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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 9 December 2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 and 10 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 1-8, 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hitachi Vehicle Energy LTD (JP 2008-269904 cited in IDS, a machine translation of which is attached, hereinafter “Hitachi”) in view of GS Yuasa Corp (JP 2013-065517 cited in IDS, using applicant’s provided machine translation, hereinafter “GS”).
In regard to claim 1, Hitachi teaches a lithium-ion cell, comprising: a ribbon-shaped electrode-separator assembly (wound group 6) comprising an anode (negative electrode plate 4), a separator 5, and a cathode (positive electrode plate 6) in a sequence anode/separator/cathode, the electrode-separator assembly being formed as a winding with two terminal end faces (uncoated portions 1, 3 – aluminum foil exposed portion 15, copper portion exposed portion 14), wherein:
the anode comprises, as an anode current collector 4, a ribbon-shaped metal (copper) foil having a thickness such as 10 micron (paragraph [0025]), a first longitudinal edge 14, a second longitudinal edge, and two ends, the anode current collector has a strip-shaped main region loaded with a layer of negative electrode material and a free edge strip (uncoated portions in figures below) extending along the first longitudinal edge that is not loaded with the negative electrode material (paragraph [0025]),
the cathode comprises, as a cathode current collector 2, a ribbon-shaped (aluminum) metal foil with a thickness such as 20 micron (paragraph [0024]) having a first longitudinal edge, a second longitudinal edge, and two ends, the cathode current collector has a strip-shaped main region loaded with a layer of positive electrode material and a free edge strip (uncoated portion 15) extending along the first longitudinal edge that is not loaded with the positive electrode material (figures 1-3),
the anode 4 and the cathode 2 are formed and/or arranged relative to each other within the electrode-separator assembly such that the first longitudinal edge 14 of the anode current collector 4 protrudes from one of the terminal end faces of the winding-and the first longitudinal edge 15 of the cathode current collector 5 protrudes from the other of the terminal end faces of the winding (see figures 1 reproduced below); and
a contact sheet metal member (current collecting disk 7) being a metal plate or a metal strip having a thickness such as 500 micron (see paragraph [0018]), a face of the contact sheet metal member extending in a plane perpendicular to a winding axis of the winding and being in direct contact with a respective longitudinal edge 14, the respective longitudinal edge being the first longitudinal edge of the anode 4 current collector, the face of the contact sheet metal member being connected to the respective longitudinal edge by welding (paragraphs [0015-0028]).
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Claim 1 differs from Hitachi in calling for the strip-shaped main region of the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding has a plurality of apertures. However, GS teaches a similar lithium-ion cell, comprising: a ribbon-shaped electrode-separator assembly (power generation element 20) comprising an anode (negative electrode plate 26 with active material coated portion 27), a separator 25, and a cathode (positive electrode plate 21 with active material coated portion 22) in a sequence anode/separator/cathode, the electrode-separator assembly being formed as a winding with two terminal end faces (uncoated portions 23, 28), wherein:
the anode comprises, as an anode current collector 26, a ribbon-shaped metal foil, a first longitudinal edge 26a, a second longitudinal edge, and two ends, the anode current collector has a strip-shaped main region loaded with a layer of negative electrode material 27 and a free edge strip (uncoated portions in figures below) extending along the first longitudinal edge that is not loaded with the negative electrode material, the cathode comprises, as a cathode current collector 21, a ribbon-shaped metal foil having a first longitudinal edge, a second longitudinal edge, and two ends, the cathode current collector has a strip-shaped main region loaded with a layer of positive electrode material 22 and a free edge strip (uncoated portion 23) extending along the first longitudinal edge that is not loaded with the positive electrode material (figures 1 and 2),
the anode 26 and the cathode 21 are formed and/or arranged relative to each other within the electrode-separator assembly such that the first longitudinal edge 28 of the anode current collector 26 protrudes from one of the terminal end faces of the winding-and the first longitudinal edge 23 of the cathode current collector 21 protrudes from the other of the terminal end faces of the winding (see figures 1 and 2); and a contact sheet metal member (connection portions of current collectors 13, 14) in direct contact with a respective longitudinal edge 23, 28, the respective longitudinal edge being the first longitudinal edge of the anode current collector or the first longitudinal edge of the cathode current collector, the contact sheet metal member being connected to the respective longitudinal edge by welding (paragraphs [0015-0028]),
and the desirability for the strip-shaped main region of the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding has a plurality of apertures (through holes 30 – see figures 3-6 – paragraph [0006-0014, 0024]) because such allows for an increased elongation in the current collector which prevents defects such as misalignment (paragraph [0032]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include apertures in the current collector exposed portions in the lithium-ion cell of Hitachi as such allows for increased elongation and less misalignment as taught by GS.
