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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the communication filed on 10/31/25. Applicant’s argument have been considered but are not found persuasive. Claims 1-7, 9-14, 16 and 18-23 are pending. Claims 3-4, 13, 21 and 23 are withdrawn from consideration. Claims 1-2, 5-7, 9-12, 14, 16, 18-20 and 22 are drawn to the elected species. This Action is FINAL, as necessitated by amendment.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of anode active material slurry species 1, without traverse, in the reply filed on 10/31/25 is acknowledged. Claims 3-4, 13, 21 and 23 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claims 1-2, 5-7, 9-12, 14, 16, 18-20 and 22 are 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 1 recites “and according to Directive 2004/42/EG of European Parliament and of Council, of April 21, 2004”, which is indefinite. It is unclear how the recitation further limits the claim and what the “Directive” encompasses. Examiner suggests deleting the limitation from claim 1.
Claim 11 recites “measured according to DIN 862/Form A1 using a micrometer, with the area covered”, which is indefinite. It is unclear what “area” is being covered and how the density of the anode active material layer is measured.
Claim 12 recites “measured according to DIN 862/Form A1 using a micrometer, with the area covered”, which is indefinite. It is unclear what “area” is being covered and how the density of the anode active material layer is measured.
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) 1-2, 5-7, 9-10, 16, 18-19 and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jones et al., WO 2020/219156 A1.
Jones teaches an electrode comprising a current collector and a conformal coating present on at least a portion of the surface of the current collector. The conformal coating comprising an electrochemically active material and an electrodepositable binder (abstract). The electrochemically active material may comprise graphite, lithium titanate (LTO), lithium vanadium phosphate (LVP), silicon compounds, tin, tin compounds, sulfur, sulfur compounds, or a combination thereof [0037]. The electrochemically active material may be present in the coating composition and conformal coating formed therefrom in amount of 45% to 99% by weight, such as 55 to 98% by weight, such as 65% to 98% by weight, such as 70% to 98% by weight, such as 80% to 98% by weight, such as 90% to 98% by weight, such as 91% to 98% by weight, such as 91% to 95% by weight, such as 94% to 98% by weight, such as 95% to 98% by weight, such as 96% to 98% by weight, based on the total solids weight of the coating composition or conformal coating [0039]. The binder may comprise a pH-dependent rheology modifier. The pH-dependent rheology modifier may comprise an alkali-swellable rheology modifier (alkali-swellable emulsion). As used by Jones, the term “alkali-swellable rheology modifier” refers to a rheology modifier that increases the viscosity of a composition (i.e., thickens the composition) as the pH of the composition increases. The alkali-swellable rheology modifier may increase viscosity at a pH of about 2.5 or greater, such as about 3 or greater, such as about 3.5 or greater, such as about 4 or greater, such as about 4.5 or greater, such as about 5 or greater. Non-limiting examples of alkali-swellable rheology modifiers include alkali-swellable emulsions (ASE). The alkali-swellable rheology modifiers may comprise addition polymers having constitutional units comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the residue of: (a) 2 to 70% by weight of a monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, such as 20 to 70% by weight, such as 25 to 55% by weight, such as 35 to 55% by weight, such as 40 to 50% by weight, such as 45 to 50% by weight; (b) 20 to 80% by weight of a C1 to C6 alkyl (meth)acrylate, such as 35 to 65% by weight, such as 40 to 60% by weight, such as 40 to 50% by weight, such as 45 to 50% by weight; and at least one of (c) 0 to 3% by weight of a crosslinking monomer, such as 0.1 to 3% by weight, such as 0.1 to 2% by weight; and/or (d) 0 to 60% by weight of a monoethylenically unsaturated alkyl alkoxylate monomer, such as 0.5 to 60% by weight, such as 10 to 50% by weight, the % by weight being based on the total weight of the addition polymer. The ASE rheology modifiers may comprise (a) and (b) and may optionally further comprise (c) [0051-0054].
[0055] The (a) monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid may comprise a C3 to C8 monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and the like, as well as combinations thereof.
[0056] The (b) C1 to C8 alkyl (meth)acrylate may comprise a C1 to C6 alkyl
(meth)acrylate, such as a C1 to C4 alkyl (meth)acrylate. The C1 to C8 alkyl (meth)acrylate may comprise a non-substituted C1 to C8 alkyl (meth)acrylate such as, for example, methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, propyl (meth)acrylate, isopropyl (meth)acrylate, butyl (meth)acrylate, isobutyl (meth)acrylate, pentyl (meth)acrylate, isopentyl (meth)acrylate, hexyl (meth)acrylate, heptyl (meth)acrylate, isoheptyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl(meth)acrylate, or combinations thereof.
