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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because legal phraseology such as “The present disclosure” is used. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al (CN212622957, cited by Applicant on the PTO-1449).
As to claim 1,Wang et al disclose a solid-state battery testing device as shown in figure 1 comprising: a cell module (100), a pressure control module (2), and an environment control module (11,12), wherein the cell module (100) is placeable within the pressure control module (2), and wherein the pressure control module (2) is placeable within the environment control module (11,12) such that placing the cell module (100) within the pressure control module (2) and the pressure control module (2) within the environmental control module (11,12) allows for a hermetic seal to be formed.
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.
Claims 9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al (CN 212622957 cited by Applicants on the PTO-1449) in view of Zhang et al (CN 219915467 cited by Applicants on the PTO-1449)
As to claim 9, Wang et al disclose the solid-state battery testing device of claim 1 but do not explicitly mention about the environmental control module including a cup lid, a centering ring, a sealing gasket, and a bottom cup; wherein the sealing gasket provides a sealing surface between the cup lid and the bottom cup.
Zhang et al disclose the environmental control module as shown in figure 2 having a cup lid (1) , a centering ring (7) , a sealing gasket (16), and a bottom cup (3); wherein the sealing gasket provides a scaling surface between the cup lid (1) and the bottom cup (3) wherein the sealing gasket provides a sealing surface between the cup lid (1) and the bottom cup (3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the priority date to modify the device of to include the environmental control module includes a cup lid, a centering ring, a sealing gasket, and a bottom cup; wherein the sealing gasket provides a sealing surface between the cup lid and the bottom cup as taught by Zhang et al for the purpose of providing the battery test pool for electrode interface in-situ optical observation that is convenient for observing in-situ dendrite growth by using an optical microscope.
Regarding claim 12,Wang et al in view of Zhang et al disclose the solid-state battery testing device as mentioned in claim 1 and claim 9, but do not mention about wherein the sealing gasket (16) is made from a metallic material. However, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the priority to have the sealing gasket (16) in is made from a metallic material, since selection of a known material on the basis of its suitability for an intended use involves only routine skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2- 8 and 10-11are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The prior art does not disclose the cell module includes a sleeve, a first and second current collector, a ball-headed plunger, a plunger receptacle, and at least one disc spring; wherein the first and second current collector are placeable within the sleeve, wherein the plunger receptacle is placeable on top of one of either the first or second current collector, wherein the ball-headed plunger is placeable on top of the plunger receptacle, and wherein the at least one disc spring is placeable on top of the ball-headed plunger as recited in claim 2 and in combined with other claimed elements as recited in claim 1. Claims 3-5 depend from objected claim 2, they are also objected to.
The prior art does not disclose the pressure control module includes a locking nut, a top plate, an insulation ring, a center nut, a lead screw having a screw plate, and a cell holder; wherein the screw plate is movable up and down within the cell holder by a driving action of the lead screw as recited in claim 6 and in combined with other claimed elements as recited in claim 1. Claims 7-8 depend from objected claim 6, they are also objected t
The prior art does not disclose the cup lid includes a metal outer ring, a metal inner piece, and a glass ring; wherein the metal outer ring is separated from the metal inner piece by the glass ring as recited in claim 10 and in combined with other claimed elements as recited in claims 1 and 9. Claim 11 depends from objected claim 10, it is also objected to.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-20 are allowed. The prior art does not disclose a method of securing a solid-state battery within a solid-state battery testing device, the method comprising: providing a sleeve, a first and second current collectors, a ball-headed plunger, a plunger receptacle, and at least one disc spring; creating a solid-state battery within the sleeve of the cell module; placing the first current collector below the solid-state battery and the second current collector above the solid-state battery; positioning the plunger receptacle above the second current collector, the ball-headed plunger above the plunger receptable, and the at least one disc spring above the ball-headed plunger to form a cell module; placing the cell module within a pressure control module; and placing the pressure control module within an environment control module to form the solid-state battery testing device as recited in claim 13. Claims 14-19 depend from allowed claim 13, they are also allowed.
The prior art does not disclose a solid-state battery testing system, the system comprising: providing a cell module, the cell module comprising; a sleeve, a first and second current collector, a ball-headed plunger, a plunger receptacle, and at least one disc spring; providing a pressure control module, the pressure control module comprising; a locking nut, a top plate, an insulation ring, a center nut, a lead screw having a screw plate, and a cell holder; providing an environmental control module, the environmental control module comprising; a cup lid, a centering ring, a sealing gasket, and a bottom cup; wherein the solid-state battery testing system has a first configuration wherein the cell module is placeable within the pressure control module to form a cell/pressure control module; wherein the solid-state battery testing system has a second configuration wherein the cell/pressure control module is placeable within the environmental control module to form a solid-state battery testing device; and wherein the solid-state battery testing device in the second configuration includes a hermetic seal as recited in claim 20 .
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Dey (Pat# 4,053,692) disclose Hermetically Sealed Cells.
TUCHOLSKI (Pat#4,609,598) discloses Electrochemical cell.
BREITER et al (pat# 3,946,751) disclose cell casing with a hermetic mechanical seal and a hermitically sealed sodium sulfur cell.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VINH P NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1964. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:00am-4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Phan Huy can be reached on 571-272-7924. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VINH P NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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