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 .
Response to Amendment
Examiner notes the following amendments made to the claims:
Claim 1 amended to incorporate subject matter of previously presented claims 2 and 5
Claim 2 cancelled
Claims 3-6 amended to match amendment to claim 1
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/15/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Specifically, examiner finds that Mao teaches all of the elements of amended claim 1. Examiner will respond to applicant arguments in order.
First and primarily, applicant argues that examiner misinterpreted the teachings of Mao’s drawings and specification. Applicant then argues that due to the presence of the cover plate 413 of Mao, that it would be physically impossible to separate the roller bearing without completely pulling out the supporting guiding shaft. Examiner does not find this persuasive for two reasons. First, Mao teaches that the cover plate is attached with screws, rather than a permanent fixing method such as a welding (“The cover plate is connected with the layer plate by screws; the bottom of the cover plate is provided with an avoidance position corresponding to the rolling bearing.” Mao [22]). This would provide one skilled in the art the ability to unscrew the cover plate in order to remove the roller bearing after simply unscrewing and removing the cover plate. Applicant cites that there is a “remarkable operational effect” of being able to easily replace the roller assembly, and examiner finds that this would be the case for Mao as well, unless applicant is saying that unscrewing and removing a cover plate is the difference in efficiency that is remarkable. Secondly, Mao teaches that there is an escape position of the cover plate and the rolling bearing (“the bottom of the cover plate 413 is provided with an escape position corresponding to the rolling bearing 412.” Mao [52]). Thus, Mao even describes its cover plate as being related to the escape/removal of the roller bearing, providing even more reason to one skilled in the art to perform such an act upon the system. Perhaps if applicant amended the claims to incorporate subject matter that clearly teaches an open hole rather than a removable cover plate, then the previously applied prior art could be overcome and further search and consideration would be required.
Secondly, applicant argues that Lim and Son fail to teach the shortcomings of Mao, and therefore the claim is allowable. Based on the above arguments, Examiner maintains that claim 1 is not allowable. Since no arguments are provided regarding the dependent claims, there is currently not considered to be any allowable subject matter present in the claims. The previously applied rejections remain in change and unchanged other than shifting around to match the amendments made by applicant, which do not introduce any subject matter not found in the previously presented claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mao (CN 111710895 A).
Regarding claim 1, Mao teaches all of the following elements:
A cell pressing module comprising: (“The invention belongs to the field of laminating machinery, and particularly relates to a pressing balance structure and a battery forming jig.” Mao [3])
a pressing plate pressing against a battery cell; (“A battery formation jig, including the pressing and balancing structure, and further comprising two support seats, two sets of guide support assemblies, a layer plate, a pushing mechanism and a power mechanism; the two support seats are arranged oppositely, and the two sets of guide supports” Mao [16])
a movement guiding unit in which a movement guiding hole into which a plate moving shaft is inserted by passing-through is formed, (“Further, the guide support assembly includes two first support guide shafts arranged in parallel up and down and pass through the layer plate, and two second support guide shafts arranged in parallel up and down and pass through the pressing mechanism.” Mao [20])
the movement guiding unit being combined with both sides of the pressing plate; (Mao figure 2 depicts the movement guiding unit being present on both sides of the pressing plate.)
and a roller assembly on which a movement roller coming into contact with the plate moving shaft is provided, (“Further, the layer plate is provided with a guide through hole for the corresponding first support guide shaft to pass through, and the guide through hole is provided with a plurality of rolling supports tangent to the surface of the first support guide shaft” Mao [21])
the roller assembly being combined with one-side and other- side surfaces of the movement guiding unit. (“Further, the layer plate is provided with a guide through hole for the corresponding first support guide shaft to pass through, and the guide through hole is provided with a plurality of rolling supports tangent to the surface of the first support guide shaft” Mao [21])
wherein the roller assembly comprises:
a roller body in which a guide hole into which the plate moving shaft is inserted by passing-through is formed, (Mao fig. 8 depicts a roller body that helps comprise a guide hole into which a plate moving shaft is inserted.)
