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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 April 20, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendments filed April 20, 2026 have been entered. Claim 1 has been amended; support for the amendment can be found at least in paragraph [0071] in the Instant Specification. Claims 1-11 remain pending and have been examined on their merits in this office action.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed April 20, 2026 have been fully considered. Applicant argues that the prior art does not disclose that the surface region is formed by re-melting and re-solidifying a surface of the bonding region after the bonding region as formed because Kang lacks the concept of a two-step laser process specifically designed for “re-melting” and “re-solidifying” a previously formed weld bead and Kim does not disclose or imply the technical configuration of controlling microstructure within a single layer through the “re-melting” and “re-solidifying” steps.
Applicant’s argument has been fully considered but are considered moot in view of the new grounds of rejection below in view of Applicant’s amendments to the independent claim 1.
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 1-3, 5, 7-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang et al. (Published U.S. Patent Application US 20210273282 A1), hereinafter referred to as Kang, in view of Wang et a. (CN 112355458 A), hereinafter referred to as Wang.
Regarding claim 1, Kang teaches a welding method of a rechargeable battery (“a method of manufacturing a battery module”) (see e.g., Abstract). Kang teaches a welding bead part 200 formed along the circumference of the cap plate 150 and formed on the contact surface C of the case 120 and the cap plate 150 wherein the case 120 includes an inner space 125 in which the electrode assembly 100 is accommodated (“a) aligning a first base material and a second base material, which are welding objects and housing members that are combined with each other to form an internal accommodating space in which a plurality of battery cells are accommodated”) (see e.g., paragraph [0063]). Kang teaches the welding bead part 200 includes a first region 210 (“a bonding region”) and a second region 220 (“a surface region”) (see e.g., paragraph [0064] and Figure 3), wherein the first region may be formed by a keyhole welding method using a first laser beam, and the second region may be formed by a conduction welding method using a second laser beam (“b) forming a welding joint portion including a bonding region and a surface region covering the bonding region by irradiating a contact surface between the first base material and the second base material with a laser”) (see e.g., paragraph [0016]). Kang teaches the second region 220 covers substantially the entire first region (“wherein the surface region covers substantially the entire bonding region”) (see e.g., Figure 3).
Kang teaches the first region 210 may be formed by a keyhole welding method using a first laser beam 270, and the second region 220 may be formed by a conduction welding method using a second laser beam 280 (see e.g., paragraph [0134] and Figures 6-7); however, Kang does not explicitly teach the first region 210 and the second region 220 have different microstructures due to different thermal history and wherein the surface region is formed by re-melting and re-solidifying a surface of the bonding region after the bonding region is formed.
However, Wang teaches an electron beam welding process for high-strength aluminum alloys (see e.g., paragraph [0009]). Wang teaches the process comprises the following steps: 1) processing the high-strength aluminum alloy into the welding sample, 2) a first weld, wherein a butt joint type is used to perform butt welding along the length of the sample, and 3) a finishing (modification) weld, wherein a circular electron beam is used to perform finishing welding on the surface of the aluminum alloy weld. Wang teaches the first weld produces a heat-affected zone that retains the original microstructure of the parent material and the grains at the fusion line grow in a direction perpendicular to the fusion line, forming a typical columnar crystal structure, and the finishing weld reduces the size and number of columnar crystals in the weld microstructure at the surface (“the bonding region and the surface region forming the welding joint portion having different microstructures due to the different thermal history”) (see e.g., paragraph [0048]). Wang teaches the modification welding remelts and solidifies the weld surface (“wherein the surface region is formed by re-melting and re-solidifying a surface of the bonding region after the bonding region is formed”) in order to improve the surface formation of the weld by reducing surface detects such as surface depressions and porosity, have a relatively small thermal effect on the weld center, and improve the quality of the welded joint (see e.g., paragraph [0049]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that one of ordinary skill that differing the welding methods of the first region and second region of Kang would produce different microstructures due to different temperature histories and the surface region would be formed by re-melting and re-solidifying, as taught by Wang, in order to improve the surface formation of the weld by reducing surface detects such as surface depressions and porosity, have a relatively small thermal effect on the weld center, and improve the quality of the welded joint (see e.g., paragraph [0049]).
