DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1, 4-6, 8-10, 12-21 are pending, with claims 18-20 withdrawn from consideration as being directed to a non-elected invention.
Claims 2, 3, 7, and 11 have been canceled.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 4-6, 8-10, 12-17, and 21 are objected to because of the following informalities: the limitation “portions abuts against each other” in claim 1, line 21 should be amended to read “portions abut against each other”.
Claims 4-6, 8-10, 12-17, and 21 are objected to as being dependent on the objected claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 4-6, 8-10, 12-17, and 21 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a second support structure arranged corresponding to the main body portion to support the main body portion when the electrode assembly is expanded” (lines 24 and 25).
However, claim 1 has been amended to recite a plurality of electrode assemblies (lines 15-16).
Claim 1 also recites that an electrode assembly comprises a main body portion (lines 3-4). A plurality of electrode assemblies implies a plurality of main body portions, so it is not clear which main body portion of the plurality of main body portions is supported by the second support structure in claim 1.
Claims 4 and claim 12 depend on claim 1 and recite the limitations “the thinned portion” and “the electrode assembly”.
However, claim 1 recites a plurality of electrode assemblies.
An electrode assembly has a thinned portion, so a plurality of electrode assemblies implies a plurality of thinned portions.
Therefore, it is not clear to which thinned portion and which electrode assembly are claims 4 and 12 referring to.
Claims 5 and 15 depend on claim 1 and recite the limitations “the electrode plate”, “the thinned portion”, and “the main body portion”.
However, claim 1 recites a plurality of electrode assemblies.
An electrode assembly has an electrode plate, a thinned portion, and a main body portion, so a plurality of electrode assemblies implies a plurality of electrode plates, a plurality of thinned portions, and a plurality of main body portions.
Therefore, it is not clear to which electrode plate, which thinned portion and which main body portion are claims 5 and 15 referring to.
Claim 6 depends on claim 5, which depends on claim 1. Claim 6 recites the limitations “the thinned portion” and “the main body portion”.
However, claim 1 recites a plurality of electrode assemblies.
An electrode assembly has a thinned portion and a main body portion, so a plurality of electrode assemblies implies a plurality of thinned portions and a plurality of main body portions.
Therefore, it is not clear to which thinned portion and which main body portion is claim 6 referring to.
Claim 10 depends on claim 1, and recites the limitations “the thinned portion” and “the main body portion”.
However, claim 1 recites a plurality of electrode assemblies.
An electrode assembly has a thinned portion and a main body portion, so a plurality of electrode assemblies implies a plurality of thinned portions and a plurality of main body portions.
Therefore, it is not clear to which thinned portion and which main body portion is claim 10 referring to.
Claims 13 and 14 depend on claim 1, and recite the limitation “the thinned portion”.
However, claim 1 recites a plurality of electrode assemblies.
An electrode assembly has a thinned portion, so a plurality of electrode assemblies implies a plurality of thinned portions.
Therefore, it is not clear to which thinned portion are claims 13 and 14 referring to.
Claims 8, 9, 16, and 21 are rejected as being dependent on the rejected claim 1.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 4-6, 8-10, 12-17, and 21 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
The examiner would like to note that:
-the rejection of claims 1, 2, 13, and 21 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhong et al. (CN 108336286 A, with machine translation made of record on May 11, 2026) is withdrawn after the applicant’s amendment to claim 1;
-the rejection of claims 1, 2, 4-10, 13, and 15 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (CN 210006793 U, with citations from the English language equivalent US 2021/0359370) is withdrawn after the applicant’s amendment to claim 1;
-the rejection of claims 1-6, and 13-15 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fu et al. (CN 213520076U, with machine translation made of record on May 11, 2026) in view of Zhong et al. (CN 108336286 A, with machine translation made of record on May 11, 2026) is withdrawn after the applicant’s amendment to claim 1; and
-the rejection of claims 16 and 17 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fu et al. (CN 213520076U, with machine translation made of record on May 11, 2026) in view of Zhong et al. (CN 108336286 A, with machine translation made of record on May 11, 2026) as applied to claim 1, and in further view of Lim (US 2012/0129030) is withdrawn after the applicant’s amendment to claim 1.
However, new grounds of rejection for claims 1, 4-6, 8-10, 12-17, and 21 are presented in paragraphs 4-5 above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new grounds 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 comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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/ANCA EOFF/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722
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