DETAILED ACTION
This is the first office action on the merits for 18/140,933, filed 4/28/2023, which claims priority to Korean application KR10-2023-0001827, filed 1/5/2023.
Claims 1-15 are pending; Claims 1-9 are considered herein.
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 without traverse of the invention of Group I, Claims 1-9, in the reply filed on 12/18/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 10-15 are withdrawn.
Additional Prior Art
The Examiner wishes to apprise the Applicant of the following references, which are not currently applied in a rejection.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0084749 A1: Figs. 20-21 teach a pouch battery with folded corners.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0059179 A1: Fig. 5 teaches a folded pouch battery.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2018/0219245 A1: Figs. 4-5 teach a folded pouch battery with a protrusion 150 at the fold.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0230767 A1: Figs. 7A-B teach a battery with a folded outer cover.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2021/0288365 A1: Fig. 6 teaches a folded pouch surface for a battery.
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 3-6 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 3 recites “the corner folded area” in line 6. This limitation is indefinite, because Claim 3 includes a prior recitation of “corner folded areas” in line 2. Therefore, it is unclear to which of these areas is referred by “the corner folded area” in line 6.
Claims 4-6 are indefinite, because of their dependence on Claim 3.
Claim 4 further recites “pouch-type exterior members.” This limitation is indefinite, because there is only prior recitation of “a pouch type exterior member,” not a plurality of members. Therefore, it is unclear what is referred to by the term “members” in Claim 4.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Werner (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/0147730 A1).
In reference to Claim 1, Werner teaches a folding method for a battery pouch (Figs. 6-7, paragraphs [0045]-[0057]).
The method of Werner comprises the steps of folding corner areas of a pouch-type exterior member that comprises a main side (i.e. the upper side, indicated in the inset below), a first subside on one side of the main side (indicated in the inset below), and a second subside on the other side of the main side along a first folding line (all of which are indicated in the inset below).
The method of Werner comprises folding an area 605 adjacent to the main side of the pouch-type exterior member along an extended folding line according to a direction from the first subside toward the second subside (Fig. 6B).
Werner teaches that the folding along the extended folding line comprises: folding a first portion of the pouch-type exterior member (i.e. the portion that overlaps with region 608) to the inside of the pouch-type exterior member along a second folding line 609 (paragraph [0049]).
Werner teaches that the folding along the extended folding line comprises: folding a second portion 608 of the pouch-type exterior member to the outside of the pouch-type exterior member along a third folding line 609.
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In reference to Claim 2, the inset below teaches that the pouch- type exterior member comprises a first surface and a second surface that are opposite to each other, and the folding along the first folding line comprises bringing two or more layers of the pouch-type exterior member close to be separable from each other on the first surface of the pouch-type exterior member in the corner areas.
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In reference to Claim 3, Fig. 6B teaches that the folding along the first folding line comprises forming corner folded areas in the corner areas, and the folding method for a battery pouch further comprises inverting a multilayer structure formed by the two or more layers of the pouch-type exterior member in the corner folded area.
Specifically, Fig. 6B teaches that the folding process in the corner of the battery results in the multilayered structure comprising item 608 and the regions of folded packaging material between layer 608 and face 607 moving from a downward-pointing direction to an upward-pointing direction.
In reference to Claim 5, Fig. 6B teaches that the inverting of the multilayer structure comprises changing structures of the corner areas without changing a structure of the pouch-type exterior member in a central portion of the main side (i.e. in area 604).
Claims 1-2 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ohta, et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0278395 A1).
In reference to Claim 1, Ohta teaches a folding method for a battery pouch (Figs. 4-6, paragraphs [0100]-[0114]).
The method of Ohta comprises a step of folding corner areas (Fig. 6, paragraph [0113]) of a pouch-type exterior member 13 (shown in detail in Fig. 2 and its associated text) that comprises a main side (i.e. an upper side in Fig. 6), a first subside on one side of the main side, and a second subside on the other side of the main side along a first folding line Fx6a (paragraph [0104], Fig. 6).
The method of Ohta comprises folding an area adjacent to the main side of the pouch-type exterior member along an extended folding line FY2 according to a direction from the first subside (i.e. the near side in Figs. 4-6) toward the second subside (i.e. the far side, in Figs. 4-6). This folding method is shown in Figs. 4-5 (paragraph [0110]).
Ohta teaches that the folding along the extended folding line FY2 comprises: folding a first portion of the pouch-type exterior member to the inside of the pouch-type exterior member along a second folding line (i.e. the “valley fold” along line FY3, paragraph [0110]).
Ohta teaches that the folding along the extended folding line FY2 comprises: folding a second portion 14a of the pouch-type exterior member to the outside of the pouch-type exterior member along a third folding line FX1 (Figs. 4-5, paragraph [0111]).
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In reference to Claim 2, Ohta teaches that the pouch- type exterior member 13 comprises a first surface and a second surface that are opposite to each other (indicated in the inset below), and the folding along the first folding line Fx6a comprises bringing two or more layers of the pouch-type exterior member close to be separable from each other (i.e. folded on top of each other) on the first surface of the pouch-type exterior member in the corner areas (Fig. 6, paragraph [0113]).
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In reference to Claim 7, Ohta teaches that the folding along the extended folding line FY2 further comprises folding a third portion 14f of the pouch-type exterior member 13 to the outside of the pouch-type exterior member along a fourth folding line FY1 (Fig. 4, paragraph [0110]).
