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 (RCE) 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 06/20/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 06/20/2026 has been entered and is supported by Fig. 4.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks pages 6-8, filed 06/20/2024, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 and its dependent claims under 35 USC 102/103 over Park and in view of Akita have been fully considered and are persuasive, since Park alone nor in view of Akita teaches the new limitation regarding the directionality of the arc shape. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of the updated search conducted as necessitated by the amendment and RCE.
Remarks on page 8 requesting rejoinder of withdrawn claims are not persuasive since the independent claim 1 is not found allowable at this time.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, 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.
Claims 3 and 4 depend on claim 2, but claim 2 has been canceled. Claims 5-7 depend on and incorporate subject matter of claim 4. Therefore, claims 3-7 fail to comply with 35 USC 112(d) and are indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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(s) 1, 3-7, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US 2024/0136674 A1, having priority dates in 2021, as cited in the 03/20/2026 Office action) in view of Cheon et al. (US 2005/0277020 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Park teaches a current collecting plate (176, Figs. 20 and 27), comprising: an electrode tab connector configured to be electrically connected to a battery cell (uncoated portion coupling portion 176b of collector 176 is coupled to uncoated portion 146b of electrode assembly 141 at welding pattern 176h, Figs. 20 and 27),
wherein a plurality of battery cell escaping slots are provided on an outer peripheral wall of the electrode tab connector (spaces/slots aligned with/recessed from housing coupling portions 176c in height direction, along perimeter of 176; Fig. 27 – annotated below),
and the plurality of battery cell escaping slots are spaced from each other (spaced from one another in four quadrants along perimeter of 176, Fig. 27 – annotated below),
wherein an electrode tab protruding end is provided between adjacent two of the battery cell escaping (four coupling portions 176b provided alternatingly between the four cell escaping slots, Fig. 27 – annotated below),
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and an isolation space is defined between the electrode tab protruding end and the battery cell (90-degree cutout within uncoated portion 146b vertically between 141 and 176b in Fig. 20 – annotated below; corresponds to B3 region at outer circumference of uncoated portion as shown in Fig. 11);
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But fails to teach: wherein the electrode tab connector is recessed towards a direction away from the battery cell to form one or more reinforcing protrusions, and the one or more reinforcing protrusions extend in an arc shape toward the electrode tab protruding end on a plane of the electrode tab connector.
Park does teach central region 176a of current collector 176 serving as a support portion ([0705] and Fig. 27). Park also teaches in [0618] that current collector 176 may include a plurality of unevenness (not shown) radially formed on a surface facing the second uncoated portion 146b, and when the unevenness is formed, the unevenness may be press-fitted into the second uncoated portion 146b by pressing the current collector 176.
Cheon is analogous in the art of current collectors and teaches the current collector (i.e., serving as an electrode tab connector: collector plate 70 has contact portion 73 for contacting the uncoated region 23 b of the positive electrode 23, Cheon [0052] and Figs. 3 and 6) is recessed towards a direction away from the battery cell to form one or more reinforcing protrusions (plate portion 71 is upward / away from electrode assembly 25, Cheon Figs. 5-6), and the one or more reinforcing protrusions (four segments of 71 between 73 in 70’ embodiment of collector, Cheon [0056] and Fig. 5) extend in an arc shape (segments 71 have arc shapes, Cheon Fig. 5 – annotated below) toward an electrode tab protruding end on a plane of the current collector/electrode tab connector (toward ends of 73 on plane of 71 within 70’, Cheon Fig. 5). Cheon teaches with the structure of such a contact portion 73, the contact area between the collector plate 70 and the uncoated region 23 b of the positive electrode 23 is increased, thereby decreasing the contact resistance between two members 70 and 23 and allowing higher current collecting efficiency than a conventional tab structure, and furthermore, exact welding can be achieved during the manufacturing process ([0053, 0074]).
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It would have been obvious, at the time of filing, for a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the current collector/electrode tab connector of Park to have the structure of “the electrode tab connector is recessed towards a direction away from the battery cell to form one or more reinforcing protrusions, and the one or more reinforcing protrusions extend in an arc shape toward the electrode tab protruding end on a plane of the electrode tab connector” as taught by Cheon with the motivation of achieving the benefit of decreased contact resistance between the collector/connector and uncoated tabs, as well as improve weldability.
Thus, the instant claim is rendered obvious.
Regarding claim 3, modified Park teaches the limitations of claim [1] above and wherein each of the one or more reinforcing protrusions is arc-shaped (shown above in annotated Fig. 5 of Cheon), the one or more reinforcing protrusions comprise a plurality of reinforcing protrusions (four segments of 71 between regions 73, shown above in annotated Fig. 5 of Cheon), and the plurality of reinforcing protrusions are spaced from each other along the peripheral direction (segments of 71 are spaced peripherally/circumferentially around 70’, Cheon Fig. 5 as applied to modify Park above).