In regard to claim 2, GS teaches the plurality of apertures are round (figures 3-6).
In regard to claim 3, GS teaches the apertures have an average diameter in a range of 100 μm to 1000 μm (paragraph [0014]) which overlaps the claimed range in a manner which provides a prima facie case of obviousness (see MPEP 2144.05).
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GS Figure 5 and 6
In regard to claim 4, GS teaches at least a partial section of the main area of the current collector (positive or negative collector sheets 21 and 26) connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding has a lower weight per unit area than the free edge strip of the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding, and/or the free edge strip of the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding has no or fewer apertures per unit area than the main area of the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding (see figures 3-6, paragraphs [0025-0039] – through holes 30 reduce weight per area in coated portions of collectors 21 and 26).
In regard to claim 5, GS teaches at least one feature is present from the group of features consisting of: the weight per unit area, in the main area, of the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding is reduced by 5% to 80% compared to the weight per unit area, in the free edge strip, of the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding, the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding has a hole area in a range of 5% to 80% in the main area (see figures 3-6, paragraphs [0025-0039] – through holes 30 reduce weight per area in coated portions of collectors 21 and 26; welded edge portion may have no or less number of holes, the prior art appreciates the properties of the collectors is effected by the number of holes and therefore hole density is a result effective variable that should be optimized MPEP 2144.05 Part II – Routine Optimization of Result Effective Variable) or the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding has a tensile strength which overlaps the claimed range of 20 N/mm2 to 250 N/mm2 in the main area as a range of materials including copper and aluminum alloys in paragraphs [0020-0023] which have the claimed tensile properties ranges – see MPEP 2112.01).
In regard to claim 6, GS teaches the strip-shaped main region of the anode current collector and the strip-shaped main region of the cathode current collector both have a plurality of apertures 30, the cell further comprises a second contact sheet metal member (anode current collector of 13 and 14) being in direct contact with another respective longitudinal edge, the another respective longitudinal edge being the other of the first longitudinal edge of the anode current collector or the first longitudinal edge of the cathode current collector to which the contact sheet metal member is not in direct contact with, and the second contact sheet metal member is connected to the another longitudinal edge by welding, such as ultrasonic welding (see figures 1 and 2 above, paragraphs [0025-0039]).
In regard to claim 7, Hitachi teaches the contact sheet metal member 7 connected to the first longitudinal edge of the anode current collector 4 by welding is in contact with the first longitudinal edge of the anode current collector such that a line-shaped contact zone is formed (figures 9-12).
In regard to claim 8, Hitachi teaches the separator is a ribbon-shaped plastic substrate 5 comprising a 30-micron thickness (paragraph [0023]).
In regard to claim 10, Hitachi teaches the battery module of claim 1 above, and further a respective face of the contact sheet metal member (current collector disk 7) is in direct contact with a respective longitudinal edge 14, the respective longitudinal edge being the first longitudinal edge of the anode current collector, wherein the respective face of the contact sheet metal member 7 extends parallel to the respective terminal end face of the winding 6, the respective terminal end face of the winding being the terminal end face from which the respective longitudinal edge protrudes 14, and wherein the respective face of the contact sheet metal member is connected to the respective longitudinal edge by welding (figure 1 above, paragraph [0018, 0026]), and GS teaches the desirability for the strip-shaped main region of the current collector connected to the contact sheet metal member by welding to have a plurality of apertures as applied to claim 1 above.
In regard to claim 11, Hitachi teaches the respective longitudinal edge 14 comprises one or more sections (wound sheet shown with perpendicular sections as seen in figure 1), each of which is continuously connected along its entire length to the face of the contact sheet metal member 7 by a weld seam (figure 1 above, paragraph [0018, 0026]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure – Ando et al. (US Pub 2007/0002523) teaches similar current collector structures with various shaped apertures (figure 7). US Pub 2022/0020537 teaches a 100-micron thick current collector (paragraph [0052]).
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/NICHOLAS P D'ANIELLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723