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 .
Foreign Priority Documents
The Korean foreign priority document(s) 10-2023-0112176 , submitted under 35
U.S.C. § 119 (a)-(d), was/were been received on July 9, 2024 and placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed May 23, 2024, July 23, 2024, November 19, 2024 & April 10, 2025 has/have been received and complies with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, 1.98 and MPEP § 609. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner, and an initialed copied is attached herewith.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7-8, 13-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ionescu et al. US-20220380606-A1 in view of 김영민 et al. KR-102461948-B1.
With respect to claim 1, Ionescu teaches a negative electrode active material (anode slurry; [0023]), comprising: silicon nanoparticles (particles 100 can be nanoparticles, mesoparticles, microparticles, macroparticles, and/or any suitable particles. The particles are preferably made of silicon; [0033]) comprising an amorphous carbon coating layer on a surface of the silicon nanoparticles (the silicon material can be coated with amorphous carbon; [0034]); and pores (porosity of the silicon material (e.g., a porosity of the interior of the silicon material) is preferably between about 5% and 90%, but can be less than 5% or greater than 90%l [0040]). With respect to claim 2, the mesopores have a size of about 2 nm to about 50 nm (pore size of the silicon material is preferably between about 0.5 and 200 nm, but the pore size can be smaller than 0.5 nm or greater than 200 nm; [0040]). With respect to claim 13, the negative electrode active material has a specific surface area (BET) of about 0.5 m2/g to about 2 m2/g (BET; 0.5 m.sup.2/g, 1 m.sup.2/g, 2 m.sup.2/g; [0047] – [0048]). With respect to claim 14, the negative electrode active material has a specific surface area (BET) of about 0.8 m2/g to about 2 m2/g (BET; 0.5 m.sup.2/g, 1 m.sup.2/g, 2 m.sup.2/g; [0047] – [0048]). With respect to claim 15, the negative electrode active material has a specific surface area (BET) of about 0.8 m2/g to about 1.5 m2/g (BET; 0.5 m.sup.2/g, 1 m.sup.2/g, 2 m.sup.2/g; [0047] – [0048]). With respect to claim 17, the silicon nanoparticles have a particle diameter of about 10 nm to about 1,000 nm (characteristic size of the particles is preferably between about 1 nm to about 2000 nm such as 2 nm, 5 nm, 10 nm, 20 nm, 25 nm, 30 nm, 50 nm, 75 nm, 100 nm, 125 nm, 150 nm, 175 nm, 200 nm, 250 nm, 300 nm, 400 nm, 500 nm, 1000 nm; The characteristic size can includes the diameter; [0034]-[0036]). With respect to claim 18, a rechargeable lithium battery ( Li-ion battery; [0023[; Examiners Note: Li-ion batteries are rechargeable based on electrochemistry) , comprising: a negative electrode (anode material comprising silicon material 10; [0023]); a positive electrode; and an electrolyte (Examiners Note: Li-ion batteries are rechargeable based on electrochemistry, and include electrodes of opposing polarity and electrolytes by definition). With respect to claim 20, the negative electrode comprises the negative electrode active material as a first negative electrode active material (the silicon material can be coated with carbon; form a composite, alloy, compound (e.g., silicon carbide), material, and/or other chemical species with carbon; and/or can otherwise include carbon. Examiners Note: Thus carbon can be present as two different active materials; [0034]) and further includes crystalline carbon as a second negative electrode active material (The carbon can include graphite; Examiners Note: graphite is crystalline; [0034]).
Ionescu does not teach with sufficient specificity: the negative electrode active material has a sphericity as represented by Equation 1 of about 0.9 to about 1.0, the pores comprises mesopores, and a ratio of a mesopores volume relative to a total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 30% or more and less than about 70%, and [Equation 1] Sphericity (S)= 4π x A/B2 in Equation 1, A is an area of the negative electrode active material and B is a circumference of a shape of the negative electrode active material (claim 1); the ratio of the mesopore volume relative to the total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 30% to about 68% (claim 3); the sphericity of the negative electrode active material is about 0.92 to about 0.98 (claim 7); the sphericity of the negative electrode active material is about 0.92 to about 0.95 (claim 8); the total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 0.001 cm3/g to about 0.01 cm3/g (claim 16); the amorphous carbon coating layer has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 2 μm (claim 18).
