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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/08/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
This is a non-final Office action in response to Applicant’s remarks and amendments filed on 12/08/2025. Claims 1 and 6 – 7 are amended. Claims 2 – 5 are canceled. Claims 1 and 6 – 17 are pending in the current Office action.
The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections set forth in the previous Office action are withdrawn. A new grounds of rejection is established below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to amended claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the combination of references used in the current rejection. Specifically, in the new grounds of rejection below, a new primary reference: Mao (CN112909445A) and teaching reference Yoneda (US PG Pub. 2022/0294089 A1) are relied upon.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 6 – 7, 10 – 11 and 14 - 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mao (CN112909445A, Machine translation provided) in view of Yoneda (US PG Pub. 2022/0294089 A1, foreign priority date of 03/11/2021).
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Annotated Fig. 1 showing corresponding wall part and electrode lead-out hole in Mao.
Regarding Claims 1 and 6, Mao discloses a battery cell (Fig. 1, 2; [0052]) comprising: a shell (housing 1 with battery cover 43, Fig. 1; [0053 – 0054]) comprising a wall part (Refer to wall part shown in annotated Fig. 1 above), the wall part being provided with an electrode lead out hole (Refer hole shown to include positive electrode external terminal 33 in annotated Fig. 1 above), one end of the electrode assembly facing the wall part (Refer to end of electrode assembly including positive electrode tabs 211; [0052 – 0053]) being provided with a first tab (Refer to positive electrode tab 211 in Figs. 1 – 3; [0052 – 0053]); an electrode terminal (positive electrode external terminal 33, Fig. 1; [0053]) comprising a terminal body (Refer to terminal body shown in annotated Fig. 1 below) and a first flange (Refer to first flange shown in annotated Fig. 1 below), the terminal body passing through the electrode lead-out hole (Refer to position of the corresponding terminal body in annotated Fig. 1 below), the first flange protruding from an outer peripheral face of the terminal body in a radial direction (Refer to the shape of the corresponding first flange shown in annotated Fig. 1 below), and the first flange being located on an inner side of the wall part (Refer to position of the corresponding first flange shown in annotated Fig. 1 below).
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Annotated Fig. 1 showing correspond first flange and body of the terminal in Mao.
Mao does not explicitly disclose the first flange limiting the movement of the electrode terminal in a direction away from the electrode assembly; however, the limitation “to limit movement of the electrode terminal in a direction away from the electrode assembly” is intended use language. The Courts have held that if the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim. In this case, the structure of the corresponding first flange in Mao is capable of limiting the movement of the electrode terminal in a direction away from the electrode assembly due to its position between the underside of the corresponding wall part and the electrode assembly of the battery cell and its shape {In Fig. 1 of Mao the corresponding first flange appears to extend beyond the diameter of the hole in which the terminal body passes through}. See MPEP § 2114.
Mao further discloses a first current collecting member (positive current collector 32; Fig. 1 and 6 – 7; [0053]) located between the wall part and the electrode assembly (Refer to position of positive current collector 32 in Fig. 1) and configured to connect the electrode terminal and first tab ([0053]; [0063]).
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Annotated Figs. 1 and 7 showing corresponding current collector structure in Mao.
Mao further discloses wherein the electrode assembly is a winding structure (Fig. 1; [0062]), and the first current collecting member covers a winding center hole of the electrode assembly {i.e. positive current collector 32} (Refer to how boss 322 of positive current collector 32 covers the center winding center hole in Fig. 1 of Mao (Figs. 1 and 7; [0053]); wherein the current collector member comprises a current collecting body (Refer to current collector body shown in annotated Fig. 1 and 7 above) and a protruding part (boss 322, Fig. 1 and 7; [0053]), the protruding part protrudes from the current collecting body in a direction of the electrode terminal (Refer to the direction in which boss 322 of the positive electrode current collector 32 extends in Fig. 1), the protruding part corresponds to a position of the winding center hole of the electrode assembly (Refer to the central position of boss 322 of the positive electrode current collector 32 in Figs. 1 and 7), and the current collecting body is configured to connect the first tab (Fig. 3; [0053];[0063]).
