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
This is a final office action in response to Applicant's remarks and amendments filed on 1/20/2026. Claim 14 is newly added. Claims 1-14 are pending review in this action.
The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections of claims 1-13 in the previous Office Action are maintained. New grounds are presented below for new claim 14.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that Hilligoss fails to teach or suggest the limitation “each of the first and second plates having a heating member therein”. Applicant submits that Hilligoss teaches, in reference to Fig. 4, “heater 24 may be an etched plate, such as an etched plate 24 a including a laminated copper foil heating element 24 b,” which results in the heating member on the surface of the plate and not within the plate. However, Examiner contends that a heater as described as Hilligoss necessarily includes the heating member with the plate, and meets the claimed limitation requirement that the plates have a heating member therein. First, it is emphasized that the claim does not require that the heating member is not exposed from the surface of the plate or otherwise does not protrude from the surface of the plate. It merely suggests that the heating member is in the plates. Thus, under broadest reasonable interpretation, “having therein” can be interpreted such that the heating member may be at least partially embedded in the plates. Second, Examiner provides herein an evidentiary reference illustrating that an etched foil heater made using a laminated metallic foil (similar to one described by Hilligoss) is known in the art as being manufactured by etching a thin metal sheet having to form a heating pattern followed by laminating the etched foil between two layers of insulating material [refer to NPL attachment by Jaye Heater]. Thus, it can be reasonably concluded that the heater 24 of Hilligoss comprising an etched plate 24a including a laminated copper foil 24b meets the requirement of the claimed invention.
Pertaining arguments towards new claim 14, Examiner agrees that the cited prior art fails to explicitly teach or suggest the subject matter introduced therein. However, upon further search, Examiner has introduced a new reference to Lee (KR101713042B1) to render this claim obvious. Kindly refer to the rejections below for details.
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) 1-3, 6 and 9-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung (CN110419132A – see IDS; US2019/0379083A1 used as English Equivalent) in view of Jeong (JP5932886B2 – see IDS; machine translation attached herein) and Hilligoss (US20180205055A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Jung discloses a battery cell tray 100 [Figs. 1-2] comprising:
a tray body 111 having a storage space therein; and
first and second plates 112-115 arranged in the storage space of the tray body, the first and second plates being configured to support opposite surfaces of at least one battery cell to allow the battery cell to be mounted in an erect state, the first and second plates being movable in a horizontal direction in the storage space [pars. 0067-75; Figs. 1-2].
Jung teaches performing an aging process, including a high-temperature aging process, before or after an activation step by pressure applied to the battery cells by the first and second plates, in order to sufficiently impregnate the electrode assembly with the electrolytic solution [pars. 0018,0032-34], but fails to teach wherein each of the first and second plates have a heating member therein. However, Jeong, from the same field of endeavor, teaches a battery cell tray 200 having a tray body 110 and first and second plates 222 configured to support opposite surfaces of at least one battery cell to allow the battery cell to be mounted in an erect state, wherein heating members 230 are provided on the first and second plate to induce a temperature rise in the battery cells to facilitate transport and charging of battery cells during manufacturing process and improving the impregnation of the electrolyte into the battery cells during transport and manufacturing process [Jeong – pars. 0010-11,0029,0033-36; Figs. 1-3]. While Jeong teaches that the heating members are on both side surfaces of the plates, Jeong does not necessarily teach that the heating members may be provided in the plates. However, providing the heating members in the plates configured to support opposite surfaces of at least one battery cell is a well-known configuration in the art. For example, Hilligoss, from the same field of endeavor, discloses plates (heaters 24) arranged on opposite surfaces of each battery cells (electrochemical cells 22), wherein the plates include an etched plate 24a including a laminated copper foil heating element 24b (i.e., the heating element 24b is provided within the etched portion of the plate 24a) [Hilligoss – pars. 0087; Figs. 3-4]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the first and second plates of Jung to have comprised heating members therein in order to induce a temperature rise in the battery cells to facilitate transport and charging of battery cells during manufacturing process and improving the impregnation of the electrolyte into the battery cells during transport and manufacturing process.
Regarding Claim 2, modified Jung teaches wherein each heating member is a heat wire [par. 0033].
