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 .
Status of Claims
The Applicant’s arguments, filed 03/26/2026, has been entered. Claims 1-10 stand as originally or previously presented; and claim 11 is withdrawn.
Upon considered said arguments, the previous 35 U.S.C.103 rejection set forth in Office Action mailed 01/13/2026 has been withdrawn. Amended and new grounds of rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 citing to newly cited art and the originally cited art are set forth below as necessitated by the claim amendments.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The full text of Claim 11 is required when the claim is withdrawn.
Appropriate correction is required.
MPEP 714; 37 CFR 1.121 (c): Claims. Amendments to a claim must be made by rewriting the entire claim with all changes (e.g., additions and deletions) as indicated in this subsection, except when the claim is being canceled. Each amendment document that includes a change to an existing claim, cancellation of an existing claim or addition of a new claim, must include a complete listing of all claims ever presented, including the text of all pending and withdrawn claims, in the application. The claim listing, including the text of the claims, in the amendment document will serve to replace all prior versions of the claims, in the application. In the claim listing, the status of every claim must be indicated after its claim number by using one of the following identifiers in a parenthetical expression: (Original), (Currently amended), (Canceled), (Withdrawn), (Previously presented), (New), and (Not entered)."
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kimura (US 20090061297 A1), and in view of Kim et al. (US 20200185677 A1, hereinafter Kim).
Regarding Claim 1, Kimura discloses the limitations for a power storage cell (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title) comprising:
a positive electrode having a first current collector (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 below) and
a positive electrode active material layer provided on one surface of the first current collector (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 below);
a negative electrode having a second current collector (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2) and
a negative electrode active material layer provided on one surface of the second current collector (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 below),
the negative electrode being stacked on the positive electrode such that the negative electrode active material layer faces the positive electrode active material layer (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 below);
a separator (Kimura, the electrolyte layer may be a separator impregnated with a liquid electrolyte, [0031]) disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode and having a base material layer (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 below); and
a spacer positioned between the first current collector and the second current collector (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 below) and joined to at least one of the first current collector and the second current collector (Kimura, insulating resin is formed of an adhesive, [0033], Annotated Figure 2 below; the Examiner notes that the adhesive of the insulating resin, or spacer, allows the spacer to adhere to the current collectors), wherein
the separator has a central portion overlapping with the positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer as viewed in a stacking direction of the positive electrode and the negative electrode (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 below), and
an edge portion surrounding the central portion without overlapping the positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 below).
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Kimura is silent regarding the separator has, at least in the edge portion of the separator, a first adhesion layer provided on a first surface of the base material layer, and a second adhesion layer provided on a second surface of the base material layer, one of the first current collector and the second current collector is adhered to the first adhesion layer in the edge portion of the separator, and the spacer is adhered to the second adhesion layer in the edge portion of the separator.
Kim discloses a power storage cell (Kim, lithium secondary battery, Title), wherein a separator (Kim, adhesive type separator, [0032]) has, at least in the edge portion of the separator, a first adhesion layer provided on a first surface of the base material layer (Kim, Annotated Figure 1 below), and
a second adhesion layer provided on a second surface of the base material layer (Kim, Annotated Figure 1 below).
Kim discloses that an electrode comprising a binder having an alkene group and an adhesive layer comprising a thiol group has improved adhesion between an electrode and a separator by utilizing chemical bonding through a thiol-ene click reaction (Kim, [0008-0009]).
Kim teaches that an adhesive type separator improves adhesion between the electrode and the separator, which can improve stability of the battery (Kim, [0007]).
Kimura and Kim are analogous to the current invention as they are all directed towards a battery comprising electrodes and separator.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a binder having an alkene group in the electrodes of Kimura and to use the adhesive separator of Kim in the electrolyte layer of Kimura, in order to improve the adhesion between the electrode and separator.
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Modified Kimura discloses that one of the first current collector and the second current collector is adhered (Kimura, current collector contacting bottom of the separator, Annotated Figure 2 above; the Examiner notes that the first adhesive layer is provided on the bottom of the separator) to the first adhesion layer (Kim, first adhesion layer on at least an edge portion of the separator, Annotated Figure 1 above) in the edge portion of the separator (Kimura, Annotated Figure 2 above),
the spacer is adhered (Kimura, spacer contacting top of the separator, Annotated Figure 2 above; the Examiner notes that the second adhesion layer is provided on the top of the separator) to the second adhesion layer in the edge portion of the separator (Kim, second adhesion layer on at least an edge portion of the separator, Annotated Figure 1 above).
Regarding Claim 2, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage cell (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title), wherein the first adhesion layer and the second adhesion layer are provided to the central portion of the separator (Kim, adhesive layer provided on at least a central portion of the separator, Annotated Figure 1 above).
