DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/16/25 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1, 2, 4-17, 19, and 20 are currently pending. Claims 3 and 18 are cancelled. The amended claims do overcome the previously stated 112, 1st paragraph and 2nd paragraph rejections of claims 1-17 and 19-20. However, upon further consideration, claims 1, 2, 4-17, 19, and 20 are rejected under the following 103 rejections.
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, 2, 4, 5, 7-11, 17, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fang (CN 117134045 A, machine translation) in view of Isojima (WO 2024204383 A1, machine translation), and further in view of Ge et al (US 2024/0429400).
Regarding claims 1, 2, 4, 11, 17, and 19-20, Fang discloses a secondary battery “100” comprising a diaphragm “23” (separator), an anode pole piece “21” (negative electrode sheet), and a cathode pole piece “22” (positive electrode sheet), wherein the diaphragm is disposed between the cathode pole piece and the negative pole piece; and the diaphragm, the cathode pole piece, and the anode pole piece are wound to form a winding structure (rolled-core structure);
wherein the cathode pole piece comprises a second current collector “221” (positive electrode current collector) and a second active material layer “222” (positive electrode active material layer) disposed on the surface of the second current collector, wherein the second active material layer comprises a second active material (positive electrode active material);
wherein the second active material layer (positive electrode active material layer) comprises a second coating area “2211” (concave-convex area), and the second coating area comprises a plurality of concave portions (not labeled) and second protrusions “223” (convex portions) disposed respectively corresponding to the concave portions;
wherein a height of a top of the second protrusions (convex portions) from a surface of the second active material layer is H2 (h) is 0.14xT2, wherein T2 = P2 + 2 x C2, where P2 can be 8 um and C2 can be 50 um which corresponds to H2 (h) = 15 um;
wherein the concave portions having a width (diameter) of R2 (R) ≥ 1 mm (1000 um) and a distance between two adjacent concave portion that is F2 (L) satisfying 1.5 mm (1500 um) ≤ F2 ≤ 3 mm (3000 um);
wherein the anode pole piece comprises a first current collector “211” (negative electrode current collector) and a first active material layer “212” (negative electrode active material layer), the first active material layer comprising an anode active material such as silicon-carbon material or silicon-oxygen material; wherein the sum of the areas of second protrusions is S3 (S11) and the area of the cathode pole piece (positive electrode sheet) is S4 (S) satisfy a relationship: S-3 ≥ 0.06xS4 corresponding to S11/S = 0.06; wherein along a thickness direction of the cathode pole piece, the second protrusion (convex portions) has the same size, h3, as the concave portions having the size, h4, which corresponds to h3/h4=1 ([0108],[0110]-[0113],[0118],[0136],[0146], [0161],[0166],[0171],[0174]-[0178] and Figs. 4, 6, 9, 13).
However, Fang does not expressly teach in a nitrogen environment, a positive electrode active material layer that has a weight loss ratio ρ in a temperature range from 35°C to 450°C, and the ρ satisfies: 0.011 < ρ < 0.06; wherein the positive electrode active material comprises a binder, and based on a total mass of the positive electrode active material layer, the binder has a mass percentage of 1 wt%-5 wt% (claim 1); wherein the binder comprises at least one of polyvinylidene fluoride, vinylidene fluoride - hexafluoropropylene copolymer, styrene-acrylate copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylic acid ester, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylate, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene pyrrolidone, polyethylene ether, polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene or polyhexafluoropropylene (claim 17).
Isojima discloses a mass loss of positive electrode active material layer after heating from 25°C to 600°C that is 1.6% ([0065], Table 3, Example 28); and a positive electrode active material layer comprising a binder such as polyvinylidene fluoride and styrene-butadiene copolymer and a content of the binder that is from 0.1 to 3.0 mass% (wt%) ([0045]). Examiner’s note: since the mass loss corresponds to the amount of binder component contained in the positive electrode active material layer, the Office takes the position that the weight loss from 25°C to 600°C is equivalent to the weight loss from 35°C to 450°C because Isojima teaches the same binder in the same mass percentage as the present invention.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the Fang cathode active material layer to include in a nitrogen environment, a positive electrode active material layer that has a weight loss ratio ρ in a temperature range from 25°C to 600°C of 0.016; wherein h/ρ=15 um/0.016=937.5; wherein L/R/ρ=1500/1000/0.016=93.75; wherein L/R/ρ=3000/1000/0.016=187.5; and a binder that has a mass percentage of 0.1-3 wt%, the binder comprising at least one of polyvinylidene fluoride and styrene-butadiene copolymer in order to improve the binding of the positive electrode active material and to suppress the increase in slurry viscosity due to binding of the active material by the binder, reduce the effect of inhibition of electronic conduction by the binder, thereby resulting in improved output characteristics ([0027]).
