Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Application No. 18/606,185

Lithium Secondary Battery

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 15, 2024
Priority
Mar 20, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0035847 +1 more
Examiner
ZENG, LINGWEN R
Art Unit
1723
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
LG Energy Solution Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
6m
Est. Remaining
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allowance Rate
420 granted / 548 resolved
+11.6% vs TC avg
Strong +20% interview lift
Without
With
+20.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
594
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
64.0%
+24.0% vs TC avg
§102
24.0%
-16.0% vs TC avg
§112
6.3%
-33.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 548 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statements (IDS) were submitted on 03/15/2024, 09/04/2024, 05/01/2025 and 07/31/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. 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. Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by CN107104245A to Wang et al. (Google Translation) With respect to claims 1 and 2, Wang et al. teach a lithium secondary battery comprising: a positive electrode; a negative electrode; a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material, the positive electrode material includes 0.25Li2MnO3·0.75Li(Ni0.5Mn0.5)O2 (a perlithium manganese-rich oxide) containing about 62.5% (50 mol % or more) of Mn based on all metal elements excluding lithium, and having a molar ratio of lithium to transition metal of 1.25 (exceeding about 1), the non-aqueous electrolyte includes a lithium ion and an organic solvent, the organic solvent includes a first organic solvent and a second organic solvent, the first organic solvent includes ethylene carbonate, and the second organic solvent includes diethyl carbonate and propyl propionate (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 3, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein mass ratio of the first organic solvent and the second organic solvent is about 15:41 or a calculated volume ratio of 17:83 (a volume ratio of the first organic solvent and the second organic solvent is about 10:90 to 50:50) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 4, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein a volume ratio of the diethyl carbonate and the propyl propionate is about 28:72 (about 1:99 to 99:1) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 5, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein a volume ratio of the diethyl carbonate and the propyl propionate is about 28:72 (about 12:88 to 88:12) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 6, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein the organic solvent includes about 15% by mass or about 15% by volume (10% by volume to 50% by volume) of the ethylene carbonate, about 15% by mass or 21% by volume (5% by volume to 80% by volume) of the diethyl carbonate, and about 36% by mass or 54% by volume (5% by volume to 80% by volume) of the propyl propionate (about 12:88 to 88:12) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 7, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein the second organic solvent further includes ethyl methyl carbonate (Wang et al.: Page 4, Paragraph 9). With respect to claim 8, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein the second organic solvent further includes ethyl methyl carbonate (Wang et al.: Page 4, Paragraph 9). With respect to claim 9, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein the non-aqueous electrolyte further includes an additive, and the additive includes vinylene carbonate (Wang et al.: Page 4, Paragraph 9). With respect to claim 10, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein the lithium salt includes LiPF6 (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 11, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein the lithium salt is included in the non-aqueous electrolyte in a molar concentration of 1.2 M (about 0.5 M to 5.0 M) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 12, Wang et al. teach the lithium secondary battery, wherein the negative electrode includes a negative electrode active material, and the negative electrode active material includes pure silicon nano wire or native graphite (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claims 13 and 14, Wang et al. teach a method of manufacturing a lithium secondary battery, comprising: storing, in a battery case, an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and injecting a non-aqueous electrolyte into the battery case in which the electrode assembly is stored, wherein the positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material, the positive electrode material includes 0.25Li2MnO3·0.75Li(Ni0.5Mn0.5)O2 (a perlithium manganese-rich oxide) containing about 62.5% (50 mol % or more) of Mn based on all metal elements excluding lithium, and having a molar ratio of lithium to transition metal of 1.25 (exceeding about 1), the non-aqueous electrolyte includes a lithium ion and an organic solvent, the organic solvent includes a first organic solvent and a second organic solvent, the first organic solvent includes ethylene carbonate, and the second organic solvent includes diethyl carbonate and propyl propionate (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 15, Wang et al. teach the method, wherein mass ratio of the first organic solvent and the second organic solvent is about 15:41 or a calculated volume ratio of 17:83 (a volume ratio of the first organic solvent and the second organic solvent is about 10:90 to 50:50) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 16, Wang et al. teach the method, wherein a volume ratio of the diethyl carbonate and the propyl propionate is about 28:72 (about 1:99 to 99:1) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 17, Wang et al. teach the method, wherein a volume ratio of the diethyl carbonate and the propyl propionate is about 28:72 (about 12:88 to 88:12) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). With respect to claim 18, Wang et al. teach the method, wherein the organic solvent includes about 15% by mass or about 15% by volume (10% by volume to 50% by volume) of the ethylene carbonate, about 15% by mass or 21% by volume (5% by volume to 80% by volume) of the diethyl carbonate, and about 36% by mass or 54% by volume (5% by volume to 80% by volume) of the propyl propionate (about 12:88 to 88:12) (Wang et al.: Page 8; Example 12). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LINGWEN R ZENG whose telephone number is (571)272-6649. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm. 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, Tiffany Legette can be reached on (571) 270-7078. 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. /LINGWEN R ZENG/Examiner, Art Unit 1723 9/23/2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 15, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12770964
END COVER ASSEMBLY, BATTERY CELL, BATTERY, AND ELECTRIC APPARATUS
3y 3m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12770919
POLYMER SOLID ELECTROLYTE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME
2y 7m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12763438
Battery Module and Battery Pack Including the Same
5y 2m to grant Granted Oct 13, 2026
Patent 12763392
BATTERY PACK WITH MULTI-LAYERED THERMAL ENERGY TRANSFER ASSEMBLY AND THERMAL ENERGY TRANSFER METHOD
4y 4m to grant Granted Oct 13, 2026
Patent 12756031
TRACTION BATTERY PACK THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD
3y 7m to grant Granted Oct 06, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
77%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+20.2%)
3y 1m (~6m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 548 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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