Regarding claim 2, Kang teaches a welding method of a rechargeable battery (“a method of manufacturing a battery module”) (see e.g., Abstract). Kang teaches a welding bead part 200 formed along the circumference of the cap plate 150 and formed on the contact surface C of the case 120 and the cap plate 150 wherein the case 120 includes an inner space 125 in which the electrode assembly 100 is accommodated (“a) aligning a first base material and a second base material, which are welding objects and housing members that are combined with each other to form an internal accommodating space in which a plurality of battery cells are accommodated”) (see e.g., paragraph [0063]). Kang teaches the welding bead part 200 includes a first region 210 (“a bonding region”) and a second region 220 (“a surface region”) (see e.g., paragraph [0064] and Figure 3), wherein the first region may be formed by a keyhole welding method using a first laser beam, and the second region may be formed by a conduction welding method using a second laser beam (“b) forming a welding joint portion including a bonding region and a surface region covering the bonding region by irradiating a contact surface between the first base material and the second base material with a laser”) (see e.g., paragraph [0016]). Kang teaches the second region 220 covers substantially the entire first region (“wherein the surface region covers substantially the entire bonding region”) (see e.g., Figure 3).
Kang does not explicitly teach wherein operation b) comprises b1) forming a welded bead in which a first alloy of the first base material and a second alloy of the second base material are melted and solidified by irradiating the contact surface between the first base material and the second base material with a laser for welding, and b2) re-melting and solidifying a surface of the welded bead by irradiating the welded bead with a laser for surface treatment to form a welding joint portion including a bonding region which is not re-melted in the welded bead and a surface region covering the bonding region and having a microstructure different from that of the bonding region due to the re-melting and solidification.
However, Wang teaches an electron beam welding process for high-strength aluminum alloys (see e.g., paragraph [0009]). Wang teaches the process comprises the following steps: 1) processing the high-strength aluminum alloy into the welding sample, 2) a first weld, wherein a butt joint type is used to perform butt welding along the length of the sample (“b1) forming a welded bead in which a first alloy of the first base material and a second alloy of the second base material are melted and solidified by irradiating the contact surface between the first base material and the second base material with a laser for welding”), and 3) a finishing (modification) weld, wherein a circular electron beam is used to perform finishing welding on the surface of the aluminum alloy weld (“re-melting and solidifying a surface of the welded bead by irradiating the welded bead with a laser for surface treatment to form a welding joint portion including a bonding region which is not re-melted in the welded bead and a surface region covering the bonding region”) (see e.g., paragraph [0010]). Wang teaches the first weld produces a heat-affected zone that retains the original microstructure of the parent material and the grains at the fusion line grow in a direction perpendicular to the fusion line, forming a typical columnar crystal structure, and the finishing weld reduces the size and number of columnar crystals in the weld microstructure at the surface (“having a microstructure different from that of the bonding region due to the re-melting and solidification”) (see e.g., paragraph [0048]). Wang teaches the modification welding remelts and solidifies the weld surface in order to improve the surface formation of the weld by reducing surface detects such as surface depressions and porosity, have a relatively small thermal effect on the weld center, and improve the quality of the welded joint (see e.g., paragraph [0049]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that one of ordinary skill that differing the welding methods of the first region and second region of Kang would produce different microstructures due to different temperature histories and the surface region would be formed by re-melting and re-solidifying, as taught by Wang, in order to improve the surface formation of the weld by reducing surface detects such as surface depressions and porosity, have a relatively small thermal effect on the weld center, and improve the quality of the welded joint (see e.g., paragraph [0049]).
Regarding claim 3, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 2, as previously described.
Kang teaches when the vertical distance from the point where the highest depth is formed in the first region 210 to the surface of the cap plate 150 is defined as 100%, the first contact point 232 and the second contact point 234 where the first boundary line 215 and the second boundary line 225 meet may have the depth of 30-60% (“in operation b2), the laser for surface treatment is irradiated so that a thickness of the surface region is in the range of 0.05 D to 0.30 when a penetration depth of the welding joint portion is D”) (see e.g., paragraph [0100]).
Regarding claim 5, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 2, as previously described.
As previously described in claim 2, Wang teaches the modification welding remelts and solidifies the weld surface (“wherein operation b2) is performed after a melt melted by irradiating the laser for welding is solidified into a solid in operation b1)”) (see e.g., paragraph [0049]).
Regarding claim 7, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 1, as previously described.
As previously described in claim 1, Wang teaches the finishing weld reduces the size and number of columnar crystals in the weld microstructure at the surface (“the surface region has a finer microstructure than the bonding region”) (see e.g., paragraph [0048]).
Regarding claim 8, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 7, as previously described.
Wang teaches the finishing weld reduces the size and number of columnar crystals in the weld microstructure at the surface (“the surface region has a smaller average grain size or lamellar spacing compared to the bonding region”) (see e.g., paragraph [0048]).
Regarding claim 9, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 1, as previously described.
Wang teaches the first weld produces a heat-affected zone that retains the original microstructure of the parent material and the grains at the fusion line grow in a direction perpendicular to the fusion line, forming a typical columnar crystal structure, and the finishing weld reduces the size and number of columnar crystals in the weld microstructure at the surface (“distributions of impurities in the bonding region and the surface region are different due to as difference in the microstructure”) (see e.g., paragraph [0048]).
