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 .
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.
(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 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jin et al. (CN 111916668 A), hereinafter “Jin”, as cited in the IDS dated 10/18/2023.
Regarding claim 1, Jin teaches a negative electrode sheet (Jin, [0001]) comprising:
a negative electrode current collector (corresponding to the claimed substrate) (Jin, [0010], lines 1-3)
a first negative electrode active material layer coated on the surface of the collector (Jin, [0010], lines 1-10) comprising a first binder (Jin, [0029], lines 1-5)
and a second negative electrode active material layer coated on the surface of the collector (Jin, [0010], lines 1-10) comprising a second binder (Jin, [0029], lines 1-5)
Jin also teaches that the first binder and the second binder may be different binders (Jin, [0030], lines 5-6). Jin teaches that the first and second negative electrode active material layers are coated on the same surface of the negative electrode current collector (corresponding to the claimed first and second active materials layers being on the same plane) (Jin, [0010], lines 5-9). Furthermore, modified Fig. 1 below from Jin shows the first and second active material layers residing on the same plane.
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Regarding claim 12, Jin teaches a lithium-ion battery containing the negative electrode sheet (corresponding to the claimed rechargeable battery comprising the electrode of the instant claim 1) (Jin, [0001]).
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.
Claims 2-4 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin (CN 111916668 A), in view of Sun et al. (CN 112820854 A), hereinafter “Sun”, as cited in the IDS dated 6/24/2024.
Regarding claim 2, Sun teaches a negative electrode comprising styrene-butadiene resin (SBR) binder (corresponding to the claimed first active material layer comprising a low-resistance binder) (Sun, [0093], lines 1-3). Sun also teaches a second coating with an adhesion higher than a first active layer, based on the molecular weight and proportion of the binder in the second coating (corresponding to the claimed high adhesive binder) (Sun, [0041], lines 9-11; [0046], lines 1-3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to substitute Sun’s low-resistance binder and high adhesive binder for the binders of Jin to guarantee battery safety performance (Sun, [0006], lines 2-3).
Regarding claim 3, Sun teaches a second active layer region comprising a second coating layer (corresponding to the claimed first lower binder layer and second lower binder layer), and a third active layer provided on the surface of the second coating layer (corresponding to the claimed first upper active material layer and second upper active material layer) (Sun, [0010], lines 1-5; See modified Fig. 3 below). Sun teaches that the second coating layer may comprise polyvinylidene fluoride binder (PVDF) (corresponding to the claimed low-resistance binder). Sun also discloses the second coating layer having higher adhesion than the first active layer and the third active layer, respectively (corresponding to the claimed high adhesive binder) (Sun, [0082], lines 1-2; [0041], lines 9-11). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to add Sun’s second coating layer and third active layer to the first and second active material layers of Jin to avoid exposing the current collector and subsequent short circuits (Sun, [0042], lines 1-5).
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Regarding claim 4, Son teaches that the adhesives in the first active layer, the second coating layer, and the third active layer may be the same (corresponding to the claimed same binder material) (Son, [0041], lines 19-20). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to substitute Son’s adhesives for the binders of Jin to avoid exposing the current collector and subsequent short circuits (Sun, [0042], lines 1-5).
Regarding claim 6, Son teaches the second coating having a thickness of 5µm (corresponding to the lower binder layer thicknesses) (Son, [0079]) and the third active layer having a thickness of 80µm (corresponding to the upper active material layer thicknesses) (Sun, [0080]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to add Son’s coating and active material layer relative thicknesses to the first and second active material layers of Jin to avoid exposing the current collector and subsequent short circuits (Sun, [0042], lines 1-5).
Regarding claim 7, Jin teaches a first negative electrode active material coated on a surface near a negative electrode tab and a second negative electrode active material layer coated on the same surface away from the negative electrode tab and on the side where the tab is disposed (corresponding to the claimed second active material layer is around at least a portion of the first active material layer) (Jin, [0010], lines 5-9; See modified Fig. 1 above).
Regarding claim 8, Jin teaches a thickness of the second negative electrode active material layer may be 90µm to 120µm, which is equivalent to a range of 0.09mm to 0.5mm (Jin, [0026], lines 2-4). Jin’s disclosed range lies within the claimed range of 0.01mm to 0.5mm, which meets the instantly claimed range of 0.01mm to 0.5mm.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin (CN 111916668 A), in view of Sun (CN 112820854 A), as applied to claims 2-4 and 6-8, and further in view of Kwon et al. (US 20140170454 A1), hereinafter “Kwon”.
Regarding claim 5, Jin teaches a first negative electrode active material layer comprising a first conductive agent and a second negative electrode active material layer comprising a second conductive agent (Jin, [0029]). Jin also teaches that the first and second conductive agents may be independently selected from at least one of conductive carbon black, acetylene black, ketien black, conductive carbon fiber, carbon nanotube, and graphene (Jin, [0040]). Jin does not teach a conductive material comprising denka black. However, Kwon teaches a graphite-based anode composite layer comprising a conductive material that may be denka black (Kwon, [0011], lines 1-8). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to substitute Kwon’s denka black conductive material for the conductive material of Jin and Sun to prevent metallic active material from being released during battery charging and discharging (Kwon, [0016], lines 1-6).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin (CN 111916668 A), in view of Sun (CN 112820854 A), as applied to claims 2-4 and 6-8, and further in view of Tanihara et al. (US 20180159114 A1), hereinafter “Tanihara“, as cited in the IDS dated 10/18/2023.
Regarding claim 9, Jin teaches a step for cutting the prepared negative electrode sheet into strips (Jin, [0064], lines 1-2). Jin does not teach the second active material layer at a region where the substrate is cut. Tanihara teaches cutting the active material layer and the collector along the longitudinal direction (Tanihara, [0006], lines 1-4). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to add Tanihara’s cutting site to the second active material layer of Jin and Sun to suppress peeling and particle fall-off of active material during cutting (Tanihara, [0006], lines 7-10).
Claims 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin (CN 111916668 A), in view of Sun (CN 112820854 A), as applied to claims 2-4 and 6-8, and further in view of Lee et al. (EP 3739674 A1), hereinafter “Lee“, as cited in the IDS dated 10/18/2023.
Regarding claim 10, Jin teaches that the first adhesive and the second adhesive may be sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Jin, [0042], lines 1-4). Jin does not teach the low-resistance binder comprising at least one of lithium-carboxymethylcellulose (Li-CMC), alginic acid derivative, chitosan derivative, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyacrylic acid (PAA), polysodiumacrylate (Na-PAA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyacrylamide (PAAm), a vinylidene fluoride/hexafluoropropylene copolymer (P(VDF-HFP)), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), water-borne styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), water-borne butadiene rubber (BR), or a modified product thereof. However, Lee teaches a cathode binder may include polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (PVDF-co-HFP), polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), polymethylmethacrylate, or styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) (Lee, [0038], lines 1-3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to add Lee’s binders to the first adhesive of Jin and Sun to improve mechanical stability and operational reliability of a lithium battery (Lee, [0009], lines 1-2).
Regarding claim 11, Lee teaches a cathode binder may comprise water-borne styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and an anode binder may comprise a copolymer of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (a PAA-PVA copolymer) (Lee, [0038], lines 1-3; [0011], lines 1-2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to add Lee’s binders to the second adhesive of Jin and Sun to improve mechanical stability and operational reliability of the lithium battery (Lee, [0009], lines 1-2).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nishio et al. (CN 109690829 B) teaches first and second active material layers at cutting end portions to prevent fall off from the core body.
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/R.M.A./ Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/JONATHAN JOHNSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1734
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