DETAILED ACTION
Introductory Notes
Any paragraph citation of the instant is in reference to the U.S. published patent application.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 11/11/2025 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 19 recites the limitation “the positive electrode terminal”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 19 recites the limitation “the positive electrode current collector portion”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 20 recites the limitation “a current collector portion”. It is unclear if this is the same or different current collector portion as that of claim 1.
Claim Interpretation
Regarding claim 3, for the limitation “main surface”, the term is notably being read to be a surface that is parallel to the lamination direction. Support for this interpretation can be found in the instant specification: “The term “main surface” described herein refers to a surface having a normal line in the electrode lamination direction” [0099].
Regarding claim 12, for the limitation “an inclined surface”, the term is notably being read to exclude a right angle of 90° relative to the lamination direction. Support for this interpretation can be found in the instant specification: “the contact surface between the active material portion and the current collector portion does not have a parallel relation with the side surface of the solid-state battery laminate” [0143].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-7, 13-14, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KATO (WO 2018186449 A1).
Figs. 1A from KATO with examiner remarks below showing an interpretations of current collector portion. Fig. 1A exemplifies an interpretation wherein the current collector portion is extension 30’1 with associated protective layer 65 (dark shading throughout the figures) and the active material portion is 321 and 311.
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Regarding claim 1, KATO discloses a solid-state battery, comprising: a solid-state battery laminate in which a positive electrode layer, a negative electrode layer, and a solid electrolyte layer are laminated with the solid electrolyte layer interposed between the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer (Figs. 1A and 10, as well as claim 1);
a positive electrode external terminal on a first side surface of the solid-state battery laminate and electrically connected to the positive electrode layer; and a negative electrode external terminal on a second side surface of the solid-state battery laminate and electrically connected to the negative electrode layer (Fig. 1A connection portions 91 and 92),
wherein the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer each include:
an active material portion containing an active material (see Fig. 1A with remarks above, notably the portion that is the combination of 321 with active material layer 311 for the first electrode; similarly a combination of 411 with 421 and with 412 for the second electrode where 411 and 412 are the active material layers);
and a current collector portion (combination 30’1 with associated protective layer 65 for the first electrode; similarly, a combination of 40’1 with associated protective layers 65 for the second electrode) having smaller active material density (wherein active material density means dividing the mass of the active material distributed in the portion by the volume the electrode layer, per [0038] of the instant) than the active material portion and arranged on an edge surface of the active material portion and extending in a direction orthogonal to a lamination direction of the solid-state battery laminate so as to form an edge surface current collecting structure in which a current can be collected using the current collector portion on the edge surface of the active material portion (see Fig. 1A with remarks above showing portions orthogonal to the lamination direction; the current collector portion is the combination of extension 30’1 with associated protective layer 65; the active material layers are absent from the current collector portion and therefore the density of the active material in that portion is smaller than the active material portion).
wherein, in the positive electrode layer, a ratio of a length of an entirety of the current collector portion to an entire length of the positive electrode layer is 0.01 to 0.5 (Fig. 1A wherein the current collector portion is extension 30’1 with associated protective layer 65 (dark shading throughout the figures) and the active material portion is 321 and 311; and the current collector portion clearly less than half the length of the active material portion).
and wherein, in the negative electrode layer, the ratio of the length of the entirety of the current collector portion to an entire length of the negative electrode layer is 0.01 to 0.5 (Fig. 1A wherein the current collector portion is extension 40’1 in combination with associated protective layers 65 above and below and the active material portion is 411 with 421 and with 412; and the current collector portion is clearly less than half the length of the active material portion).
Regarding claim 2, KATO discloses in the positive electrode layer, the current collector portion is interposed between the active material portion and the positive electrode external terminal such that the current collector portion is in contact with the active material portion and with the positive external terminal (see Fig. 1A with remarks above, the current collector portion is in contact with both the active material portion and the external terminal)
and in the negative electrode layer, the current collector portion is interposed between the active material portion and the negative electrode external terminal such that the current collector portion is in contact with the active material portion and with the negative external terminal (see Fig. 1A with remarks above, the current collector portion is in contact with both the active material portion and the external terminal).
Regarding claim 3, KATO discloses the active material portion of at least one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer does not contain a conductive layer inside the active material portion and on a main surface of the active material portion (see Fig. 1A with remarks above where the designated active material portions of neither positive or negative contain both a conductive layer inside AND on a main surface of the active material portion, in other words both conditions are not met).
Regarding claim 4, KATO discloses the current collector portion of at least one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer does not contain the active material (see Fig. 1A with remarks above, the current collector portion is the combination of extension 30’1 with associated protective layer 65 and does not contain active material).
Regarding claim 5, KATO discloses the current collector portion of both the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer does not contain the active material (see Fig. 1A with remarks above, while only one current collector is noted in the remarks, the same holds true for the opposite collector).
Regarding claim 6, KATO discloses in a sectional view of the solid-state battery laminate, the current collector portion of one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer is not opposed to the active material portion of the other of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer in the lamination direction (Fig. 1A, first and second extensions alternate).
Regarding claim 7, KATO discloses in a sectional view of the solid-state battery laminate, the active material portion and the current collector portion of at least one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer are flush with each other (Fig. 1A, the designated portions are flush).
Regarding claim 13, KATO discloses the current collector portion extends to a main surface of the active material portion (see Fig. 1A with remarks above wherein the current collector portion extends to and is in contact with a main surface of the active material portion).