Regarding Claim 3, Jung fails to disclose wherein the first and second plates have a height corresponding to 3/10 to 5/10 of a height of a region of the battery cell having an electrode assembly. However, Jeong teaches wherein the first and second plates have a height corresponding to 20% to 90% of the battery cells, and that if the height is less than 20% of the battery cells the battery cells mounted on the tray may shift and become detached during transfer process, and if the height exceeds 90%, it may become difficult to mount the battery cells on the tray body [Jeong – par. 0012]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the tray of Jung wherein the first and second plates have a height corresponding to 3/10 to 5/10 of a height of a region of the battery cell having an electrode assembly in order to prevent the battery cells from shifting and become detached during transfer process and to more easily mount the battery cells on the tray body without undue experimentation and with a reasonable expectation of success [MPEP 2144.05(II)].
Regarding Claim 6, modified Jung discloses wherein the first and second plates define one pair of plates, wherein the battery cell tray has n pairs of plates, and wherein n is an integer equal to or greater than 2 [Jung – Figs. 1-2].
Regarding Claim 9, modified Jung discloses wherein the at least one battery cell is a plurality of battery cells arranged along the first and second plates [Jung – Figs. 1-2].
Regarding Claim 10, modified Jung teaches a method of activating a battery cell 131 including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode (inherent battery cells components), the method comprising:
mounting the battery cell on the battery cell tray according to claim 1; and
aging the battery cell mounted on the battery cell tray [Jung – par. 0032],
wherein the aging of the battery cell includes applying heat to the battery cell (i.e., high-temperature aging process) [Jung – par. 0033].
Regarding Claim 11, modified Jung teaches wherein the aging of the battery cell includes applying heat in a temperature range of 50 to 70o C to the battery cell [Jung – par. 0033], which falls within the claimed range of 50 to 80o C.
Regarding Claim 12, modified Jung teaches wherein the aging is performed for about 1 day [Jung – par. 0034], which falls within the claimed range of about 12 to 48 hours.
Regarding Claim 13, modified Jung fails to teach wherein the applying of heat is performed for about 5 to 15 minutes per hour. However, timing the heat application to facilitate sufficient impregnation of the electrolytic solution into the electrode assembly is well-within the ordinary skilled artisan. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the method of Jung to have controlled the heat application step wherein the applying of heat is performed for about 5 to 15 minutes per hour in order to sufficiently impregnate the electrolytic solution into the electrode assembly, without undue experimentation and with a reasonable expectation of success [MPEP 2144.05(II)].
Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung, Jeong and Hilligoss, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Xie (CN109148989A – see IDS; machine translation attached herein).
Regarding Claim 4, modified Jung teaches wherein the first and second plates move toward each other to press the battery cell during activation of the battery cell in order to prevent the battery cell from being deformed due to expansion of the electrode assembly while the battery cell is charged and discharged [Jung – par. 0104], but fails to teach wherein an interval adjusting member is located between the first and second plates to adjust an interval between the first and second plates. However, Xie, from the same field of endeavor, teaches a clamping device comprising a first and second plate 110/120 arranged and opposite surfaces of at least one battery cell (not shown), wherein an interval adjusting member 130 is located between the first and second plates to adjust an interval between the first and second plates in order to uniformly clamp the battery cell under pressure during charging and discharging to thereby improve performance of the battery cell to prevent bloating during the charge and discharge process [Xie – pars. 0092-95; Fig. 1]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the method of Jung wherein an interval adjusting member is located between the first and second plates to adjust an interval between the first and second plates in order to uniformly clamp the battery cell under pressure during charging and discharging to thereby improve performance of the battery cell to prevent bloating during the charge and discharge process.
Regarding Claim 5, modified Jung teaches wherein the interval adjusting member is a coil spring [Xie – par. 0094; Fig. 1].
Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung, Jeong and Hilligoss, as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Schmieder (US2021/0408573A1; priority date of 6/30/2020).
