DETAILED ACTION
Application 18/569540, “ALL-SOLID-STATE BATTERY”, is the national stage entry of a PCT application filed on 10/25/23 and claims priority from a foreign application filed on 7/13/23.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This Office Action on the merits is in response to communication filed on 4/18/24.
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 1-7, 9-10 and 12-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mitani (US 2023/0369688).
Regarding claim 1, Mitani teaches an all-solid-state battery (Figs. 2 and 3; battery is all solid state as there is no flammable liquid electrolyte included) comprising: a laminate (item 10A) that has a first surface and a second surface facing each other in a first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface face each other in a second direction and coupling the first surface and the second surface, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface facing each other in a third direction and coupling the first surface and the second surface (in Figure 2A, the right and left surfaces attached to items 32 and 31 correspond to the first and second surfaces [or vice-versa]; the front and back surfaces, one of which is labeled 20A, correspond to the third and fourth surfaces [or vice-versa]; and the top and bottom surfaces, one of which includes line P3, correspond to the fifth and sixth surfaces [or vice-versa]), and includes solid electrolyte layers (items 13), and anode layers (items 12) and cathode layers (items 11) that are alternately stacked in the third direction with the solid electrolyte layer interposed therebetween (Figs. 2B, 2B); and a margin member that is disposed on the third, fourth, fifth and sixth surfaces of the laminate (Fig. 3B best illustrates the margin member 20A being disposed on the third [left], fourth [right], fifth [top] and sixth [bottom] surfaces of the laminate 10A).
Regarding claim 2, Mitani remains as applied to claim 1. Mitani further teaches wherein the margin member comprises an insulating material (paragraph [0054]).
Regarding claim 3, Mitani remains as applied to claim 1. Mitani further teaches wherein the solid electrolyte layers, the anode layers, and the cathode layers abut the margin member on the third surface and the fourth surface of the laminate (Fig. 3B, where the left and right surfaces of laminate 10A correspond to the third and fourth surfaces).
Regarding claim 4, Mitani remains as applied to claim 3. Mitani further teaches (Fig. 2B) the battery comprising: a first external electrode (item 32) that is coupled to the anode layers (items 12) on the first surface of the laminate; and a second external electrode (item 31) that is coupled to the cathode layers (items 11) on the second surface of the laminate.
Regarding claim 5, Mitani remains as applied to claim 4. Mitani further teaches (see Fig. 2B and Examiner’s Modified Fig. 2B illustrated below, which includes dashed lines and additional demarcation of item 20A for clarity) the battery comprising: first insulators (right item 20A; items 20A-3 and/or 20A-5) that are disposed between the second surface of the laminate [left surface] and the anode layers (items 12); and second insulators (left item 20A; items 20A-2 and/or 20A-4) that are disposed between the first surface of the laminate [right surface] and the cathode layers (items 11).
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Regarding claim 6, Mitani remains as applied to claim 5. Mitani further teaches the battery wherein the first insulators (items 20A-2 and 20A-4) abut the solid electrolyte layers (items 13), and the second insulators (items 20A-3 and 20A-5) abut the solid electrolyte layers (items 13).
Regarding claim 7, Mitani remains as applied to claim 6. Mitani further teaches the battery wherein the first insulators and the second insulators comprise the same material as that of the margin member (See Figs. 2B, Modified 2B and 3B).
Regarding claim 9-10, Mitani remains as applied to claim 4. Mitani further teaches the battery wherein the first external electrode extends to the third surface, the fourth surface, the fifth surface, and the sixth surface of the laminate so as to partially cover the margin member, and the second external electrode extends to the third surface, the fourth surface, the fifth surface, and the sixth surface of the laminate so as to partially cover the margin member (see Figs. 2A and 2B where the external electrodes 31 and 32 extend onto the third, fourth, fifth and sixth surfaces so as to partially cover the margin member).
Regarding claim 12-13, Mitani remains as applied to claim 1. Mitani further teaches the battery wherein the margin member includes a ceramic material selected from the species recited in claim 13, such as alumina (paragraph [0118]).
Regarding claim 14, Mitani remains as applied to claim 1. Mitani further teaches wherein the margin member includes one continuous layer extending on the third surface, the fifth surface, the fourth surface, and the sixth surface of the laminate (Fig. 3B).
Regarding claim 15, Mitani remains as applied to claim 1. Mitani further teaches the battery wherein the margin member is in contact with the anode layers and the cathode layers (See Figs. 2B, Modified 2B and 3B).
Regarding claim 16, Mitani remains as applied to claim 1. Mitani further teaches the battery wherein the margin member includes a material different from the solid electrolyte layers (compare paragraphs [0118] and [0030]).
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 of this title, 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 8 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Mitani (US 2023/0369688) and Yano (US 2020/0365935).
Regarding claim 8, Mitani remains as applied to claim 6. Mitani does not appear to teach the battery wherein the first insulators and the second insulators comprise a material different from that of the margin member.
In the battery art, Yano teaches (e.g. Fig. 4) a battery comprising insulators (Fig. 4 item 71) and margin members (Fig. 4 item 7), wherein the insulators comprise the same material different as that of a margin member (paragraph [0096]; Examples of Table 1), but teaches that alternatively, the insulator may be formed of the same material as the solid electrolyte (e.g. see Fig. 1; Examples of Table 1; paragraph [0130] clarifies that the insulators 71 are made of the material of the solid electrolyte in the embodiments of Table 1/Fig. 1, as an alternative to the Table 2/Fig. 4 embodiments).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention that the insulators may be formed from a different material from that of the margin members as a matter of obvious design choice, since these two embodiments are taught as suitable alternatives which both effectively insulate the electrodes from nearby terminals as taught by Yano.
Regarding claim 11, Mitani remains as applied to claim 1. Mitani further teaches the positive and negative electrodes including active materials (paragraphs [0031-0032]), but does not appear to teach wherein the anode layers include anode current collectors and an anode active material, and the cathode layers include cathode current collectors and a cathode active material.
In the battery art, Yano teaches a battery wherein the anode layers include anode current collectors and an anode active material), and the cathode layers include cathode current collectors and a cathode active material (Fig. 1, paragraph [0031-0032]). Yano further teaches that the appropriate use of current collectors provides a battery having reduced internal resistance (paragraph [0032]).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to provide the electrodes with current collectors along with the active materials for the benefit of facilitating battery embodiments having reduced internal resistance as taught by Yano.
Relevant or Related Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, though not necessarily pertinent to applicant’s invention as claimed.
Noh (US 2022/0209285): teaches all-solid-state battery comprising margin member on third and fourth surfaces of an electrode/electrolyte laminate;
Tanaka (US 2022/0367846) all-solid-state battery comprising horseshoe shaped margin members of an electrically insulating material;
Kim (US 2023/0343957): all-solid-state battery comprising first and second external terminals.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEREMIAH R SMITH whose telephone number is (571)270-7005. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 9 AM-5 PM (EST).
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/JEREMIAH R SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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