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 .
Amendments to the claims, filed 12 August 2026, have been entered in the above identified application.
Claims 1-11 are pending in the application.
Claims 12-19 are withdrawn in the application.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-11 in the reply filed on 8/12/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 12-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected dry method and wet method for manufacturing a cathode electrode for a solid-state battery cell, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 8/12/2026.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in CN202311460024.0 on 11/03/2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202311460024.0 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 11 recites the limitation “N BR” in line 4, which should be corrected to “NBR” to remove ambiguity.
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 9 and 10 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.
The limitation “other lithium transition-metal oxides” in claim 9 is unclear and renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is not clear what “other” refers to since claim 1 does not recite a lithium transition-metal oxide from which the recited oxide is distinguished as ‘other’. Accordingly, the metes and bounds of the claim cannot be reasonably determined.
“Super P” is a trademark/trade name; therefore, it does not adequately identify or describe the conductive material encompassed by the claim, thus rendered the scope of the claim uncertain. If the trademark or trade name is used in a claim as a limitation to identify or describe a particular material or product, the claim does not comply with the requirements of the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph. See MPEP 2173.05(u).
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 1, 2, 4 and 7-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Senoue (US PG Pub. 2019/0334178 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Senoue discloses a solid-state battery cell (title) comprising:
A anode electrodes (Fig. 2, ref. #40), including an anode active material layer (Fig. 2, ref. #44) arranged on an anode current collector (Fig. 2, ref. #42); C cathode electrodes (Fig. 2, ref. #20) including a cathode active material layer (Fig. 2, ref. #24) arranged on a cathode current collector (Fig. 2, ref. #22). S separators (Fig. 2, ref. #30) arranged between the A anode electrodes (Fig. 2, ref. #40) and the C cathode electrodes (Fig. 2, ref. #20), where A, C, and S are integers greater than one (see Fig. 2, multiple cathodes, anodes and separators).
For the cathode active material layer, the cathode active material particle is LiNi1/3 Mn1/3 Co1/3 O2 coated with LiNbO3, thus the outer layer is LiNbO3 (para. [0080]). A solid electrolyte having a D50 size in a range of about 0.5 to 10 μm (para. [0041]), which overlaps the claimed range of from 4 μm to 12 μm. Per MPEP 2144.05, in the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. Thus, the claim limitation is obvious.
Regarding claim 2, Senoue discloses the particles comprise lithium-nickel-cobalt-manganese (NMC) particles (LiNixCoyMn(1−x−y)O2 para. [0042]) and the outer layer comprises LiNbO3 (para. [0080]).
Regarding claim 4, Senoue discloses NMC particle LiNixCoyMn(1−x−y)O2 (where 0<x<1; 0<y<1; 0<x+y<1) (para. [0042]). The claimed ranges are nickel comprises 50 to 72 mol % of the NMC particles, manganese comprises 8 to 40 mol % of the NMC particles, and cobalt comprises 10 to 20 mol % of the NMC particles. Thus, the claimed composition requires x to be 0.50 - 0.72, y to be 0.10 - 0.20, and 1-x-y to be 0.08 - 0.40. Thus, the claimed ranges fall within the broader ranges disclosed by Senoue. Per MPEP 2144.05, in the case where "[A] prior art reference that discloses a range encompassing a somewhat narrower claimed range is sufficient to establish a prima facie case of obviousness." Accordingly, the claimed range would have been prima facie obvious.
Regarding claim 7, Senoue discloses the solid electrolyte (para. [0037]) comprises a sulfide solid electrolyte (para. [0037]) selected from a group consisting of pseudobinary sulfide (Li2S—SiS2 type, Li2S—P2S3 type, Li2S—P2S5 type, Li2S—GeS2 type, Li2S—B2S3 type, para. [0039]) and pseudoternary sulfide (LiBr—Li2S—P2S5, LiI—Li2S—P2S5, para. [0040]).
Regarding claim 8, Senoue discloses the solid electrolyte (para. [0040]) is a halide-based solid electrolyte (LiI, para. [0040]).
Regarding claim 9, Senoue discloses the cathode active material (para [0042]) is selected from a group consisting of rock salt layered oxides (para [0042], LiCoO2, LiNixCoyMn(1−x−y)O2 (where 0<x<1; 0<y<1; 0<x+y<1)), spinel (para [0042], spinel structure such as Li2NiMn3O8, LiMn2O4,), olivine cathode (para [0042], olivine structure such as LiFePO4), and surface-coated cathode materials (para [0081] LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 coated on the surface with LiNbO3).
Regarding claim 10, Senoue discloses the cathode active material layer (para. [0048]) further comprises conductive additive (para. [0048], conductive material) selected from a group consisting of carbon black, acetylene black, graphite, carbon nanotube (para. [0048]).
