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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group I, Claims 1-7, in the reply filed on 11/5/25 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Korea on 112/23/2020 and 12/08/2021. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the KR 10-2020-0182647 and KR10-2021-0174922 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/16/23 and 10/03/25 were filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on3/16/23. These drawings are acceptable.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2019/0305261 A1 (“US ’261”).
As to Claim 1:
US ’261 discloses:
a pouch case 100 including first and second accommodation portions 110 and 120 that are formed to accommodate the electrode assembly ([0045]–[0046]; Figs. 2–3);
the first and second accommodation portions 110 and 120 “are formed with a recessed shape in the pouch case 100 … and may be formed with the same depth so that, when the case is folded, the two portions face each other to form an accommodation space” ([0046]–[0047]; Figs. 2–3);
protrusions 130 protrude in a direction toward the sealing portions 150 at opposite ends of the connecting portion 140 ([0049]–[0053]; Figs. 3–5). These protrusions are located on the outer surface of the first pouch portion and are described as “facilitating folding without distortion or damage” ([0050]), thereby acting as a reinforcing part that prevents curling or bending toward the groove; and
dimples 320 that are recessed toward an internal part of the secondary battery 300 at positions corresponding to the protrusions 130 ([0058]–[0059]; Fig. 6). The dimples 320 are formed opposite the protrusions 130 and serve to guide the folding and maintain rigidity of the second pouch portion, thus preventing curling or bending in the direction of the accommodation groove.
As to Claim 2:
US ’261 discloses protrusions 130 protrude in a direction toward the sealing portions 150 at opposite ends of the connecting portion 140 ([0049]–[0053]; Figs. 3–5). These protrusions 130 are positioned on both sides of the connecting portion 140, that is, at opposite sides of the outer surface of the first pouch portion. The protrusions 130 therefore constitute two sections disposed at opposite sides of the second surface of the first pouch portion, serving as reinforcing parts to prevent the first pouch portion from bending or curling.
US ’261 explains that dimples 320 are recessed toward an internal part of the secondary battery 300 at positions corresponding to the protrusions 130 ([0058]–[0059]; Fig. 6). These dimples 320 are formed at two opposite side regions corresponding to the positions of the two protrusions 130. Thus, the dimples 320 are two sections disposed at opposite sides of the second surface of the second pouch portion, functioning as the second reinforcing part.
As to Claim 3:
US ’261 discloses protrusions 130 protrude in a direction toward the sealing portions 150 at opposite ends of the connecting portion 140 and that the protrusions 130 extend along the connecting portion 140 between the sealing portions 150 ([0049]–[0053]; Figs. 3–5). The connecting portion 140 itself extends in the longitudinal direction of the pouch, and thus, the protrusions 130—which are elongated along both sides of the connecting portion—extend in the same longitudinal direction.
As to Claim 4:
US ’261 describes that protrusions 130 protrude in a direction toward the sealing portions 150 at opposite ends of the connecting portion 140 and are formed on the outer surface of the pouch case to facilitate folding of the first and second accommodation portions 110 and 120 ([0049]–[0053]; Figs. 3–5). As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each protrusion 130 is disposed near the boundary between the connecting portion 140 and the first accommodation portion 110, such that one end of each protrusion 130 partially overlaps the outer edge of the accommodation groove (the recessed portion 110) in the width direction perpendicular to the pouch’s longitudinal direction. This overlap ensures rigidity and prevents curling or deformation during folding, as described at [0050].
As to Claim 5:
US ’261 discloses dimples 320 that are recessed toward an internal part of the secondary battery 300 at positions corresponding to the protrusions 130 ([0058]–[0059]; Fig. 6). The dimples 320 are elongated recesses extending in the same longitudinal direction as the protrusions 130, which themselves extend along the connecting portion 140 between the sealing portions 150 ([0049]–[0053]; Figs. 3–5). Since the protrusions 130 and dimples 320 are formed in corresponding positions and run parallel to one another along the pouch’s longitudinal direction, each section of the second reinforcing part (the dimples 320) extends in the longitudinal direction of the second pouch portion.
As to Claim 6:
US ’261 discloses dimples 320 that are recessed toward an internal part of the secondary battery 300 at positions corresponding to the protrusions 130 ([0058]–[0059]; Fig. 6). Each dimple 320 is located near the boundary between the connecting portion 140 and the second accommodation portion 120. As shown in Figure 6, the inner end of each dimple 320 extends to overlap a portion of the second accommodation groove (recessed region 120) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pouch. This overlap ensures that the second pouch portion is reinforced at its edge adjacent to the groove, thereby preventing curling or deformation during folding.
As to Claim 7:
US ’261 discloses protrusions 130 that protrude in a direction toward the sealing portions 150 at opposite ends of the connecting portion 140 ([0049]–[0053]; Figs. 3–5), and dimples 320 that are recessed toward an internal part of the secondary battery 300 at positions corresponding to the protrusions 130 ([0058]–[0059]; Fig. 6). The protrusions 130 extend outwardly from the outer surface of the first pouch portion, while the dimples 320 extend inwardly from the inner surface of the second pouch portion, i.e., in opposite directions, satisfying this limitation.
US ’261 also teaches that the dimples 320 are recessed toward an internal part of the secondary battery at positions corresponding to the protrusions 130 ([0058]–[0060]; Fig. 6). The relative positioning of the protrusions 130 and dimples 320 allows the two structures to face and fit against each other when the pouch portions 110 and 120 are folded and sealed together, effectively forming a coupled structure between the groove (dimple 320) and protrusion (130) portions.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIMMY K VO whose telephone number is (571)272-3242. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8 am to 6 pm EST.
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/JIMMY VO/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1723
/JIMMY VO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723