김영민 teaches that it is well known in the art to employ: a ratio of a mesopores volume relative to a total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 30% or more and less than about 70%, ( the pore size of the negative active material composite 1 may be 200 nm or less, for example, 170 nm or less, 150 nm or less, 130 nm or less, 100 nm or less, or 50 nm or less; DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, PARAGRAPH 25; he negative active material composite 1, the total pore volume of the pores 15 having a size of 200 nm or less is 3.0 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, for example, 2.5 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 2.3 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 2.0 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.9 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.8 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.7 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less g or less, 1.6 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.5 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.4 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.3 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.2 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.1 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 1.0 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, 0.9 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less, or 0.8 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less may be below; DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, PARAGRAPH 23; Examiners Note: mesopores are 2-50nm by definition, and included in the above 50 nm or less teaching, and the total pore volume is 0.8 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less may be below both teaches embrace the mesopores of instant claim 2, and the total pore volume of the negative electrode active material may be about 0.001 cm3/g to about 0.01 cm3/g in the instant specification at [0025]; Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect a ratio of a mesopores volume relative to a total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 30% or more and less than about 70%; claim 1).
Ionescu and 김영민 are analogous art from the same field of endeavor, namely fabricating negative electrode active material including porous silicon coated with amorphous carbon for lithium batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ a ratio of a mesopores volume relative to a total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 30% or more and less than about 70% as suggested by 김영민, in the negative electrode active material of Ionescu to increase utilization of the electrode. The skilled artisan recognizes that controlling porosity characteristics directly effects utilization. Additionally, regarding the teachings of 김영민, mesopores are 2-50nm by definition, and included in the above 50 nm or less teaching, and the total pore volume is 0.8 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less may be below both teaches embrace the mesopores of instant claim 2, and the total pore volume of the negative electrode active material may be about 0.001 cm3/g to about 0.01 cm3/g in the instant specification at [0025]. Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect a ratio of a mesopores volume relative to a total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 30% or more and less than about 70%. Furthermore, "where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." See In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). The discovery of an optimum value of a known result effective variable, without producing any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of a person of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980) (see MPEP § 2144.05, II.). With respect to the negative electrode active material has a sphericity as represented by Equation 1 of about 0.9 to about 1.0, the pores comprises mesopores, and [Equation 1] Sphericity (S)= 4π x A/B2 in Equation 1, A is an area of the negative electrode active material and B is a circumference of a shape of the negative electrode active material (claim 1); it would have been obvious negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민, to increase contact area which improves overall electrode performance. Ionescu teaches:
A characteristic size of the particles is preferably between about 1 nm to about 2000 nm such as 2 nm, 5 nm, 10 nm, 20 nm, 25 nm, 30 nm, 50 nm, 75 nm, 100 nm, 125 nm, 150 nm, 175 nm, 200 nm, 250 nm, 300 nm, 400 nm, 500 nm, 1000 nm, or 1500 nm. However, the characteristic size can additionally or alternatively be less than about 1 nm and/or greater than about 2000 nm. For instance (as shown for example in FIG. 5A, 9A, or 10A), a fused particle can have a characteristic size between about 1 μm and 10 μm (e.g., 1-3 μm, 3-5 μm, 5-10 μm, 3-10 μm, 3-7 μm, 1-5 μm, 1-7 μm, 0.9-3 μm, 8-12 μm, other values or ranges therein, etc.), and the particles that make up the fused particle can have a characteristic size between about 2 and 500 nm (e.g., 1-10 nm, 10-50 nm, 10-100 nm, 20-200 nm, 50-500 nm, 50-525 nm, 10-550 nm, 100-500 nm, values or ranges therein, etc.). The characteristic size can include the radius, diameter, circumference, longest dimension, shortest dimension, length, width, height, pore size, a shell thickness, and/or any size or dimension of the particle. The characteristic size of the particles is preferably distributed on a size distribution. See paragraph [0036]. Furthermore, some applications may be enhanced or improved by spherification of silicon material (e.g., particles thereof) and therefore processes that favor (e.g., enhance, increase the occurrence of, etc.) spherification (e.g., intermittent milling such as with a 1-50% duty cycle where active milling is occurring) may be performed. See Ionescu at [0029]. Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect the sphericity formula to be sphericity at about 0.9 to about 1.0. Furthermore regarding sphericity, "where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." See In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). The discovery of an optimum value of a known result effective variable, without producing any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of a person of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980) (see MPEP § 2144.05, II.). Lastly, change in shape of essential working parts of a device is prima facie obvious. See In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