the roller body forming the exterior appearance of the roller assembly; (Compare Mao fig. 8 to instant figure 6 to see how the roller assembly of Mao is analogous to that which is claimed.)
a roller support portion protruding, over a predetermined distance, from the roller body; (Mao positioning grooves 404 and recessed cavity 402 from a shape that is the same as the roller support in instant figure 6.)
a roller support portion protruding, over a predetermined distance, from the roller body; (Mao positioning grooves 404 and recessed cavity 402 from a shape that is the same as the roller support in instant figure 6.)
and a movement roller coming into contact with the plate moving shaft, the movement roller being combined with the roller support portion, wherein an opening through which the guide hole is exposed to the outside is formed in the roller body, (“Therefore, when the first supporting guiding shaft 310 passes through the guiding through hole 401, the rolling bearing 412 contacts the first supporting guiding shaft 310, thereby realizing the rolling support of the laminate 400 The first support guide shaft 310. And this structure can replace the rolling bearing 412 and the support shaft 411.” Mao [52])
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wherein the roller assembly is configured to be separated from the plate moving shaft through the opening in a state where the plate moving shaft is inserted into the movement guiding hole. . (Mao figure 1 depicts the plate moving shaft being inserted into the movement guiding hole in the same manner as shown in instant figure 6.)
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Regarding claim 3, Mao teaches all of the following elements:
The cell pressing module of claim 1, wherein the opening is configured to have a width corresponding to an outer diameter of the plate moving shaft. (“Therefore, when the first supporting guiding shaft 310 passes through the guiding through hole 401, the rolling bearing 412 contacts the first supporting guiding shaft 310, thereby realizing the rolling support of the laminate 400 The first support guide shaft 310.” Mao [52]. In this case, if the rolling bearing is configured to meet the guiding shaft, the opening would have to have a width which corresponds to the outer diameter of the shaft, otherwise it would not be able to function properly.)
Regarding claim 4, Mao teaches all of the following elements:
The cell pressing module of claim 1, wherein the movement guiding unit includes a division combination portion with which the roller assembly is combined for support, wherein the division combination portion is configured in such a manner as to form an assembly insertion groove into which the roller assembly is inserted, (“Further, referring to FIG. 8, the side surface of the laminate 400 is further provided with an inwardly recessed cavity 402 along the outer edge of each of the guide through holes 401, and the bottom wall of the cavity 402 is along the guide through The edge of the hole 401 is also provided with an inwardly recessed avoidance gap 403, and both ends of the avoidance gap 403 are provided with positioning grooves 404.” Mao [52]. In this case, the recessed cavity 402 in combination with the avoidance gap 403 and grooves 404 forms a structure analogous to that described above.)
and wherein the roller assembly inserted into the assembly insertion groove formed on one-side and other-side surfaces of the movement guiding unit is detachably attached, by a combination member, to the division combination portion. (Mao figure 8 depicts the roller assembly being screwed into the movement guiding unit in the same manner as figure 9 of the instant application. Thus, it is formed in a detachable manner.)
Regarding claim 5, Mao teaches all of the following elements:
The cell pressing module of claim 4, wherein the roller assembly is combined with the division combination portion in such a manner that the opening is positioned adjacent to the pressing plate, (See figure 5 of instant application compared to figure 3 of Mao, it can be seen that the roller assemblies, including the division combination portion forming an opening, are positioned in the same way in relation to the pressing plate.)
Regarding claim 6, Mao teaches all of the following elements:
The cell pressing module of claim 2, wherein the movement roller is arranged to be positioned at a 90-degree angle with respect to the center point of the guide hole. (See Mao figure 8 compared to instant figure 8 to see how the movement roller as well as the rolling support are placed in the exact same way in comparison to the guide hole.)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 7-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mao (CN 111710895 A) in view of Lim (US 20230042766 A1)
Regarding claim 7, Mao teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Mao is silent on the following elements of claim 7:
The cell pressing module of claim 1, wherein the pressing plate is configured to be detachably attached to the movement guiding unit.
