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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 December 19, 2025 has been entered.
Summary
The Applicant’s arguments and claim amendments received December 6, 2025 have been entered into the file. Currently, claims 1, 5, 10, 12, 16, and 18 are amended; and claims 2-4, 11, 17, and 21-22 are cancelled; resulting in claims 1, 5-10, 12-16, and 18-20 pending for examination.
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.
Claims 1, 5-10, 12-16, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hasegawa (US 2018/0358645 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 10, and 16, Hasegawa teaches a secondary cell (battery) including an electrode stack (battery core) formed by stacking a negative electrode and positive electrode (electrode sheets) with a separator in between (¶ [0028], Ln. 4-8). Hasegawa teaches that the electrode structure is applicable to a wound type electrode structure (winding battery core) (¶ [0076], Ln. 1-5). The positive electrode (4) includes a positive electrode current collector (8) and positive electrode active material layers (9a and 9b) on both surfaces of the positive electrode current collector (8). The negative electrode (3; electrode sheet) includes a negative electrode current collector (10) and negative electrode active material layers (11a and 11b; first and second active material layers) on both surfaces of the negative electrode current collector (10) (current collector comprises a first side and a second side opposing each other) (¶ [0029], Ln. 1-8; Fig. 3). Hasegawa teaches that trenches (2a and 2b; first and second grooves) are provided in the negative electrode active material layers (11a and 11b; first and second active material layers) (¶ [0029], Ln. 8-10). Hasegawa teaches that the trench may be provided in one portion of the negative electrode (¶ [0061], Ln. 7-10). As shown in Figure 5, the trench may be a groove with four sides, including the top of the groove (first side wall), the bottom of the groove (second side wall), and each side of the groove (third side walls), such that the top and bottom of the groove are parallel to each other and the sides connect the top and bottom of the groove. The width of the groove is the distance between the top of the groove and bottom of the groove. Hasegawa teaches that the trenches may be formed by pressing the negative electrode active material layer with a trench-shaped die (¶ [0063], Ln. 1-4) and teaches multiple trench shapes (¶ [0073], Ln. 1-20). Hasegawa does not expressly teach that the profile of the third side wall is a straight line with a length greater than the width of the groove, wherein the profile of the third side wall is an orthographic projection of the third side wall on a surface of the current collector.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the trench of Hasegawa to include a slanted or diagonal third side wall, such that the profile of the third side wall is a straight line with a length greater than the width of the groove. As the trenches are formed using a trench-shaped die, the sides of the die could easily be slanted. One of ordinary skill in the art would find it obvious to modify the profile of the sides of the trench by using a trench-shaped die with various profiles of the side portions, including slanted edges. The configuration of the side shape is a matter of choice which a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found obvious (MPEP 2144.04 (IV)(B)).
Regarding claims 5, 12, and 18, Hasegawa teaches all of the limitations of claims 1, 10, and 16 above and further teaches that the current collector comprises a first side and a second side opposing each other, shown as the left and right of the electrode plate in Figure 5. Also shown in Figure 5, the trench extends in a direction from the first side towards the second side as well as from the second side towards the first side.
Regarding claims 6, 13, and 19, Hasegawa teaches all of the limitations of claims 5, 12, and 18 above and further teaches negative electrode active material layers (11a and 11b; first and second active material layers) on both surfaces of the negative electrode current collector (10) (current collector comprises a first side and a second side opposing each other) (¶ [0029], Ln. 1-8; Fig. 3). Hasegawa teaches that trenches (2b; second grooves) are provided in the negative electrode active material layer (11b; second active material layer) (¶ [0029], Ln. 8-10).
Regarding claims 7, 14, and 20, Hasegawa teaches all of the limitations of claims 6, 13, and 19 above and further teaches that the trenches (2a and 2b; first and second grooves) are in alignment with each other as shown in Figure 3, or that they may be slightly out of alignment (¶ [0069], Ln. 7-8).
Regarding claims 8-9 and 15, Hasegawa teaches all of the limitations of claims 6 and 13 above and further teaches that the trenches (2a and 2b; first and second grooves) have the same shape as shown in Figure 3 (¶ [0069], Ln. 1-3). Provided that the trenches have the same shape, both trenches would extend in a direction from the first side towards the second side as well as from the second side towards the first side, as shown in Figure 5.
Response to Arguments
Response-Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. 112
The previous rejections of claims 1, 10, and 16, and by dependency claims 3-9, 12-15, and 18-22 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention are overcome by Applicant’s amendments to claims 1, 10, and 16 in the response filed December 6, 2025.
Response-Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103
In light of the Applicant’s amendments to claims 1, 10, and 16, the previous rejection of claims 1, 3-10, 12-16, and 18-22 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) over Werner, et al. (JP 2006513574 A) are overcome and the previous rejection of claims 1, 3, 5-10, 12-16, and 18-22 under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Hasegawa (US 2018/0358645 A1) have been modified above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARAH J JACOBSON whose telephone number is (703)756-1647. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm.
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/SARAH J JACOBSON/Examiner, Art Unit 1785
/MARK RUTHKOSKY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1785