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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/975,469
`
`08/25/2020
`
`Yuanlong ZHONG
`
`P200783US00
`
`1385
`
`WHDA, LLP
`8500 LEESBURG PIKE
`SUITE 7500
`TYSONS, VA 22182
`
`MCCONNELL, WYATT P
`
`1727
`
`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`07/19/2023
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`Thetime period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`
`patentmail @ whda.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-8 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`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.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) 1-8 is/are rejected.
`S)
`) © Claim(s)____is/are objected to.
`C} Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`S)
`“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:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
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`) )
`
`Application Papers
`10)C2 The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)C) The drawing(s) filed on
`is/are: a)(] 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)1.) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`cc) None ofthe:
`b)J Some**
`a)D All
`1.1) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have beenreceived in Application No.
`3.2.) 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)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) (J Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20230714
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`16/975,469
`ZHONG etal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`WYATT P MCCONNELL
`1727
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of 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)C Responsive to communication(s) filed on
`C) A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`
`2a)C) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)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\() 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.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/975,469
`Art Unit: 1727
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`Page 2
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`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
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`The present application,filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
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`inventorto file provisions of the AIA.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections
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`set forth in this Office action:
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`A patent fora claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed inventionis
`notidentically disclosed as set forth ins ection 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 ofthe claimed invention to a person having ordinary skillinthe art to which the
`claimed invention pertains. Pa tentability s hall not be negated by the mannerin which the invention
`was made.
`
`The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C.
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`103 are summarized as follows:
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`1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
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`2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
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`3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
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`4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or
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`nonobviousness.
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`Claim(s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent
`
`Application Publication No. 2017/0200976 to Nakazawa (“Nakazawa”). Nakazawa discloses electrolytes
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`for lithium ion secondary batteries and batteries including same. NakazawaatTitle. The batteries
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`include positive electrode, negative electrode, and nonaqueouselectrolyte. /d. at Abstract. Regarding
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`the positive electrode, it includes a positive electrode active material which in some embodiments is a
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`composite lithium nickel/manganese oxide, LIMO2, where M is Mn and Ni, with a Mn/Ni ratio ranging
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`from 0.1 (corresponding to 91% nickel) and 5 (corresponding to 17% nickel).
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`/d. at paragraph [0489]
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`Regarding the non-aqueous electrolyte, Nakazawa discloses that at least one additive be provided in the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/975,469
`Art Unit: 1727
`
`Page 3
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`electrolyte solution.
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`/d. at paragraph [0061]. Among the suggested additives taught are cyclic
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`carbonates, isocyanuric acid skeleton compounds, and acid anhydride compounds.
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`/d. These areall
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`suggested additives because they are taught to be able to react with the primary compound contained
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`in the electrolyte toform a protective composite onthe electrode surface.
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`/d. at paragraphs [0064] and
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`[0065]. Regarding cyclic carbonates, fluorine-containing cyclocarbonatesare listed as most preferred
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`and is suggested to be included in an amountranging from 0.001 to 10%.
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`/d. at paragraph [0081].
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`Regarding the isocyanuric acid skeleton compound, included amongst preferred examples are various
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`triallylisocyanurates.
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`Id. at page 53, right column, middle cluster of compounds. These are taught to be
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`included in an amount ranging from 0.001 to 10%.
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`/d. at paragraph [0129]. Finally regarding the acid
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`anhydride, succinic anhydride is among the most preferable, and is taught to be included in an amount
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`ranging from 0.001-10%.
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`/Id. at paragraph [0164] and [0166].
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`Accordingly, although Nakazawa does not expressly disclose a battery having all three of these
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`compoundsincluded in the same battery, because Nakazawa discloses that each of these addtives are
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`beneficial for the same purpose, and that one or more of them may be provided in a batterysystem, the
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`person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention would have considered including one of the
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`preferred fluorine-containing cyclocarbonates, one of the suggested triallylisocyanurate compounds,
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`and the preferred succinic anhydride to be an obvious wayto improve battery performance through
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`formation of acomposite on electrode surfaces based on Nakazawa’s teachingsthat each of these
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`compoundsis useful for the same purpose, and that more than one additive can be providedin its
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`electrolyte. The amounts disclosed in Nakazawaalso overlap withthe recited amounts, thereby
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`rendering those amountsobvious.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/975,469
`Art Unit: 1727
`
`Page 4
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`/WYATT P MCCONNELL/
`Examiner, Art Unit 1727
`
`