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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 7/18/2025 is entered and fully considered.
In view of the amendment the prior art is reconsidered and a new rejection is made using the same art.
The examiner interview 7/11/2025 indicated that lines DGJ are the “folding portion”. However, on review of the art and previous rejections the KIM reference does not appear to have any “folding” portion. LIM teaches including slots (uncoated portions) within an electrode area to allow for flexibility (folding).
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, 2 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM et al. (US 2012/0321946) in view of LIM et al. (US 9,502,734).
Regarding claim 1,
KIM teaches coating a plurality of coated portions with an electrode mixture onto a current collector as shown in Fig. 4A. The uncoated portions include a first uncoated portion along the edge of the electrode sheet in addition to uncoated portions between coated areas along the processing direction X, see Fig. 4A. The reference then teaches slitting along lines A, B and C [0070] shown in fig. 5A (slitting into a unit electrode sheets). Thereafter, additional slit lines are made (notching) along lines D through F [0072]. The additional slits D and F correspond to a notching step where a coated portion is cut, most importantly a coated portion along line F, I and L which clean the electrode edge.
KIM teaches uncoated portions between coated areas (a second uncoated portion) but cuts the tabs/leads into the uncoated areas and does not teach the second uncoated portion to include a folding portion. However, LIM teaches that when making an electrode active area the formation of slots (uncoated portions) allows for flexibility of the electrode column 7 lines 31-57. The slots can run across the width of the electrode area as shown in Fig. 10. At the time of filing the invention it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include uncoated slots in the electrode area of KIM (e.g. between D/E and E/F in Fig. 6) to improve flexibility of the electrode.
When incorporating the uncoated slots of LIM into the electrode area of KIM, there are multiple uncoated slots spanning the width of the electrode area. When slits are made along lines F, I, and L, the slits are made in a coating area. The adjacent uncoated areas include the space between electrode areas (F-G and I-J) which is a first part of the second uncoated portion. LIM teaches the second part of the second uncoated area I which the electrode space (E-F) also has uncoated slots across the width of the electrode area. When slitting along line F, the edge of the electrode is trimmed by cutting through a non-uniform coated portion (114 of Fig. 6). This coated portion has an adjacent uncoated slot area incorporated by LIM and an adjacent uncoated area for cutting out tabs 113a.
Regarding claim 2,
KIM teaches slitting along a central coated portion between uncoated edges. Each edge corresponds to a first and a second part of the first uncoated portion.
Regarding claim 16,
LIM teaches forming slots in the electrode area. The slot is formed between coated portions of the electrode area (a first and second coated portion)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 8, 9 and 17 are allowed.
Claims 6 and 7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 4, the combination of KIM and LIM results in a notching (slitting along line F) with an electrode area including slots (folding portions) for flexibility. However, the slots as described in LIM include more than one slot which means that there are several slots (folding portions) between slitting (notching) E and F. Therefore, the folding portions and notching portions are not alternately disposed between coating portions because some/most coating portions have slots (folding portions) on both sides.
Claims 5, 8, 9 and 17 depend from claim 4.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of KIM and LIM above results in the electrode tab being formed in the second uncoated portion. The references do not teach forming the tab in the first uncoated portion.
Claim 7 depends from claim 6.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AUSTIN MURATA whose telephone number is (571)270-5596. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MICHAEL CLEVELAND can be reached at 571272-1418. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AUSTIN MURATA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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