With respect to the ratio of the mesopore volume relative to the total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 30% to about 68% (claim 3); it would have been obvious negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민, to increase utilization of the electrode. The skilled artisan recognizes that controlling porosity characteristics directly effects utilization. Additionally, regarding the teachings of 김영민, mesopores are 2-50nm by definition, and included in the above 50 nm or less teaching, and the total pore volume is 0.8 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less may be below (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, PARAGRAPH 23) both teaches embrace the mesopores of instant claim 2, and the total pore volume of the negative electrode active material may be about 0.001 cm3/g to about 0.01 cm3/g in the instant specification at [0025]. Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect a ratio of a mesopores volume relative to a total pore volume of the negative electrode active material is about 30% to about 68%. Furthermore, "where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." See In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). The discovery of an optimum value of a known result effective variable, without producing any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of a person of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980) (see MPEP § 2144.05, II.).
With respect to the sphericity of the negative electrode active material is about 0.92 to about 0.98 (claim 7); it would have been obvious negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민, to increase contact area which improves overall electrode performance. See sphericity analysis of claim 1, hereinabove. Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect the sphericity formula to be sphericity at about 0.92 to about 0.98. Furthermore regarding sphericity, "where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." See In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). The discovery of an optimum value of a known result effective variable, without producing any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of a person of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980) (see MPEP § 2144.05, II.). Lastly, change in shape of essential working parts of a device is prima facie obvious. See In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
With respect to the sphericity of the negative electrode active material is about 0.92 to about 0.95 (claim 8); it would have been obvious negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민, to increase contact area which improves overall electrode performance. See sphericity analysis of claim 1, hereinabove. Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect the sphericity formula to be sphericity at about 0.92 to about 0.98. Furthermore regarding sphericity, "where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." See In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). The discovery of an optimum value of a known result effective variable, without producing any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of a person of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980) (see MPEP § 2144.05, II.). Lastly, change in shape of essential working parts of a device is prima facie obvious. See In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
With respect to the total pore volume of the negative electrode active material being about 0.001 cm3/g to about 0.01 cm3/g (claim 16); it would have been obvious negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민, to increase utilization of the electrode. The skilled artisan recognizes that controlling porosity characteristics directly effects utilization. Additionally, regarding the teachings of 김영민, the total pore volume is 0.8 x 10 .sup.-2 cm .sup.3 /g or less may be below. See (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, PARAGRAPH 23). Furthermore regarding sphericity, "where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." See In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). The discovery of an optimum value of a known result effective variable, without producing any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of a person of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980) (see MPEP § 2144.05, II.). Lastly, change in shape of essential working parts of a device is prima facie obvious. See In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
With respect to the amorphous carbon coating layer has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 2 μm (claim 18); it would have been obvious negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민, to increase conductivity of the active material. A change in size of essential working parts of a device is prima facie obvious. See In re Rose, 220 F.2d 459, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955). Furthermore regarding sphericity, "where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." See In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). The discovery of an optimum value of a known result effective variable, without producing any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of a person of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980) (see MPEP § 2144.05, II.). Lastly, change in shape of essential working parts of a device is prima facie obvious. See In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
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.
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ionescu et al. US-20220380606-A1 in view of 김영민 et al. KR-102461948-B1, and further in view of YAMAMOTO et al. US-20190260020-A1.