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Annotated Fig. 1 showing first end face of terminal body in Mao.
Mao further discloses wherein the terminal body has a first end face facing the current collector, that is the lowermost end face of terminal 33, shown in annotated Fig. 1 above, faces positive current collector 32 which corresponds to the claimed first current collecting member ([0053]). The lowermost end face of terminal 33 is further shown and taught by Mao to be connected to the boss 322 of the positive electrode current collector 32 by welding (Fig. 1; [0053]), as such, Mao further discloses the first end face provided with a connecting region for connecting the first current collecting member and wherein the protruding part {i.e. boss 322} is configured to connect the connecting region.
Mao does not explicitly disclose; however, the first end face {i.e. the lowermost end face of terminal 33} further provided with a groove; the groove being located between the connecting region and the first flange; and the groove being an annular groove disposed around an outer periphery of the connecting region.
Yoneda, directed to terminal structures of battery cells ([0002];[0045 – 0047]), and thus analogous to Mao, teaches a terminal component formed from two metal structures that are welded at a central part of the two metal structures {i.e. joined portion 212 }, specifically a protrusion of one of the metal structures is welded to a central portion of a recessed surface of another metal structure (Fig. 4; [0050 – 0052]). Yoneda further teaches joining the two metals by ultrasonic/resistance welding and including a circumferentially continuous groove around the joined portion of the metal structures in order to improve the quality of the weld at the joined portion ([0064 – 0068]). Yoneda further teaches that the groove can be formed on either one of the metal structures when welding (Figs. 7 – 8; [0066];[0068]).
Since Mao already teaches welding boss 322 of the positive current collector and the central, lowermost end surface of terminal together 33 and further is concerned with the welding quality of the terminal components ([0029 – 0030];[0053]), it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to weld the end surface of the terminal and the boss of the current collector in the manner taught by Yoneda, and thus include an annular groove in the corresponding first end face of the terminal body and further an annular groove around an outer periphery of the connecting region {i.e. welded region} of the two structures, with a reasonable expectation of obtaining a welded connection between the two structures of improved quality, as desired by Mao.
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Annotated Fig. 1 exemplifying the annular groove location of modified Mao.
Furthermore, by modifying the underside of the terminal body to include an annular groove that that surrounds the joined portion of the underside of the terminal body and the boss of the positive current collector, the annular groove of modified Mao, would be located between the connecting region and the first flange (Refer to annotated Fig. 1 above).
Furthermore, as the groove is meant to surround the joined portion of the of the terminal body and the boss of the current collector, the outer diameter of the of the groove of modified Mao, wherein the outer diameter of the groove refers to a diameter of the outer groove wall of the groove, would reasonably be expected to be relatively greater than the diameter of the boss 322 (Refer to how outer diameter of grooves shown in Figs. 7 – 8 of Yoneda are relatively larger than diameter of the portion that is joined).
Regarding Claim 6, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. In Fig. 1, the corresponding connection region of modified Mao appears to be of a relatively smaller size the surface of the boss 322 (Refer to the black dots on the boss in Fig. 1). Further, as established above, modified Mao, includes a groove around the welded portion of the boss and the terminal body in order to improve the weld quality.
Modified Mao does not explicitly disclose wherein an inner diameter of the groove is less than a diameter is less than a diameter of the protruding part; however, since the connection region is suggested by Mao to take up an area that is less than a diameter of the boss, and the groove in modified Mao is meant to closely surround the joined portion of the terminal body and the current collector (Yoneda: Figs. 7 – 8 and [0066 – 0068]), it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, when forming the groove of modified Mao, to form the groove such that that inner diameter groove is relatively less than a diameter of the positive current collector boss {i.e. corresponds to claimed protruding part}, because such a modification, absent new or unexpected results, would be a change in form or shape with respect to the groove that is considered an obvious engineering design [See MPEP 2144.04], and further, as one with ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, based on Yoneda teaching that the gap provided by the groove allows for more intensive welding at a desired region in (Yoneda: [0066 – 0068]), would provide the predictable result of more intensive welding at the desired region in Mao and thus further improved welding quality.
