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 .
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.
Specification
The specification and drawings have been reviewed and no clear informalities or objections have been noted.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, and 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Eom (EP 3154108 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Eom discloses a battery module comprising:
a battery stack including a plurality of batteries (see Fig. 7 which illustrates a stack of batteries 101) each of the batteries including:
an electrode assembly (see paragraph 39 which discloses an electrode assembly);
an outer case accommodating the electrode assembly (such as the pouch described in paragraph 39); and
an electrode lead, one side of which is connected to the electrode assembly and an opposite side of which protrudes to an outside of the outer case (as depicted in Fig. 3 where the electrode lead 111, 112 has one side attached to the electrode assembly and the other side protrudes from the outer case of cell 101); and
a sensing assembly (bus bar 210) configured to measure voltage of the battery (see paragraph 21), the sensing assembly including a bus bar (210) provided on one side of the battery stack and jointed to the electrode lead (via ultrasonic welding, paragraph 16),
wherein the electrode lead includes:
a first electrode lead (as depicted in annotated Fig. 4 below); and
a second electrode lead (as depicted in annotated Fig. 4 below) having a polarity different from that of the first electrode lead (as is the case when the cells are oriented in series configuration, as discussed in paragraph 47),
wherein the plurality of batteries includes:
a first battery (as depicted in annotated Fig. 4 below); and
a second battery spaced apart from the first battery in a vertical direction (as depicted in annotated Fig. 4 below), and,
wherein a first area, in which the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the second electrode lead provided in the second battery are in contact facing each other (see Fig. 4 where the first and second electrode leads are in contact with each other in a first area), and a second area, in which the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the bus bar are in contact facing each other (see Fig. 4 where the busbar and the first electrode are in contact/facing each other in a second area), are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction (the second area is above the first area, as depicted in annotated Fig. 4 below).
Regarding claim 2, Eom further discloses the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the second electrode lead provided in the second battery are joined to each other to form a first joining part (as depicted in Fig. 4 where the first and second electrode leads are joined), wherein the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the bus bar are joined to each other to form a second joining part, and wherein the first joining part and the second joining part are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction (as depicted in Fig. 4, the first joining part and the second joining part are spaced apart in the vertical direction.
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Annotated Fig. 4
Regarding claims 10 and 12, Eom further discloses the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the bus bar are of the same material (see paragraph 33 discloses that the busbar is welded to an electrode lead of the same material) where the first electrode lead is a negative electrode lead and the second electrode lead is a positive electrode lead (see paragraph 58).
Regarding claim 11, Eom further discloses the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the second electrode lead provided in the second battery are of different materials (see paragraph 59 which discloses the electrode leads of the two batteries are different… one is copper, one is aluminum).
Claim(s) 1-3 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Higuchi (US 2014/0370367).
Regarding claim 1, Higuchi discloses a battery module comprising:
a battery stack (Fig. 18) including a plurality of batteries (83) each of the batteries including:
an electrode assembly (see paragraph 80 which discloses a cell assembly);
an outer case accommodating the electrode assembly (such as the casing described in paragraph 80); and
an electrode lead, one side of which is connected to the electrode assembly and an opposite side of which protrudes to an outside of the outer case (as depicted in Fig. 3 where the electrode lead 700/800 has one side attached to the electrode cell 83 and the other side protrudes from the outer casing); and
a sensing assembly (bus bar 94a) configured to measure voltage of the battery (see paragraph 93), the sensing assembly including a bus bar (94a) provided on one side of the battery stack and jointed to the electrode lead (via ultrasonic welding, paragraph 86),
wherein the electrode lead includes:
a first electrode lead (as depicted in annotated Fig. 18 below); and
a second electrode lead (as depicted in annotated Fig. 18 below) having a polarity different from that of the first electrode lead (as is the case when the cells are oriented in series configuration, as discussed in paragraph 113),
wherein the plurality of batteries includes:
a first battery (as depicted in annotated Fig. 18 below); and
a second battery spaced apart from the first battery in a vertical direction (as depicted in annotated Fig. 18 below), and,
wherein a first area, in which the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the second electrode lead provided in the second battery are in contact facing each other (see Fig. 18 where the first and second electrode leads are in contact with each other in a first area), and a second area, in which the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the bus bar are in contact facing each other (see Fig. 18 where the busbar 94a and the first electrode are in contact/facing each other in a second area), are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction (the second area is below the first area, as depicted in annotated Fig. 18 below).
Regarding claim 2, Higuchi further discloses the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the second electrode lead provided in the second battery are joined to each other to form a first joining part (as depicted in Fig. 18 where the first and second electrode leads are joined), wherein the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the bus bar are joined to each other to form a second joining part (as depicted in Fig. 18 where busbar 94a is joined to the first electrode), and wherein the first joining part and the second joining part are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction (as depicted in Fig. 18, the first joining part and the second joining part are spaced apart in the vertical direction.
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Annotated Fig. 18
Regarding claim 3, Higuchi further discloses the first electrode lead (as depicted in annotated Fig. 18 above) provided in the first battery includes:
a first protruding area protruding from the outer case provided in the first battery in a horizontal direction (see annotated Fig. 18 above which illustrates a horizontally oriented first protruding area); and
a first bending area bent from the first protruding area toward the second electrode lead provided in the second battery (see annotated Fig. 18 above), and
wherein the second electrode lead provided in the second battery includes:
a second protruding area protruding from the outer case provided in the second battery in the horizontal direction (see annotated Fig. 18 above); and
a second bending area bent from the second protruding area toward the first electrode lead provided in the first battery (see annotated Fig. 18 above which illustrates the two electrode leads being bent toward each other).