Regarding Claim 7, modified Jung fails to teach wherein an elastic pressing member is included between a k-th second plate and a (k+1)-th first plate, and wherein k is an integer equal to or greater than 1 and equal to or less than n-1. However, the claimed limitation can be interpreted such that adjacent second and first battery plates comprise the elastic pressing member at their respective surfaces which do not face the battery cells. In this regard, Schmieder, from the same field of endeavor, discloses a battery cell tray 18 comprising a prestressing unit 36b which comprises a k-th second plate 42b and a (k+a)-th first plate 42a including an elastic pressing member 44 to compensate for swelling of the battery cells 22 [Schmieder – pars. 0044-51; Fig. 2]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have further modified the battery cell tray of Jung wherein an elastic pressing member is included between a k-th second plate and a (k+1)-th first plate, and wherein k is an integer equal to or greater than 1 and equal to or less than n-1 in order to compensate for swelling of the battery cells.
Regarding Claim 8, modified Jung teaches wherein the elastic pressing member is a coil spring.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6 and 9-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung (CN110419132A – see IDS; US2019/0379083A1 used as English Equivalent) in view of Jeong (JP5932886B2 – see IDS; machine translation attached herein) and Lee (KR101713042B1; foreign copy and machine translation attached herein).
Regarding Claim 1, Jung discloses a battery cell tray 100 [Figs. 1-2] comprising:
a tray body 111 having a storage space therein; and
first and second plates 112-115 arranged in the storage space of the tray body, the first and second plates being configured to support opposite surfaces of at least one battery cell to allow the battery cell to be mounted in an erect state, the first and second plates being movable in a horizontal direction in the storage space [pars. 0067-75; Figs. 1-2].
Jung teaches performing an aging process, including a high-temperature aging process, before or after an activation step by pressure applied to the battery cells by the first and second plates, in order to sufficiently impregnate the electrode assembly with the electrolytic solution [pars. 0018,0032-34], but fails to teach wherein each of the first and second plates have a heating member therein. However, Jeong, from the same field of endeavor, teaches a battery cell tray 200 having a tray body 110 and first and second plates 222 configured to support opposite surfaces of at least one battery cell to allow the battery cell to be mounted in an erect state, wherein heating members 230 are provided on the first and second plate to induce a temperature rise in the battery cells to facilitate transport and charging of battery cells during manufacturing process and improving the impregnation of the electrolyte into the battery cells during transport and manufacturing process [Jeong – pars. 0010-11,0029,0033-36; Figs. 1-3]. While Jeong teaches that the heating members are on both side surfaces of the plates, Jeong does not necessarily teach that the heating members may be provided within the plates. However, providing the heating members to be disposed within the plates configured to support opposite surfaces of at least one battery cell is a well-known configuration in the art. For example, Lee, from the same field of endeavor, discloses plates (heat generation plates 120 formed of base 122) arranged on opposite surfaces of each battery cells 10, wherein each plate includes a heating member (heat ray 124) embedded therein [Lee – pars. 0042-48; Figs. 3-4]. Lee further teaches that because the heating member are embedded within the plates, the plates may be formed in planar surfaces when contacting the battery cells so that the surfaces of the battery cells in contact with the plates are planarized [Lee – par. 0048]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the first and second plates of Jung to have comprised heating members therein in order to induce a temperature rise in the battery cells to facilitate transport and charging of battery cells during manufacturing process and improving the impregnation of the electrolyte into the battery cells during transport and manufacturing process in a manner that the surfaces of the battery cells in contact with the plates are planarized.
Regarding Claim 2, modified Jung teaches wherein each heating member is a heat wire [par. 0033].
Regarding Claim 3, Jung fails to disclose wherein the first and second plates have a height corresponding to 3/10 to 5/10 of a height of a region of the battery cell having an electrode assembly. However, Jeong teaches wherein the first and second plates have a height corresponding to 20% to 90% of the battery cells, and that if the height is less than 20% of the battery cells the battery cells mounted on the tray may shift and become detached during transfer process, and if the height exceeds 90%, it may become difficult to mount the battery cells on the tray body [Jeong – par. 0012]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the tray of Jung wherein the first and second plates have a height corresponding to 3/10 to 5/10 of a height of a region of the battery cell having an electrode assembly in order to prevent the battery cells from shifting and become detached during transfer process and to more easily mount the battery cells on the tray body without undue experimentation and with a reasonable expectation of success [MPEP 2144.05(II)].
Regarding Claim 6, modified Jung discloses wherein the first and second plates define one pair of plates, wherein the battery cell tray has n pairs of plates, and wherein n is an integer equal to or greater than 2 [Jung – Figs. 1-2].
