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 § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kawai at al. (WO 2021166663 A1, wherein all citations are to the English machine translation provided).
Regarding claim 1, Kawai discloses an electrochemical device (para 12, “lithium ion secondary battery”), comprising: a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator (para 93), and an electrolytic solution (para 12); wherein the electrolytic solution comprises a lithium salt (LiPF6), an organic solvent (ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate), and an additive (para 12); a normal-temperature conductivity of the electrolytic solution is 5 mS/cm or more (para 24; Table 3) and a single-side positive coating weight is 20mg/cm2 (0.0002 g/mm2) or more (para 87). Kawai discloses b ≥ 50.859a2 – 16.044a + 8.2071, wherein 0.2 ≤ a ≤ 0.55.
Claim
Reference
Coating Weight
a g/1540.25 mm2
0.0002 g/ mm2 (para 87)
Conductivity
b mS/cm
14.89 mS/cm (Table 3)
0.2 ≤ a ≤ 0.55.
a
1540.25
=
0.0002
a = 0.30805
b ≥ 50.859a2 – 16.044a + 8.2071
Plugging in 0.30805 into a
14.89 ≥ 8.091
Regarding claim 2, Kawai discloses b is preferably 5 mS / cm or more (para 24; Table 3).
Regarding claim 3, Kawai discloses electrolyte solution containing LiPF6 at various mol percentages (para 19). More specifically, Kawai discloses electrolyte solution containing LiPF6 at 1.2 mol/L in a 30:70 volume ratio of ethylene carbonate (EC) to methyl propionate (MP) (Table 3). The molecular weight of LiPF6 and the density of EC and MP are known. The molecular weight of LiPF6 is 151.9 g/mol. The density of EC and MP is 1.32 g/mL and 0.915 g/mL respectively.
LiPF6 = 1.2 mol/L [Wingdings font/0xE0] 1.2 (151.9) = 182.28 g
EC = 30 [Wingdings font/0xE0] 300 mL (1.32 g/mL) = 396 g
MP = 70 L [Wingdings font/0xE0] 700 mL (0.915 g/mL) = 640.5 g
Mass Percent of LiPF6 in electrolyte solution =
182.3
182.28
+
396
+
640.5
X
100
=
14.95
%
Based on the disclosed composition and the known molecular weight/densities of the constituents, the LiPF6 necessarily constitutes 14.95 wt% of the total electrolytic solution.
Claim
Reference
Mass % of Li Salt
C %
14.95 %
0.2 ≤ a ≤ 0.4,
c ≥ 1707a3 – 1393.9a2 + 391.4a – 30.28;
From Claim 1, a = 0.30805
Plugging in 0.30805 into equation from claim,
14.95 ≥ 7.9165
0.4 < a ≤ 0.55,
12.5 ≤ c ≤ 16.25.
Coating weight = 26 mg/cm2,
a = 0.4,
Plugging in 0.4 into equation from claim,
12.5 ≤ 12.5486 ≤16.25
Accordingly, Kawai discloses a relationship between c and a satisfies: when 0.2 ≤ a ≤ 0.4, c ≥ 1707a3 – 1393.9a2 + 391.4a – 30.28; and when 0.4 < a ≤ 0.55, 12.5 ≤ c ≤ 16.25.
Regarding claim 4, Kawai discloses based on a total mass of the electrolytic solution, a mass percent of the lithium salt is c%, wherein 6.25 ≤ c ≤ 18.75 (refer to rejection of claim 3).
Regarding claim 5, Kawai discloses the additive comprises fluorinated carbonate (para 46); based on a total mass of the electrolytic solution, a mass percent of the fluorinated carbonate is 0.1-5% (para 49). Kawai additionally discloses 10a – 3 ≤ d ≤ 4, and 0.3 ≤ a ≤ 0.55.
Claim
Reference
Mass % of fluorinated carbonate
d %
0.3%
0.3 ≤ a ≤ 0.55
10a – 3 ≤ d ≤ 4
From Claim 1, a = 0.30805
Plugging in 0.30805 into equation from claim,
0.0805 ≤ d ≤ 4
0.0805 ≤ 0.3 ≤ 4
Regarding claim 6, Kawai discloses the organic solvent comprises an organic solvent (para 38, “methyl propionate”). MP has 4 carbon atoms. Kawai discloses MP constitutes 30 to 95% by volume in the electrolyte solution (para 34). More specifically, referring to rejection of claim 3:
Mass Percent of MP in electrolyte solution =
640.5
182.28
+
396
+
640.5
X
100
=
52.55
%
Based on the disclosed composition and the known molecular weight/densities of the constituents, the MP necessarily constitutes 52.55 wt% of the total electrolytic solution. Accordingly, Kawai discloses a mass percent of the organic solvent with at most 5 carbon atoms is greater than or equal to 30%.
Regarding claim 7, Kawai discloses the organic solvent with at most 5 carbon atoms (MP) has a boiling point of at most 80 °C (para 36) and the organic solvent with at most 5 carbon atoms comprises methyl propionate (para 38).
Regarding claim 8, Kawai discloses the electrolytic solution further comprises ethylene carbonate (para 12).
Regarding claim 9, Kawai discloses the additive comprises an S=O functional group-containing compound (para 40, “cyclic sulfate ester”); and the S=O functional group-containing compound is ethylene sulfate (para 128, “1,3,2 dioxathiolane-2,2-dioxide” (DTD)).
Regarding claim 10, Kawai discloses based on a total mass of the electrolytic solution, a mass percent of the S=O functional group-containing compound is 0.5% (para 128).
Regarding claim 11, Kawai discloses the electrolytic solution comprises an organic solvent with at most 5 carbon atoms having a boiling point of at most 120 °C (refer to rejection of claim 7), and ethylene carbonate (para 12). Kawai further discloses a volume ratio between the organic solvent with at most 5 carbon atoms and the ethylene carbonate is 70:30 (refer to rejection of claim 3).
70
(
0.915
)
30
(
1.32
)
=
1.63
Based on the disclosed composition and the known molecular weight/densities of the constituents, the total electrolytic solution necessarily constitutes mass ratio of 1.63 between the organic solvent with at most 5 carbon atoms and the ethylene carbonate.
Regarding claim 12, Kawai discloses the lithium salt is lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) (para 12); and the additive comprises a lithium-containing additive (para 42-43, “oxalate borate” and “dihalogenated phosphate”); and the lithium-containing additive is LiPO2F2 (para 43).
Regarding claim 13, Kawai discloses the positive electrode comprises a positive active material layer; and the positive active material comprises at least one of lithium iron phosphate or lithium manganese iron phosphate (para 67).
Regarding claim 14, Kawai discloses the negative electrode comprises a graphite material (para 12). Kawai teaches “negative electrode active material layer may contain a known negative electrode active material other than graphite” (para 78). Kawai further states “Si-containing negative electrode active material is known as a high-capacity negative electrode active material” (para 2). Accordingly, Kawai discloses the graphite material comprises Si.
Regarding claim 15, Kawai discloses an electronic device (para 101), comprising an electrochemical device, the electrochemical device comprises a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and an electrolytic solution; wherein the electrolytic solution comprises a lithium salt, an organic solvent, and an additive; a normal-temperature conductivity of the electrolytic solution is b mS/cm, a single-side positive coating weight is a g/1540.25 mm2, and b ≥ 50.859a2 – 16.044a + 8.2071, wherein 0.2 ≤ a ≤ 0.55 (refer to rejection of claim 1).
Conclusion
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/A.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1746
/SCOTT W DODDS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1746
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