Ionescu in view of 김영민 teach a negative electrode active material (anode slurry; [0023]), comprising: silicon nanoparticles (particles 100 can be nanoparticles, mesoparticles, microparticles, macroparticles, and/or any suitable particles. The particles are preferably made of silicon; [0033]) comprising an amorphous carbon coating layer on a surface of the silicon nanoparticles (the silicon material can be coated with amorphous carbon; [0034]); and pores (porosity of the silicon material (e.g., a porosity of the interior of the silicon material) is preferably between about 5% and 90%, but can be less than 5% or greater than 90%l [0040]), as described in the rejection recited hereinabove.
Ionescu does not teach with sufficient specificity: the negative electrode active material has a span as defined by Equation 2 of about 1.1 to about 1.6, and [Equation 2] Span= (D90-D10)/D50 in Equation 2, D10 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 10 volume% in a particle size distribution, D50 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 50 volume% in the particle size distribution, and D90 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 90 volume% in the particle size distribution (claim 4); the span of the negative electrode active material is about 1.1 to about 1.55 (claim 5); the span of the negative electrode active material is about 1.1 to about 1.5 (claim 6).
YAMAMOTO teaches that it is well known in the art to employ: the negative electrode active material has a span as defined by Equation 2 of about 1.1 to about 1.6, and [Equation 2] Span= (D90-D10)/D50 in Equation 2, D10 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 10 volume% in a particle size distribution, D50 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 50 volume% in the particle size distribution, and D90 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 90 volume% in the particle size distribution (D10: negative electrode material in an embodiment of the present invention has a 10% particle diameter (D10) in a volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material is 3.5 μm to 9 μm, more preferably from 5 μm to 8 μm; [0038]; D90: (D.sub.90) in the volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material is 20 μm to 50 μm, more preferably from 30 μm to 45 μm [0040]; D50: negative electrode material in an embodiment of the present invention has a 50% particle diameter (D50) in the volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material measured through laser diffractometry of preferably from 8 μm to 25 μm, more preferably from 12 μm to 20 μm [0039]; Examiners Note: 30-8/20= 1.1; claim 4); the span of the negative electrode active material is about 1.1 to about 1.55 (D10: negative electrode material in an embodiment of the present invention has a 10% particle diameter (D10) in a volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material is 3.5 μm to 9 μm, more preferably from 5 μm to 8 μm; [0038]; D90: (D.sub.90) in the volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material is 20 μm to 50 μm, more preferably from 30 μm to 45 μm [0040]; D50: negative electrode material in an embodiment of the present invention has a 50% particle diameter (D50) in the volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material measured through laser diffractometry of preferably from 8 μm to 25 μm, more preferably from 12 μm to 20 μm [0039]; Examiners Note: 30-8/20= 1.1; claim 5); the span of the negative electrode active material is about 1.1 to about 1.5 (D10: negative electrode material in an embodiment of the present invention has a 10% particle diameter (D10) in a volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material is 3.5 μm to 9 μm, more preferably from 5 μm to 8 μm; [0038]; D90: (D.sub.90) in the volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material is 20 μm to 50 μm, more preferably from 30 μm to 45 μm [0040]; D50: negative electrode material in an embodiment of the present invention has a 50% particle diameter (D50) in the volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of the negative electrode material measured through laser diffractometry of preferably from 8 μm to 25 μm, more preferably from 12 μm to 20 μm [0039]; Examiners Note: 30-8/20= 1.1; claim 6).
Ionescu, 김영민 and YAMAMOTO are analogous art from the same field of endeavor, namely fabricating negative electrode active material containing porous silicon and amorphous carbon for lithium batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the negative electrode active material has a span as defined by Equation 2 of about 1.1 to about 1.6, and [Equation 2] Span= (D90-D10)/D50 in Equation 2, D10 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 10 volume% in a particle size distribution, D50 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 50 volume% in the particle size distribution, and D90 refers to a diameter of the negative electrode active material particles with a cumulative volume of 90 volume% in the particle size distribution taught by YAMAMOTO, in the negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민, to improve electrode density. The skilled artisan recognizes that partial distribution size directly effects electrode density and thus energy storage and power output.