Regarding claim 13, Higuchi further discloses the first bending area is bent vertically from the first protruding area, and wherein the second bending area is bent vertically from the second protruding area (see annotated Fig. 18 above which illustrates both bending areas are bent in the vertical direction.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 8-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tadashi (WO 2007063877 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Tadashi discloses a battery module comprising:
a battery stack (see Fig. 1) including a plurality of batteries (C1 – C4, see Fig. 1) each of the batteries including:
an electrode assembly (see lines 168-171 which discloses an electrode assembly with a positive and negative electrode with a separator in between),
an outer case accommodating the electrode assembly (see lines 176-179 which discloses an exterior film covering the electrode assembly), and
an electrode lead, one side of which is connected to the electrode assembly and an opposite side of which protrudes to an outside (as depicted in Fig. 9 which illustrates the electrode leads 25a,b extending out of the electrode assembly); and
a sensing assembly including a bus bar (41) configured to measure voltage of the battery (lines 157-159) provided on one side of the battery stack and jointed to the electrode lead (joined via weld 37),
wherein the electrode lead includes:
a first electrode lead (25a, see annotated Fig. 9 below); and
a second electrode (25b, see annotated Fig. 9 below) lead having a polarity different from that of the first electrode lead (see lines 58-63 which discloses the battery cells 20a-d are connected in series will includes connecting the positive electrode lead to the negative electrode lead of the adjacent cell),
wherein the plurality of batteries includes:
a first battery (top battery in Fig. 9); and
a second battery (bottom battery in Fig. 10 spaced apart from the first battery in a vertical direction (as depicted in Fig. 9), and,
wherein a first area, in which the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the second electrode lead provided in the second battery are in contact facing each other (see Fig. 9 in which the first and second leads overlap each other with a certain area and therefore, face each other), and
a second area (area where the first electrode and busbar 41 are bonded to each other with weld 37), in which the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the bus bar are in contact facing each other (see Fig. 9 in which the first electrode lead 25a overlaps the busbar 41 at weld point 37 which results in an area that faces each other), are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction (see annotated Fig. 9 below which illustrates a weld point 37 which is where the first electrode lead and the busbar contact each other and the second weld 38 where the first and second electrode leads contact each other are spaced apart from each other vertically).
Regarding claim 2, Tadashi further discloses the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the second electrode lead provided in the second battery are joined to each other to form a first joining part (see Fig. 9 in which the first and second electrode leads are joined at welding portion 38),
wherein the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the bus bar are joined to each other to form a second joining part (see Fig. 9 where busbar 41 and first electrode 25a are joined at welding point 37), and
wherein the first joining part and the second joining part are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction (see Fig. 9 where the first and second welds are spaced apart from each other vertically).
Regarding claim 3, Tadashi further discloses the first electrode lead (25a) provided in the first battery includes:
a first protruding area protruding from the outer case provided in the first battery in a horizontal direction (see annotated Fig. 9 below which illustrates a horizontally oriented protruding portion); and
a first bending area bent from the first protruding area toward the second electrode lead provided in the second battery (see annotated Fig. 9 below), and
wherein the second electrode lead provided in the second battery includes:
a second protruding area protruding from the outer case provided in the second battery in the horizontal direction (see annotated Fig. 9 below); and
a second bending area bent from the second protruding area toward the first electrode lead provided in the first battery (see annotated Fig. 9 below which illustrates the two electrode leads being bent toward each other).
Regarding claim 8, Tadashi further discloses the first bending area is provided on an inner side of the second bending area in the horizontal direction (see Fig. 9 which illustrates that the second bending portion wraps around the first electrode lead which places the first bending area on the inner side of the 2nd bending area in the horizontal direction).
Regarding claim 9, Tadashi further discloses the first bending area is provided on an inner side of the bus bar in the horizontal direction (the inner side of the busbar, which is the part which is inside the bending area, as depicted in Fig. 9, reads on the claimed limitation that states that the first bending area is on an inner side of the busbar).
Regarding claims 10 and 12, Tadashi further discloses the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the bus bar are of the same material (see lines 325-327 which discloses that the orientation of electrode tabs 25a, b can be reversed which would lead to a copper negative electrode lead as the first electrode and a copper bus bar, see lines 172-184).
Regarding claim 11, Tadashi further discloses the first electrode lead provided in the first battery and the second electrode lead provided in the second battery are of different materials (see lines 172-175 which discloses the electrode leads of the two batteries are different… one is copper, one is aluminum).
Regarding claim 13, Tadashi further discloses the first bending area is bent vertically from the first protruding area, and wherein the second bending area is bent vertically from the second protruding area (see Fig. 9 which illustrates both bending areas are bent in the vertical direction.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims as well as overcoming the rejections under 35 UCS §112.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art, Tadashi, teaches vertically bent portions of electrode tabs that are bonded with a busbar, as described above in the rejection of claim 3. However, claimed 4 recites that the vertical length of the bending area of the first bending area is greater than the vertical length in the second bending area. Tadashi teaches equal lengths in all the embodiments and the prior art neither teaches nor suggests a change in the length of these bending areas.
Relevant Prior Art
US 2014/0370367 – Discloses bent electrode tabs out of each cell that are bonded to a busbar (see Fig. 18 which illustrates two tabs 800 and a busbar 94b), but is silent regarding the different lengths of the bending portions.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/4/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. On page 11, Applicant argues that Tadashi fails to teach the claim limitation where the first and second areas are spaced apart vertically. The Office respectfully disagrees with this argument. The first area, where the two electrode leads face each other is marked by weld 38’ in Fig. 8 and the second area, where the busbar and the first electrode lead face each other is marked by weld 37 in Fig. 8. As can clearly be seen in Fig. 8, these areas are indeed spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW J MERKLING whose telephone number is (571)272-9813. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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/MATTHEW J MERKLING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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