DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Applicant’s response to the Election/Restriction was received on 1/30/26.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S.C. code not included in this action can be found in the prior Office Action.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 12-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/24/25.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 8/19/22, 12/9/22, 5/13/24, 6/6/24, 12/8/24, 2/13/25, 3/25/25, 3/26/25, 5/5/25, 5/51/25, 6/5/25, 8/15/25, 12/24/25, 12/31/25, 1/30/26 are considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings submitted on 10/18/22 has been considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yoon et al. (US Publication 8,277,966).
Regarding claim 1, the Yoon et al. reference discloses a secondary battery comprising a positive electrode, a solid electrolyte (separators omitted from drawings), and a negative electrode, wherein a stack structure having the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together is provided. The stack structure is bent to provide a bending region therebetween and the negative electrode is provided within the bending region (Fig. 1-8).
Regarding claim 2, the Yoon et al. reference discloses wherein an inner surface of the bending region comprises the solid electrolyte, and thus the negative electrode comes into contact with the solid electrolyte (Fig. 1-8).
Regarding claim 3, the Yoon et al. reference discloses the stack structure comprising the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together, and the negative electrode provided in the bending region are defined as a unit cell, wherein the unit cell is provided in plurality, and wherein the plurality of unit cells are stacked on each other so that the positive electrodes included in the unit cells adjacent to each other come into contact with each other (Fig. 1-8).
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Park et al. (US Publication 2015/0140452).
Regarding claim 1, the Park et al. reference discloses a secondary battery comprising a positive electrode (13), a solid electrolyte (12), and a negative electrode (11), wherein a stack structure having the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together is provided. The stack structure is bent to provide a bending region therebetween and the negative electrode is provided within the bending region (Fig. 1-7).
Regarding claim 2, the Park et al. reference discloses wherein an inner surface of the bending region comprises the solid electrolyte, and thus the negative electrode comes into contact with the solid electrolyte (Fig. 1-7).
Regarding claim 3, the Park et al. reference discloses the stack structure comprising the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together, and the negative electrode provided in the bending region are defined as a unit cell, wherein the unit cell is provided in plurality, and wherein the plurality of unit cells are stacked on each other so that the positive electrodes included in the unit cells adjacent to each other come into contact with each other (Fig. 1-4).
Regarding claim 4, the Park et al. reference discloses wherein a plurality of the stacked unit cells are defined as a cell structure, wherein the cell structure is provided in plurality, and wherein the plurality of cell structures are disposed so that the positive electrodes included in the cell structures come into contact with each other (Fig. 1-4).
Regarding claim 5, the Park et al. reference disclose the stack structure comprising the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together, and the negative electrode provided in the bending region form a unit cell, wherein the unit cell is provided in plurality, wherein the plurality of unit cells are stacked on each other (Fig. 1, 3a, 4) so that the positive electrodes included in the unit cells adjacent to each other are adjacent to each other, and wherein the second battery further comprises a gas diffusion layer (14b) disposed between the unit cells adjacent to each other.
Regarding claim 7, the Park et al. reference disclose that the stack structure is bent toward a first side and a second side facing the first side, and wherein the negative electrode is provided in a first bending region bent toward the first side (the right side of the stack), and the positive electrodes of the stack structure come into contact with each other and are folded in a second bending region (the left side of the stack) bent toward the second side (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, the Park et al. reference discloses the stack structures are alternately and repeatedly stacked toward the first side and the second side (Fig. 3a) to provide the plurality of first bending regions and the plurality of second bending regions, and wherein the negative electrode is provided in at least one of the plurality of first bending regions (right side of the stack), and the positive electrodes of the stack structure come into contact with each other in the plurality of second bending regions (left side of the stack).
Regarding claim 9, the Park et al. reference wherein the stack structure comprising the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together, and the plurality of negative electrodes provided in the plurality of first bending regions are defined as a cell structure (Fig. 3b), wherein the cell structure is provided in plurality (in Fig. 3A), and wherein the plurality of cell structures are disposed so that the positive electrodes included in the cell structures come into contact with each other.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Choi (EP2089258).
Regarding claim 1, the Choi reference discloses a secondary battery comprising a positive electrode (500), a solid electrolyte (200), and a negative electrode (100), wherein a stack structure having the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together is provided. The stack structure is bent to provide a bending region therebetween and the negative electrode is provided within the bending region (700).
Regarding claim 2, the Choi reference discloses wherein an inner surface of the bending region comprises the solid electrolyte, and thus the negative electrode comes into contact with the solid electrolyte (700).
