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 .
Applicant’s amendments were received on 12/24/2025. Claims 1, 5, 9 have been amended. Claims 16-21 are new.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/24/25 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/24/25 is considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Atsushi et al. (JP2004288520) in view of Sasaki et al., on claims 1, 2, 4-6, 8-10, 12 are withdrawn because the Applicants have amended the claims.
The rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable by Atsushi et al. (JP2004288520) in view of Sasaki et al. (JP2000149924) in further view of Yang et al. (Covalent binding of Si Nanoparticles to graphene sheets and its influence on lithium storage properties of Si negative electrode) on claims 13-15 are withdrawn because the Applicants have amended the claims.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 2, 4-6, 8-10, 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable by Sasaki et al. (JP2000149924) in view of Yamazaki et al. (JP2000-082466)
Regarding claims 1, 2, 5, 6, the Sasaki et al. reference discloses a lithium-ion secondary battery comprising a current collector, an active material layer and a carbon intermediate layer (film shape) comprising carbon material between the current collector and the active material layer. The carbon material comprises PVDF binder (adhesive to the current collector and active material layer) and one of graphite. The active material layer comprises an active material and a conductive additive (Abstract, P[0006]). The Sasaki et al. reference is silent in disclosing the active materials comprises a particle size distribution having two or more peaks, however, the Yamazaki et al. reference discloses active materials comprises a particle size distribution having two or more peaks in order to closely pack the active materials so as to improve performance of the secondary battery. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate active materials comprises a particle size distribution having two or more peaks disclosed for the active material in order to densely pack the active layer by the Yamazaki et al. reference for the active material disclosed by the Sasaki et al. reference to provide an improved battery.
Regarding claims 9 and 10, the Sasaki et al. reference discloses a lithium-ion secondary battery comprising a current collector, an active material layer and a carbon intermediate layer (film shape) comprising carbon material between the current collector and the active material layer. The carbon material comprises PVDF binder (adhesive to the current collector and active material layer) and one of graphite. The active material layer comprises an active material and a conductive additive (Abstract, P[0006]). The Sasaki et al. reference does not explicitly teach 1) the carbon material configured to reduce interface resistance between the active material layer and 2) the current collector active materials comprises a particle size distribution having two or more peaks.
However, since the Sasaki et al. reference discloses the carbon material is a binder, it is inherent that increase adhesion between the current collector and active layer will result in reduction in layer separation interfacial resistance caused by gaps or voids.
In addition, the Yamazaki et al. reference discloses active materials comprises a particle size distribution having two or more peaks in order to closely pack the active materials so as to improve performance of the secondary battery. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate active materials comprises a particle size distribution having two or more peaks disclosed for the active material in order to densely pack the active layer by the Yamazaki et al. reference for the active material disclosed by the Sasaki et al. reference to provide an improved battery.
Regarding claim 4, 8, 12, Regarding claims 4 and 8, the Sasaki et al. reference discloses the active material to comprise 88 wt%.
Claim(s) 13-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable by Sasaki et al. (JP2000149924) in view of Yamazaki et al. (JP2000-082466) in further view of Sheem et al. (US Patent 9093711).
Regarding claim 13-18, the Sasaki et al. in view of Yamazaki (herein referred to as modified Sasaki reference) disclosed the claimed invention above and further incorporated herein. The modified Sasaki et al. reference discloses a lithium metal oxide active materials with conductive component but is silent in disclosing the conductive component comprises a plurality of pieces of graphene which is in contact with the surface of the active material. However, the Sheem et al. reference discloses graphene sheets on the surface of lithium metal oxide active material (Claim 10) improve electronic conductivity (3:50-60). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate graphene sheets on the surface of the lithium metal oxide material disclosed by the Sheem et al. reference for the lithium metal oxide disclosed by the modified Sasaki et al. reference in order to improve the conductivity in the battery.
Regarding claims 19-21, the Sasaki et al. reference discloses the active material is lithium cobalt oxide (Examples).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 2, 4-6, 8-10, 12-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/Helen Oi K CONLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752