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 § 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 1-18 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.
Regarding claims 1 and 13, P/(w% + 1) ≥ 50% is indefinite for two reasons. First, the P has no units because it is a ratio of porosities while w% is a percentage. Thus, the two do not have matching units to be compared to a percentage. Second, w% is a percentage, while 1 is just an integer without a unit. Therefore, the two do not have matching units to be compared to a percentage.
Claims 3, 4, 15 and 16 are indefinite for the same reasons described above for claims 1 and 13.
Also, claims 1 and 13 recite that “at least one of R11 or R12 is selected from fluorine-substituted C1 to C3 alkyls. If only one of R11 and R12 is a fluorine-substituted C1 to C3 alkyl, then there is no description for what the other one is.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wen (U.S. Patent Publication 2021/0328268) teaches an electrochemical device comprising an anode current collector, a skeleton layer on the anode current collector, and an electrolyte comprising fluoroethers which correspond to II-9 and II-10 of claim 2 of the present invention (Paragraphs 0006, 0143). However, Wen fails to teach a porosity gradient in the skeleton layer and the relationship between the porosity ratio of the different portions of the anode active material layer and the mass percentage of the electrolyte additive.
Wang (U.S. Patent Publication 2020/0099098) teaches an electrochemical device comprising an anode current collector, an active material layer or skeleton layer on the anode current collector, and an electrolyte comprising a fluoroether (Paragraphs 0058-0065, 0110-0112). However, Wang fails to teach a porosity gradient in the anode active material and the relationship between the porosity ratio of the different portions of the anode active material layer and the mass percentage of the electrolyte additive.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRITTANY L RAYMOND whose telephone number is (571)272-6545. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 am-6 pm.
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BRITTANY L. RAYMOND
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1722
/BRITTANY L RAYMOND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722