Regarding claim 14, KATO discloses the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer are layers capable of occluding and releasing lithium ions (“the secondary battery of the present disclosure is a lithium ion secondary battery” [0022]).
Regarding claim 16, KATO discloses a content of the active material in the active material portion is of at least one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer 50 wt% or more (Fig. 1A wherein the active material portion is 411 with 421 and with 412; the active material is layers 411 and 412 comprising the slurry for second electrode component given in [0091]; layer 421 comprises graphite per [0052]; the weight of layers 411 plus 412 is therefore at least 50% the total weight of layers 411 with 421 and with 412).
Regarding claim 17 (which depends upon claim 16), KATO discloses a content of the active material in the current collector portion of at least one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer is 90 wt% or less (the active material is absent from the current collector portion and is therefore 0 wt%).
Regarding claim 18, KATO discloses a content of the active material in the current collector portion of at least one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer is 90 wt% or less (the active material is absent from the current collector portion and is therefore 0 wt%).
Regarding claim 19, KATO discloses a surface where the positive electrode terminal and the positive electrode current collector portion are in contact with each other, and a surface where the positive electrode current collector portion and the positive electrode active material portion are in contact with each other are arranged so as to face each other (Fig. 1A the surface of the current collector portion which is the combination of extension 30’1 with associated protective layer 65 has a surface along first electrode 71 and a surface where protective layer 65 contacts 311).
Regarding claim 20, KATO discloses the active material portion does not include a current collector portion (Fig. 1A where the active material portion does not contain the current collector portion of claim 1; notably the claim is being interpreted such that “a current collector portion” of claim 20 is the same as that of the same name in claim 1).
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 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KATO in view of TANAKA (US 20220077501 A1).
Regarding claim 8, KATO discloses the current collector portion is interposed between the active material portion and the external terminal (Fig. 1A with remarks above wherein the current collector portion is between the active material portion and the external terminal). KATO does not expressly teach in a plan view of the solid-state battery laminate, the current collector portion has a larger dimension than the active material portion.
TANAKA is directed to a laminated all-solid-state battery (Abstract), similar to KATO. TANAKA discloses Figs. 2-5 wherein each of the positive and negative electrodes includes main and auxiliary portions (Figs. 2-5, paragraph [0009]). As seen when comparing Figs. 2 and 3 and referencing Fig. 1, the auxiliary portions are opposite margin layers of the opposite electrode layer, analogous to KATO’s current collector extensions.
Tanka Fig. 4, which is pan view, with examiner’s remarks below indicating the auxiliary portions 302 having a dimension larger than the main area 301:
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TANAKA teaches that with such a configuration “contact area between an external electrode and an electrode layer increases” [0010] and “superior cycle characteristics can be obtained” [0015].
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to add the auxiliary areas of TANAKA to the current collector extensions of KATO in order to increase the contact area between the internal and external electrodes.
Following the addition, modified KATO discloses in a plan view of the solid-state battery laminate and in at least one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer, the current collector portion has a larger dimension than the active material portion, and the current collector portion is interposed between the active material portion and the external terminal (as taught by TANAKA).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KATO in view of TAMAI (US 20070042265 A1).
Regarding claim 12, KATO does not expressly teach in a sectional view of the solid-state battery laminate, a contact surface between the active material portion and the current collector portion is an inclined surface.
TAMAI is directed to an all-solid-state lithium secondary cell that has a laminate structure (Abstract), similar to KATO. TAMAI discloses Fig. 1 wherein the contact surface between the active materials (3 and 2) and the current collectors (6A and 6C) is a chamfered, or curved, surface. TAMI also discloses Fig. 7 wherein the contact surface is a non-curved inclined surface that is no parallel to the sides.
TAMAI teaches “the laminate itself becomes a body having a shape free of edges, so that the resistance to external stress is increased” [0008].
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to add the chamfered surfaces of TAMI to the electrode layers of KATO
Following the addition, modified KATO discloses in a sectional view of the solid-state battery laminate, a contact surface between the active material portion and the current collector portion of at least one of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer is an inclined surface (as taught by TAMI).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 and KATO have been considered but are not persuasive.
Remarks on page 8 paragraph 2 state “Kato clearly describes in [0048]-[0049] that portions 321 and 42i/422, along with extensions 30'1 and 40'1, are part of the current collector layer” and examiner does not disagree with this assertion. Remarks go on to say these portions are thus "current collector portions" to which the examiner disagrees. As noted in the rejection of claim 1 above the combination of extension 30’1 with associated protective layer 65 fully reads on the claimed "current collector portion". This 30'1 on 65 area is notably different than the 321 on 311 area which reads on the active material portion. The same holds true for the 40'1 on 65 versus 42 on 41 areas in KATO figure 1.
Regarding arguments beginning in the final paragraph of page 8 referencing the length of the of current collector layers in Kato, the applicant is conflating the prior arts current collector layers with the current collector portion as relied upon in the rejection of claim 1. The two are not the same.
It remains the examiner's position that the applicant's arguments are toward unclaimed limitations of what does and does not constitute the active material portion and the current collector portion. Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Notably the only claimed requirement for the active material portion is that it contain an active material. Furthermore, even when considering the specification instant paragraph [0102] states the “term “current collector portion” described herein refers to a member that contributes to entrance and exit of electrons from the edge surface of the active material portion in a broad sense”, and the current collector portion as relied upon for the rejection reads on this broad definition.
Conclusion
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/T.L.M./Examiner, Art Unit 1721
/ALLISON BOURKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1721