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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a central part” in Claim 1, “a first region” and “a second region” in Claim 5 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 is 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.
In Reference to Claim 5
Claim 5 recites “a first region” and “a second region”. However, there is no closure on “a first region” and “a second region”. The Office take an assumption that the first region is the portion in the chamber corresponding to the central part in the longitudinal direction of the drying device, the second region is the portion in the chamber corresponding to the peripheral part of the interrupting member in the longitudinal direction of the drying device.
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.
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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN102773208 (CN208) (the art rejection is made based on the respective English translation by PE2E) in view of CN204199029 to Lu (the art rejection is made based on the respective English translation by PE2E).
In Reference to Claim 1
CN208 discloses an electrode drying device comprising: a transfer unit (Fig. 5, 3)
CN208 does not teach the interrupting member
Lu teaches an interrupting member (Fig. 1, 4) for adjusting the flow amount or flow velocity of outside air flowing in a drying chamber formed at the inflow port wherein a height of a central part (As disclosed the item 4 has a V shape, therefore, the central part has a height different from the peripheral part) of the interrupting member is different from a height of a peripheral part of the interrupting member.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teachings from Lu into the design of CN208. Doing so, would result in the interrupting member of Lu being added to the entrance of the chamber of CN208, in order to effectively adjust the thickness of the coating. So the quality of coating would be improved.
In Reference to Claim 2
CN208 discloses the chamber.
CN208 does not teach the interrupting member.
Lu teaches the height of the central part (The V shaped scrubber has a large height in the central part) is larger than the height of the peripheral part, and the central part is a part different from the peripheral part including both ends in a width direction of the interrupting member. (The central part of the V shaped part has the largest height in the middle)
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teachings from Lu into the design of CN208. Doing so, would result in the interrupting member of Lu being added to the entrance of the chamber of CN208, in order to effectively adjust the thickness of the coating. So the quality of coating would be improved.
In Reference to Claims 3 and 4
CN208 teaches the drying chamber comprises at least one heating element (Fig. 1, 23),
Lu teaches at least one heating element (Fig. 1, 23) disposed at an upper part (As showed in Fig. 1)of the drying chamber, and when the electrode sheet is transferred to the lower part of the drying chamber by the transfer unit
CN208 does not teach the interrupting member
Lu teaches the interrupting member (Fig. 1, 4) is disposed at one end of the inflow port close to the heating member. The interrupting member is positioned at lower part close to the transfer belt.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teachings from Lu into the design of CN208. Doing so, would result in the interrupting member of Lu being added to the entrance of the chamber of CN208, in order to effectively adjust the thickness of the coating. So the quality of coating would be improved.
In Reference to Claims 6 and 7
CN208 discloses the drying device.
CN208 does not teach the interrupting member.
LU teaches the interrupting member comprises a protrusion part (The V shape is a protrusion), and a side end of the protrusion part is formed so as to form an acute angle (The V shape has an acute angle at the tip) with the upper end of the inflow port, and the protrusion part refers to a portion having a large height value (The V shape has a large height value in the middle) in the interrupting member.
the interrupting member comprises a protrusion part (The V shaped component 4), and a corner of the protrusion part has a round shape, and the protrusion part refers to a portion having a large height value (The height at the center of V has the large height) in the interrupting member.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teachings from Lu into the design of CN208. Doing so, would result in the interrupting member of Lu being added to the entrance of the chamber of CN208, in order to effectively adjust the thickness of the coating. So the quality of coating would be improved.
The combination of Lu and CN208 as applied to Claim 7 does not teach the round shape as the corner of the protrusion part.
According to MPEP: the Federal Circuit held that, where the only difference between the prior art and the claims was a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed device and a device having the claimed relative dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device was not patentably distinct from the prior art device.
In Reference to Claim 8
CN208 discloses the drying device.
CN208 does not teach the interrupting member.
Lu teaches the interrupting member (Fig. 1, 4)
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teachings from Lu into the design of CN208. Doing so, would result in the interrupting member of Lu being added to the entrance of the chamber of CN208, in order to effectively adjust the thickness of the coating. So the quality of coating would be improved.
The combination of CN208 and Lu as applied to Claim 8 does not teach how the interrupting member is installed. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the interrupting member as a part of the drying chamber, since it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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DEMING . WAN
Examiner
Art Unit 3748
/DEMING WAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762 2/12/26