However, Fang as modified by Isojima does not expressly teach positive electrode sheet has a compaction density D, and the D, the h, and the R satisfy a relationship: 0.004<D*h/R<0.12, wherein D is in g/cm3 (claim 1); wherein D=3 g/cm³-4.5 g/cm³ (claim 4).
Ge et al discloses an electrode plate (positive electrode sheet) that has a compaction density of 3.63-3.73 g/cm3 (Table 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the Fang/Isojima cathode pole piece to include a positive electrode sheet has a compaction density D of 3.63-3.73 g/cm3, wherein D*h/R=3.63*15 um/1000 um=0.054, wherein D*h/R=3.73*15 um/1000 um=0.056 in order to improve the capacity per gram, facilitate the function of energy density of the battery, and improve the capacity retention ratio of the battery ([0004]).
Regarding claim 5, Fang does not expressly teach convex portions or concave portions in the concave-convex area per unit area is N per cm² in number, and the N=2-25.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the Fang cathode active material layer to include convex portions or concave portions in the concave-convex area per unit area is N per cm² in number, and the N=2-25 because it has been held that the discovery of an optimum value of a result effective variable in a known process is ordinarily within the skill of the art. In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). The number of convex portions or concave portions per unit area is a result effective variable of improving the suppression of deformation of the positive electrode sheet after bending. Where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation. In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454. 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955)). There is no evidence of criticality of the number of convex portions or concave portion per unit area.
Regarding claims 7 and 8, Fang discloses a width of convex portions R2 = 1.5 mm and a distance between two adjacent convex portions (first projection and second projection) F2 (L2) that is 1.5 mm which corresponds to a distance between a center of the first circumscribed circle and a center of the second circumscribed circle, L1, that is 3 mm and L1/L2 = 2 ([0167],[0169] and Fig. 9).
Regarding claims 9 and 10, Fang discloses convex portions “223” having a circumscribed ball, and the circumscribed ball comprises an outer surface; a flat area is formed between two adjacent convex portions, the outer surface has a width R2/2 (spherical radius R1) of 0.5 mm (500 um), a distance between the top of the convex portions and the flat area is H2 (R3) that is 15 um, and the R1 and R3 satisfy a relationship: R3<R1; wherein the outer surface has a surface area Q1 and the inner surface has a surface area Q2, and the Q1 = Q2 which satisfy: Q1/Q2=1 (Fig. 13).
However, Fang does not expressly teach Q1/Q2=1.02-1.21 (claim 10).
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the Fang cathode active material layer to include Q1/Q2=1.02-1.21 because even if the range of prior art and the claimed range do not overlap, obviousness may still exist if the ranges are close enough that one of ordinary skill in the art would not expect a difference in properties (In re Woodruff 16 USPQ 2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990)). There is no evidence of criticality of the claimed ratio Q1/Q2.
Claims 6 and 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fang in view of Isojima and Ge et al as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Li et al (CN 119050445 A, machine translation).
However, Fang as modified by Isojima and Ge et al does not expressly teach positive electrode active material layer comprises a conductive agent, and the conductive agent comprises single-walled carbon nanotubes (claim 6); wherein the single-walled carbon nanotubes are interwoven to form a mesh structure and the positive electrode active material at the top of the convex portions is wrapped within the mesh structure (claim 12-15); wherein the single-walled carbon nanotubes have a diameter of 1 nm-1000 nm and a length of 1 μm-100 μm; and/or, based on a total mass of the positive electrode active material layer, the single-walled carbon nanotubes have a mass percentage of 0.5%-5%; and/or the single-walled carbon nanotubes in the positive electrode active material layer has a thickness of 10 nm-500 nm (claim 16).
Li et al teaches the concept of forming a three-dimensional conductive mesh with single-walled carbon nanotubes as a conductive agent and mixing with active material to obtain an electrode active material layer; wherein the single-walled carbon nanotube has a length of 8 nm to 10 nm, wherein the electrode active material layer comprises 0.5 wt% of single-walled carbon nanotubes ([0019]-[0021],[0073]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the Fang/Isojima/Ge cathode active material layer to include conductive agent comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes, wherein the single-walled carbon nanotubes are interwoven to form a mesh structure and the positive electrode active material at the top of the convex portions is wrapped within the mesh structure and based on a total mass of the cathode active material layer, the single-walled carbon nanotubes having a mass percentage of 0.5% in order to improve the conductivity of the cathode active material layer, which is beneficial to improving the high-rate performance of the lithium battery ([0073]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 2, 4-17, 19, and 20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/T.S.C/Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/Haroon S. Sheikh/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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