Webinars

KIM & CHANG: Next-Generation Batteries in Korea – Key Players and Legal Issues

Korean battery companies are among the world’s leaders in the field of lithium-ion batteries. However, whether these companies can maintain their leadership with next-generation batteries (such as solid state batteries) is currently unclear. We analyze the patent portfolios of the major Korean battery players to better understand what next-generation battery technologies they may be developing, and draw some conclusions regarding which players and technologies may be best placed to succeed. We also look at various legal and regulatory issues that are critical to understand when working with Korean companies and employees, particularly in view of new and proposed Korean regulations aimed at preventing leakage of cutting-edge battery technology to foreign companies.

This webinar will focus on the following key topics:

• Review of major Korean battery market players (Samsung SDI, LG Energy Solution, SK Innovations)
• Analysis of solid state battery patents with focus on Korean players
• Potential winners in the next-generation battery market
• Legal issues in working with Korean battery companies or employees

A PDF copy of the presentation will be sent to all attendees after the event.

Presenters
Inchan Andrew Kwon – Foreign Attorney at Kim & Chang
Sung-Eun Kim – Patent Attorney at Kim & Chang

Inchan Andrew Kwon is a US-trained and licensed patent attorney who advises technology, chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech clients regarding patent prosecution and patent disputes in Korea, as well as related legal issues including trade secrets, licensing, regulatory compliance, and international trade.

Sung-Eun Kim has been involved in evaluating intellectual property protection and in providing strategic advice to clients, specializing in the areas of materials for electronics, such as secondary batteries and OLED materials, polymer science, and fiber science.

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(FREE) BAUM & ASSOCIATES: The US Electric Vehicle Market – From Niche to the Mainstream

Sales of battery electrics are growing, with the number of entries seemingly growing too fast relative to projected sales volume. Costs are coming down (albeit not fast enough?), capability is increasing, infrastructure is being developed (albeit not fast enough?), and the target market is becoming more mainstream.

What needs to happen to facilitate the projected growth?

We will discuss key products, marketing approaches of the vehicle makers, what potential customers want (and fear), opportunities as battery and electronic technologies evolve, and the products most important to reach high volumes and facilitate company profits.

We will identify some of the potential winners and losers among the vehicle makers and suppliers, both within the current industry and beyond.

This webinar will focus on the following key topics:

• Review of Current Sales and Products, Forecasted to 2025
• Product Range Moving Across Segments to Target the Mainstream Buyer
• Regulation in the US and Beyond Is Moving the Market
• Regulation Matters, But Company Strategies and Consumer Preferences Matter More
• Trends in Batteries, Range, and Cost

A PDF copy of the presentation will be sent to all attendees after the event.

Presenter
Alan Baum – Principal, Baum & Associates

Alan Baum formed Baum & Associates in August 2009. The company produces a detailed sales forecast, market analysis, and product life cycle for the range of electrified vehicles and provides monthly sales results for these vehicles. Baum analyzes the impact of alternative fuel vehicles as well as advanced technologies in internal combustion engines that provide improved fuel economy. He consults with suppliers, the financial community, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Since the 1980s, Baum has produced an automotive production forecast with detailed analysis of the automotive market.

PlugVolt is a proud sponsor of this event.

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FENWICK & B-SCIENCE.NET: The IP Landscape of Silicon and Lithium Metal Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

This joint presentation by technology law firm Fenwick and energy storage patent & innovation monitoring service B-Science.net will discuss the technical evolution of high energy negative electrodes based on silicon and lithium metal, and the intellectual property protection sought to cover these advancements. The presentation will focus on emerging technical requirements and patenting activity for cells with solid or semi-solid electrolytes.

This webinar will focus on the following key topics:

• Silicon-based and lithium metal negative electrodes for lithium-ion batteries
• Interface aspects with liquid, semi-solid and solid electrolytes
• Technology evolution and IP protection

A PDF copy of the presentation will be sent to all attendees after the event.

Presenters
Howard Lim – Patent Attorney, Fenwick & West LLP
Pirmin Ulmann – Co-Founder & CEO, B-Science.net

Howard L. Lim is a patent lawyer representing technology-based clients in patent litigation matters and post-grant proceedings, such as inter partes reviews. He works on intellectual property and legal issues related to lithium-ion batteries. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Howard developed lithium-ion batteries at Panasonic and Sanyo Electric Company for electric vehicle and energy storage applications.

Pirmin Ulmann is co-founder and CEO of b-science.net, a battery innovation & patent monitoring service that is based on a novel machine learning approach. He obtained a diploma in chemistry from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) in 2004 and a PhD from Northwestern University (USA) in 2009. Thereafter, he was a JSPS Foreign Fellow at the University of Tokyo (Japan). From 2010 to 2016, while working at a major battery materials manufacturer in Switzerland, he was a co-inventor of 7 patent families related to lithium-ion batteries. He holds the credential Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM) and has co-authored scientific publications with more than 1,700 citations.

