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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II claims 9-15 in the reply filed on 1/14/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-8 are withdrawn.
Examiner’s Note
The claimed “electrode element” is defined in the specification [0026]. The term is broad enough to include layers for both charging/discharging functions or layers with insulating function.
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) 9 and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SOUSA et al. (US 2019/0245215).
Regarding claims 9, 14, and 15,
SOUSA teaches printing (applying by an applicator) a catalyst ink (liquid functional layer) onto a membrane (thin film “electrode element”) on a vacuum conveyor (suction conveyor opposite the applicator) abstract. The catalyst is considered an “electrode element”. Even if “electrode element” is an electrode, SOUSA specifically teaches the catalyst can be an electrode (anode and cathode) catalyst [0032]. The membrane has cathode and anode catalyst deposited on opposing sides and is therefore a separator (stack separator) [0049].
Regarding claim 13,
The material deposited onto the sheet in SOUSA has mass and volume and therefore at least has “biased density” and “biased thickness”.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 9-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MASUNARI et al. (US 2021/0121909) in view of WOUTERS et al. (US 2023/0226828).
Regarding claims 9, 14, and 15,
MASUNARI teaches conveying a current collector through an inkjet printing (liquid applicator) device which can print both electrode active material (electrode) [0038] and solid electrolyte (insulating material/stack separator) [0043]. The reference does not teach conveying while sucking the electrode element in a direction opposite the applicator. However, WOUTERS teaches an inkjet printing method that includes a printing head 202 (applicator) positioned over a vacuum belt 250 (suction conveyor) with vacuum table 253, [0026]-[0027]. WOUTERS notes that vacuum belts/conveyors hold down substrates during inkjet printing and improve printing quality [0066] and [0080]. At the time of filing the invention it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include a vacuum conveyor in MASUNARI to hold down the substrate and improve printing quality.
Regarding claim 10,
MASUNARI teaches using a current collector layer (electrode substrate) [0094] and an active material that includes particles and binder (electrode composite) [0095]. The subsequently deposited solid electrolyte (insulating layer) [0096] is then deposited.
Regarding claim 11,
The elongated substrate in MASUNARI can have individual stacks where no coating is performed between deposition areas Figs. 8-9.
Regarding claim 12,
The elongated substrate in MASUNARI can have a uniform first layer (current collector 50) with individual stacks of material formed thereon Figs. 10-11 (coated and uncoated areas of electrode composite).
Regarding claim 13,
The material deposited onto the sheet in MASUNARI has mass and volume and therefore at least has “biased density” and “biased thickness”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AUSTIN MURATA whose telephone number is (571)270-5596. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5.
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/AUSTIN MURATA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712