DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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
Applicant’s response, filed 08/21/2025, has been entered. Claim 1 has been amended. Claims 1-4 and 6-8 are pending examination.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/21/2025 has been entered.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-2, 4, and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamamoto (KR 20090054386 A) in view of Oogaku (KR-20030040136-A) and Wang (KR-20130005117-A) (refer to enclosed translations).
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Regarding claim 1,
Yamamoto teaches a battery (a sealed battery, [0002]), comprising:
a header (Fig. 7, 46/42; [0065]; wherein 46 and 42 are drawn to a header because both function together to cover the opening in the case) positioned at an opening (illustratively Fig. 1, opening of battery can 1) in a case (illustratively Fig. 1, battery can 1),
an electrode (illustratively Fig. 1, 2, [0004]) positioned in the case (illustratively Fig. 1, 2, [0004]);
a terminal (Fig. 7, connection terminal 35; [0076]) in electrical communication ([0076], “external connection terminal” providing external connection for electrode 1) with the electrode (illustratively, Fig. 1, 2; [0035]) through the header (Fig. 7, wherein 35 is an exposed portion of 42 (see [0076]) such that 35 and 1 are connected through 42);
and a resin (Fig. 7, 47) directly contacting the case and the terminal (Fig. 7, wherein 47 directly contacts 1 and 35);
the resin 47 sealing the opening in the case (Fig. 7, wherein 47 sealings opening in 1);
the header (Fig. 7, 46/42) being between the electrode (Fig. 1, 2) and the resin (Fig. 7, 47).
Yamamoto fails to teach, in the embodiment of Fig. 7 mapped above, wherein the header includes a header support partially embedded in an insulating body, wherein the insulating body is positioned above and below the header support such that a line can be drawn through the header support and perpendicular to a surface of the header support with the line extending through different portions of the insulating body that are located on opposing sides of the header support;
However, Yamamoto teaches in a different embodiment:
wherein the header includes a header support (annotated Fig. 1, “header support”) partially embedded (annotated Fig. 1, “header support” wherein the header support is partially embedded in an insulating body 12/13; [0052]) in an insulating body (annotated Fig. 1, insulating body 12/13; [0052]), wherein the insulating body is positioned above and below the header support (annotated Fig. 1, header 3, see “header support”, wherein the insulating body 12/13 is positioned above and below the header support) such that a line can be drawn through the header support and perpendicular to a surface of the header support with the line extending through different portions of the insulating body that are located on opposing sides of the header support (annotated Fig. 1, see dashed line which is perpendicular to the header support), and
while these limitations are drawn to a different embodiment, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the terminal connection portion 35 of Fig. 7 by adding the structure of terminal connection portion 15 of Fig. 1, including the header support (“annotated Fig. 1, “header support”) and insulating body 12/13, and terminal (Fig. 1, 15) extending to the outside environment past resin 35 (see Fig. 1, wherein terminal 15 extends to an outside), such that the protection circuit within the header [0076] is not exposed to the outside environment, improving insulation and performance.
Yamamoto fails to teach the resin is a cured epoxy and the cured epoxy directly contacting the case.
Ookagu teaches wherein the resin a cured epoxy [0034]. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to have the resin layer be epoxy, as suggested by Ookagu, in order to better secure the battery with adhesion [0034]. Ookagu fails to teach the cured epoxy directly contacting the case.
Wang teaches the cured epoxy (Fig. 10 molding part 42; [0037]) directly contacting the case (Fig. 2, 30; [0037]. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to position the epoxy such that it is directly contacting the case, as suggested by Wang, in order to prevent lateral movement and shaking (Wang; [0037]).
Regarding claim 2,
Yamamoto in view of Ookagu and Wang teaches the battery of claim 1 (see elements of claim 1 above), wherein the terminal (Yamamoto, Fig. 7, 35, see modification above in view of Fig. 1) extends outward (see modification in view of Fig. 1, terminal connection 16, in the rejection of claim 1 above, wherein 35 is modified to extend outward as seen with 16) from the epoxy (Fig. 7, resin 37 modified to be epoxy in view of Oogaku, see rejection of claim 1 above) such that the terminal (Fig. 7, 35) is in contact with an atmosphere (Fig. 7, wherein terminal 35 is exposed to the atmosphere; [0076], “window”) in which the battery ([0002], “sealed battery”) is positioned (Fig. 7, wherein battery can 1 is positioned in the air/atmosphere).
Regarding claim 4,
Yamamoto in view of Ookagu and Wang teaches the battery of claim 1 (see elements of claim 1 above), wherein the header 46/42 excludes a glass-to-metal seal (wherein Yamamoto is silent to any glass-to-metal seal).