Regarding claim 4, modified Park teaches the limitations of claim [1] above and further comprising: a housing connector connected to the electrode tab connector (housing coupling portion 176c may include a contact portion 176e coupled onto the inner surface of the battery housing 171 and a connection portion 176f for connecting the support portion 176a and the contact portion 176e; Park [0711] and Fig. 27 in view of Fig. 20), wherein the housing connector is provided on a side of each of the plurality of battery cell escaping slots away from the battery cell (housing coupling portion of 176 against 180 of housing 171 is downward/away from electrode assembly 141, Park Fig. 20) and directly faces the battery cell escaping slots (slots under 176c/e, Park Fig. 27).
Regarding claim 5, modified Park teaches the limitations of claim 4 above and wherein the outer peripheral wall of the electrode tab connector is stamped and bent towards the direction away from the battery cell to form the housing connector (176e bent downwardly away from 176a/b and 141, at bend in 176f; Park Fig. 27 in view of 20; bending point per Park [0713]), and the battery cell escaping slot is provided on a side of the housing connector towards the battery cell (above 176c/e, toward 141; Park Fig. 20 in view of Fig. 27). Examiner notes that “stamped” is a product-by-process limitation which is met by the resultant product of Park Fig. 27 where 176c appear cut-out or stamped-out from 176, and are taught to be bent (Park [0713] cited above). Though Park does not explicitly disclose a stamping process to achieve the bent portions of current collector 176, the patentable weight is given to the resultant product, such that Park satisfies the instantly claimed structure.
Regarding claim 6, modified Park teaches the limitations of claim 4 above but fails to explicitly teach a height of the reinforcing protrusion in the direction away from the battery cell is less than a height of the housing connector in the direction away from the battery cell.
However, when modifying Park in view of Cheon in regards to claim 1 above, the structure of 70’ with arc-shaped segments of 71 from Cheon was applied at the surface of 176b of Park, like the unevenness taught toward in Park [0618]. As shown in Cheon Figs. 5-6, the portion 73 recessed downwardly from 71 toward the battery cell body 25 in order to establish contact area with uncoated tabs 23b (see also Cheon [0072]). Thus, when applied to 176 within Park, such protrusions would need to be close – in the vertical/height-wise direction – to the uncoated tabs 146b of the Park electrode assembly 141 to ensure electrical contact therebetween. Contrastingly, Park teaches that a height in the Y-direction, between the plane of 176a/b contacting tabs 146b and the plane of housing connector 176e (Park Fig. 20 in view of Fig. 27), is relatively large since 176e needs to be positioned below beading portion 180 of housing 171 (as shown in Park Fig. 20).
Therefore, a person having ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious that in the vertical height direction, a height of the reinforcing protrusion in a direction away from the battery cell was less than a height of the housing connector in a direction away from the battery cell so that the housing connector – and not the reinforcing protrusion – would connect to the housing, while the electrode tab connector with its reinforcing protrusion connected to the electrode body there-above.
Thereby, claim 6 is rendered obvious.
Regarding claim 7, modified Park teaches the limitations of claim 4 above and wherein a buffer corrugation (bending point in 176f - buffers the pressure (force) applied in the vertical direction of the battery housing; Park [0713] and Fig. 27 in view of Fig. 20) is provided on the housing connector (176f within 176c, Park [0711] and Fig. 27).
Regarding claim 13, modified Park teaches the limitations of claim 1 above and each of the one or more reinforcing protrusions is arc-shaped (shown above in annotated Fig. 5 of Cheon in claim 1 rejection), the one or more reinforcing protrusions comprise a plurality of reinforcing protrusions (four segments of 71 between regions 73, shown above in annotated Fig. 5 of Cheon in claim 1 rejection), and the plurality of reinforcing protrusions are spaced from each other along the peripheral direction (segments of 71 are spaced peripherally/circumferentially around 70’, Cheon Fig. 5 as applied to modify Park above in claim 1 rejection);
and the current collecting plate further comprises a housing connector connected to the electrode tab connector (housing coupling portion 176c may include a contact portion 176e coupled onto the inner surface of the battery housing 171 and a connection portion 176f for connecting the support portion 176a and the contact portion 176e; Park [0711] and Fig. 27 in view of Fig. 20), wherein the housing connector is provided on a side of each of the plurality of battery cell escaping slots away from the battery cell (housing coupling portion of 176 against 180 of housing 171 is downward/away from electrode assembly 141, Park Fig. 20) and directly faces the battery cell escaping slots (slots under 176c/e, Park Fig. 27) and directly faces the battery cell escaping slots (see Park Fig. 27 annotation above in regards to claim 1, slots are under/facing 176c).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jessie Walls-Murray whose telephone number is (571)272-1664. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, typically 10-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Martin can be reached at (571) 270-7871. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JESSIE WALLS-MURRAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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