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 . If status of the application as subject to 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 a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Status of Claims
Claims 1 & 4-9 are pending in the application and are presently examined. Claims 1-9 were rejected in the 11/20/2025 office action. Applicant cancelled claims 2-3.
Response to Amendment / Arguments
The amendment filed 2/19/2026, in response to the 11/20/2025 office action, has been entered. Applicant’s claim amendments overcame all 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejections and 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections; nevertheless, the claims remain rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 due to additional prior art, CN110010847A (Wang). Wang was presented in the 12/30/2025 information disclosure statement. The allowable subject matter in the 11/20/2025 office action is retracted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
The claims are in bold font, the prior art is in parentheses.
Claims 1 and 5-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP2015090805A machine translation (Fujita) in view of CN110010847A machine translation (Wang).
Fujita teaches the following claim 1 limitations:
A manufacturing method (page 3, lines 6-9; figure 1: electrode manufacturing apparatus 10 which can be used for the method) of an electrode structure comprising:
conveying (page 3, lines 31-32; figure 1: unwinding unit 100) a belt-like member (page 3, lines 35-36; figure 1: belt-shaped base sheet) in which a surface of a current collector (page 4, lines 2-4: base material sheet) is coated with an active material-containing layer (page 4, lines 4-10: active material), and an uncoated region (page 3, lines 43-45; figure 1: non-coating region A2) not coated with the active material-containing layer is formed in one of a pair of long edges along the longitudinal direction and a vicinity thereof in the current collector;
rolling (page 4, lines 12-14; figure 1: press unit 300) the active material-containing layer in the conveyed belt-like member;
pulling the belt-like member toward a downstream side, on the downstream side of a rolling unit configured to roll the active material-containing layer, thereby applying a tension in the longitudinal direction to the belt-like member between a pulling unit configured to pull the belt-like member and the rolling unit (page 4, lines 21-24; figure 1: winding unit 500 - the winding driving mechanism must function by pulling); and
enlarging the uncoated region of the current collector in the longitudinal direction by pushing the uncoated region against the belt-like member to which the tension is applied, by a projection projecting toward an outer peripheral side (page 4, lines 26-35; figure 2: curvature correction unit 400 with a cylindrical large-diameter portion 421) on a roller (page 4, lines 26-27; figure 2: correction roller 420) between the rolling unit (300) and the pulling unit (500), the uncoated region being pushed by the projection (page 1, lines 16-17: “tension is applied to the non-coated region”)
Claim 1 also recites:
a projection length to a projection end is larger than a thickness of the active material-containing layer rolled by the rolling unit
Fujita doesn’t state with words that the cylindrical large-diameter portion 421 projection is larger than active material thickness. Fujita does, however, illustrate this projection being multiple times thicker than active material thickness:
Figure A: Annotated Partial Fujita Figure 2
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It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, for the projection to be thicker than the active material, based on Fujita’s Figure 2, and by Fujita’s teaching of applying tension to the non-coated region (page 1, lines 16-17).
Fujita also teaches the following claim 1 limitations:
the belt-like member is conveyed in a state in which a rotational axis of the roller is taken along a widthwise direction of the belt-like member (Figure B below),
in the projection (large-diameter portion 421), a projection end face as the projection end is formed over a predetermined width in an axial direction along the rotational axis of the roller (Figure B below),
in the projection (large-diameter portion 421), a projection amount changing portion, in which a projection amount reduces in a direction away from the projection end face in the axial direction of the roller, is formed adjacent to the projection end face from one side in the axial direction (Figure B below), and
in a state in which the projection pushes the uncoated region of the current collector, the projection amount changing portion is positioned between the projection end face of the projection and the active material-containing layer in the widthwise direction of the belt-like member, and the projection amount in the projection amount changing portion reduces toward a side where the active material-containing layer is positioned in the widthwise direction of the belt-like member (Figure B below)
Figure B: Annotated Partial Fujita Figure 2
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Fujita, however, fails to teach the following limitations of claim 1, which are taught by Wang:
a plurality of steps (Figure C below) are formed in the projection such that a step on an outer peripheral side of the roller has a larger projection amount (Figure C below: projection amount=P), and
in the projection, a step on a most outer peripheral side of the plurality of steps forms the projection end face (Figure C below), and the projection amount (P) in the projection amount changing portion of the projection reduces stepwise in a direction away from the projection end face in the axial direction of the roller, due to a step height formed by each of the plurality of steps (Figure C below),
Figure C: Annotated Wang Figure 6
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Wang is directed to a roller for stretching a pole sheet / current collector during manufacture, for improved battery efficiency and safety (abstract; page 1, lines 13-39). It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, for Fujita’s projection amount changing portion to include steps, with decreasing projection amount (P) in the axial direction away from the projection end face, as taught by Wang, for improved battery efficiency and safety.
With regard to claim 5, Fujita teaches the limitations of claims 1-2 as described above. Fujita also teaches the following claim 5 limitation:
in the projection, the predetermined width of the projection end face is larger than 0 mm and not more than 15 mm (page 5, line 43 through page 6, line 2; figure 2: predetermined width = (Ws-Wb)/2 = (145mm-115mm)/2 = 15 mm)
With regard to claim 6, Fujita teaches the limitations of claim 1 as described above. Claim 6 recites:
in the projection, the projection length to the projection end is not less than 2 times to not more than 15 times the thickness of the rolled active material-containing layer
Fujita’s projection length in figure 2 is within this range; however, Fujita doesn’t state that the drawings are to scale. Thus, Fujita fails to explicitly teach this claim limitation.