Regarding claim 10, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 2, as previously described.
Kang teaches the case 120 is made of a metal such as aluminum (“each of the first alloy and the second alloy is an aluminum-based alloy”) (see e.g., paragraph [0051]).
Regarding claim 11, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 1, as previously described.
As previously described in claim 1, Wang teaches the process comprises the following steps: 1) processing the high-strength aluminum alloy into the welding sample, 2) a first weld, wherein a butt joint type is used to perform butt welding along the length of the sample (“b1) forming a welded bead in which a first alloy of the first base material and a second alloy of the second base material are melted and solidified by irradiating the contact surface between the first base material and the second base material with a laser for welding”), and 3) a finishing (modification) weld, wherein a circular electron beam is used to perform finishing welding on the surface of the aluminum alloy weld (“re-melting and solidifying a surface of the welded bead by irradiating the welded bead with a laser for surface treatment to form a welding joint portion including a bonding region which is not re-melted in the welded bead and a surface region covering the bonding region”) (see e.g., paragraph [0010]). Wang teaches the first weld produces a heat-affected zone that retains the original microstructure of the parent material and the grains at the fusion line grow in a direction perpendicular to the fusion line, forming a typical columnar crystal structure, and the finishing weld reduces the size and number of columnar crystals in the weld microstructure at the surface (“having a microstructure different from that of the bonding region due to the re-melting and solidification”) (see e.g., paragraph [0048]). Wang teaches the modification welding remelts and solidifies the weld surface in order to improve the surface formation of the weld by reducing surface detects such as surface depressions and porosity, have a relatively small thermal effect on the weld center, and improve the quality of the welded joint (see e.g., paragraph [0049]).
Claims 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang et al. (Published U.S. Patent Application US 20210273282 A1) in view of Wang et al. (CN 112355458 A), and further in view of Jens et al. (WO 2015018551 A1), hereinafter referred to as Jens.
Regarding claim 4, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 2, as previously described.
Kang, as modified by Wang, does not explicitly teach in operation b2), the laser for surface treatment is irradiated n times (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2), wherein a j-th (j is a natural number 2 to n) laser for surface treatment is irradiated so that the surface of the welded bead is re-melted and solidified by irradiation of a (j-1)th laser for surface treatment.
However, Jens teaches a method for generating a weld seam (see e.g., Abstract). Jens teaches the method includes successively passing over the same area of the at least one workpiece with the laser beam, wherein a melt pool is created in the area, is then solidified, and then is passed over a number of times to re-melt and solidify (“in operation b2), the laser for surface treatment is irradiated n times (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2), wherein a j-th (j is a natural number 2 to n) laser for surface treatment is irradiated so that the surface of the welded bead is re-melted and solidified by irradiation of a (j-1)th laser for surface treatment”) (see e.g., paragraph [0015] and Figure 1). Jens teaches the method of successively passing over the same area to reduce the problem of hot cracking (see e.g., paragraph [0009]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that one of ordinary skill that modify the welding methods of Kang, as modified by Wang, to perform re-melting and re-solidifying multiple times over the same work area, as taught by Jens, in order to reduce the problem of hot cracking (see e.g., paragraph [0009]).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang et al. (Published U.S. Patent Application US 20210273282 A1) in view of Wang et al. (CN 112355458 A), and further in view of Jung et al. (WO 2012165767 A2), hereinafter referred to as Jung.
Regarding claim 6, Kang, as modified by Wang, teaches the instantly claimed invention of claim 2, as previously described.
Kang, as modified by Wang, does not explicitly teach each of the laser for welding and the laser for surface treatment each is a near-infrared laser.
However, Jung teaches secondary battery for bonding a can and a cap using a fusing member having a melting point lower than the melting point of the can and the cap forming the case of the secondary battery (see e.g., paragraph [0001]). Jung teaches the can and the cap are joined together with a YAG laser (typically, emit light with a wavelength of 946, 1064, 1120, 1320, and 1440 nm which is in the near-infrared wavelength range) (“each of the laser for welding and the laser for surface treatment each is a near-infrared laser”) (see e.g., paragraph [0029]). Jung teaches the laser allows bonding to be performed at such a temperature to prevent the risk of thermal damage to the components of the battery (see e.g., paragraph [0045]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that one of ordinary skill would modify the lasers of the welding method of Kang, as modified by Wang, to be a near-infrared laser, as taught by Jung, in order to prevent the risk of thermal damage to the components of the battery (see e.g., paragraph [0045]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Katherine N Higgins whose telephone number is (703)756-1196. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays - Thursdays 7:30-4:30 EST, Fridays 7:30 - 11:30 EST.
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/KATHERINE N HIGGINS/Examiner, Art Unit 1728
/MATTHEW T MARTIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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