CTNF 18/563,325 CTNF 83288 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Response to Amendment The preliminary amendment filed on 11/21/2023 is entered and acknowledged by the Examiner. Claims 1-16 have been amended and are currently pending in the instant application. Priority This application is a 371 of PCT/KR2022/015185 (filed on 10/07/2022). Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Republic of Korea on 10/07/2021. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statements (IDS) filed on 11/21/2023, 03/03/2025, 08/05/2025, and 06/05/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and have been considered by the examiner. An initialed copy accompanies this Office Action. Drawings The drawings filed on 11/21/2023 have been considered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-20-02-aia AIA 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. 07-27-aia AIA Claim s 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over US 2018/0261402 A1 (hereinafter Manabe) . Initially, it should be noted that the Manabe reference is cited in the IDS filed on 11/21/2023. Manabe discloses a graphene dispersion liquid (claimed pre-dispersion) including graphene dispersed in (NMP) N-methyl pyrrolidone solvent (claimed dispersion medium) (See Abstract; [0022] and [0053]). Manabe discloses that the graphene has a structure containing a stack of graphene monolayer and the structure is in the form of a thin sheet (See [0022]) with a preferred specific surface area of 100 m 2 /g or more (See [0050]). Such thin sheet graphene structure fulfills the claimed planar conductive material because graphene is a known conductive material. Manabe discloses that the graphene dispersion liquid contains a surface treatment agent, including polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), at least partly adhered to the surface of the graphene to enhance the dispersibility of the graphene (See [0030] and [0031]). The surface treatment agent of Manabe fulfills the claimed water-containing dispersing agent. Manabe discloses that the graphene dispersion liquid has a solid content of 0.3-40 mass% (See [0028]). The solid content disclosed by Manabe cover the instant claimed solid content of 10-30%. Manabe further discloses a negative electrode paste composition and a method of making the same (See [0059] and [0103]). Manabe discloses that the graphene dispersion liquid is mixed with a negative electrode active material including (SiO, SiC, and SiOC) silicon compounds (claimed silicon-containing active material) to form a negative electrode paste composition (See [0100] and [0101]). The negative electrode paste composition also comprises a binder including (CMC) carboxymethyl cellulose (See [0106]) and conductive additive such as carbon black and graphite (See [0107]). The conductive additive of Manabe fulfills the claimed dotted conductive material because Applicant described the dotted conductive material as including carbon black and graphite (See page 24 of the present specification). The reference specifically or inherently meets each of the claimed limitations in their broadest interpretations. The reference is anticipatory. In the alternative that Manabe is insufficient to anticipate the above listed claims, it would have nonetheless been obvious to the skilled artisan to produce the claimed negative electrode composition, any minor modification necessary to meet the claimed limitations, such as preform mixing at a certain speed (rpm) for a certain duration are result effective variables that could be optimization through routine experimentation for best results. Therefore, a patent will not be granted based upon the optimization results. In view of the foregoing, the above claims have failed to patentably distinguish over the applied art . 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KHANH TUAN NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-8082. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Angela Brown-Pettigrew can be reached at (571) 272-2817. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /KHANH T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761 Application/Control Number: 18/563,325 Page 2 Art Unit: 1761 Application/Control Number: 18/563,325 Page 3 Art Unit: 1761 Application/Control Number: 18/563,325 Page 4 Art Unit: 1761 Application/Control Number: 18/563,325 Page 5 Art Unit: 1761 Application/Control Number: 18/563,325 Page 6 Art Unit: 1761 Application/Control Number: 18/563,325 Page 7 Art Unit: 1761
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