DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-7 in the reply filed on 1/13/26 is acknowledged.
3. Claims 8-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/13/26.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
4. 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.
5. Claims 4 and 5 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.
6. Claim 4 recites the limitation "the sub-vision sensors" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this Office Action, the limitation has been interpreted as "the plurality of sub-vision sensors" as there is antecedent basis.
7. Claim 5 recites the limitation "the sub-vision sensors" in lines 3 and 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this Office Action, the limitation has been interpreted as "the plurality of sub-vision sensors" as there is antecedent basis.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
8. 35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
9. Claims 1-4 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claims recite inspecting, detecting and outputting information. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the claims are directed to an abstract idea, the claims are directed to detecting a misalignment, outputting information. The claims does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Claim(s) 1-3, 6, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US2019/0341658) in view of Tamaki et al. (JP2004022206A) with citations from machine translation provided with this Office Action.
Regarding claim 1, Han discloses a method for controlling an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode cell(abstract, [0017]), the apparatus being configured to stack portions of a separator sheet and an electrode sheet to manufacture the electrode cell([0042], Fig. 3), the method comprising: inspecting, in a cell abnormality detection process, the electrode cell in real time or at a preset period during a cell manufacturing process of for manufacturing the electrode cell([0011], -[0012], [0019]-[0020], [0065]); detecting, in a sheet alignment detection process, an alignment of the electrode sheet and the separator sheet during the cell manufacturing process([0012], [0019]-[0020], [0044], [0059]); in a case where a predetermined number of the unit electrode assemblies are stacked, the stacking process is suspended, and video data obtained by the imaging performed by the inspection unit 300 is automatically stored in the storage unit 400 separately provided ([0086], Fig. 8) but does not explicitly disclose outputting information, via a processor, of a position at which a misalignment of the electrode and the separator sheets is detected in the sheet alignment detection process when an abnormality of the electrode cell is detected in the cell abnormality detection process.
Tamaki teaches a battery inspection device inspecting the displacement of a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate of a battery formed by stacking a plurality of plane plates in parallel(abstract). Tamaki teaches in battery 60 a thin resin separator (not shown) is sandwiched between the positive electrode plate 61 and the negative electrode plate 62([0031]-[0032]). Tamaki teaches the image processing device 50 is a general personal computer, captures a transmission image captured by the X-ray detector 40, automatically determines the positional deviation of the captured stack, and does not illustrate the position shift according to the determination result (Fig. 1, [0028]). Tamaki teaches a program for outputting a command to the elimination mechanism to eliminate defective products is stored in advance([0028]). Tamaki teaches in steps S90, S100, and S110, the same processing as in steps S60, S70, and S80 is performed on the transmission image B, and when it is determined that the transmission image B is defective, an instruction is sent to the rejection mechanism as to what number of the battery 60 is defective ([0043]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the method of Han with outputting information, via a processor, of a position at which a misalignment of the electrode and the separator sheets is detected in the sheet alignment detection process when an abnormality of the electrode cell is detected in the cell abnormality detection process as taught by Tamaki as obvious to try choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success. See MPEP 2143.
Regarding claim 2, modified Han discloses the sheet alignment detection process is performed when the abnormality of the electrode cell is detected in the cell abnormality detection process(Han [0019]-[0020]).
Regarding claim 3, modified Han discloses further comprising, when the abnormality of the electrode cell is detected in the cell abnormality detection process, stopping the cell manufacturing process(Han [0023], [0027], [0059]).
Regarding claim 6, modified Han discloses the cell abnormality detection process is performed by an end vision sensor disposed behind a separator cutter that cuts the separator sheet with respect to a moving direction of the separator sheet (Han, inspection unit 300, Fig. 3, [0054]).
Regarding claim 7, modified Han discloses further comprising: detecting, in a check process, the alignment of the electrode sheet and the separator sheet when a check command is input in a state in which the cell manufacturing process is stopped(Han [0023], [0027], [0059], [0065]); and starting, in an operation starting process, the cell manufacturing process when the alignment of the electrode sheet and the separator sheet is normal in the check process(Han [0075]-[0078]).
