Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is responsive to the amendment filed on 1/23/2026. Applicant’s arguments have been considered. Claims 1-6, 9-16, 19-22 are finally rejected for reasons below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 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 of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-6, 9-16, 19-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (CN 2754223) in view of Oh (US 2010/0035144).
Refer to fig. 2 of Liu. Regarding claims 1, 11, Liu discloses a battery cell, comprising:
a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate, wherein the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate comprise a first current collector and a second current collector respectively, the first current collector comprises first uncoated regions, and the second current collector comprises second uncoated regions facing the first uncoated regions; and
the second current collector further comprises a tail section, and the tail section comprises a straight section extending along the width direction of the battery cell, and a second active substance layer is disposed on both surfaces of the straight section,
wherein in the first lateral part and the second lateral part, at least a side of the first current collector and/or at least a side of the second current collector in the outermost layer of the battery cell are coated with active substances, respectively.
Regarding claims 2, 12, along the width direction, the lateral part comprises a first lateral part and a second lateral part spaced apart from each other, the first lateral part and the second lateral part comprise the first uncoated region respectively, and the first lateral part and the second lateral part comprise the second uncoated region respectively.
Regarding claims 3, 13, the first current collector forms an outermost layer of the battery cell; and, in the second lateral part, the second current collector further comprises a third uncoated region located on a back side of the second uncoated region.
Regarding claims 4, 14, the first current collector forms an outermost layer of the battery cell; and, in the second lateral part, the first current collector further comprises a second outermost layer, and the first uncoated region is formed on an inner surface of the second outermost layer.
Regarding claims 5, 15, in the first lateral part and the second lateral part, the first uncoated region is formed on a surface of any layer of the first current collector, and the second uncoated region is formed on a surface of any layer of the second current collector.
Regarding claims 6, 16, the battery cell comprises the first lateral part and the second lateral part spaced apart from each other along the width direction; in the first lateral part, the second current collector further comprises a third uncoated region located on a back side of the second uncoated region, and in the first lateral part, the first current collector further comprises a fourth uncoated region facing the third uncoated region.
Regarding claims 9, 19, the first current collector is a cathode current collector, and the second current collector is an anode current collector.
Regarding claims 10, 20, the first uncoated region and the second uncoated region are located on the same lateral part of the battery cell, the first uncoated region faces the second uncoated part.
Regarding claim 11, a battery, wherein the battery comprises a battery cell and a packaging bag accommodating the battery cell.
Regarding claims 1, 11, Liu discloses a separator is disposed between the first current collector and the second current collector, but does not disclose a first insulation tape is disposed on a first lateral part between one of the first uncoated regions and the separator, wherein the first lateral part and a second lateral part are curve-shaped and are disposed at two opposite sides of the battery cell. Oh teaches an insulation tape attached to the boundaries between the active material layers and uncoated portions prevents short circuits that could be caused by contact between the electrode plates or the tab for one electrode plate and the other electrode plate [0009]. The laminating tapes are attached to the starting and ending portion so the cathode and anode active material layers and the laminating tapes are formed on both surfaces of the cathode and anode collectors. Accordingly, the laminating tapes prevent the separator from being damaged at the starting and ending portions of the cathode and anode active material layers and where the separator projects beyond the uncoated cathode and anode portions and when the cathode and anode active material layers are coated [0031].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add an insulation layer on the lateral uncoated regions of Liu, as taught by Oh, for the benefit of protecting the starting and ending portions of the active material layers.
Regarding claims 21, 22, Liu modified by Oh reads on wherein the insulation tape is further provided between the first uncoated region and the second uncoated region.
Response to Arguments
Arguments dated 1/23/2026 are addressed:
Applicant asserts that Liu discloses that the double surfaces of the current collector on the outermost layer of the electrode core body and the double surfaces of the current collector on the secondary outermost layer are not coated with the active material coatings (Abstract and Fig. 4).
In response, the Examiner notes that Liu discloses the first current collector and/or at least a side of one second current collector in the outermost layer of the battery cell are coated with active substances, respectively. See figure 2 of Liu.
Hence, the rejection is maintained.
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 set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CYNTHIA KYUNG SOO WALLS whose telephone number is (571)272-8699. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F until 5pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Leong can be reached at 571-270-1292. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CYNTHIA K WALLS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751