metal salts are LiCl and ZnCl2 (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O),
wherein the solvent (S) is water (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O),
wherein the electrolyte composition comprises Li2ZnCl4·12H2O (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O)
wherein each stoichiometry also comprises a number, R, of solvent molecules, wherein the number of solvent molecules, R, is 12 (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O, see Li2ZnCl4·12H2O), which falls within and therefore reads on the instantly claimed range of about 10 to about 200,
wherein z is 2 (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O, see Li2ZnCl4·12H2O).
Qing further discloses wherein an operating temperature of the battery is in the range of -70°C and 70°C (Abstract, P32-33, 3.2 Measurement of Ionic Conductivity of Li2ZnCl4·9H2O), which falls within and therefore reads on the instantly claimed range of about -100°C to about 100°C, and further about -80°C to about 80°C.
In light of the above, Qing discloses wherein the electrolyte composition is a high entropy electrolyte composition, as evidenced by [0071] of the instant specification.
Claims 1-6, 8, 10-13, and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ji et al. (US PGPub 2021/0336293 A1), with evidence provided by Qing (High Energy Zinc Battery System with an Extremely Wide Operating Temperature Window, see NPL provided with this Office Action).
Regarding Claims 1-6, 11-13, and 15-16, Ji discloses in Fig. 1A a battery (100), said battery (100) comprising a cathode (110), an anode (120), and a solvent-in-salt electrolyte composition (130) ([0109]), said electrolyte composition (130) comprising a combination of water as a solvent (S) and 2 or more metal salts, wherein the metal salts are LiCl and ZnCl2 ([0112]).
The Examiner notes that because the electrolyte composition of Ji comprises a combination of water as the solvent (S) and LiCl and ZnCl2 as the metal salts ([0112]), the electrolyte composition necessarily and inherently comprises Li2ZnCl4·xH2O such that z is 2, as evidenced by Qing (Abstract, P22, 2.1.2 Electrolytes of Li2ZnCl4·xH2O, see Li2ZnCl4·12H2O).
Ji discloses wherein the electrolyte composition comprises water as the solvent (S) and metal salts and therefore Ji discloses wherein an operating temperature of the battery is at least less than about 100°C in order to be below the boiling point of the electrolyte composition ([0112]).
The Examiner notes wherein an operating temperature of a battery comprising an electrolyte composition comprising a combination of water as the solvent (S) and LiCl and ZnCl2 as the metal salts is in the range of -70°C and 70°C (Abstract, P32-33, 3.2 Measurement of Ionic Conductivity of Li2ZnCl4·9H2O).
Thus, Ji discloses wherein an operating temperature of the battery is in the range of about -70°C to about 70°C, as evidenced by Qing, which falls within and therefore reads on the instantly claimed range of about -100°C to about 100°C.
In light of the above, Ji discloses wherein the electrolyte composition is a high entropy electrolyte composition, as evidenced by [0071] of the instant specification.
Regarding Claims 8 and 10, modified Ji discloses all of the limitations as set forth above and further discloses wherein said electrolyte composition comprises a combination of LiCl and ZnCl2 in water ([0112]) and therefore Ji discloses wherein each stoichiometry necessarily and inherently also comprises a number, R, of solvent molecules.
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 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qing (High Energy Zinc Battery System with an Extremely Wide Operating Temperature Window, see NPL provided with this Office Action) as applied to Claim 15 above, and further in view of Ji et al. (US PGPub 2021/0336293 A1).
Regarding Claim 17, Qing discloses all of the limitations as set forth above. However, Qing does not disclose a separator material, wherein the separator material is cellulose.
Ji discloses in Fig. 1A a battery (100), said battery (100) comprising a cathode (110), an anode (120), and a water-in-salt electrolyte composition (130), said electrolyte composition (130) comprising LiCl and ZnCl2 as metal salts ([0109], [0112]).
Specifically, Ji teaches wherein the battery (100) may further comprise a separator material in order to provide electrical insulation between the cathode (110) and the anode (120) while facilitating ionic transport ([0091], [0109]).
Ji further teaches wherein the separator material is not particularly limited, and for example may be cellulose ([0120]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize cellulose as a separator material in the battery of Qing, as taught by Ji, in order to provide electrical insulation between the cathode and the anode of Qing while facilitating ionic transport.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji et al. (US PGPub 2021/0336293 A1), with evidence provided by Qing (High Energy Zinc Battery System with an Extremely Wide Operating Temperature Window, see NPL provided with this Office Action), as applied to Claims 6 and 15 above.
Regarding Claims 7-9, modified Ji discloses all of the limitations as set forth above and further discloses wherein said electrolyte composition comprises a combination of LiCl and ZnCl2 in water ([0112]) and therefore Ji discloses wherein each stoichiometry necessarily and inherently also comprises a number, R, of solvent molecules greater than 0, which encompasses the instantly claimed ranges of about 5 to about 56 and about 10 to about 200.
For example, Ji discloses wherein the electrolyte composition has a H2O/Zn2+ molar ratio < 5.5. ([0066], [0095], [0102]-[0103]), which encompasses the instantly claimed ranges of 5 to about 56 and about 10 to about 200.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form the electrolyte composition of Ji to have a number of solvent molecules R in the encompassing portion of the range disclosed by Ji, wherein the skilled artisan would have a reasonable expectation that such would successfully form the electrolyte composition desired by Ji.
Regarding Claim 17, Ji discloses all of the limitations as set forth above and further discloses a separator material in order to provide electrical insulation between the cathode (110) and the anode (120) while facilitating ionic transport ([0091], [0109]), wherein the separator material is not particularly limited, and for example may be cellulose ([0120]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize cellulose as a separator material in the battery, as disclosed by Ji, in order to provide electrical insulation between the cathode and the anode while facilitating ionic transport.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIMBERLY WYLUDA whose telephone number is (571)272-4381. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7 AM - 3 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BASIA RIDLEY can be reached at (571)272-1453. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KIMBERLY WYLUDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