In reference to Claim 8, Ohta teaches that the folding along the extended folding line FY2 comprises forming a folding portion 14a on the main side (Figs. 5-6, paragraph [0103]).
Ohta further teaches that the folding method further comprises additionally folding the folding portion 14a along an additional folding line FX1 that is parallel to a direction (i.e. the X direction) in which the main side extends (because the main side is the top side of the device, and extends in the X and Y directions).
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jang (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2015/0364729 A1).
In reference to Claim 1, Jang teaches a folding method for a battery pouch (Figs. 4A-C, paragraphs [0060]-[0068]).
The method of Jang comprises a step of folding corner areas (i.e. the edge areas corresponding to corner 36) of a pouch-type exterior member 30 that comprises a main side (i.e. a top side), a first subside on one side of the main side (indicated in the inset below), and a second subside on the other side of the main side along a first folding line (indicated in the inset below, Fig. 3, paragraphs [0053]-[0057]).
The method of Jang comprises folding an area adjacent to the main side of the pouch-type exterior member along an extended folding line L2 according to a direction from the first subside toward the second subside (Fig. 4C, paragraph [0064]).
Jang teaches that the folding along the extended folding line L2 comprises: folding a first portion 36 of the pouch-type exterior member 30 to the inside of the pouch-type exterior member along a second folding line (indicated in the inset below, paragraph [0062]); and folding a second portion 33b of the pouch-type exterior member 30 to the outside of the pouch-type exterior member along a third folding line (indicated in the inset below, paragraph [0064]).
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In reference to Claim 2, Jang teaches that the pouch- type exterior member 30 comprises a first surface (i.e. a bottom surface) and a second surface (i.e. a top surface) that are opposite to each other (see the inset below).
The inset of Fig. 4A below teaches that the folding along the first folding line comprises bringing two or more layers of the pouch-type exterior member close to be separable from each other (i.e. folded on top of each other) on the first surface of the pouch-type exterior member in the corner areas (i.e. in the edges of the pouch forming the corner).
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In reference to Claim 3, Fig. 3 of Jang teaches that the folding along the first folding line comprises forming corner folded areas in the corner areas, as shown in the inset below.
Jang further teaches that the folding method of his invention further comprises inverting a multilayer structure formed by the two or more layers of the pouch-type exterior member in the corner folded area 36 (Figs. 4B-C, paragraphs [0062]-[0064]).
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In reference to Claim 4, Fig. 3 teaches that the forming of the corner folded areas comprises forming a space (i.e. space D3) by (i.e. near) the multilayer structure 36.
Figs. 4A-C teach that the inverting of the multilayer structure 36 comprises orienting inner surfaces of the pouch-type exterior members that are in contact with (i.e. in structural contact with) the space D3 outward (e.g. region 33b in Fig. 4C); and orienting outer surfaces of the pouch-type exterior members that are in contact with (i.e. in structural contact with) the space D3 inward (e.g. region 36, as shown in Fig. 4C).
In reference to Claim 5, Jang teaches that the inverting of the multilayer structure 36 comprises changing structures of the corner areas without changing a structure of the pouch-type exterior member in a central portion of the main side (i.e. in region 31, Figs. 4A-C).
In reference to Claim 6, Jang teaches that the folding along the first folding line comprises laminating an additional pouch layer 40 onto the first surface (i.e. on the bottom surface) of the pouch-type exterior member 30 (Fig. 4C, paragraph [0066]).
Jang further teaches that the inverting of the multilayer structure comprises moving the additional pouch layer 40 on the first surface (i.e. bottom) of the pouch-type exterior member onto the second surface (i.e. top surface) of the pouch-type exterior member (by adhering region 33a, which is contiguous with the bottom surface of the pouch, to region 31, which is on the top surface of the pouch).
Claims 1 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yonemura, et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016/0343999 A1).
In reference to Claim 1, Yonemura teaches a folding method for a battery pouch (Figs. 20A-C, paragraphs [0185]-[0186]).
The method of Yonemura comprises the steps of folding corner areas (indicated in the inset below) of a pouch-type exterior member 117 that comprises a main side (i.e. top-most side, as indicated in the inset below), a first subside on one side of the main side (indicated in the inset below), and a second subside on the other side of the main side along a first folding line (indicated in the inset below).
The method of Yonemura comprises folding an area adjacent to the main side of the pouch-type exterior member along an extended folding line according to a direction from the first subside toward the second subside (indicated in the inset below).
Yonemura teaches that the folding along the extended folding line comprises: folding a first portion of the pouch-type exterior member to the inside of the pouch-type exterior member along a second folding line (paragraph [0186], indicated in the inset below).
Yonemura teaches that the folding along the extended folding line comprises: folding a second portion of the pouch-type exterior member to the outside of the pouch-type exterior member along a third folding line (paragraph [0186], indicated in the inset below).
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In reference to Claim 7, Yonemura teaches that the folding along the extended folding line further comprises folding a third portion of the pouch-type exterior member to the outside of the pouch-type exterior member along a fourth folding line.
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In reference to Claim 8, Yonemura teaches that the folding along the extended folding line comprises forming a folding portion on the main side, and the folding method for a battery pouch further comprises additionally folding the folding portion along an additional folding line that is parallel to a direction in which the main side extends.
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In reference to Claim 9, Yonemura teaches that the additional folding comprises bending the folding portion five times (i.e. creating at least five folds, five of which are indicated in the inset below).
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Conclusion
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/SADIE WHITE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1721