[0057] The (c) crosslinking monomer may comprise a polyethylenically unsaturated monomer such as ethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol di(meth)acrylate, divinylbenzene, trimethylolpropane diallyl ether, tetraallyl pentaerythritol, triallylpentaerythritol, diallyl pentaerythritol, diallyl phthalate, triallyl cyanurate, bisphenol A diallyl ether, methylene bisacrylamide, allyl sucrose, and the like, as well as combinations thereof.
The pH-dependent rheology modifier may be present in the coating composition in an amount of 0.1% to 10% by weight, such as 0.2% to 10% by weight, such as 0.3 to 10% by weight, such as 1% to 7% by weight, such as 1.5% to 5% by weight, such as 2% to 4.5% by weight, such as 3% to 4% by weight, based on the total solids weight of the coating composition [0073]. The coating composition further comprises an aqueous medium comprising water [0133]. The electrode may be used for a secondary lithium ion battery [0159-0162].
The electrodepositable binder may optionally further comprise a non-fluorinated organic film-forming polymer (waterborne latex binder). The non-fluorinated organic film-forming polymer is different than the pH-dependent rheology modifier. The non- fluorinated organic film-forming polymer may comprise styrene butadiene rubber [0102]. The non-fluorinated organic film-forming polymer may be present, if at all, in an amount of at least 0% to 9.9% by weight, such as 0.1% to 5% by weight based on the total solids weight of the electrodepositable coating composition [0104]. See also [0153].
The current collector may be a copper material having a thickness such as 10 to 25 microns [0017-0019]. The coating composition may optionally comprise a conductive agent such as carbon black or graphene present in an amount such as 0.5% to 5% by weight [0128-0131]. The monomers and relative amounts may be selected such that the resulting addition polymer has a Tg of 100° C. or less, typically from −50° C. to +70° C., such as −50° C. to 0° C. A lower Tg that is below 0° C. may be desirable to ensure acceptable battery performance at low temperature [0095]. The term “glass transition temperature” is a theoretical value being the glass transition temperature as calculated by the method of Fox on the basis of monomer composition of the monomer charge according to T. G. Fox, Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. (Ser. II) 1, 123 (1956) and J. Brandrup, E. H. Immergut, Polymer Handbook 3.sup.rd edition, John Wiley, New York, 1989 [0166].
The current collector may have a thickness of about 0.5 to 1,000 microns [0019]. The thickness of the conformal coating may be 1 to 1000 microns [0031]. The coating may be dried. The coated substrate may be baked at temperatures of 400° C. or lower, such as 300° C. or lower, such as 275° C. or lower, such as 255° C. or lower, such as 225° C. or lower, such as 200° C. or lower, such as at least 50° C., such as at least 60° C., such as 50-400° C., such as 100-300° C., such as 150-280° C., such as 200-275° C., such as 225-270° C., such as 235-265° C., such as 240-260° C. The time of heating will depend somewhat on the temperature. In other cases, after coating and removal of the current collector having the conformal coating from the bath the current collector having the conformal coating may simply be allowed to dry under ambient conditions. As used herein, “ambient conditions” refers to atmospheric air having a relative humidity of 10 to 100 percent and a temperature in the range of −10 to 120° C., such as 5 to 80° C., such as 10 to 60° C. and, such as 15 to 40° C. Other methods of drying the coating film include microwave drying and infrared drying, and other methods of curing the coating film include e-beam curing and UV curing [0158]. Example 1 teaches coating weights of the dried active material layer of 38.47 mg/cm2 and 36.33 mg/cm2 [0210].
Thus, the claims are anticipated.
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.
Claim(s) 11-12, 14 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jones et al., WO 2020/219156 A1.
See discussion of Jones above regarding at least claims 1 and 9. Jones does not explicitly teach the density of the anode active material layer after calendaring is between 1 g/cm2 and 2 g/cm2 with the area covered. Note at least claims 11 and 12 have been rejected under 35 USC 112 as indefinite. Jones teaches it was known in the art to apply a coating using a drawdown method, however, electrodeposition is preferred [0033]. Jones further teaches at Example 1, a 5 cm×8 cm piece of aluminum mesh having a 200×200 mesh size and 0.0029″ opening size (“Al Mesh Wire Cloth” from McMaster-Carr) was immersed 3 cm into the electrodepositable coating composition resulting in coating weights of the dried active material layer of 38.47 mg/cm2 and 36.33 mg/cm2 [0210]. The coatings for each deposition time formed uniform coatings that were conformal and mapped the mesh geography of the aluminum mesh substrate. The 10 second film had the best appearance and uniformity with a total thickness (including the conformal coating layer and substrate) of 200 microns. The conforming coating film formed a continuous film that spanned all of the apertures in the coated region, and the conformal coating film mapped the underlying mesh substrate geometry [0211].
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/TRACY M DOVE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727