Regarding claim 6,
Yamamoto in view of Ookagu and Wang teaches the battery of claim 1 (see elements of claim 1 above), wherein the insulating body is a single (Fig. 1, wherein upper insulation packing 12 and lower insulation packing 13 both comprise the same insulation packing [0052]) and continuous (Fig. 1, wherein 12/13 are directly contacting and connected such that it is continuous) material ([0052], “insulation packing”). Regarding claim 7,
Yamamoto in view of Ookagu and Wang teaches the battery of claim 6 (see rejection of claim 6 above), wherein the insulating body (Fig. 1, 12/13) defines a passage (Fig. 1, passage for terminal 15 thru 12/13) through the insulating body 12/13 and an electrical pathway between (Fig 1. 15, wherein any terminal provides an electrical pathway; see [0060] describing connection to 2) the electrode 2 and the terminal 15 extends through the passage (see Fig. 1, wherein terminal 15 extends thru passage of 12/13).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamamoto (KR 20090054386 A) (refer to enclosed translations) in view of Oogaku (KR-20030040136-A), Wang (KR-20130005117-A), and Bates (US20080003492).
Regarding claim 3,
Yamamoto in view of Ookagu and Wang teaches the battery of claim 1 (see elements of claim 1 above), wherein the epoxy adheres to the terminal and the case (see rejection of claim 1 above), but fails to teach specifically wherein the epoxy provides a hermetic seal of the opening in the case.
However, Bates teaches wherein the epoxy (Bates [0033] and Fig. 3) provides a hermetic seal (Bates [0033] and Fig. 3) of the opening in the case (Bates [0033] and Fig. 3). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify Yamamoto wherein the epoxy provides a hermetic seal of the opening in the case in order to enable a longer life-span of the battery as taught by Bates (Bates [0007]).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamamoto (KR 20090054386 A) in view of Oogaku (KR-20030040136-A) (refer to enclosed translations within 05/07/2024 Office action for citations), Wang (KR-20130005117-A) , Duggan (US8741487B1, refer to enclosed translations within 05/05/2025 Office action for citations), and Tsukamoto (US20040214076).
Regarding claim 8,
Yamamoto in view of Ookagu and Wang teaches the battery of claim 7 (see elements of claim 7 above), wherein the header support (annotated Fig. 1, “header support”) contacts (wherein all elements of Yamamoto are directly or indirectly contacting) an interior (Fig. 1 and 7, interior of can 1) of the case 1.
Yamamoto in view of Ookagu and Wang fails to teach the electrode includes an active medium in direct contact with an electrode conductor, the electrode conductor includes a current collector and a cathode seat that receives the pin such that it is embedded in the active medium and wherein the current collector is a continuous material and includes segments that connect to each other at nodes, at least a portion of the segments are curved such that a change in a direction of curvature of the segment occurs at least once along a length of the segment.
Duggan, analogous in the art of electrodes within sealed batteries for small devices, teaches an electrode [6, 15] includes an active medium [6, 15] in direct contact with an electrode conductor ([6, 15]; electrode active material is contacted to a current collector to form an electrode, Duggan paragraphs [6, 15]), the electrode conductor [6, 15] includes a current collector (Duggan Fig. 1, current collector 10) and a cathode seat (Figs. 1 and 4, terminal tab 19) that receives the pin (Figs. 1 and 4, terminal tab 19 receiving lead pin 172, [15, 55]) wherein the current collector is a continuous material (Fig. 1, 10; conductive mesh 18, [28-29]) and includes segments (Fig. 1, struts 26 and frame 16; [14-15, 28-29]) that connect to each other at nodes (Fig. 1, 30; [15]) , at least a portion of the segments are curved (Fig, 1, 24; [14-15, 28], “inflection nodes 24”) such that a change in a direction of curvature (Fig, 1, 24; [14-15, 28], “inflection nodes 24”) of the segment occurs at least once along the length of the segment (Fig, 1, 24; [14-15, 28], “inflection nodes 24”). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to substitute the entire electrode, including the cathode seat and pin, of Duggan, for the electrode body 2 of Yamamoto since the electrode body 10/178 of Duggan has a high degree of compliance (per Duggan [11]), and further since Yamamoto [0122-0123] teaches the sealed battery for use in small portable electronic devices, with the motivation to avoid stress-induced deformation/delamination [5-12] and dropping impact [5-12] as taught by Duggan. Duggan fails to teach such that it [the cathode seat and pin that receives it] is embedded in the active medium.
Tsukamoto teaches such that it (aka a cathode seat , Fig. 6, 12; [0038-0039], “substrate 32”; positive electrode substrate per [0016]) that receives a pin, Fig. 6, pin 12) is embedded (see Fig. 6, 6 embedded in 12) in the active medium (Fig. 6, 12; wherein 12 is fixed firmly and deeply in a surrounding electrode active material (Fig. 16, 30), such that it meets the claimed limitation “embedded in”). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill of the art before the effective filing date to use a cathode seat that receives the pin such that the pin is embedded in the active medium, as taught by Tsukamoto, in order to more efficiently manufacture the battery of modified Yamamoto having a minimized size (Tsukamoto [0005]; see also Tsukamoto abstract: “feed through pin (12) which is internally directly physically and electrically connected to an inner end of a positive electrode substrate (32)”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant argues that all other claims should be allowable based off an allowable claim 1. However, this is not persuasive, as the rejection on claim 1 has been sustained.
Conclusion
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/PAUL CHRISTIAN ST WYROUGH/Examiner, Art Unit 1728
/TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723