Regarding claim 11, Senoue discloses the cathode active material layer (para. [0048]) further comprises a binder selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) (para. [0048]).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Senoue (US PG Pub. 2019/0334178 A1) in view of Hasegawa et al. (US PG Pub. 2018/0287209 A1)
Regarding claim 3,
Senoue is relied upon as described above.
Senoue fails to disclose the NMC particles have diameter of 2 μm<D50<5 μm.
Hasegawa discloses a solid-state battery cell (title) comprising A anode electrodes (Fig. 2A, ref. #20) including an anode active material layer (Fig. 2A, ref. #23) arranged on an anode current collector (Fig. 2A, ref. #21); C cathode electrodes (Fig. 2A, ref. #10) including a cathode active material layer (Fig. 2A, ref. #13) arranged on a cathode current collector (Fig. 2A, ref. #11). The cathode active material layer (Fig. 3A, ref. #13) includes: cathode active material (Fig. 3A, ref. #12) comprising particles of lithium-nickel-cobalt-manganese (NMC) particles (para. [0064], LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2) and with an outer layer comprising LiNbO3 (para. [0066]). In a case where cathode active material is in a particulate shape, an average particle diameter (D50) is from 1 μm to 15 μm is preferred (para. [0065]). If the average particle diameter of the cathode active material is too small, the handleability may be deteriorated, and if its average particle diameter is too large, it may be difficult to obtain a flat cathode layer (para. [0065]). Per MPEP 2144.05, in the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists.
Senoue and Hasegawa are analogous in the field of all-solid-state battery
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the solid-state battery cathode active material taught by Senoue to have an average particle diameter D50 of the NMC particle, as taught by Hasegawa, to obtain suitable handleability and facilitate formation of a flat cathode layer.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Senoue (US PG Pub. 2019/0334178 A1) in view of Tamura (EP3584862 A1).
Regarding claim 5,
Senoue is relied upon as described above.
Senoue fails to disclose the outer layer has a thickness in a range from 7 nm to 13 nm.
Tamura discloses a solid-state battery cell (para. [0013]) comprising: a cathode electrode (para. [0001]) including a cathode active material layer (para. [0001]) comprising a cathode active material (para. [0001]). The cathode active material comprising particles (claim 1) including an outer layer (coated layer) represented by LiNbO3 (claim 1). If the LiNbO3 coating amount is too low, LiNbO3 coating is merely in the form of island (para. [0012]). If the LiNbO3 coating amount is excessive resulting in an excessively thick coating layer, the all solid LIB (Lithium-ion battery) will have a capacity that is only about half the capacity of the conventional lithium ion secondary battery (para. [0012]). The thickness of the coated layer is from 4 nm to 15 nm, and more typically from 5 nm to 10 nm (para. [0048]), which overlaps the claimed range of 7 nm to 13 nm. Per MPEP 2144.05, in the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists.
Senoue and Tamura are analogous because both relate to solid-state batteries and cathode active materials.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the solid-state battery cathode active material taught by Senoue to have an outer-layer thickness within the range taught by Tamura in order to obtain sufficient LiNbO3 coating coverage of the cathode active material while avoiding an excessively thick coating that would reduce battery capacity.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Senoue (US PG Pub. 2019/0334178 A1) in view of Yun et al. (US PG Pub. 2024/0128451 A1)
Regarding claim 6,
Senoue is relied upon as described above.
Senoue fails to disclose the solid electrolyte in the cathode active material layer has a diameter D90 < 15 μm.
Yun discloses a solid-state battery cell (para. [0002]) comprising: an anode electrode (Fig. 1, ref. #400) including an anode active material layer (Fig. 1, ref. #403) arranged on an anode current collector (Fig. 1, ref. #401); a cathode electrode (Fig. 1, ref. #200) including a cathode active material layer (Fig. 1, ref. #203) arranged on a cathode current collector (Fig. 1, ref. #201). Two or more electrode assemblies may be stacked to manufacture an all-solid-state battery (para. [0095]), so the battery may have more than one cathode electrodes and anode electrodes. The cathode active material layer includes a cathode active material and a solid electrolyte (para. [0004]). The solid electrolyte has a diameter D50 size in a range from 0.1 μm to about 5.0 μm (para. [0010]), which overlaps the claimed range of D50 from 4 μm to 12 μm. Yun further discloses that the solid electrolyte has a diameter D90 about 1.0 μm to about 4.0 μm (para. [0064]), which lies inside the claimed range of D90 < 15 μm. The disclosed particle size distribution of the solid electrolyte realizes high energy density while maintaining excellent ion conductivity, thus improving battery performance (para. [0064]).
Senoue and Yun are analogous in the field of solid-state batteries.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the solid electrolyte in the cathode active material layer taught by Senoue to have the D90 particle diameter within the range taught by Yun in order to realize high energy density while maintaining excellent ion conductivity, thereby improving battery performance.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THU T TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5480. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Thu 7:30 am - 5:30 pm.
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/T.T.T./
THU T TRANExaminer, Art Unit 1788 09/14/2026
/ALEXANDRE F FERRE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1788
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