However, Lim teaches all of the elements of claim 7 that are not found in Mao. Specifically, Lim teaches a pressing plate detachably attached to a guiding unit.
The cell pressing module of claim 1, wherein the pressing plate is configured to be detachably attached to the movement guiding unit. (“Further, the pressure jig 60 according to the disclosure includes the jig guides 63 formed integrally with or detachably coupled to the opposite sides of the pressure plate 61.” Lim [0090])
Lim and Mao are considered to be analogous because they are both within the same field of battery pressing modules aimed at pressing a battery cell stack. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mao to detachably attach the pressing plate to the movement guiding unit in order to have more flexibility with the structure of the module, allowing for freedom and for the pressing module to be able to be adjusted more easily. Additionally, in order to make the pressing plate and movement guiding unit detachable, it would be obvious to one skilled in the art to use the mounting frame of Lim in the pressing module of Mao in order to detachably connect the different parts. Thus, no further motivation is required to meet the limitations of claims 8-10, which simply require the use of the mounting strategy of Lim to combine parts in a battery pressing module.
Regarding claim 8, Mao teaches the following elements:
The cell pressing module of claim 7, wherein the pressing plate comprises: a pressing body pressing against the battery cell; (“Further, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the guide support assembly 300 includes two first support guide shafts 310 arranged in parallel up and down and passing through the layer plate 400, and two first supporting guide shafts 310 arranged in parallel up and down and passing through the pressing mechanism 500 of the second support guide shaft 320. In this embodiment, the pushing mechanism 500 is driven to slide along the second support and guide shaft 320 by the power mechanism, and the layer plate 400 is pushed to slide along the first support and guide shaft 320 to compress and loosen the battery.” Mao [50]. In this case, the layer plate 400 within the pushing mechanism 500 acts as the pressing body.)
Mao is silent on the following elements of claim 8:
and insertion coupling portions protruding from both-side surfaces, respectively, of the pressing body,
each of the insertion coupling portions being combined with an insertion space, formed in the movement guiding unit, by being inserted thereinto, wherein the insertion coupling portion comprises: an upper insertion protrusion provided on an upper portion of the pressing body; a lower insertion protrusion provided on a lower portion of the pressing body; and an intermediary insertion protrusion provided between the upper insertion protrusion and the lower insertion protrusion,
and wherein the upper insertion protrusion, the lower insertion protrusion, and the intermediary insertion protrusion are configured to be spaced from each other and to form an assembly insertion groove.
However, Lim teaches all of the elements of claim 8 that are not found in Mao:
and insertion coupling portions protruding from both-side surfaces, respectively, of the pressing body, (“In other words, the mounting frame 10 is movably mounted being put on the pressure plate 61,” Lim [0082]. The mounting frame of Lim functions as the insertion coupling portion and is present on both sides of the pressing body.)
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each of the insertion coupling portions being combined with an insertion space, formed in the movement guiding unit, by being inserted thereinto, wherein the insertion coupling portion comprises: an upper insertion protrusion provided on an upper portion of the pressing body; a lower insertion protrusion provided on a lower portion of the pressing body; and an intermediary insertion protrusion provided between the upper insertion protrusion and the lower insertion protrusion, (Lim figure 7 depicts an insertion coupling portion 50 which has an upper, lower, and intermediary portion with grooves formed thereon in the negative spaces. See below for comparison.)and wherein the upper insertion protrusion, the lower insertion protrusion, and the intermediary insertion protrusion are configured to be spaced from each other and to form an assembly insertion groove. (Lim figure 7 depicts an insertion coupling portion 50 which has an upper, lower, and intermediary portion with grooves formed thereon in the negative spaces. See below for comparison.)