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Annotated Figs. 1 and 7 showing corresponding structure of claimed protruding part {i.e. boss 322} in Mao.
Regarding Claim 7, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. Mao further discloses wherein the protruding part {i.e. boss 322 of positive current collect 32} comprises an end wall (Refer to end wall shown in annotated Figs. 1 and 7 above) and a peripheral wall disposed around the end wall (Refer to end wall shown in annotated Figs. 1 and 7 above), the peripheral wall is connected to the current collecting body (Refer to how the corresponding peripheral wall is integrally connected to the flat part of positive current collector 32 in annotated Figs. 1 and 7 above), the end wall is connected to the connecting region (Refer to how in Fig. 1 it is the corresponding end wall that is welded to the underside of the terminal body and Mao: [0063]), and the peripheral wall and the end wall together enclose a concave chamber (Refer to concave chamber shown in annotated Figs. 1 and 7 above).
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Annotated Fig. 1 showing corresponding second flange in Mao.
Regarding Claim 10, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. Mao further discloses wherein the electrode terminal further comprises a second flange (Refer to second flange shown in annotated Fig. 1 above), the second flange protrudes from an outer peripheral face of the terminal body in the radial direction of the terminal body (Refer to the shape of the corresponding second flange shown in annotated Fig. 1 above) and the second flange is located on an outer side of the wall part (Refer to the position of the corresponding second flange shown in annotated Fig. 1 above).
Mao does not explicitly disclose the second flange limiting the movement of the electrode terminal in a direction of the electrode assembly; however, the limitation “to limit movement of the electrode terminal in a direction of the electrode assembly” is intended use language. The Courts have held that if the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim. In this case, the structure of the corresponding second flange in Mao is capable of limiting the movement of the electrode terminal in a direction of the electrode assembly due to its position between the outer, top side of the corresponding wall part and the electrode assembly of the battery cell and its shape {In Fig. 1 of Mao the corresponding second flange appears to extend beyond the diameter of the hole in which the terminal body passes through}. See MPEP § 2114.
Regarding Claim 11, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. Mao further discloses wherein the battery cell further comprises an insulating member (insulating ring 6, Fig. 1; [0061]) disposed between the electrode terminal and the wall part (Refer to position of insulating ring 6 in Fig. 1 and [0061]) to isolate the electrode terminal from the wall in an insulating manner ([0061];[0063]).
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Annotated Fig. 1 showing corresponding structure of shell in Mao.
Regarding Claim 14, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. Mao further discloses wherein the shell comprises a housing (housing 1, Fig. 1; [0053 – 0054]) and an end cover (battery cover 43, Fig. 1; [0054]), the housing comprising a bottom wall (Refer to bottom wall shown in annotated Fig. 1 above) and a side wall (Refer to corresponding side wall shown in annotated Fig. 1 above), the side wall is disposed around the bottom wall and one end of the side wall is connected to the bottom wall (Refer to how the side and bottom wall are integral to one another and how the side wall is of a cylindrical shape that is integrally formed along the bottom wall in Fig. 1), the other end of the side wall encloses an opening opposite to the bottom wall (Refer to other end shown in annotated Fig. 1 above), the end cover covers the opening (Refer to position of battery cover 43 in Fig. 1; [0054]) and the wall part is the bottom wall (Refer to wall part shown in annotated Fig. 1 in rejection of claim 1).
Regarding Claim 15, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. Mao further discloses wherein the electrode terminal {i.e. positive electrode external terminal 33} is insulated from the wall part ([0061];[0063]), one end of the electrode assembly away from the wall part is provided with a second tab (Refer to negative electrode tabs 221 in Figs. 1 and 4 – 5; [0054]), and a polarity of the second tab is opposite to that of the first tab, that is in Mao, as established above, the corresponding first tab is a positive electrode tab and the corresponding second tab is a negative electrode tab ([0053 – 0054]); and the battery cell further comprises a second current collecting member (negative electrode current collector 42, Figs. 1 and 5; [0054]), and the second current collecting member is configured to electrically connect the second tab and the wall part ([0054];[0064]).
Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mao (CN112909445A) and Yoneda (US PG Pub. 2022/0294089 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, or further in view of Chan (KR2013003426A – cited in previous Office action mailed 08/14/2025).
