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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/07/2026 has been entered.
Claim Status
Claims 3, 4, 7 and 8 have been canceled.
Claim 1 has been amended; support for the amendment can be found in Fig. 4 of the instant specification.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9-11 have been examined on the merits.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/07/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that the first position-limiting portion of Lai is not at the required location of claim 1 (pg. 7, para. 1). This argument is not persuasive because claim 1 requires that the first position-limiting part is provided on an inner side wall of the first through hole. The broadest reasonable interpretation of “on” includes directly on and indirectly on. Lai discloses element 438 indirectly on the inner side wall of the through hole 432. Therefore, Lai anticipates this limitation.
Applicant argues that the second position limiting portion is not located on a circumferential outer side as claimed in claim 1 (pg. 8, para. 1). This argument is not found persuasive because the broadest reasonable interpretation of “on” includes directly on and indirectly on. Lai discloses the second position limiting portion indirectly on the circumferential outer side. Therefore, Lai anticipates this limitation.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lai (US 20240097285 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Lai discloses a battery (Fig. 1; [0035]), comprising:
a housing (Fig. 1; 2, 31);
a cell (Fig. 1; 1), which is disposed in (Fig. 1) the housing (2, 31), and comprises a main body (annotated Fig. 1; MB) and a first tab (Fig. 1; 11), wherein the first tab (11) is led out (Fig. 1) from one end (annotated Fig. 1; 1E) of the main body (MB);
a first insulator (Fig. 1; 43), which is disposed in the housing (2, 31);
a first current collector (Fig. 1; 41), which is integrally formed (“injection molded”; [0089]) in the first insulator (43; [0057]), and is connected to ([0073]) the first tab (11);
wherein a largest circumferential outer edge (annotated Fig. 1; 1OE) of an orthographic projection (Fig. 9; projection of 41 onto the same plane as 43) of the first current collector (41) facing an end surface (annotated Fig. 1; 1E) of the main body (MB) is located inside (Fig. 9) a largest circumferential outer edge (annotated Fig. 9; 2OE) of an orthographic projection (Fig. 9; projection of 43 onto same plane as 41) of the first insulator (43) facing the end surface (1E) of the main body (MB),
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wherein a part (Fig. 1; 411) of the first current collector (41) is embedded ([0089]; Fig. 2) inside (Fig. 2) the first insulator (43), and another part (Fig. 1; 412) of the first current collector (41) is located outside (Fig. 2) the first insulator (43),
wherein a thickness (Fig. 1; thickness of 411 in the vertical direction) of at least the part (Fig. 1; 411) of the first current collector (41) embedded (Fig. 2) inside the first insulator (43) is smaller (Fig. 1) than a thickness (Fig. 1; thickness of 412 in the vertical direction) of the first current collector (41) outside (Fig. 2) the first insulator (43)
wherein a first through hole (Fig. 1; 432, 433) is formed inside the first insulator (43), and the first current collector (41) is located in (Fig. 2) the first through hole (432);
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wherein a first position-limiting portion (Fig. 9; 438) is provided on (i.e. indirectly) an inner side wall (Fig. 1; inner wall of 432; “ISW”) of the first through hole (432), and a second position-limiting portion (Fig. 1; 414) is provided on (i.e. indirectly) a circumferential outer side (annotated Fig. 1; COS) of the first current collector (41), wherein the circumferential outer side (COS) extends in an axial direction (annotated Fig. 1; Z) of the battery (Fig. 1), and the inner side wall (ISW) extends in the axial direction (Z) of the battery (Fig. 1), one (Fig. 9; 438) of the first position-limiting portion (438) and the second position-limiting portion (414) is a protrusion (Fig. 9; 438; “clamping part”; [0070]), and an other (Fig. 1; 414) is an accommodation space (Fig. 1; 414; “positioning holes”; [0070]), and the protrusion (438) is located in (Fig. 9) the
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accommodation space (414),
wherein the cell (1) further comprises a second tab (Fig. 1; 12), the first tab (11) and the second tab (12) are led out (Fig. 1) from a same end (annotated Fig. 1; 1E) of the main body (MB), the battery (Fig. 1) further comprises a second current collector (Fig. 1; 42), and the second current collector (42) connects ([0090]) the second tab (12) and the housing (2, 31); wherein the first current collector (41) and the second current collector (42) are insulated ([0090]) from each other.
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Regarding claim 2, Lai discloses wherein the first insulator (43) and the first current collector (41) are configured by integral injection molding ([0089]).
Regarding claim 5, Lai discloses wherein the battery (Fig. 1) further comprises a pole assembly (Fig. 1; 33), the pole assembly (33) is disposed on ([0090]; Fig. 1) the housing (2, 31), and the first current collector (41) comprises a tab connection portion (Fig. 1; 411, 413) and a pole connection portion (Fig. 1; 412), the pole connection portion (412) is disposed on the tab connection portion (411, 413), and the tab connection portion (412) is embedded (Fig. 2) in the first insulator (43), at least a part (Fig. 1; 412) of the pole connection portion (412) is located outside (Fig. 2) the first insulator (43), and faces the pole assembly (33) so as to be connected ([0095]) with the pole assembly (33).
Regarding claim 6, Lai discloses wherein the battery (Fig. 1) further comprises a second insulator (Fig. 1; 32; [0088]), and the second insulator (32) is disposed in (Fig. 1) the housing (2, 31) and is located between (Fig. 1) the housing (31) and the first current collector (41), so that the housing (2, 31) and the first current collector (41) are insulated from each other (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 9, Lai discloses wherein at least a part (Fig. 1; 421) of the second current collector (42) is located inside (Fig. 2) the first insulator (43).
Regarding claim 10, Lai discloses wherein a second through hole (Fig. 1; 4332) is formed inside (Fig. 1) the first insulator (43), and a part (Fig. 1; 421) of the second current collector (42) is located in the second through hole (433).
Regarding claim 11, Lai discloses wherein the battery (Fig. 1) is a cylindrical battery (Fig. 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GRACE A KENLAW whose telephone number is (571)272-1253. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 AM-6:00 PM.
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/G.A.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1723 /TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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