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IPRP Examiner finds all claims (1-26) to be novel and inventive, marking a major milestone in the patent process
KINGSTON, ONTARIO, September 26, 2023 –Focus Graphite Inc. (TSXV: FMS; OTCQX: FCSMF; FRANKFURT: FKC) (the “Company” or “Focus Graphite”) is pleased to announce that it has received a final copy of the International Preliminary Report on Patentability (IPRP) for its patent application for Advanced Anode Material Comprising Spheroidal Silicon Enhanced Graphite Particles, which includes a determination that all claims (1-26) are novel and inventive. The patent application was submitted in March 2021 (see press release of March 1, 2021 for more details).
The IPRP Examiner’s findings are of direct significance and benefit to Focus Graphite as the Company will now move forward with classifying and protecting the inventive claims into specific National Phase (NP) jurisdictional patent applications. In doing so, the company will accomplish two key strategic goals by the time the NP patent applications are fully granted through each NP review process:
1. Documenting a novel, inventive, and industrially applicable advanced material manufacturing process for the creation of high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes, wherein the flake graphite raw materials required for this process could be sourced internally from the company’s Lac Knife or Lac Ttpisca projects as well as from external sources and/or partnerships.
2. By filing the application into key, strategic jurisdictions where lithium-ion battery manufacturers currently operate or will do so in future, Focus Graphite will have a strong position from which to commercialize and expand its business toward anode technology licensing, battery co-development, and material offtake opportunities.
Each NP review process now has the potential to be fast-tracked, given this favourable review from the IPRP Examiner.
“This is an exciting development for Focus Graphite and is a validation of our commitment to innovation and continuous improvement,” said Marc Roy, President and CEO of Focus Graphite. “While we continue to work to advance our Lac Knife and Lac Ttpisca large-flake graphite projects, this milestone represents additional value for our shareholders, as we will be able to offer producers of silicon-enhanced spherical graphite for use in lithium-ion batteries the opportunity to either reduce the cost of their anodes by adding less silicon in their spherical graphite formulation while maintaining current lithium ion battery performance, or keeping the silicon additions at current levels and improving overall battery performance. Either way, more robust, higher-performance lithium-ion batteries will be the result of this new technology, to be used in electric vehicles (EVs) or other applications related to renewable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.” | |