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 .
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.
Information Disclosure Statement
Non-patent literature documents numbers 1 and C10 in the information disclosure statements filed 07 August 2025 and 27 December 2025, respectively, have been lined through for failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3)(i) because they are not in the English language and there is no concise explanation of their relevance, as it is presently understood by the individual designated in 37 CFR 1.56(c) most knowledgeable about the content of their information.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference signs mentioned in the description: 17 (e.g., paragraph 00119) and 100 (e.g., paragraph 0054). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference characters not mentioned in the description: 50 and 70 in Figure 6. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference characters in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (CN 113638014) in view of Kim (US 2018/0102546).
Wang is directed to a copper foil for use in a lithium-ion battery (paragraph 0006). The foil is formed from an electrolyte solution containing additives (paragraphs 0009-0010). In the embodiment of Example 4, the electrolyte solution contains 5 ppm of collagen and 2 ppm of gelatin (paragraph 0051), with the rest of the additives present at a combined concentration of 2 (polypropylene glycol) + 3 (polyethylene glycol) + 13 (sodium dithiopropane sulfonate) + 53 (sodium 3-mercaptoimidazolium propane sulfonate) + 45 (sodium thiopropane sulfonate) = ppm (paragraphs 0056-0057).
While Wang does not recite the concentration of copper in the copper foil, one of ordinary skill in the art would expect it to include 99.9 wt% or more of copper since all the additives present in the electrolyte solution from which the copper foil is formed constitute about 123 ppm (i.e., 0.0123 wt%) of the total.
While Wang does not recite the room-temperature or high-temperature thermal expansion coefficients of the copper foil, one of ordinary skill in the art would expect the copper foil of Wang to intrinsically possess thermal expansion coefficients that satisfy the limitations of claims 1-3 for the following reasons. According to paragraph 0081 on page 13 of the applicant's specification, collagen and gelatin are added to the electrolyte solution to control the thermal expansion coefficient of the copper foil, and that the electrolyte needs to include 1 to 15 ppm of collagen and 0.1 to 5 ppm of gelatin to obtain thermal expansion coefficient properties according to the invention. Since the electrolyte solution illustrated by Wang in Example 4 contain both collagen and gelatin in the amounts within the ranges of 1 to 15 ppm and 0.1 to 5 ppm, respectively, one of ordinary skill in the art would expect the resulting copper foil to have thermal expansion coefficients that satisfy the limitations of claims 1-3.
Wang does not teach the presence of a protective layer on the copper foil. However, the copper foil is for use in a lithium ion battery.
Kim is directed to copper foils for use in lithium batteries (paragraphs 0002-0006). Protective layers comprising at least one of chromium, silane, or nitrogen are applied to the surfaces of the copper foil to prevent corrosion, improve heat resistance, and suppress the reduction of charge/discharge efficiency of the copper foil (paragraphs 0045 and 0049).
It would have been obvious to apply a protective film including at one of chromium, silane, or nitrogen to a surface of the copper foil of Wang to prevent corrosion, improve heat resistance, and suppress the reduction of charge/discharge efficiency of the copper foil.
Additional Prior Art
Cao (CN 113638014), made of record but not relied upon, is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure as it illustrates a copper foil for a lithium battery that may be formed from an electrolyte solution containing 10 ppm of gelatin and collagen in a 1:1 ratio (Example 3, paragraph 0042).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAMSEY E ZACHARIA whose telephone number is (571)272-1518. The best time to reach the examiner is weekday mornings, Eastern time.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Callie Shosho, can be reached on 571 272-1123. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RAMSEY ZACHARIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1787
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