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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al. (US 2022/0181684) in view of Lee et al. (US 2023/0231140).
Regarding Claim 1, Xu meets the claimed,
A method for manufacturing a non-aqueous secondary battery electrode ([0037] teaches the preparation method for a lithium battery), the method comprising: preparing a positive electrode layer solution that includes a positive electrode active material, a binder and a first solvent ([0067] teaches a positive electrode layer solution including a positive electrode active material; a conductive agent, carbon black; a binder, polyethylene oxide; and a solvent, N-methylpyrrolidone); forming a positive electrode layer using the positive electrode layer solution ([0068] teaches the use of a positive electrode layer slurry to form a positive electrode plate 1); forming an electrolyte layer that includes a solid electrolyte ([0075] teaches the creation of a solid electrolyte core layer 31); preparing an adhesive layer solution that includes a solid electrolyte and a second solvent ([0062] teaches solid electrolyte LLTO and acetonitrile to form an adhesive layer solution); forming an adhesive layer using the adhesive layer solution ([0075] teaches the use of the adhesive layer solution to form a solid electrolyte sheet 3, which contains first buffer adhesive layer 32); and stacking the positive electrode layer, the adhesive layer and the electrolyte layer in this order ([0074] and Fig. 1 teach that positive electrode plate 1 is layered on top of first buffer adhesive layer 32 which is layered on top of solid electrolyte core layer 31).
Xu does not specifically teach that the binder has a larger solubility in the second solvent than in the first.
Lee teaches a binder composition for an all-solid state battery.
Lee meets the claimed,
[…] wherein the binder has a larger solubility in the second solvent than in the first solvent ([0021] teaches that a solvent for the purposes of dissolving a butadiene-based rubber, a binder, with "excellent adhesive properties as the binder" may be at least one selected from the group consisting of toluene and butyl butyrate, amongst other chemicals. According to applicant’s own specifications, styrene butadiene rubber has a larger solubility in toluene than it does in butyl butyrate; see applicant’s specification [0056], “Although in the example of the application described above, butyl butyrate is used as the first solvent, and toluene is used as the second solvent”, applicant’s specification [0040], “The second solvent has a higher solubility for the binder included in the positive electrode layer solution than the first solvent”, and applicant’s specification [0024], “Examples of the type of binder include […] styrene butadiene rubber (SBR)”).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to use the butadiene-based rubber taught by Lee for its excellent adhesive properties as taught by Lee as the generic binder of Xu and as such, to further use solvents known to particularly dissolve the rubber.
Regarding Claim 2, Xu meets the claimed,
The method for manufacturing a non-aqueous secondary battery electrode according to claim 1, wherein the second solvent has a lower boiling point that the first solvent ([0067] teaches N-methylpyrrolidone as the first solvent, which has a boiling point of approximately 202°C; see attached n-methylpyrrolidone MSDS. [0062] teaches the use of acetonitrile as the second solvent, which has a boiling point of approximately 81°C; see attached acetonitrile MSDS).
Further, Xu/Lee teaches butyl butyrate as the first solvent, which has a boiling point of approximately 165°C, and toluene as the second solvent, which has a boiling point of approximately 110.6°C.
Regarding Claim 3, Xu meets the claimed,
The method for manufacturing a non-aqueous secondary battery electrode according to claim 1, wherein in the stacking, when the positive electrode layer and the adhesive layer are stacked, the second solvent is present at least in the adhesive layer ([0062] teaches solid electrolyte LLTO and acetonitrile to form an adhesive layer solution, which means the adhesive layer would have some amount of acetonitrile, the second solvent, present).
Regarding Claim 4, Xu meets the claimed,
The method for manufacturing a non-aqueous secondary battery electrode according to claim 3, wherein the adhesive layer solution does not include a binder ([0096] teaches the buffer additive being vinylene carbonate, which is not a typical binder, and thus does not possess an adhesive layer solution with a binder).
Regarding Claim 5, Xu meets the claimed,
The method for manufacturing a non-aqueous secondary battery electrode according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer solution includes a same type of binder as the binder included in the positive electrode layer solution ([0057] teaches that polyethylene oxide is present in the positive electrode material layer 11. [0062] teaches an embodiment where polyethylene oxide is present in the buffer adhesive layer 32).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include polyethylene oxide as the buffer additive instead of vinylene carbonate to increase the cycle life and decrease the battery short-circuit rate (see Xu Table 1, Example 1 vs Example 6, wherein Example 1 is the PEO solution and Example 6 is the VC solution).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shike et al. (US 2024/0120492) teaches a binder solution that contains a binder and a solid electrolyte.
Oura et al. (US 2021/0126253) teaches a second solvent with a higher boiling point than a first solvent, as well as an explanation as to benefits this would have on the binder.
Tanaka et al. (US 2018/0327639) teaches an adhesive layer with organic particles and a binder. Also teaches that including an adhesive layer limits the occurrence of wrinkles due to displacement of the separator upon winding or lamination.
Ryu et al. (US 2014/0178740) teaches the use of two different solvents used in two different slurries for the purpose of making two different layers for the purpose of adhesion between the separator and the electrode.
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/A.Y.H./ Examiner, Art Unit 1744
/MICHAEL M. ROBINSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744
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