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Regarding claim 9, modified Mao meets all of the limitations of claim 8, as shown above.
Mao is silent on the following elements of claim 9:
The cell pressing module of claim 8, wherein the pressing body is configured to have a greater thickness than the upper insertion protrusion, the lower insertion protrusion, and the intermediary insertion protrusion in order to form a fastening insertion groove.
However, Lim teaches all of the elements of claim 9 that are not found in Mao:
The cell pressing module of claim 8, wherein the pressing body is configured to have a greater thickness than the upper insertion protrusion, the lower insertion protrusion, and the intermediary insertion protrusion in order to form a fastening insertion groove. (As can be seen in Lim figure 8, there is a groove formed in between first and second side mounting plates of the mounting frame. Since this mounting frame would be used to connect the pressing body and movement guiding units of Mao, the width of the pressure body would have to be greater than that of the guiding units in order to effectively use the groove created by the mounting frame.)
Regarding claim 10, modified Mao meets all of the limitations of claim 9, as shown above. Mao teaches the following elements of claim 10:
The cell pressing module of claim 9, wherein the movement guiding unit comprises: a moving body, (The area containing the roller assembly of Mao would function as a moving body)
Mao is silent on the following elements of claim 10.
an insertion space into which the insertion coupling portion is inserted being formed in an internal surface of the moving body;
a pair of support protrusions spaced a predetermined distance apart, the pair of support protrusions protruding from an internal surface of the moving body and being inserted into the assembly insertion groove;
and a fastening extension portion extending from the moving body and being inserted into the fastening insertion groove, wherein a first fastening hole is formed in the fastening extension portion, a second fastening hole is formed in the insertion coupling portion, and the fastening member is inserted into the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole by passing- through, and thus combines the pressing plate and the movement guiding unit with each other.
However, Lim, when combined with Mao, teaches all of the elements of claim 10 not taught by Mao alone:
an insertion space into which the insertion coupling portion is inserted being formed in an internal surface of the moving body; (By combining the moving body of Mao with the mounting frame attached to the pressing body of Lim, the insertion coupling portion of Lim would be met with reciprocal protrusions, otherwise there would be no purpose to the fastening groove. One of obvious skill in the art would understand the point of this groove is to provide space to mount something.)
a pair of support protrusions spaced a predetermined distance apart, the pair of support protrusions protruding from an internal surface of the moving body and being inserted into the assembly insertion groove; (Similar reasoning to above. Lim teaches an insertion coupling portion with an upper, intermediary, and lower protrusion. It would therefore be obvious to one skilled in the art to combine this with a body having two reciprocal protrusions to fit in between.)
and a fastening extension portion extending from the moving body and being inserted into the fastening insertion groove, wherein a first fastening hole is formed in the fastening extension portion, a second fastening hole is formed in the insertion coupling portion, and the fastening member is inserted into the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole by passing- through, and thus combines the pressing plate and the movement guiding unit with each other. (See below for comparison of Lim figure 8 and instant figure 10. If the insertion coupling portion of Lim were used in combination with the movement guiding portion of Mao, it would be obvious to use the mounting frame of Lim in a manner in which two fastening holes with a fastening member are used to combine the units together in a way such as that described in claim 10.)