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.
Claim(s) 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ionescu et al. US-20220380606-A1 in view of 김영민 et al. KR-102461948-B1, and further in view of LEE et al. KR-20200090643-A.
Ionescu in view of 김영민 teach a negative electrode active material (anode slurry; [0023]), comprising: silicon nanoparticles (particles 100 can be nanoparticles, mesoparticles, microparticles, macroparticles, and/or any suitable particles. The particles are preferably made of silicon; [0033]) comprising an amorphous carbon coating layer on a surface of the silicon nanoparticles (the silicon material can be coated with amorphous carbon; [0034]); and pores (porosity of the silicon material (e.g., a porosity of the interior of the silicon material) is preferably between about 5% and 90%, but can be less than 5% or greater than 90%l [0040]), as described in the rejection recited hereinabove.
Ionescu does not teach with sufficient specificity: a polymer layer on the amorphous carbon coating layer (claim 9); the polymer layer comprises polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid (claim 10); the polymer layer comprises a copolymer of polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid (claim 11).
LEE teaches that it is well known in the art to employ: negative electrode active material of carbon coated silicon (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, paragraph 13) a polymer layer on the amorphous carbon coating layer (coating layer is a polymer of polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, or a mixture of two or more of these; DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, paragraph 23; claim 9); the polymer layer comprises polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid (coating layer is a polymer of polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, or a mixture of two or more of these; DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, paragraph 23;claim 10); the polymer layer comprises a copolymer of polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid (coating layer is a polymer of polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, or a mixture of two or more of these; DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, paragraph 23; claim 11).
Ionescu, 김영민 and LEE are analogous art from the same field of endeavor, namely fabricating negative electrode active material containing porous silicon and amorphous carbon for lithium batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ a polymer layer on the amorphous carbon coating layer taught by LEE, in the negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민, to increase ion conductivity of the active material.
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.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ionescu et al. US-20220380606-A1 in view of 김영민 et al. KR-102461948-B1, and further in view of LEE et al. KR-20200090643-A, and even further in view of CAI et al., CN-112680148-A.
Ionescu in view of 김영민, and LEE teach a negative electrode active material (anode slurry; [0023]), comprising: silicon nanoparticles (particles 100 can be nanoparticles, mesoparticles, microparticles, macroparticles, and/or any suitable particles. The particles are preferably made of silicon; [0033]) comprising an amorphous carbon coating layer on a surface of the silicon nanoparticles (the silicon material can be coated with amorphous carbon; [0034]); and pores (porosity of the silicon material (e.g., a porosity of the interior of the silicon material) is preferably between about 5% and 90%, but can be less than 5% or greater than 90%l [0040]), as described in the rejection recited hereinabove.
Ionescu does not teach with sufficient specificity: copolymer comprising a cross-linked copolymer in which the polyvinyl alcohol and the polyacrylic acid are cross-linked (claim 12).
CAI teaches that it is well known in the art to employ: negative electrode active material of silicon (See the Abstract) copolymer comprising a cross-linked copolymer in which the polyvinyl alcohol and the polyacrylic acid are cross-linked (bonding agent is a gel-like polymer of polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) crosslinked to form a network structure; See the Abstract; claim 12).
Ionescu, 김영민, LEE and CAI are analogous art from the same field of endeavor, namely fabricating negative electrode active material containing silicon for lithium batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ copolymer comprising a cross-linked copolymer in which the polyvinyl alcohol and the polyacrylic acid are cross-linked taught by CAI, in the negative electrode active material of Ionescu in view of 김영민 and LEE, to increase ion conductivity and adhesion to the active material.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONIQUE M WILLS whose telephone number is (571)272-1309. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 5:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner's supervisor, Tiffany Legette, may be reached at 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 an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/Monique M Wills/
Examiner, Art Unit 1722
/TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723
Prosecution Insights