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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07 July 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
1. Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 102326082 to Kim et al., a translation of which is provided herewith and referred-to herein, (“Kim”) in view of KR 20200117593 to Lee et al., a translation of which is provided herewith and referred-to herein, (“Lee”).
With regard to Claim 1, Kim teaches an apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery electrode comprising a conveyor 100 which transports a substrate 2 in a travel direction, a coating machine 200 which applies slurry to the conveyed substrate, a measurement device 300 which repeatedly measures slurry application amount while reciprocating in a width direction of the conveyed substrate, and a controller 500 which employs measurement data to calculate average slurry application amount and deviation therefrom for a predetermined travel distance of the substrate, and operates apparatus elements to achieve slurry application within a specified range (see Abstract; FIG. 1; ¶¶ [0013], [0015], [0038]-[0041], [0047], [0049]-[0050], [0068]-[0072]).
Kim teaches the controller operates heating elements in response to measurement data to achieve a desired slurry application amount (see ¶¶ [0013], [0068]); however the reference does not teach controlling the coating machine to increase or decrease the amount of slurry applied. Lee is similarly directed to a battery electrode coating apparatus, and teaches data-informed control of slurry discharge rate from a slurry application element via feedback loop (Abstract; ¶¶ [0003]-[0005], [0007]). Lee teaches said discharge control scheme and elements within the context of other control factors including slurry temperature (see ¶ [0004]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have incorporated a slurry discharge control scheme and elements in the device of Kim, as taught by Lee, to exercise a finer degree of slurry application control in achieving a desired slurry application amount.
With regard to Claims 2-3, Kim teaches selection of deviation parameters sufficient to avoid quality defects, and Lee teaches measurement and control of deposition amounts in terms of mg/cm2 (see Kim at ¶ [0072], Lee at ¶¶ [0005], [0019]). Kim does not expressly teach the claimed slurry deviation amounts and application increments; however it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have employed the claimed values throughout the course of routine experimentation and optimization in pursuing a desired degree of coating quality.
2. Claims 4, 13-14, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Lee as applied to Claim 1, and further in view of US 2019/0081317 to Keil et al. (“Keil”).
With regard to Claims 4 and 14, Kim teaches drying devices are known in the art for coating moisture control, and otherwise teaches heating units to control substrate temperature (see ¶¶ [0007], [0015]); however the reference does not teach a pass-through dryer. Keil is similarly directed to slurry application apparatus in the manufacture of battery electrodes, and teaches pass-through dryers 600, 600’, 30, 34 and arrangement of sensors 130, 134 before and after drying operations in order to control and monitor coating moisture content and thickness (see Abstract; FIGs. 1-2, 5-8; ¶¶ [0004], [0071]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have included pass-through dryers and arrangement of measuring devices as claimed in the apparatus of Lee, as taught by Keil, in order to control coating moisture and monitor coating thickness amount.
With regard to Claims 13 and 18, Keil teaches a controller comprising a display to facilitate operator monitoring and interface (see ¶ [0063]).
3. Claims 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Lee as applied to Claim 1, and further in view of US 2022/0187786 to Hauptmann et al., (“Hauptmann”).
With regard to Claims 15-17, Kim teaches a continuous feedback control system as discussed; however the reference does not teach time-series data collection and grouping as claimed. Hauptmann is directed to sampling and control schemes within the context of apparatus for manufacturing, and teaches time-series sampling and grouping and the usefulness thereof in yielding improved error offset in coating apparatus control schemes (see Abstract; FIGs. 13A-13G; ¶¶ [0049]-[0053]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have conducted time-series sampling and grouping as claimed in the control scheme of Kim, as taught by Hauptmann, in order to obtain improved error offset.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael P Rodriguez whose telephone number is (571)270-3736. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 - 6:00 Eastern M-F.
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/Michael P. Rodriguez/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712