Regarding Claim 9, modified Jung discloses wherein the at least one battery cell is a plurality of battery cells arranged along the first and second plates [Jung – Figs. 1-2].
Regarding Claim 10, modified Jung teaches a method of activating a battery cell 131 including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode (inherent battery cells components), the method comprising:
mounting the battery cell on the battery cell tray according to claim 1; and
aging the battery cell mounted on the battery cell tray [Jung – par. 0032],
wherein the aging of the battery cell includes applying heat to the battery cell (i.e., high-temperature aging process) [Jung – par. 0033].
Regarding Claim 11, modified Jung teaches wherein the aging of the battery cell includes applying heat in a temperature range of 50 to 70o C to the battery cell [Jung – par. 0033], which falls within the claimed range of 50 to 80o C.
Regarding Claim 12, modified Jung teaches wherein the aging is performed for about 1 day [Jung – par. 0034], which falls within the claimed range of about 12 to 48 hours.
Regarding Claim 13, modified Jung fails to teach wherein the applying of heat is performed for about 5 to 15 minutes per hour. However, timing the heat application to facilitate sufficient impregnation of the electrolytic solution into the electrode assembly is well-within the ordinary skilled artisan. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the method of Jung to have controlled the heat application step wherein the applying of heat is performed for about 5 to 15 minutes per hour in order to sufficiently impregnate the electrolytic solution into the electrode assembly, without undue experimentation and with a reasonable expectation of success [MPEP 2144.05(II)].
Regarding Claim 14, modified Jung teaches wherein the heating element in each of the first and second plates does not directly contact the opposite surfaces of the at least one battery cell [Lee – par. 0048; Fig. 5].
Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung, Jeong and Lee, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Xie (CN109148989A – see IDS; machine translation attached herein).
Regarding Claim 4, modified Jung teaches wherein the first and second plates move toward each other to press the battery cell during activation of the battery cell in order to prevent the battery cell from being deformed due to expansion of the electrode assembly while the battery cell is charged and discharged [Jung – par. 0104], but fails to teach wherein an interval adjusting member is located between the first and second plates to adjust an interval between the first and second plates. However, Xie, from the same field of endeavor, teaches a clamping device comprising a first and second plate 110/120 arranged and opposite surfaces of at least one battery cell (not shown), wherein an interval adjusting member 130 is located between the first and second plates to adjust an interval between the first and second plates in order to uniformly clamp the battery cell under pressure during charging and discharging to thereby improve performance of the battery cell to prevent bloating during the charge and discharge process [Xie – pars. 0092-95; Fig. 1]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the method of Jung wherein an interval adjusting member is located between the first and second plates to adjust an interval between the first and second plates in order to uniformly clamp the battery cell under pressure during charging and discharging to thereby improve performance of the battery cell to prevent bloating during the charge and discharge process.
Regarding Claim 5, modified Jung teaches wherein the interval adjusting member is a coil spring [Xie – par. 0094; Fig. 1].
Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung, Jeong and Lee, as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Schmieder (US2021/0408573A1; priority date of 6/30/2020).
Regarding Claim 7, modified Jung fails to teach wherein an elastic pressing member is included between a k-th second plate and a (k+1)-th first plate, and wherein k is an integer equal to or greater than 1 and equal to or less than n-1. However, the claimed limitation can be interpreted such that adjacent second and first battery plates comprise the elastic pressing member at their respective surfaces which do not face the battery cells. In this regard, Schmieder, from the same field of endeavor, discloses a battery cell tray 18 comprising a prestressing unit 36b which comprises a k-th second plate 42b and a (k+a)-th first plate 42a including an elastic pressing member 44 to compensate for swelling of the battery cells 22 [Schmieder – pars. 0044-51; Fig. 2]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have further modified the battery cell tray of Jung wherein an elastic pressing member is included between a k-th second plate and a (k+1)-th first plate, and wherein k is an integer equal to or greater than 1 and equal to or less than n-1 in order to compensate for swelling of the battery cells.
Regarding Claim 8, modified Jung teaches wherein the elastic pressing member is a coil spring.
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 HAROON S SHEIKH whose telephone number is (571)270-0302. The examiner can normally be reached 9-6.
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, 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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
HAROON S. SHEIKH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1751
/Haroon S. Sheikh/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751