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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 10-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the “use” claim does not purport to claim a process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter and therefore fails to comply with 35 USC 101.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art of record namely Wang et al (CN 109888181 submitted in the IDS filed 2/19/2024 where citations are from the Machine Translation provided by the Examiner) does not teach or fairly suggest a method comprising all of the limitations of claim 1.
Wang teaches a method for preparation of a nitrogen doped lithium multiphase negative electrode material, the method comprising:
Obtaining a eutectic solvent by mixing a choline halide and a lithium halide salt;
Mixing wood cellulose in the eutectic solvent and stirring to obtain a mixture;
Raising the temperature of the mixture to 250-400 °C at the heating speed of 1-5 °C under air atmosphere, keeping the temperature for 2 to 4 hours;
Carbonizing under a stream of Ar, raising the temperature to 600 to 1200 °C at the heating speed of 5 °C/min, keeping the temperature for 2 to 4 hours to obtain the carbide;
Cleaning and filtering, milling and sieving to obtain carbon nitrogen lithium multiphase impurity-doped lithium-ion battery negative electrode material (see technical solution adopted by the invention and Examples).
Wang therefore reads on mixing plant fiber with a halogenated lithium salt (the lithium halide salt) and introducing an oxidizing gas (heating under air). Want also therefore reads on mixing with a halogenated choline and reacting. Wang does not teach a method comprising steps S1-S3 including obtaining a pre-dissociated product by mixing with the lithium halide salt, mixing the pre-dissociated product with a dissociation solution that is a mixed solution of halogenated choline and lithium hypochlorite; and adding a hybrid selected from the group consisting of silicic acid, lithium silicate, and a mixture thereof, spray-drying to obtain a microsphere precursor and heating in inert atmosphere to obtain the porous microsphere carbon anode material.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL FORREST whose telephone number is (571)270-5833. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (10AM-6PM).
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/MICHAEL FORREST/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1738
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