Regarding Claim 8, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. In Fig. 1, the corresponding concave chamber formed by the walls of boss 322 in Mao, which corresponds to the claimed protruding part, appears to have a relatively smaller diameter than the winding center hole (Refer to diameters shown annotated Fig. 1 below); therefore, Mao appears to further disclose wherein a diameter of the concave chamber is greater than a diameter of the winding center hole.
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Annotated Fig. 1 showing the difference in diameters of the corresponding concave chamber and the winding center hole in Mao.
Assuming arguendo that applicant is able to provide persuasive evidence showing a critical difference such that Mao does not necessarily possess this limitation, it still would have been obvious for the following reason:
Chan teaches, with respect to cylindrical battery cells, that minimizing the diameter of the center pin used to form the wound electrode assembly maximizes the area occupied by the electrode active material coating and thus allows for higher capacity cylindrical batteries ([0035];[0041 – 0042]). Furthermore, minimizing the diameter of the center pin is further taught to minimize the dead space in the center pin core portion of the assembly so that the active material coating portion of the wound assembly is increased ([0041 – 0043]). In addition to supporting the electrode assembly, the pin is also taught to function as a channel for discharging gas ([0009]).
Since Mao’s battery cell is a cylindrical battery cell including a wound electrode assembly (Fig. 1; [0050];[0062]), it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Mao by reducing a diameter of the center pin used to form the wound electrode assembly, and thus by extension reduce the winding center hole diameter of modified Mao, because such a modification is a change in size/proportion that, as taught by Chan, would have a reasonable expectation of success in reducing the dead space of the electrode assembly and achieving a cylindrical cell with increased capacity [See MPEP 2144.04 (IV)].
Furthermore, selection of winding center hole diameter within the claimed scope of smaller than the concave chamber formed by boss 322 in Mao, would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the before the effective fling date of the claimed invention, to optimize the diameter of the center pin such that the capacity of the battery is maximized without negatively impacting the function of the pin {i.e. electrode assembly support and gas discharge}, with a reasonable expectation of success and without undue experimentation [See MPEP 2144.05(II)].
Claim(s) 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mao (CN112909445A) and Yoneda (US PG Pub. 2022/0294089 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hwangbo (US PG Pub. 2022/0231345 A1, foreign priority date as early as 02/21/2021)
Regarding Claim 9, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. In modified Mao, the underside of the terminal facing the positive current collector 32 includes a groove and the groove has a shape as taught by Yoneda (Refer to groove 201e or 202f in Figs. 7 – 8 of Yoneda and Yoneda: [0066 – 0067]).
Modified Mao does not explicitly disclose wherein one side of the electrode terminal facing the first current collecting member is provided with an inclined face, and the inclined face is inclined relative to a plane perpendicular to a direction of a central axis of the electrode terminal and extends from an outer groove wall of the groove in a direction close to the electrode assembly.
Hwangbo, directed to cylindrical battery cells, and thus analogous to Mao, teaches a cylindrical battery cell where the terminal 40, which includes equivalent portions to that of Mao {i.e. a terminal with a main body and two flanges}, has lower flange portion 42b that has an inclined surface relative to a plane perpendicular to a direction of a central axis of the electrode terminal (Fig. 7, [0161];[0194]). The inclined configuration is taught by Hwangbo to allow for the maximum width of the terminal insert portion 42 after the riveting process to be larger than the maximum width of the hole formed in the battery can 20 so that the terminal insert portion 42 passes therethrough (Fig. 7; [0195];[0223]). Furthermore, a terminal having such a riveting structure is taught by Hwangbo to provide a terminal with a large sectional area and low electric resistance, which is advantageous for rapid charging ([0227]).
Since modified Mao also teaches a terminal comprising a lower flange, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify terminal flange of modified Mao to have an inclined surface that extends from the outer wall of the groove of the modified Mao, as taught/suggested by Hwangbo, and thus obtain the claimed inclined surfaced structure, because such a modification is a an obvious matter of design choice in terms of form and shape of the electrode terminal {i.e. how the lower flange of the terminal extends out} that, as shown by Hwangbo, appears to be known in the art and provides the benefit of improved riveting of the terminal as well as a terminal with a large sectional area and low electric resistance, which is advantageous for rapid charging [See MPEP 2144.04(IV)].
