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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/22/25 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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) 1-3, 5, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (US 2007/0117009 A1, hereinafter Yamauchi, previously cited) in view of Sasaki (US 2015/0340726 A1).
Re Claim 1. Yamauchi teaches an electrochemical unit (Fig. 3 & 5) of the type comprising
a first stack of electrochemical elements (left portion of item 10) provided with a first electrical connection tab (item 161),
a second stack of electrochemical elements (right portion of item 10) provided with a second electrical connection tab (item 162), wherein the first electrical connection tab and the second electrical connection tab are non-coplanar (Fig. 5),
a common connection element (items 13D & 18D), electrically connecting the first electrical connection tab and the second electrical connection tab and electrically connecting the first electrical connection tab and the second electrical connection tab to an electrical connection terminal with a first polarity (para. 78-81), wherein the common connection element is connected by a material bond to the first electrical connection tab and to the second electrical connection tab (para. 78-81).
Yamauchi fails to specifically teach that the first electrical connection tab and the second electrical connection tab form, in a profile view, a “V”, and that the common connection element is electrically connected to the electrical connection terminal by a material bond.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the invention of Yamauchi to have first electrical connection tab and the second electrical connection tab form, in a profile view, a “V”, since “U” and “V” are similar in shape, and which shape to choose is a simple design choice, within purview of one skill in the art.
The invention of Sasaki encompasses energy storage device. Sasaki teaches that the common connection element (Fig. 11, item 9) is electrically connected to the electrical connection terminal (item 61 by a material bond (para. 224).
In view of Sasaki, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the invention of Yamauchi to have the common connection element electrically connected to the electrical connection terminal by a material bond, to ensure the connection between the two.
Re Claim 2. The combination teaches wherein the material bond is a welding (Yamauchi, para. 78-81).
Re Claim 3. The combination teaches wherein the common connection element is a folded metal sheet (Yamauchi, para. 78-81), a tab portion of which is fastened to the first and second electrical connection tabs and a terminal portion of which is suitable for being fastened to the connection terminal (Yamauchi, para. 78-81).
Re Claim 5. The combination teaches comprising the connection terminal (Yamauchi, Fig. 3, item 24) with a first polarity, and wherein the common connection element (Yamauchi, item 18) is fastened to the connection terminal.
Re Claim 12. The combination teaches wherein the material bond is a laser welding bonding (Yamauchi, para. 78-81).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/22/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On page 7, regarding claim 1, applicant argued that Yamauchi does not teach that the common connection element is electrically connected to the electrical connection terminal by a material bond, because a current-collecting body 18D is connected to an external terminal 14, not a pressing plate 13D.
The examiner is equating the combined element of both pressing plate 13D and current-collecting body 18D, to be the claimed common connection element.
On page 8, regarding claim 1, applicant argued that Yamauchi does not teach that the first electrical connection tab and the second electrical connection tab form, in a profile view, a “V”.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the invention of Yamauchi to have first electrical connection tab and the second electrical connection tab form, in a profile view, a “V”, since “U” and “V” are similar in shape, and which shape to choose is a simple design choice, within purview of one skill in the art.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Newly cited reference, Sasaki addresses the new limitation.
Conclusion
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood from the texts. Only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out to emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, however, each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN E YOON whose telephone number is (571)270-5932. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 AM- 5 PM.
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/KEVIN E YOON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735
1/7/2026