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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 06/28/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 11/11/2024 has been entered. Claim 13 is amended and Claims 1-17 are pending.
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.
Claim 5 is 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.
Claim 5 recites the limitation “A2 is C1-C3 straight-chain alkyl” in Line 3 of the claim. Claim 1 from which claim 5 depends requires “A2 is C1-C6 straight-chain or branched-chain alkylene” it is unclear how A2 can be both alkylene in claim 1 and alkyl in claim 5. Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4 and 6-17 are allowed.
Claim 5 is indicated as containing allowable subject matter pending formal requirements.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The present invention is related to, inter alia, a gel electrolyte composition comprising: a fluorine-containing copolymer including repeating units represented by Formula 1 and Formula 2; lithium salt; and an organic solvent.
Umezawa et al. (JP 07157752 A -MT referenced for citations), is considered to be the closest relevant prior art to independent claim 1. Umezawa discloses Cyanoethylated PVA reacted with fluorobenzoyl chloride, producing cyanoethyl PVA fluorobenzoate (Umezawa, Example 4), which is a fluorine-containing copolymer including repeating units represented by Formula 1 and Formula 2. However, Umezawa uses the modified PVA as an electroluminescent lamp binder and does not disclose, teach, fairly suggest, or render obvious the use of the copolymer as a gel electrolyte with lithium salt and an organic solvent.
Guth et al. (US 2813847 A) is also considered to be relevant prior art to independent claim 1. Guth et al. discloses a fluorine-containing copolymer by copolymerizing diallyl tetrafluorosuccinate and cyanoethyl vinyl ether (Guth, Example 10). While the cyanoethyl vinyl ether matches the formula 2 class, the diallyl tetrafluorosuccinate differs from formula 1 because the allyl-derived attachment introduces backbone -CH2-O-C(=0) adding a methylene before oxygen and the fluorinated succinate segment contains a second ester outside of the X definition. Further, its uses are flame retardants and insulation. Thus, Guth does not disclose, teach, fairly suggest, or render obvious the use of the copolymer with formula 1 and 2 repeat units provided as a gel electrolyte with lithium salt and an organic solvent.
Yahagi et al. (US 20210024674 A1) is also considered to be relevant prior art to independent claim 1. Yahagi discloses a fluorine-containing copolymer by copolymerizing pentafluorobenzyl methacrylate and 2-cyanoethyl acrylate together with other monomers (Yahagi, Synthesis example 16). However , the repeating units differ from formula 1 because of a different attachment with a backbone -C(=0)-O-CH2-C6F5 and differs from formula 2 because an extra carbonyl intervenes. Yahagi discloses the copolymer used as a transistor insulating layer and thus does not disclose, teach, fairly suggest, or render obvious the use of the copolymer with formula 1 and 2 repeat units provided as a gel electrolyte with lithium salt and an organic solvent.
Araki et al. (US 20050233221 A1) is also considered to be relevant prior art to independent claim 1. Araki discloses a fluorine-containing polymer electrolyte with lithium salt and an organic solvent (Araki, Abstract, Example 11), and a fluorine-containing copolymer including repeating units that resemble but have differences from claimed formula 1 and 2. The first repeat is a fluoroacrylate that differs from formula 1 by having a reversed ester connectivity and the second a acrylamide but an amide replaces the required O-alkylene-nitrile side chain (Araki, Example 9). While the broad genus of formula 5 of Araki permits a formal vinyl ether reading with broadly defined R, Araki teaches this category as lacking polar nonionic group Y so accordingly selecting ester bearing and cyanoalkyl R groups is possible and chemically choosing R=C(=O)CF3 and R=CH2CH2CN in a hypothetical CH2=CH-O-R genus would generate matching repeat units to Formula 1 and Formula 2, Araki does not disclose, teach, fairly suggest, or render obvious that particular combination in its broad genus.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
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/K.M.O./Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/JONATHAN CREPEAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