Fujita does teach applying tension to the non-coated region in order to correct non-coated region curvature (page 1, lines 13-23). It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to adjust the projection length of Fujita’s curvature correction unit 400 to achieve the desired tension for correcting non-coated region curvature, as taught by Fujita, and to achieve the claimed projection length.
With regard to claim 7, Fujita teaches the limitations of claim 1 as described above. Fujita also teaches the following claim 7 limitation:
in the coating of the surface of the current collector with the active material-containing layer, the current collector is coated with the active material-containing layer such that a dimension of the uncoated region in the widthwise direction of the belt-like member is larger than 25 mm (page 5, line 43 through page 6, line 2; figure 2: active material dimension = Wb = 115 mm)
With regard to claim 8, Fujita teaches the limitations of claim 1 as described above. Fujita also teaches the following claim 8 limitation:
forming the current collector from one or more of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, copper, zinc, stainless steel, and titanium (page 4, lines 2-4: copper foil)
Fujita teaches the following claim 9 limitations:
A manufacturing apparatus (page 3, lines 23-27; figure 1: electrode manufacturing apparatus 10) of electrode structure comprising:
a conveyance unit (page 3, lines 31-32; figure 1: unwinding unit 100) configured to convey a belt-like member (page 3, lines 35-36; figure 1: belt-shaped base sheet) in which a surface of a current collector (page 4, lines 2-4: base material sheet) is coated with an active material-containing layer (page 4, lines 4-10: active material), and an uncoated region (page 3, lines 43-45; figure 1: non-coating region A2) not coated with the active material-containing layer is formed in one of a pair of long edges along the longitudinal direction and a vicinity thereof in the current collector;
a rolling unit (page 4, lines 12-14; figure 1: press unit 300) configured to roll the active material-containing layer in the conveyed belt-like member;
a pulling unit (page 4, lines 21-24; figure 1: winding unit 500) configured to pull the belt-like member toward a downstream side, on the downstream side of the rolling unit, thereby applying a tension in the longitudinal direction to the belt-like member between the pulling unit and the rolling unit (page 4, line 23: the winding driving mechanism must function by pulling); and
an enlarging unit (page 4, lines 26-35; figure 2: curvature correction unit 400) including a roller (page 4, lines 26-27; figure 2: correction roller 420) and a projection (page 4, lines 26-27; figure 2: cylindrical large-diameter portion 421) projecting toward an outer peripheral side in the roller (420), and installed between the rolling unit (300) and the pulling unit (500), the enlarging unit (400) being configured to enlarge the uncoated region (page 1, lines 16-17: “tension is applied to the non-coated region”) of the current collector in the longitudinal direction by pushing the uncoated region by the projection against the belt-like member to which the tension is applied (figure 2)
Claim 9 also recites:
a projection length of the projection to a projection end being larger than a thickness of the active material-containing layer rolled by the rolling unit
Fujita doesn’t state with words that the cylindrical large-diameter portion 421 projection is larger than active material thickness. Fujita does, however, illustrate this projection being multiple times thicker than active material thickness:.
Figure A: Annotated Partial Fujita Figure 2
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It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, for the projection to be thicker than the active material, based on Fujita’s Figure 2, and by Fujita’s teaching of applying tension to the non-coated region (page 1, lines 16-17).
Fujita also teaches the following claim 9 limitations:
the belt-like member is conveyed in a state in which a rotational axis of the roller is taken along a widthwise direction of the belt-like member (Figure B below),
in the projection (large-diameter portion 421), a projection end face as the projection end is formed over a predetermined width in an axial direction along the rotational axis of the roller (Figure B below),
in the projection (large-diameter portion 421), a projection amount changing portion, in which a projection amount reduces in a direction away from the projection end face in the axial direction of the roller, is formed adjacent to the projection end face from one side in the axial direction (Figure B below), and
in a state in which the projection pushes the uncoated region of the current collector, the projection amount changing portion is positioned between the projection end face of the projection and the active material-containing layer in the widthwise direction of the belt-like member, and the projection amount in the projection amount changing portion reduces toward a side where the active material-containing layer is positioned in the widthwise direction of the belt-like member (Figure B below)
Figure B: Annotated Partial Fujita Figure 2
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Fujita, however, fails to teach the following limitations of claim 9, which are taught by Wang:
a plurality of steps (Figure C below) are formed in the projection such that a step on an outer peripheral side of the roller has a larger projection amount (Figure C below: projection amount=P), and
in the projection, a step on a most outer peripheral side of the plurality of steps forms the projection end face (Figure C below), and the projection amount (P) in the projection amount changing portion of the projection reduces stepwise in a direction away from the projection end face in the axial direction of the roller, due to a step height formed by each of the plurality of steps (Figure C below),
Figure C: Annotated Wang Figure 6
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Wang is directed to a roller for stretching a pole sheet / current collector during manufacture, for improved battery efficiency and safety (abstract; page 1, lines 13-39). It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, for Fujita’s projection amount changing portion to include steps, with decreasing projection amount (P) in the axial direction away from the projection end face, as taught by Wang, for improved battery efficiency and safety.
Conclusion
Applicant's submission of an information disclosure statement under 37 CFR 1.97(c) with the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) on 12/30/2025 prompted the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 609.04(b). 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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
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/R.G.W./Examiner, Art Unit 1721
/ALLISON BOURKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1721