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
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Uchiyama et al. (WO2023/074845A1, refer to English equivalent US2024/0421283A1).
Regarding claim 1, Uchiyama discloses a cell (see Title, Abstract, Fig. 1-3) using a deposition-dissolution reaction of metallic lithium as an anode reaction (at the negative electrode, lithium metal deposits during charging, and the lithium metal dissolves during discharging, see Abstract), the cell comprising:
a cathode including a cathode current collector and a cathode active material layer (positive electrode including current collector and mixture layer [0055]);
an anode including at least an anode current collector (negative electrode including current collector [0019]-[0054]); and
an electrolyte layer disposed between the cathode and the anode (nonaqueous electrolyte [0063]-[0075]), wherein:
the anode current collector is a resin current collector (resin [0019]-[0024]); and
the anode includes a first metal layer between the anode current collector and the electrolyte layer, the first metal layer containing either or both of magnesium and silver (foundation metal layer [0020] including silver [0036], foundation metal layer in contact with a principal surface on at least one side of the resin film [0030]; or lithium metal layer containing magnesium [0049]-[0050] and negative electrode may have the lithium metal layer on each of the principal surfaces on both sides of the resin film [0054]).
Regarding claim 2, Uchiyama discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Uchiyama further discloses the anode includes a second metal layer between the anode current collector and the first metal layer, the second metal layer containing either or both of nickel and copper (lithium metal layer is in contact with at least one of a principal surface of the foundation metal layer [0030]; lithium alloy further containing copper [0051]).
Regarding claim 3, Uchiyama discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Uchiyama further discloses the anode current collector and the first metal layer constitute a coated current collector (foundation metal layer in contact with a principal surface on at least one side of the resin film [0030]).
Regarding claim 4, Uchiyama discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Uchiyama further discloses the first metal layer contains lithium (lithium metal layer containing magnesium [0049]-[0050] and negative electrode may have the lithium metal layer on each of the principal surfaces on both sides of the resin film [0054]).
Regarding claim 5, Uchiyama discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Uchiyama further discloses the first metal layer does not contain lithium (foundation metal layer [0020] including silver [0036], foundation metal layer in contact with a principal surface on at least one side of the resin film [0030]).
Regarding claim 6, Uchiyama discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Uchiyama further discloses the electrolyte layer is a solid electrolyte layer containing a solid electrolyte (solid electrolyte [0063], [0065]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES LEE whose telephone number is (571)270-7937. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9AM - 5PM.
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/James Lee/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725 8/27/2026
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