Regarding claim 5, the Choi reference disclose the stack structure comprising the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together, and the negative electrode provided in the bending region form a unit cell, wherein the unit cell is provided in plurality, wherein the plurality of unit cells are stacked on each other (1, 3a, 4) so that the positive electrodes included in the unit cells adjacent to each other are adjacent to each other, and wherein the second battery further comprises a gas diffusion layer (550) disposed between the unit cells adjacent to each other.
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.
Claim(s) 4, 6-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (EP2089258) in view of Park et al. (US Publication 2015/0140452).
Regarding claims 4 and 6, the Choi reference discloses the claimed invention above and further incorporated herein. The Choi reference discloses wherein the plurality of stacked unit cells and the gas diffusion layer disposed between the unit cells are defined as a cell structure (Fig. 5) but does not explicitly disclose wherein the cell structure is disposed so that the positive electrodes come into contact with each other. However, the Park et al. reference discloses the positive electrode to seamlessly contact each other and embedded as part of the stacking configuration. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to comprise positive electrodes to contact each other in a seamless stacking configuration disclosed by the Park et al. reference for the stacked batteries disclosed by the Choi reference so that the positive electrode would connect in order to provide stacked batteries without complicated configurations and additional clumsy positive electrode parts. If a person of ordinary skill in the art can implement a predictable variation, and would see the benefit of doing so, §103 likely bars its patentability. KSR v. Teleflex
Regarding claim 7, the Choi reference discloses the claimed invention above and further incorporated herein. The Choi reference discloses wherein the plurality of stacked unit cells are bent to one side wherein the negative electrode is provided in a first bending region bent to the one side but does not explicitly disclose wherein the cell structure comprises second side wherein the positive electrode of the stack structure comes into contact with each other and are folded in a second bending region bent to the second side. However, the Park et al. reference discloses the cell structure comprises a second side wherein the positive electrode of the stack structure comes into seamless contact with each other and are folded in a second bending region bent to the second side. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to the cell structure comprises another side wherein the positive electrode of the stack structure comes into contact with each other and are folded in a second bending region bent to the second side disclosed by the Park et al. reference for the stacked batteries disclosed by the Choi reference so that the positive electrode would connect between cells in order to provide stacked batteries without complicated configurations and additional clumsy positive electrode parts. If a person of ordinary skill in the art can implement a predictable variation, and would see the benefit of doing so, §103 likely bars its patentability. KSR v. Teleflex
As a result, the Choi in view of Park et al. (herein referred to as the modified Choi reference) discloses positive electrode of one battery to seamlessly contact the other positive electrode of the another battery in the battery stack which recreates a bent region to the second side.
Regarding claims 8, the modified Choi reference discloses the stack structures are alternately and repeatedly stacked toward the first side and the second side to provide the plurality of first bending regions and the plurality of second bending regions, and wherein the negative electrode is provided in at least one of the plurality of first bending regions and the positive electrodes of the stack structure come into contact with each other in the plurality of second bending regions (side of the stack wherein the modified connection of the positive electrodes are connected disclosed by the Park reference).
Regarding claim 9, the modified Choi reference wherein the stack structure comprising the positive electrode and the solid electrolyte stacked together, and the plurality of negative electrodes provided in the plurality of first bending regions are defined as a cell structure, wherein the cell structure is provided in plurality, and wherein the plurality of cell structures are disposed so that the positive electrodes included in the cell structures come into contact with each other (side of the stack wherein the modified connection of the positive electrodes are connected disclosed by the Park reference).
Regarding claim 10, the modified Choi reference discloses the stack structures are alternately and repeatedly stacked toward the first side and the second side to provide the plurality of first bending regions and the plurality of second bending regions, and wherein the plurality of negative electrodes are provided in the plurality of first bending regions, respectively, and a plurality of gas diffusion layers (Fig. 5, 550) are provided within the plurality of second bending regions with the positive electrode connecting side of the stack wherein the modified connection of the positive electrodes are connected disclosed by the Park reference).
Regarding claim 11 the modified Choi reference discloses wherein the stack structure, the plurality of negative electrodes provided in the plurality of first bending regions, and the plurality of gas diffusion layers provided in the plurality of second bending regions (with the modified connection of the positive electrode) are defined as a cell structure, wherein the cell structure is provided in plurality, and wherein the plurality of cell structures are disposed so that the positive electrodes included in the cell structures come into contact with each other.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HELEN OI CONLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-5162. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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/Helen Oi K CONLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752