14. Claim(s) 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US2019/0341658) in view of Tamaki et al. (JP2004022206A) with citations from machine translation provided with this Office Action as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hori et al. (US 2010/0281685) as cited in IDS dated 5/4/23.
Regarding claim 4, modified Han does not explicitly disclose the sheet alignment detection process is performed by a plurality of sub-vision sensors, the plurality of sub-vision sensors comprising: a separator vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of the separator sheet unwound from a separator unwinder; an electrode vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of the electrode sheet unwound from an electrode unwinder; and an intermediate vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of an electrode that is bonded to the separator sheet by cutting the electrode sheet.
Hori teaches in a displacement detecting method, displacement between a strip-shaped electrode (13) and the strip-shaped separator (14) is detected (abstract). Hori teaches the sheet alignment detection process is performed by a plurality of sub-vision sensors, the plurality of sub-vision sensors comprising: a separator vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of the separator sheet unwound from a separator unwinder(detecting units 202 and 204 placed near separators 12 and 14, Fig. 4); an electrode vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of the electrode sheet unwound from an electrode unwinder(detecting units 201 and 203 placed near electrodes 11 and 13, Fig. 4); and an intermediate vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of an electrode that is bonded to the separator sheet by cutting the electrode sheet (imaging devices 21a and 21b, Fig. 5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of modified Han with the sheet alignment detection process is performed by a plurality of sub-vision sensors, the plurality of sub-vision sensors comprising: a separator vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of the separator sheet unwound from a separator unwinder; an electrode vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of the electrode sheet unwound from an electrode unwinder; and an intermediate vision sensor configured to detecting the alignment of an electrode that is bonded to the separator sheet by cutting the electrode sheet as taught by Hori as obvious to try choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success. See MPEP 2143.
Regarding claim 5, modified Han does not explicitly disclose the sheet alignment detection process is performed by a plurality of sub-vision sensors operating according to a preset order, each of the plurality of sub-vision sensors being configured to detect the misalignment of the electrode and the separator sheets, and wherein when the misalignment of the electrode and the separator sheets is detected in one sub-vision sensor, an operation of another one of the plurality of sub-vision sensors, which is scheduled to be operated after operating the one sub-vision sensor, is suspended.
Hori teaches in a displacement detecting method, displacement between a strip-shaped electrode (13) and the strip-shaped separator (14) is detected (abstract). Hori teaches the sheet alignment detection process is performed by a plurality of sub-vision sensors (detecting units 201-204, Fig. 4), each of the plurality of sub-vision sensors being configured to detect the misalignment of the electrode (11 and 13, Fig. 4) and the separator sheets (12 and 14, Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of modified Han with the sheet alignment detection process is performed by a plurality of sub-vision sensors, each of the plurality of sub-vision sensors being configured to detect the misalignment of the electrode and the separator sheets as taught by Hori as obvious to try choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success. See MPEP 2143.
Continuing with claim 5, modified Han discloses a suspending step S170 of suspending the stacking process is performed when the anode plate 11, the cathode plate 12, and the separator 13 are misaligned (Han [0068]) and the stacking process is resumed after the stacking process is suspended in the suspending step S290 and then the corresponding measures for the defect are taken ([0078]) but does not explicitly disclose operating according to a preset order, and wherein when the misalignment of the electrode and the separator sheets is detected in one sub-vision sensor, an operation of another one of the plurality of sub-vision sensors, which is scheduled to be operated after operating the one sub-vision sensor, is suspended.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of modified Han with a plurality of sub-vision sensors operating according to a preset order, and wherein when the misalignment of the electrode and the separator sheets is detected in one sub-vision sensor, an operation of another one of the plurality of sub-vision sensors, which is scheduled to be operated after operating the one sub-vision sensor, is suspended as selection of any order of performing process steps is prima facie obvious in the absence of new or unexpected results. MPEP 2144.04 IV.C.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTORIA HOM LYNCH whose telephone number is (571)272-0489. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST M-F.
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/VICTORIA H LYNCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1724