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FENWICK: Lithium-Ion Battery Patents – Understanding Infringement and Invalidity Through Recent Notable Litigation

This presentation will discuss recent notable decisions in U.S. litigation of lithium-ion patents, and what those cases can teach us about infringement and invalidity issues in lithium-ion patents. The presentation will focus on the role played by weight/volume claim terms, the duty of disclosure and invention disclosure statements during prosecution, the importance of quantitative examples in lithium-ion patent specifications, and properly presenting prophetic and working examples.

This webinar will focus on the following key topics:

• Recent notable decisions in U.S. district court and U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (IPRs) litigation of lithium-ion patents
• The infringement and invalidity of lithium-ion patent claims:
– The critical role of weight/volume (quantitative) claim terms
– How invention disclosure statements (IDS) can affect validity
– The importance of examples in a lithium-ion patent specification
– Properly presenting prophetic examples (predicted experimental results) as opposed to working examples (actual experimental results) in a lithium-ion patent

A PDF copy of the presentation will be sent to all attendees after the event.

Presenter
Howard Lim – Patent Attorney, Fenwick & West LLP

Howard L. Lim is a patent lawyer representing technology-based clients in patent litigation matters and post-grant proceedings, such as inter partes reviews. He works on intellectual property and legal issues related to lithium-ion batteries. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Howard developed lithium-ion batteries at Panasonic and Sanyo Electric Company for electric vehicle and energy storage applications.

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PURDUE UNIVERSITY: Electrode Damage Characterization in Li-Ion Batteries Using Raman Spectroscopy

While Li-Ion battery technology has continually advanced to provide cells that are smaller and more powerful, compromised safety concerns due to physical damage are always present. Physical damage to a Li-Ion battery can significantly affect its operational performance, causing accelerated degradation and capacity fade. Damage to electrodes and removal of active material lead to microstructural changes in electrode material and unbalanced current distribution, causing polarization in cells. This work focuses on characterizing the effects of partial nail penetrations on electrodes in cells that continue cycling after being damaged by using Raman spectroscopy and incremental capacity analysis. This helps to determine the type and extent of damage to the electrodes over the course of their abbreviated lifetime.

This webinar will focus on the following key topics:

• Dynamic impact testing of prismatic Li-Ion cells
• Raman spectroscopy analysis for anode damage characterization
• Increased polarization due to unbalanced current distribution
• Accelerated degradation caused by physical damage
• Incremental capacity analysis to determine mechanisms of aging

A PDF copy of the presentation will be sent to all attendees after the event.

Presenter
Casey Jones – Ph.D. Candidate at Purdue University

Casey Jones is a PhD student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University, where he works in the Interfacial Multiphysics Laboratory for Dr. Vikas Tomar. His research focuses on destructive testing of Li-ion batteries and the characterization of the effects on cell operation and is funded by the Office of Naval Research. Prior to studying at Purdue he served in the US Navy as a nuclear electronics technician aboard a fast-attack submarine based in Pearl Harbor, and received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Enabling High-Rate Lithium Metal Anodes by Tailored Structures and Interfaces

Oxide-based solid-state Li-batteries (SSLiBs) have the potential to be a transformational and intrinsically safe energy storage solution, due to their non-flammable ceramic electrolyte that enables the use of high-capacity Li metal anodes and high voltage cathodes for higher energy density over a much wider operating temperature range. However, their progress has been limited due to electrode/electrolyte interfacial issues. In particular, for Li-metal anodes concerns over dendrite formation/propagation and the requirement for elevated temperature and high stack pressure are still prevalent. To eliminate these concerns, a rational design of tailored structures and interfaces in Li-metal anodes will be presented. In addition, progress toward full cells using these tailored structures and interfaces will be presented.

This webinar will focus on the following key topics:

• Li-metal wetting of oxide electrolyte interface
• Effect of oxide surface defects on Li dendrite formation
• Effect of 3D structure on localized current density
• Avoiding stack pressure to maintain uniform Li/oxide contact

A PDF copy of the presentation will be sent to all attendees after the event.

Presenter
Dr. Eric D Wachsman – Director of Maryland Energy Innovation Institute

Dr. Eric D Wachsman is the Crentz Centennial Chair in Energy Research and a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland. He is also President of The Electrochemical Society (ECS) and Editor-in-Chief of Ionics, a Fellow of both ECS and the American Ceramic Society; elected member of the World Academy of Ceramics; the recipient of the Carl Wagner Award; the Sir William Grove Award; the Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition Award; and the HTM Outstanding Achievement Award from ECS. His research is focused on solid ion-conducting materials and the development of solid-state batteries, fuel cells, ion-transport membranes, and gas sensors. He has more than 270 publications & 35 patents, and to date three companies have been founded based on these technologies.

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