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`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/384,845
`
`07/26/2021
`
`ENCHI KOGA
`
`083710-3465
`
`5189
`
`Rimon PC - Panasonic Corporation
`8300 Greensboro Dr.
`Suite 500
`McLean, VA 22102
`
`AMPONSAH,OSEIK
`
`1729
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`08/26/2024
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOmail @rimonlaw.com
`
`eofficeaction @appcoll.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`17/384,845
`KOGAetal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF)StatusExaminer
`OSEI K AMPONSAH
`1729
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORYPERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensionsof time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s)filed on 7 May 2024.
`C) A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`2a)[¥) This action is FINAL.
`2b) (J This action is non-final.
`3) An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4)(2) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-7 and 10-16 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`C) Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-7 and 10-16 is/are rejected.
`(] Claim(s)__ is/are objectedto.
`C] Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) ) ) )
`
`Application Papers
`10) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)0) The drawing(s) filedon__ is/are: a)(J accepted or b)( objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)7) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)Z None ofthe:
`b)() Some**
`a)C All
`1.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.2) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.1.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`*“ See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`2) (J Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`4)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20240820
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/384,845
`Art Unit: 1729
`
`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
`
`The presentapplication, filed on or after March 16, 2013,
`
`is being examined underthe
`
`first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
`
`Response to Amendment
`
`Upon consideration, the previous rejection of record was withdrawn in light of new
`
`amendments. However new rejection is applied to the amended claims. All changes made in
`
`the rejectionare necessitated by the amendment.
`
`Response to Arguments
`
`Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-7 and 10-16 have been considered but
`
`are moot because the new ground ofrejection does notrely on any reference applied in the
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`prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found
`
`in a prior Office action.
`
`Claim(s) 1-7 and 10-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
`
`JP 2017-147397 A hereinafter Iwasaki [cited in IDS filed 05-27-2022] in view of JP 2019-
`
`021795 hereinafter Ban [cited in IDS filed 05-27-2022], U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/384,845
`Art Unit: 1729
`
`Page 3
`
`2020/0106125 hereinafter Yano, and U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2016/0308244
`
`hereinafter Badding.
`
`Regarding Claims 1-2, lwasaki teaches a power storage device comprising: a solid
`
`electrolyte layer [31]; a coating (cover) layer [32] that coats a surface of the solid electrolyte
`
`layer; a first internal electrode [41] disposed inside the solid electrolyte layer; a first external
`
`electrode [51] disposed outside of the solid electrolyte layer and electrically connected to the
`
`first internal electrode; a second internal electrode[42] disposed inside the solid electrolyte
`
`layer; and a second external electrode [52] disposed outside of the solid electrolyte layer and
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`electrically connected to the second internal electrode (paragraph 43, see figures 1-2).
`
`Iwasaki further teaches in paragraph 72 that the coating layer is made of a material
`
`having no lithium-ion conductivity but does not specify pyrochlore oxide in the coating layer.
`
`However, Badding teaches a solid electrolyte membrane that comprises trace amounts
`
`of asecond phase such as a pyrochlore phase (paragraph 20). Therefore, it would have been
`
`obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form such solid electrolyte membrane having a
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`pyrochlore phase before the effectivefiling date of the claimed invention because Badding
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`discloses that such modification can form a solid electrolyte for a power storage device
`
`(paragraph 143).
`
`With regards to the thicknessof the coating layer being greater than or equal to 1 um
`
`and less than or equal to 100 um, and the active material formed in the solid electrolyte layer.
`
`Ban teaches a powerstorage device that comprises a coating (covering) layer having a
`
`thickness of 50 - 200 um (paragraph 32).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/384,845
`Art Unit: 1729
`
`Page 4
`
`Yano teachesa power storage device that comprises an active material layer disposed
`
`inside the solid electrolyte layer (see figure 1).
`
`Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form such
`
`power storage device beforethe effectivefiling date of the claimed invention because Yano
`
`discloses that such modification can reducefailure rate of the power storage device (paragraph
`
`26).
`
`Regarding Claims 3-6, the combination teaches that the solid electrolyte layer is a garnet
`
`structure (i.e., sintered body with no sulfur, see combination of lwasaki, Ban and Yano above).
`
`Regarding Claims 7 and 10-12, the combination teaches the coating layer includes an
`
`oxide having a crystalline phase (see MPEP § 2143, E).
`
`Regarding Claims 13-16, the combination teaches a coating (covering) layer having a
`
`thickness of 50 - 200 um (paragraph 32 of Ban) and covering the entirety of the solid
`
`electrolyte, and further comprises a plating that coats a surface of the first external electrode
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`and a surface of the second external electrode (see figure 1 of Yano).
`
`Conclusion
`
`Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this
`
`Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is
`
`reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`
`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is setto expire THREE MONTHS
`
`from the mailing date of this action.
`
`In the eventa first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of
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`the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until afterthe end of
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/384,845
`Art Unit: 1729
`
`Page 5
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`the THREE-MONTHshortened statutory period, thenthe shortened statutory period will expire
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`on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a)
`
`will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action.
`
`In no event, however,will the
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`statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the dateofthis final action.
`
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examiner should be directed to OSEI K AMPONSAH whosetelephone number is (571)270-3446.
`
`The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm EST.
`
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`
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`
`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, Ula C Ruddock can be reached on (571)272-1481. The fax phone number for the
`
`organization wherethis application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/384,845
`Art Unit: 1729
`
`Page 6
`
`/OSEI K AMPONSAH/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1729
`
`