Claim(s) 12 – 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mao (CN112909445A) and Yoneda (US PG Pub. 2022/0294089 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Huang (CN113346168A, cited in previous Office action mailed 08/14/2025).
Regarding Claims 12 – 13, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. Mao teaches including an insulating ring 6 between the terminal and the housing of the battery cell (Fig. 1; [0061]) and the corresponding second flange of the terminal is included over an upper flange portion of the insulating ring (Refer to position of the top/upper flange of the positive electrode terminal 33 in Fig. 1).
Modified Mao does not explicitly disclose wherein one side of the second flange facing the wall part is provided with an annular protrusion, the annular protrusion is disposed around a central axis of the electrode terminal, and the annular protrusion is configured to squeeze a portion of the insulating member located between the second flange and the wall part (Claim 12).
Huang, also directed to cylindrical battery cell terminal structures, thus analogous to Mao, teaches a positive electrode terminal structure {i.e. positive electrode pole/column 4} including an upper and lower flange and the upper flange, which sits on an upper insulating seal 51, (Figs. 2 – 3; [0033]). The upper flange is further taught to include an annular anti-slip protrusion 411 which presses the upper insulating seal 51 towards the housing in the vertical direction thereby improving sealing between the terminal and preventing the terminal from rotating arounds its central axis (Figs. 2 – 4; 0035]).
Since, Mao teaches a cylindrical battery cell with a terminal and insulator configuration similar to the one taught in Huang, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the upper terminal flange in Mao {i.e. corresponds to claimed second flange}, to have an anti-slip protrusion, as taught by Huang, and thus obtain the claimed annular protrusion structure that is configured to squeeze a portion of the insulating member located between the second flange and the wall part, with a reasonable expectation of success in obtaining a terminal-insulator structure with improved sealing and further preventing the terminal for undesirable rotating.
Furthermore, by including the anti-slip protrusion as taught by Huang, modified Mao provides the claimed structure of wherein projection of the first flange on the second flange covers the annular protrusion in a thickness direction of the wall part (Claim 13), because in Huang the anti-slip protrusion 411 is shown to extend out and end where the bottom flange of the terminal ends (Refer to annotated Figs. 2 – 3 from Huang exemplifying the configuration of the first flange and the second flange annular protrusion in modified Mao).
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Annotated Figs. 2 – 3 from Huang exemplifying the first flange and second flange annular protrusion in modified Mao.
Claim(s) 16 – 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mao (CN112909445A) and Yoneda (US PG Pub. 2022/0294089 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Park (US PG Pub. 2015/0287964 A1 – cited in previous Office action mailed 08/14/2025).
Regarding Claims 16 – 17, modified Mao discloses all limitation as set forth above. The battery cell of modified Mao is taught to be cylindrica battery cell (Mao: [0052]).
Modified Mao does not explicitly disclose a battery comprising the battery cell according to claim 1 (Claim 16) (Refer to rejection of claim 1 above).
For examination purposes the examiner is interpreting “battery” to mean a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, which is an interpretation supported by [0091] of the instant specification.
Park teaches a battery pack having a plurality of cylindrical battery cells included within the pack, and applying the battery pack as a power source for portable power tools, such as electric drills, or hybrid electric vehicles (Fig. 1; [0008];[0023];[0042 – 0043]).
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include the cylindrical battery cell of modified Mao in the battery pack taught by Park, and thus obtain the claimed battery, with a reasonable expectation of success that such cylindrical battery cells would be suitable for the battery pack of Park.
Furthermore, since Park teaches utilizing the battery pack as a power source for a portable power tool or hybrid electric vehicle, modified Mao further discloses a power consumption device comprising the battery according to claim 16 (Claim 17) (Refer to rejection of claim 16 above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARYANA Y ORTIZ whose telephone number is (571)270-5986. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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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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/A.Y.O./Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/JONATHAN G LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1751 7/17/2026
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