DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Claims 1 and 6-10 are currently pending. Claims 2-5 have been cancelled. The previous objection to claim 10 is withdrawn. The amended claim 1 does overcome the previously stated 102 rejection based on Komatsu. However, the amended claim 1 does not overcome the previously stated 102 rejection based on Wang. Therefore, upon further consideration, claims 1 and 6-10 are rejected under the following 102 rejection.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/14/25 was filed after the mailing date of the Non-Final Rejection on 7/14/25. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al (CN 110828775 A, machine translation).
Regarding claims 1, 9, and 10, Wang et al discloses a battery cell comprising positive electrode sheet (cathode piece), a negative electrode sheet (anode piece), and a separator provided between the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet; wherein the positive electrode sheet and/or negative electrode sheet comprises a current collector and at least one active material layer coated on at least one side of the current collector; wherein the current collector comprises: a substrate layer and a conductive layer “5” that is formed on the surface of the substrate layer, the substrate layer comprising an insulating layer “3” (polymer layer) and a tab “1” (metal material layer) connected to each other, and the tab is connected to the conductive layer, and partially extends out of the conductive layer; wherein the tab “1” is partially embedded in the insulating layer “3” ([0004],[0085],[0087],[0089],[0108]-[0110] and Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 6, Wang et al discloses a conductive layer that is formed on the surface of the substrate layer by electroplating, chemical vapor deposition, or physical vapor deposition ([0083],[0085]).
Regarding claims 7 and 8, Wang et al discloses a material of the insulating layer such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, and a polystyrene, wherein a thickness of the insulating layer is 1-15 um, a thickness of the tab is 2-20 um, and thickness of the conductive layer is 0.1-5 um ([0082],[0083],[0089]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 10/14/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues that “In Wang, although various modified embodiments are disclosed, based on the textual descriptions and Figures 1 to 7, it can be seen that in all embodiments, an adhesive 2 is required to ensure the connection between the tab 1 (equivalent to the metal material layer 12 of the present application) and the insulating layer 3 (equivalent to the polymer layer 11 of the present application). The use of adhesive in Wang is equivalent to the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 of the present application. In paragraph [0087], which was cited in the Office Action, it is explicitly stated that "the tab 1 is adhered to one side of the conductive layer 5 by the conductive adhesive 6, and in Figure 5, there are two tabs 1, which are respectively adhered to the conductive layers 5 on both sides by the conductive adhesive 6." Similarly, paragraph [0082] states that "In Figure 3, both sides of the tab 1 are respectively connected to two current collectors by the adhesive 2, specifically, both sides of the tab 1 are respectively adhered to one surface of the insulating layers 3 of the two current collectors," which also indicates that the fixing method employed is bonding. In contrast, the technical solution of the amended Claim 1 of the present application directly uses "embedding." Furthermore, in Figure 3 of Wang, two insulating layers 3 and one tab 1 are provided, with the two insulating layers 3 located on both sides of the tab 1. This embodiment more closely resembles the embodiments in Figures 3 and 6 of the present application, i.e., sandwiching the metal material layer 12 between two polymer layers 11, rather than the "embedding structure" of the present application. Moreover, even in Figure 3 of Wang, the fixing method used is still bonding. Therefore, whether it is "bonding" or "sandwiching," Wang differs from the technical solution of Claim 1 of the present application”.
In response, the Office takes the position that the term “embedded” does not impart any special meaning that precludes the use of adhesives for bonding. The ordinary meaning of “embedded” is “something firmly fixed, enclosed within a surrounding mass, or integrated as an essential part of a larger whole” according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. Even if Wang teaches an adhesive for bonding the metal material layer to the polymer layer, the overall structure still results in the metal material layer “1” being partially embedded in the polymer layer “3” as shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, the Wang reference still reads on the amended claim 1.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/T.S.C/Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/JONATHAN G LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1751 5/1/2026
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