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
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.
Claims 1-6, 8-10, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seok et al. (US2021/0057702 “Seok”) in view of Kwok et al. (US2020/0243828, “Kwok”).
With respect to claims 1, 4-5, and 8:
Seok discloses an electrode assembly with a negative and positive electrode (see paragraph [0008]). Seok discloses that the assembly has a current collector 1 and an electrode active material 2 that are stacked (i.e. an electrode active material on the current collector) (see paragraph [0062]). Seok discloses that a first functional layer (i.e. coating layer) is electrospun with the electrode active material layer (see paragraphs [0113]-[paragraph [0114]). Seok discloses that electrode assembly is for a rechargeable battery (see paragraph [0085]). Seok discloses that the first functional layer (i.e. coating layer) includes a fibrous polymer and a heat-resistant polymer (see paragraph [0035]). Seok discloses that the fibrous polymer includes polyvinylidene fluoride (i.e. fluorine-based polymer) (see paragraph [0038]). Seok discloses that the heat-resistant polymer includes polyacrylonitrile (i.e. nitrile-based polymer) (paragraph [0040]).
Seok does not disclose that the coating layer comprises a composition of inorganic particles, and the coating layer has a puncture strength of about 15 to about 100-gram force (gf) and a tensile strength of about 120 to about 1,000 kilogram force per square centimeter (kgf/cm2).
Kwok discloses a lithium secondary battery with an electrode active material and a coating layer of polymer fibers with a combination of fluorine-based polymers and nitrile-based polymers (see paragraph [0009] and paragraphs [0015-0016]). Kwok discloses that the coating can include filling agents including TiO2, MgO, SiO2, SrTiO3, Al2O3, CaO, BaTiO3, and ZrO2 (see paragraph [0092]) in order to enhance mechanical strength, durability, integrity, and puncture strength.
Therefore, in light of the motivation for using inorganic particles as filling agents in a coating layer made up of fluoride and nitrile based polymers as disclosed by Kwok, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add inorganic particles to the coating layer of Seok to enhance mechanical strength, durability, integrity, and puncture strength.
Given that Seok in view of Kwok disclose an electrode assembly with a coating layer identical to that presently claimed, it is clear that the coating layer would inherently exhibit the puncture strength and tensile strength as presently claimed.
With respect to claim 2:
Seok in view of Kwok disclose the electrode assembly as set forth above.
A woven structure requires an electrospinning method. Seok discloses an electrospinning method for preparing the first functional layer (i.e. coating layer) to form a three-dimensional network mesh form as presently claimed (see paragraph [0030] and paragraph [0034]). Therefore, the composition of polymer nanofibers as disclosed by Seok in view of Kwok necessarily has a woven structure.
With respect to claim 3:
Seok in view of Kwok disclose the electrode assembly as set forth above.
Seok discloses the weight of the fibrous polymer (i.e. fluorine-based polymer) and heat-resistant polymer (i.e. nitrile-based polymer) is in the range of 5:5 to 8:2 (see paragraph ([0041]).
With respect to claim 6:
Seok in view of Kwok disclose the electrode assembly as set forth above.
Seok discloses that the single fiber of the fibrous polymer (i.e. fluorine-based polymer) and heat-resistant polymer (i.e. nitrile-based polymer) has an average diameter of 900nm to 1700 nm (see paragraph [0043]).
With respect to claim 9:
Seok in view of Kwok disclose the electrode assembly as set forth above.
Seok does not disclose the limitation that an average particle diameter (D50) of each inorganic particle is about 10 to about 1000nm.
Kwok discloses that ceramic particles (i.e. inorganic particles) have a diameter that is between 5 nm to 300 nm in order to make it more difficult for lithium dendrites to form during the cycling process. (see paragraph [0093]).
Therefore, in light of the motivation to use inorganic particles with a specific diameter range as disclosed by Kwok as set forth above, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use inorganic particles that have a diameter between 5 nm and 300 nm in Seok to make it more difficult for lithium dendrites to form during the cycling process.
With respect to claim 10:
Seok in view of Kwok disclose the electrode assembly as set forth above.
Seok discloses the thickness of the first functional layer (i.e. coating layer) is between 1 micrometer to 12 micrometers (see paragraph ([0027]).
With respect to claim 12:
Seok in view of Kwok disclose the electrode assembly as set forth above.
Seok does not disclose the limitation that the rechargeable lithium battery excludes a separate separator.
Kwok discloses that a lithium-ion battery that is a separator free battery and does not include a separate separator (see paragraph [0010]) in order to not limit the minimum size of electrodes, not suffer from electrical shorts, and not require complex manufacturing methods or expensive materials (see paragraph [0007]).
Therefore, in light of the motivation to exclude a separate separator as disclosed by Kwok above, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to exclude a separate separator in Seok in order to not limit the minimum size of electrodes, not suffer from electrical shorts, and not require complex manufacturing methods or expensive materials.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seok et al. (US2021/0057702 “Seok”) in view of Kwok et al. (US2020/0243828, “Kwok”) as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Kwon et al. (US2023/0307789, “Kwon”).
With respect to claim 7:
Seok in view of Kwok disclose the electrode assembly as set forth above.
Seok in view of Kwok does not disclose an amount of inorganic particles in an upper portion of the coating layer is greater than an amount of the composition of inorganic particles in a lower portion of the coating layer.
Kwon discloses a lithium battery that has a coating with 3 layers on a separator layer (see paragraphs [0011-0014, 0016]) wherein the content of the inorganic particles has a concentration gradient with which it increases from the top layer to the bottom layer based on the thickness direction of the porous coating in order to improve heat resistance of the separator (see paragraphs [0018, 0049]).
Therefore, in light of the motivation to have an amount of inorganic particles in an upper portion of the coating layer is greater than an amount of the composition of inorganic particles in a lower portion of the coating layer, as disclosed by Kwon above, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to use an amount of inorganic particles with a gradient, such that the upper portion of the coating layer has a greater amount of the composition of inorganic particles than in the lower portion of the coating layer in Seok in view of Kwok in order to improve heat resistance of the separator.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seok et al. (US2021/0057702 “Seok”) in view of Kwok et al. (US2020/0243828, “Kwok”) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Yamashita et al. (US2017/0271717, “Yamashita”).
With respect to claim 11:
Seok in view of Kwok disclose the electrode assembly as set forth above.
Seok in view of Kwok does not disclose a carbon layered foil (CLF) layer that is between the current collector and the electrode active material layer.
Yamashita discloses a secondary battery with a current collector which has a carbon containing layer where the current collector has the carbon containing layer on it, and the active material applied on top of the electrode current collector (see paragraphs [0013, 0058]) in order to suppress corrosion on the electrode current collector (see paragraph [0021]).
Therefore, in light of the motivation to have a carbon layered foil layer that is between the current collector and the electrode active material as disclosed by Yamashita, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have a carbon layered foil on the current collector of Seok in view of Kwok to reduce corrosion on the electrode current collector.
Conclusion
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/Joshua J Zacharia/Examiner, Art Unit 1787
/CALLIE E SHOSHO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1787
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