IP Verse

Systems For Manufacturing A Dry Electrode

Patent No. US12136727 (titled "Systems For Manufacturing A Dry Electrode") was filed by Truist Bank on Jun 3, 2024.

What is this patent about?

’727 is related to the field of manufacturing electrodes for energy storage devices, specifically focusing on dry electrode production. Traditional electrode manufacturing often involves wet processes using solvents, which can be costly and environmentally unfriendly. The patent addresses the need for simplified and more efficient systems for creating dry electrodes, which offer potential advantages in terms of cost, material handling, and performance.

The underlying idea behind ’727 is to create a system that continuously manufactures dry electrodes by using multiple calendering rolls arranged in series to compress dry electrode materials into films and then laminate these films onto a current collector. The key inventive insight is to use two multi-roll calendars positioned in sequence, each creating a dry electrode film, and then directly laminating both films onto opposite sides of a current collector in a single, continuous process.

The claims of ’727 focus on a system comprising two multi-roll calendars, each with a series of horizontally aligned rolls. The first rolls in each series form a film creation nip to compress powder into a film. Subsequent rolls form a calendaring nip to further compress the film. The final rolls of both calendars form a lamination nip where the two films are simultaneously laminated onto a current collector fed from an unwind station. A rewind station then collects the laminated electrode.

In practice, the system operates by feeding dry electrode materials (powders) into the initial nips of the multi-roll calendars. As the materials pass through subsequent nips, they are compressed into thin films. The use of multiple rolls allows for gradual compaction and precise control over film thickness and density. The two films are then brought together with a current collector at the lamination nip, creating a double-sided electrode in a single pass. This eliminates the need for separate lamination steps and reduces material handling.

This approach differs from prior methods that often involve creating self-supporting dry electrode films before lamination or using wet processes. By using a multi-roll calendering system, the films do not necessarily need to be self-supporting during the initial stages of formation, as they are supported by the rolls themselves. The direct lamination of two films onto a current collector in a continuous process streamlines the manufacturing process and potentially allows for the use of a wider range of materials, including those sensitive to air or moisture, as well as enabling the creation of double-sided electrodes more efficiently.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2010s when ’727 was filed, energy storage devices such as lithium ion batteries were relied on as a power source in consumer devices, productivity devices, and in battery powered vehicles at a time when electrode manufacturing commonly relied on wet processing systems that used high shear and/or high pressure processing steps to break up and commingle electrode film materials, when the high processing pressures and large amount of equipment used to form dry, self-supporting electrode films and dry electrodes left room for improvement, and when continuous processes from raw material to a laminated electrode without rewind/unwind of one or more layers used to form the electrode were not available.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner approved the application because the amended claims overcame the previously applied prior art. Specifically, the prior art, taken as a whole, did not teach or suggest the specific limitations related to the configuration of the first and second series of rolls forming creation and calendaring nips, the horizontal alignment of multi-roll calendars, and the lamination nip configuration for simultaneously laminating films onto a current collector, along with the current collector unwind and rewind stations. While Michell et al. was in the same field, it lacked these specific features.

Claims

This patent contains 11 claims, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a system for manufacturing a dry electrode for an energy storage device using multiple calendaring rolls to create and laminate films onto a current collector. The dependent claims generally elaborate on specific features and configurations of the system described in the independent claim, such as the lamination process, powder hoppers, number of rolls, roll speeds, current collector material, adhesive coatings, and film contact.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
First calendaring nip
(Claim 1)		“Individual roll speeds can be controlled and individual gaps between each calendar nip can be controlled. Individual roll temperatures can also be controlled. For example, in some embodiments, the final roll of the stacked multi roll system can be temperature controlled to assist with lamination of the dry electrode film(s) onto the current collector.”The nip formed between the second and third rolls of the first multi roll calendar, configured to receive the first film and compress it.
First film creation nip
(Claim 1)		“Individual roll speeds can be controlled and individual gaps between each calendar nip can be controlled. Individual roll temperatures can also be controlled. For example, in some embodiments, the final roll of the stacked multi roll system can be temperature controlled to assist with lamination of the dry electrode film(s) onto the current collector.”The nip formed between the first and second rolls of the first multi roll calendar, configured to receive powder and compress it into a film.
First multi roll calendar
(Claim 1)		“Embodiments of the multi roll calendar(s) herein can have additional attributes not found in conventional calendering. The number of calendar nips can be from two (three rolls) to six (seven rolls) or more, but at lower process pressures and forces. Each roll can be individually driven with a motor and gear drive and can be individually addressable.”A calendering system with multiple horizontally aligned rolls, including at least four rolls, used to create and compress a first dry electrode film.
Lamination nip
(Claim 1)		“For example, in some embodiments, the final roll of the stacked multi roll system can be temperature controlled to assist with lamination of the dry electrode film(s) onto the current collector. Two, multiroll calenders can be aligned end to end, allowing a dry electrode film to be laminated directly to a metal foil (e.g., current collector) without first having to remove the film and taken to a separate machine.”The nip formed between the final rolls of the first and second multi roll calendars, configured to simultaneously laminate the first and second films onto a current collector.
Second multi roll calendar
(Claim 1)		“Embodiments of the multi roll calendar(s) herein can have additional attributes not found in conventional calendering. The number of calendar nips can be from two (three rolls) to six (seven rolls) or more, but at lower process pressures and forces. Each roll can be individually driven with a motor and gear drive and can be individually addressable.”A calendering system with multiple horizontally aligned rolls, including at least four rolls, used to create and compress a second dry electrode film.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
5:25-cv-01533Feb 13, 2025Tesla, Inc. v. Matthews International Corporation

Patent Family

Patent Family

File Wrapper

The dossier documents provide a comprehensive record of the patent's prosecution history - including filings, correspondence, and decisions made by patent offices - and are crucial for understanding the patent's legal journey and any challenges it may have faced during examination.

  • Date

    Description

  • Get instant alerts for new documents

US12136727

TRUIST BANK
Application Number
US18731472
Filing Date
Jun 3, 2024
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Jan 14, 2040
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents