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 .
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, 5, 6, 9, 13, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US20240024911).
As to claim 1, Park et al. discloses an apparatus for coating comprising a coating unit configured to simultaneously provide a mixture coating and insulating coating to an electrode substrate for a secondary battery, the coating unit including a slot die having a mixture slurry discharge portion and an insulating slurry discharge portion, the apparatus is configured such that a distance between the insulating slurry discharge portion and the electrode substrate is less than a distance between the mixture slurry discharge portion and the electrode substrate (see abstract, Fig. 5).
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As to claims 5 and 13, the slot die comprises an upper plate (100 of Fig. 2); a lower plate (200 of Fig. 2) comprising a cavity configured to collect a mixture; and a spacer (300 of Fig. 2) positioned between the upper and lower plate to form the discharge portions.
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As to claims 6 and 17, the spacer comprises a protrusion that forms the discharge portion (see Figure 2).
As to claim 9, Park et al discloses a method for coating an electrode plate of a second battery comprising: simultaneously providing a mixture of coating and insulating coating to a substrate using a slot die having a mixture and discharge portion, where the distance from the insulating portion to the electrode substrate is less than the distance from the mixing slurry discharge and the substrate (see Fig. 5).
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) 1-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 20230226570) in view of Park et al. (US20240024911).
As to claim 1, Lee et al. discloses an apparatus for coating an current collector to form a secondary battery (see 0035), the apparatus comprising: a coating unit configured to simultaneously provide a first electrode coating and a second electrode coating (see abstract, 0006) to an electrode substrate for a secondary battery, the coating unit including a slot die having a first discharge portion and second discharge portion (see 102a, 101a), the apparatus is configured such that a distance between the insulating slurry discharge portion and the electrode substrate is less than a distance between the mixture slurry discharge portion and the electrode substrate (see 0090-0096).
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Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the recited “mixture slurry discharge portion” and “insulating slurry discharge portion” merely identify first and second slurry discharge portions. The claims do not recite any structural distinction between the discharge portions beyond their relative positioning. Therefore, the first and second slurry discharge portions disclosed by Lee et al meets the claimed mixture slurry discharge and insulating discharge portions.
As to claim 9, Lee et al. teaches a method of depositing an electrode active slurry onto an electrode collector using a slot die having discharge outlets that have different distances from the substrate surface.
As to claim 13, Lee et al. discloses a slot die having an upper plate, lower plate with a cavity for collecting the mixture slurry and a spacer.
Alternatively, Lee et al. fails to teach one discharge portion is an insulating slurry discharge portion as required by claims 1, 9 and 13.
Park et al. discloses an apparatus for coating comprising a coating unit configured to simultaneously provide a mixture coating and insulating coating to an electrode substrate for a secondary battery, the coating unit including a slot die having a mixture slurry discharge portion and an insulating slurry discharge portion (see Fig. 5).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Lee et al. to include the using the discharge for dispensing an insulating slurry as taught by Park et al. One would have been motivated to do so since both are directed to simultaneous multi-slurry slot die coating of battery electrodes and Park et al. teaches an insulating slurry as an alternative material to apply simultaneously with an electrode material.
As to claim 2 and 14-15, Lee et al. teaches adjusting coating geometry and conditions by changing the spacing between the outlets (see 0009, 0095-0096, 0100).
As to claim 3 and 10, Lee et al. taches the distance can be adjusted based on the desired thickness (see 0096).
As to claims 4, 11, and 16, as one thickness increases the thickness of the other decreases.
As to claim 5, Lee et al. teaches an upper plate, a lower plate having cavities and a spacer between the lower and upper plates (see 0029, Fig. 4, Fig. 9).
As to claim 6 and 17, the spacer formed a protrusion that forms a discharge portion (see Fig. 4 and 9).
As to claim 7 and 18, the protrusion is determined based on the physical properties and viscosity ((see 0096), therefore it is a result effective variable. It would have been obvious to optimize the distance through routine experimentation based on the slurry properties to optimize the coating.
As to claim 8 and 19, the slot gap is adjustable (see 0009 of Lee et al).
As to claim 12, Lee et al. teaches slurries being simultaneously applied are electrode active material slurries include a positive and negative active material
Conclusion
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/CACHET I. PROCTOR/
Examiner
Art Unit 1712
/CACHET I PROCTOR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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