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 .
Claim Status
Claims 1-2 and 6 are under examination
Claims 3-5 have been withdrawn
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the machine translation of Yamamoto (JP S6166364 A).
Regarding claim 1, Yamamoto discloses a secondary battery electrode plate (Description, para. 1, [spiral electrode battery])(Fig. 3, [item 6 - positive electrode]) comprising:
a core (abstract and Fig. 3- item 12 of the positive body)
made from a metal foil (Description, para. 7, thin metal plate) and
having a thin-plate shape (Description, para. 7, thin metal plate);
an active material layer [Fig. 3, item 13] formed on at least one side of the core (Description, para. 7, the above-mentioned paste-like positive electrode mixture is spread in a thin layer on both sides of this core body 12, and is dried and solidified to form the positive electrode),
wherein a melted portion of the metal foil forming the core disperses at an edge portion of the secondary battery electrode plate such that the melted portion spreads beyond a plate thickness region of the core to adhere to and solidify on a surface of an edge of the active material layer (Description, para. 17, [and the core body 12 is melt-cult at the same time) (It is the examiner’s position that once the core body melts, the melted portion would then displace beyond the original thickness of the core body, and in doing so would adhere to a surface of an edge of the active material layer) (It is also the examiner’s position that once the heat of the laser cutting leaves the area, the melted portion would then solidify), and
the melted portion disperses, adheres to, and solidifies on the surface of the edge of the active material layer (Description, para. 17, as explained above)
the surface of the edge is a surface of a cut edge (Fig. 3 shows the cut edge along line L due to the laser beam – item 31) and
an edge portion of the core is not widened into a triangular cross section (Description, para. 17, [the core body 12 is melt-cut at the same time. Laser beams allow precision cutting on the micron order, with extremely little thermal deformation or thermal effects on the object to be cut])
Regarding claim 2, Yamamoto discloses a secondary battery comprising the secondary battery electrode plate according to claim 1 (Description, para. 1, [spiral electrode battery]).
Regarding claim 6, Yamamoto discloses the secondary battery electrode plate according to claim 1, wherein
the melted portion disperses, adheres to, and solidifies on the surface of the edge of the active material layer (Description, para. 17, [and the core body 12 is melt-cult at the same time) (It is the examiner’s position that once the core body melts, the melted portion would then displace beyond the original thickness of the core body, and in doing so would adhere to a surface of an edge of the active material layer) (It is also the examiner’s position that once the heat due to the laser cutting leaves the cutting area, the melted portion would then solidify)
such that a solidified portion forms a metal coating (It is also the examiner’s position that once the melted portion solidifies, it would essentially coat the surface of item 13 of Fig. 3)
which extends beyond the plate thickness region of the core (It is the examiner’s position that once the core body melts, the melted portion would then displace beyond the original thickness of the core body, this displacement could exist beyond the plate thickness region of the core).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 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.
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.
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/V.G./Examiner, Art Unit 1721
/ALLISON BOURKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1721
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