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 of Species A in the reply filed on 6 July 2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)). Claim 12 is withdrawn from consideration.
Claim Objections
Claim 18 is objected to because of the following informalities: this claim has been repeated twice in the claim listing. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-11 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1 or 2) as being anticipated by Ito et al. (US Pub 2020/0313230 cited in IDS).
In regard to independent claim 1, Ito et al. teach a battery comprising, in the following order: a first electrode layer (second electrode 20); a first solid electrolyte layer 30; and a second electrode layer (first electrode 10), wherein the first electrode layer includes: a first active material layer 21; a second active material layer 21 positioned between the first active material layer 21 and the first solid electrolyte layer 30, the second active material 21 layer having the same polarity as the first active material layer has; and a second solid electrolyte layer 30 positioned between the first active material layer and the second active material layer 21, and the second solid electrolyte layer 30 is continuous with the first solid electrolyte layer 30 (see figure 2 annotated below, paragraphs [0017-0042] – note that other interpretations may apply, first and second electrodes may be reversed).
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In regard to claim 2, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 1, wherein the first active material layer 21 is separate from the second active material layer 21 (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0032]).
In regard to claim 3, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode layer further includes a first current collector 22, and the first current collector is in contact with the first active material layer (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0032] – note all the components of the prior art stacked battery cell are considered in contact with each other).
In regard to claim 4, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 3, wherein the first current collector includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Cu and Ni (paragraph [0026]).
In regard to claim 5, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode layer further includes a second current collector 22, and the second current collector is in contact with the second active material layer 21 (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0032]).
In regard to claim 6, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 5, wherein the first electrode layer further includes a third active material layer 21, the third active material layer 21 has the same polarity as the first active material layer and the second active material layer have, and the second current collector 22 is disposed between the second active material layer and the third active material layer (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0042]).
In regard to claim 7, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 5 having a region where the second current collector 22 is present and the second active material layer 21 (of dummy electrode 71b) is not present in a plan view (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0040] – dummy electrode is not connected to external electrode the way other electrode layers are).
In regard to claim 8, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 5, wherein the second current collector (of dummy electrode) has at least one selected from the group consisting of a hole (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0040] – not connected portion).
In regard to claim 9, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 1, wherein the first active material layer 21 is electrically connected in parallel to the second active material layer 21 (parallel connection through terminal 40b - paragraph [0031]).
In regard to claim 10, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 9 further comprising a connection electrode (external terminal 40b), wherein the connection electrode electrically connects the first active material layer and the second active material layer to each other (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0031]).
In regard to claim 11, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 10, wherein the connection electrode 40 is provided on a side surface of the battery (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0031]).
In regard to claim 17, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode layer 10a includes a plurality of active material layers 11, 11 (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0032] – each electrode has multiple layers).
In regard to claim 18, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 1, wherein in plan view, the second active material layer 21 is smaller than the first active material layer 21, 21 (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0041] – both layers of dummy electrode 21, 21 may be considered the first active material layer).
In regard to claim 19, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode layer further 20 includes a first current collector 22 in contact with the first active material layer 21 and a second current collector 22 in contact with the second active material layer 21 and in plan view, the second current collector is smaller than the first current collector (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0040] – dummy electrode is not connected to external electrode the way other electrode layers are).
In regard to claim 20, Ito et al. teach a stacked battery comprising a plurality of the batteries according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of batteries (i.e. electrode layers separated by electrolyte) are stacked so as to be electrically connected in series or in parallel (annotated figure 1 above, paragraph [0032] – multiple first and second electrode pairs stacked together to form all solid battery 100a).
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 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito et al. as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Koga (WO 2020/137258 using US Pub 2021/0305579 for reference below, both cited in IDS).
In regard to claim 13, Ito et al. teach the battery according to claim 10, wherein the connection electrode includes a first metal material (paragraph [0062]) but does not specify the connection electrode further includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a resin material and a solid electrolyte.
However, Koga teaches a similar all solid battery including electrode layers 12, 14 on current collectors 11, 13 separated by solid electrolyte layers 15 (see figure 1, paragraphs [0058-0066]) and the desirability for the connection electrode (terminals 16, 17) to be formed from conductive metal particles and cured electrically conductive resin because such allows for the electrical conductivity to be maintained and lowers the weight and cost (paragraphs [0070-0073]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at or before the effective filing date of the claimed invention filed to use connection electrodes which include resin and metal materials in the battery of Ito et al. as such maintains conductivity and lowers weight and costs as taught by Koga.
In regard to claim 14 and 15, Koga teaches the desirability for the connection electrode to further include a second metal material (Sn), and the second metal material has a lower melting point than the first metal material (Ni) (paragraph [0070]).
In regard to claim 16, in the combination of the prior art, when Sn is includes on the connection electrode a reaction layer disposed between the first current collector and the connection electrode, wherein the reaction layer includes the second metal material will naturally form as a product of electrochemical cycling (se MPEP 2112.01).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Pub 2016/0141716 newly cited, teaches a similar solid-state battery including a continuous solid electrolyte layer 10 (see figure 1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS P D'ANIELLO whose telephone number is (571)270-3635. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm EST.
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/NICHOLAS P D'ANIELLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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