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 claims 1-9, drawn to a secondary battery in the reply filed on 01/08/2026 is acknowledged. Though not specified, 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)). Claims 1-9 are examined in this office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kamine (WO 2017110842 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kamine discloses a secondary battery (title) comprising:
an outer package (pg. 29 paragraph 1 discloses an aluminum film exterior body 101 corresponding to the claimed outer package, which can also be seen in figs. 11-12) having flexibility (pg. 21, paragraph 2 discloses that swelling of the exterior body can occur, thus necessitating some degree of flexibility); and
a battery device having an elongated shape (fig. 6 depicts a secondary battery 100, as can be seen from the figure, the battery possesses an elongated shape), the battery device being contained inside the outer package member (see fig. 6), wherein
the battery device includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode that are stacked on each other in a thickness direction of the battery device, with a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode (pg. 4, paragraph 3 discloses that the positive and negative electrode are stacked together with a separator interposed between the, as can be seen in fig. 6, the stacking occurs in a thickness direction), the positive and negative electrode each being a sheet having a substantially rectangular shape (pg. 19, paragraph 4 discloses that the shape of the electrodes are not particularly limited, with figs. 3-4 showing an embodiment wherein the electrode shape is substantially rectangular, and a rectangular shape also being disclosed by pg. 25, paragraph 2 and pg. 26, paragraph 2, and pg. 2 paragraph 2 discloses “plate-shaped” electrodes, reasonably reading as the claimed sheet, this can also be seen in the figures),
the battery device includes compression-bonding regions and a non-compression-bonding region other than the compression-bonding regions (pg. 13, paragraph 3 discloses a crimping portion 31 which corresponds to the claimed compression bonding region because it joins two separators together by applying a crimping force, and therefore can be considered “compression-bonding. These regions can be seen in fig. 3, and as can be seen in the figure, the crimping portions are absent from some areas of the separator, which can be considered a non-compression-bonding region), and
the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator are compression-bonded to each other in the compression-bonding regions that are provided at least at two respective positions opposed to each other in a peripheral edge part of the substantially rectangular shape (pg. 4, paragraph 3 discloses arranging separators on both sides of the positive and negative electrodes, and crimping and joining the peripheral edges of the separators arranged on both sides of the electrodes to each other, therefore satisfying the limitation that the positive electrode, negative electrode, and separator are compression bonded to each other in compression bonding regions, as well as that the compression-bonding regions are provided at least at two respective positions opposed to each other in a peripheral edge part of the substantially rectangular shape (since the crimped portions are provided on both separators, the crimped region of one separator would correspond to the crimped region of another, satisfying the limitation that they are at respective positions opposed to each other)).
Regarding claim 2, Kamine discloses the secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the compression-bonding regions each have a compression-bonding mark that is depressed into the thickness direction of the battery device (pg. 14, paragraph 2 discloses that the separators are pressed from above and below using a mold with grooves on the surface to create the crimped portions and join the separators together. in this case, the crimping, which involves the creation of wrinkles/waves can be considered the claimed bonding mark, as this involves the creation of areas that are depressed in the thickness direction of the battery device, see fig. 2 for a close view of the crimped portion).
Regarding claim 3, Kamine discloses the secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein a total length of the compression-bonding regions at a side of the substantially rectangular shape is less than a length of the non-compression-bonding region at the side (as can be seen in fig. 1, the total length of the compression-bonding regions at the sides of the substantially rectangular shape is less than the total length of the non-compression-bonding regions on the side).
Regarding claim 4, Kamine discloses the secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein a total length of the compression-bonding regions at a side of the substantially rectangular shape is less than or equal to 65 percent of a length of the side (as can be seen in the embodiment of fig. 1, the total length of the compression-bonding regions at the sides of the substantially rectangular shape is less than the total length of the non-compression-bonding regions on the side, satisfying the limitation that the length is less than or equal to 65 percent of a total length of the side).
Regarding claim 5, Kamine discloses the secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the compression-bonding regions are provided at least at four respective corners of the substantially rectangular shape (as can be seen in fig. 1, the compression bonded regions are formed at two sides and also at four respective corners of the substantially rectangular shape, satisfying the claimed limitation).
Regarding claim 6, Kamine discloses the secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the compression-bonding regions are provided at least at three respective separated points along at least one longer side of the substantially rectangular shape ( as can be seen in fig. 1, the crimped regions are provided at least at three respective separated points along at least one longer side of the substantially rectangular shape, an annotated fig. 1 is provided below which indicates the three points).
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597
411
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Regarding claim 7 Kamine discloses the secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein
the outer packaging member is sealed by a sealing part provided at an outer periphery (pg. 20, paragraph 2 discloses that the electrode body is sealed in an outer casing, pg. 28 paragraph 1 discloses that after electrolyte injection, the sides of the aluminum laminate films are vacuum heat sealed, and in this case the area where the heat sealing occurs can be considered as the claimed sealing part), and
one side of the sealing part includes an electrolytic solution injected into the outer package member (see above and pg. 28 paragraph 1).
Regarding claim 8, Kamine discloses the secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein the compression-bonding regions are provided in an island form to allow the non-compression-bonding region to be present, at a side of the substantially rectangular shape that is opposed to the sealing part including the electrolytic solution (as can be seen in fig. 1, the crimping portions are spaced out from each other and provided in isolated areas, which reasonable reads on being provided in an “island form”, with the non-compression bonding region encompassing the area of each of the compression-bonding regions/crimped parts and would enable the non-compression-bonding region to be present at a side of the substantially rectangular shape that is opposed to the sealing part including the electrolytic solution).
Regarding claim 9, Kamine discloses the secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the secondary battery comprises a lithium-ion secondary battery (paragraph 1 of description (pgs. 1-2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACKARY R COCHENOUR whose telephone number is (703)756-1480. The examiner can normally be reached 1-9:00PM ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicholas Smith can be reached at (571) 272-8760. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZACKARY RICHARD COCHENOUR/ Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/NICHOLAS A SMITH/ Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752