Regarding Claim 3, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage cell (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title), wherein one of the first adhesion layer and the second adhesion layer is adhered to one of the positive electrode active material layer (Kim, second adhesive layer is adhered to the cathode, Annotated Figure 1 above), and
the other of the first adhesion layer and the second adhesion layer is adhered to the other of the positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer (Kim, first adhesive layer is adhered to the anode, Annotated Figure 1 above).
Regarding Claim 4, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage cell (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title), wherein the spacer is adhered to an end surface (Kimura, spacer on the end surface, Annotated Figure 2 above) of the first adhesion layer and an end surface of the second adhesion layer (Kim, adhesive layer goes along the entire length of the separator, Annotated Figure 1 above).
Regarding Claim 5, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage cell (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title), wherein at least one of the first adhesion layer and the second adhesion layer contains a thermosetting adhesive (Kim, the adhesive layer includes a polymer layer, wherein the polymer includes at least one selected from the group consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride, [0012]).
As evidenced in Instant Specification [0039], the thermoplastic adhesive may contain a thermoplastic resin such as polyvinylidene fluoride.
Regarding Claim 6, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage cell (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title), wherein the first adhesion layer is adhered to the one surface of the second current collector (Kim, current collector contacting bottom of the separator, Annotated Figure 1 above).
Regarding Claim 8, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage device (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title) comprising a stacked body including a plurality of power storage cells being stacked, wherein the plurality of power storage cells include the power storage cell (Kimura, plurality of unit cells stacked, Abstract)
Regarding Claim 9, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage device (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title) further comprising a metal layer provided on an outer surface of the spacer of each of the power storage cells (Kimura, sheet member 46 has a cooling tab 47 projecting from between positive electrode collector foil 31 and negative electrode collector foil 36, and sheet member 46 is formed of a conductive material superior in heat conductivity, such as aluminum or copper, [0038], Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 10, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage device (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title), further comprising:
a pair of holding plates sandwiching the stacked body in a stacking direction of the stacked body (Kimura, on the opposite sides of a plurality of stacked unit cells 30, restraining plates 21 and 23 are disposed. Restraining plates 21 and 23 are coupled to each other by a bolt 24 extending in the stacked direction of unit cells 30, [0036], Figure 1), and
a current collector plate disposed between each of the pair of holding plates and the stacked body (Kimura, a positive electrode terminal 26 is connected to positive electrode collector foil 31 arranged on one end of the stacked direction of unit cells 30, and a negative electrode terminal 27 is connected to negative electrode collector foil 36 arranged on the other end of the stacked direction of unit cells 30, [0034]; the Examiner notes that the positive/negative terminals act as a current collector plate).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kimura (US 20090061297 A1), and in view of Kim et al. (US 20200185677 A1, hereinafter Kim), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Sato et al. (KR 20130088787 A, hereinafter Sato).
Regarding Claim 7, modified Kimura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Modified Kimura discloses a power storage cell (Kimura, stacked type battery, Title). Modified Kimura is silent regarding in one of the first current collector and the second current collector adhered to the first adhesion layer, a surface roughness of the one surface is greater than a surface roughness of the other surface opposite to the one surface.
Sato discloses a power storage cell (Sato, secondary battery, [0001]), wherein in one of the first current collector and the second current collector adhered to the first adhesion layer, a surface roughness of the one surface is greater than a surface roughness of the other surface opposite to the one surface (Sato, the rigidity of the positive electrode and/or the negative electrode is configured such that the surface roughness of the surface of the positive electrode and/or the negative electrode facing the separator is greater in the far direction than in the vicinity of the fixed portion, or away from the separator, [0040]).
Sato teaches that the surface roughness can be easily adjusted by embossing processing, thereby reducing the stress occurring on the surface of the positive electrode and/or the negative electrode (Sato, [0040]).
Modified Kimura and Sato are analogous to the current invention as they are all directed towards an electrode for a battery.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to routinely design the positive electrode and/or negative electrode of modified Kimura to have a rigidity of the positive electrode and/or the negative electrode facing the separator is greater in the far direction than away from the separator, as taught by Sato, in order to reduce the stress occurring on the surface of the positive electrode and/or the negative electrode.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, Pages 2-3, filed 03/26/2026 and Office Action Appendix, Pages 2-5, filed 03/17/2026 with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-10 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Kimura (US 20090061297 A1), and in view of Kim et al. (US 20200185677 A1, hereinafter Kim).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN NGUYEN whose telephone number is (703)756-1745. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9:50 - 7:50 ET.
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/K.N./Examiner, Art Unit 1752 /OSEI K AMPONSAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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