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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 2/20/24, 10/27/25, and 1/5/26 have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 1-4 and 6-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Isojima et al. (WO 2020/080261, with US 2021/0242465 used as translation).
Regarding claim 1, Isojima teaches an electrode composition comprising:
an inorganic solid electrolyte, i.e. LPS;
an active material;
and a distributing component, or binder;
a conductive auxiliary agent having a diameter of 0.5 µm (Table 1-B Note (11));
and a dispersion medium (abstract, [0403], Table 1-A).
Further regarding claim 1, and with regard to claims 2-3 and 6, Isojima teaches that the binder has a functional group selected from, for example, an amino or amide group ([0161]). Isojima further teaches that a group having a nitrogen atom is suitable adsorbed to a conductive auxiliary agent ([0242]). Isojima additionally provides extensive information on adsorption rate of the polymer binder to different components of the electrode, i.e. active material and inorganic solid electrolyte, in order to provide high discharge capacity and low resistance, and additionally that the binding measure electronic binding (electrons are transferred) ([0059]-[0061]). Isojima specifically teaches that the adsorption rate of the binder to the inorganic electrolyte may be 0%, which is 45% or less ([0059]).
Regarding all limitations to adsorption rate, the examiner finds that it would have been obvious to the skilled artisan at the time of the invention to use routine experimentation to determine workable ranges for adsorption rates of the binder in order to provide high discharge capacity and low resistance, and with specific regard to adsorption to the conductive agent, provide an nitrogen atom side group for suitable adsorption. It has been found that it is within the ordinary level of skill in the art to use routine experimentation to discover optimum or workable ranges. MPEP 2144.05 II A
With further regard to claim 1 and regarding claim 4, Isojima teaches that the molecular weight of the binder is 10,000 ([0364]).
As for claim 7, as discussed above, Isojima teaches a sulfide-based inorganic electrolyte.
Regarding claims 8 and 11-13, Isojima teaches an electrode sheet, a method of forming the electrode sheet, and an all-solid battery comprising the electrode composition discussed above ([0036]-[0051]).
Regarding claim 9, as discussed above, Isojima teaches the conductive auxiliary agent having a diameter of 0.5 µm (Table 1-B Note (11)).
With regard to claim 10, Isojima is silent on the electron conductivity of the active material layer; however since the structure recited in the reference is substantially identical to that of the claims, the claimed property of electron conductivity is presumed to be inherent. MPEP 2112.01 I
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Isojima as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hama et al. (US 2011/0108642).
The teachings of Isojima as discussed above are incorporated herein.
Isojima teaches the electrode composition of claim 1, and further teaches that a polymer in the binder has an SP value of, for example, 19.5 ([0390]-[0393]) but is silent on the SP value of the dispersion medium.
Hart teaches a dispersion medium for us with sulfide-based solid electrolytes, and further teaches that the SP value of the dispersion liquid is preferably equal to 18.5 in order to suppress deterioration of the sulfide-based electrolyte ([0048]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to provide the dispersion liquid of Isojima having an SP value of 18.5 in order to suppress deterioration of the sulfide-based electrolyte.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALIX ECHELMEYER EGGERDING whose telephone number is (571)272-1101. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30am - 4:30pm.
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/ALIX E EGGERDING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1729
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