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Regarding claim 11, modified Mao teaches all of the elements of claim 8, as shown above. Mao teaches the following elements of claim 11:
The cell pressing module of claim 8, further comprising: an upper guide bar being combined with an upper fixation groove by being inserted thereinto, the upper fixation groove being formed in an upper portion of the movement guiding unit, (See below for Mao figures 4 and 6 which depict both an upper and lower guide bar formed onto the movement guiding unit. Figure 4 depicts arc groove 115 and guide rod 130. While figure 4 only shows the upper guide bar, the structure and function of the lower one is identical)
and a lower guide bar being combined with a lower fixation groove by being inserted thereinto, the lower fixation groove being formed in a lower portion of the movement guiding unit, (See below for Mao figures 4 and 6 which depict both an upper and lower guide bar formed onto the movement guiding unit. Figure 4 depicts arc groove 115 and guide rod 130. While figure 4 only shows the upper guide bar, the structure and function of the lower one is identical)
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Mao is silent on the following elements of claim 11:
and the upper guide bar guiding moving of an upper fixation block provided on an electrode lead gripper module;
and the lower guide bar guiding moving of a lower fixation block provided on the electrode lead gripper module.
However, Lim teaches all of the elements of claim 11 that are not found in Mao. Specifically, Lim teaches a gripper guide rail with an upper and lower portion. This, if combined with the upper and lower guide bar of Mao, would meet all of the limitations of claim 11:
and the upper guide bar guiding moving of an upper fixation block provided on an electrode lead gripper module; (“The gripper guide rail 89 guides the jig guide (see ‘63’ in FIG. 5), which is provided in the electrode lead gripper 50 for the pressure activation device according to the disclosure (to be described later), to slide, so that the electrode lead gripper 50 according to the disclosure can stably slide and move without being separated as the pressure jig 60 slides in the pressing direction.” Lim [0036])
and the lower guide bar guiding moving of a lower fixation block provided on the electrode lead gripper module. (As can be seen in Lim figure 7, the lead gripper 50 has both an upper and lower guide block that are analogous to those in the instant application.)
Lim and Mao are considered to be analogous for the reasons provided above. By incorporating the electrode lead gripper of Lim, which contains the mounting frame used to meet the limitations of claims 7-10, the limitations of claim 11 would be met as well, thus no further motivation or modification would be required.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mao (CN 111710895 A) in view of Lim (US 20230042766 A1) and further in view of Son (US 20200365868 A1)
Regarding claim 12, modified Mao teaches all of the elements of claim 11, as shown above. Mao and Lim are silent on the following elements of claim 12:
a connection guide bar being combined with a guide fixation groove by being inserted thereinto,
the guide fixation groove being formed in an upper portion of the pressing plate,
and the connection guide bar guiding moving of the upper fixation block,
wherein the connection guide bar and the upper guide bar are arranged adjacent to each other, and thus guide the moving of the upper fixation block.
However, Son teaches the all of the elements of claim 12 that are not found in Mao or Lim:
a connection guide bar being combined with a guide fixation groove by being inserted thereinto, (In this case, push bar 30 of Son functions as a connection guide bar, which is combined with penetration holes 22a to mount the guide bar. The penetration holes function as the guide fixation grooves in this case.)
the guide fixation groove being formed in an upper portion of the pressing plate, (Son figure 2 depicts the push bar and penetration holes/lead gripper being formed in the upper portion of compression plate 10.)
and the connection guide bar guiding moving of the upper fixation block, (By definition, a push bar would be used to guide moving, in this case of the upper fixation block.)
wherein the connection guide bar and the upper guide bar are arranged adjacent to each other, and thus guide the moving of the upper fixation block. (If the upper guide bar or Mao were combined with the structure of Son having a connection guide bar, the connection guide bar would be adjacent to the electrode lead gripper which contains the upper fixation block described in claim 11.)
Son is considered to be analogous to Mao and Lim because it is within the same field of cell pressing modules. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the pressing module of Mao to have a connection guide bar that connects the upper fixation block of Mao modified by Lim in order to allow for charging/discharging and voltage measurement of the battery cell in addition to just pressing capability (“According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a secondary battery charging and discharging apparatus, which may improve an insulation voltage failure rate by suppressing a swelling phenomenon at a terrace portion of a secondary battery cell in a charging and discharging process.” Son [0029]).
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET whose telephone number is (571)272-0156. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30am-6pm except for the first Friday of bi-week.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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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/BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET/Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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