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
The amendments filed 3/16/2026 have been entered. Claims 1, 3, 5, 7-8, 12, 14, 16, and 19 are amended and Claims 2 and 11 are cancelled.
Support for the claims can be found in Figs. 7 and 8 and paragraphs 0081-0084 of the instant specification.
Claims 1, 3-10, and 12-20 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 3/16/2026, with respect to Chai and Xu have been fully considered and are persuasive in light of the amendments.
Applicant's arguments with respect to Lee have been fully considered but they are not persuasive: On page 11, Applicant argues that Lee does not disclose the feature of “the transitional portion comprises a first edge and a second edge that are opposite each other along said first direction X, wherein a projection of the tab connecting portion on a plane X, Y normal to the second direction is located strictly between a projection of the first edge and a projection of the second edge on said plane X, Y”.”
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 4, “cell the” should read “cell, the”. In line 15, “the second direction is located” should read “the second direction Z is located”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 3, “third direction that” should read “third direction Y that”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 17 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 17 is dependent on Claim 11, which has been cancelled. For the purposes of examination, Claim 17 is interpreted as dependent on Claim 8.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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, 3-5, 8, 12-14, and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (US 9559339 B2).
Regarding Claims 1 and 8, Lee teaches a current collecting member for a battery cell (Abstract – collecting plate) comprising:
a terminal connecting portion for connection to an electrode terminal of the battery cell, the terminal connecting portion having a greater dimension along a first direction X and a smaller dimension along a second direction Z normal to the first direction X (Fig. 3 – part 212b);
a tab connecting portion for connection to a tab of the battery cell, the tab connecting portion having a greater dimension along the second direction Z and a smaller dimension along a third direction Y normal to the first and second directions X,Z (Fig. 3 – lower half of part 121a);
and a transitional portion for connecting the terminal connecting portion and the tab connecting portion (Fig. 3); wherein the transitional portion has, along the first direction X, a width greater than that of the tab connecting portion (Fig. 3 – the steps result in the transitional portion having a greater width in the X direction);
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wherein the transitional portion comprises a first edge and a second edge that are opposite each other along said first direction X, wherein a projection of the tab connecting portion of a plane X, Y normal to the second direction Z is located strictly between a projection of the first edge and a projection of the second edge on said plane X,Y (Fig. 3) (Claim 1).
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Lee also teaches a battery (Fig. 1B), comprising a housing provided with an opening (part 140), an electrode assembly provided inside the housing (part 110), the electrode assembly comprising a tab (parts 111a and 112a), an end cap assembly (part 150) comprising a cover plate (part 151) and an electrode terminal being provided on the cover plate (Fig. 1B). The battery also comprises the current collecting member for a battery cell (parts 121 and 131) comprising a terminal connecting portion for connection to an electrode terminal of the battery cell, the terminal connecting portion having a greater dimension along a first direction X and a smaller dimension along a second direction Z normal to the first direction X (Fig. 3 – part 212b); a tab connecting portion for connection to a tab of the battery cell, the tab connecting portion having a greater dimension along the second direction Z and a smaller dimension along a third direction Y normal to the first and second directions X,Z (Fig. 3 – lower half of part 121a); and a transitional portion for connecting the terminal connecting portion and the tab connecting portion (Fig. 3); wherein the transitional portion has, along the first direction X, a width greater than that of the tab connecting portion (Fig. 3 – the steps result in the transitional portion having a greater width in the X direction); wherein the transitional portion comprises a first edge and a second edge that are opposite each other along said first direction X, wherein a projection of the tab connecting portion of a plane X, Y normal to the second direction Z is located strictly between a projection of the first edge and a projection of the second edge on said plane X,Y (Fig. 3) (Claim 8).
Regarding Claims 3 and 12, Lee teaches the current collecting member of Claim 1 and the battery of Claim 8. The tab connecting portion comprises a third edge and a fourth edge that are opposite each other along said first direction X, a first step being formed between the third edge and the first edge, and a second step being formed between the fourth edge and the second edge (Fig. 3).
Regarding Claims 4 and 13, Lee teaches the current collecting member of Claim 3 and the battery of Claim 12. The third edge is parallel to the first edge and the fourth edge is parallel to the second edge (Fig. 3).
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Regarding Claims 5 and 14, Lee teaches the current collecting member of Claim 1 and the battery of Claim 8. The transitional portion can be viewed as comprising the reinforcement part 122, which is bent in the Y direction (Fig. 3). Thus, the transitional portion has, along the third dimension Y, a thickness greater than that of the tab connecting portion (Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 18, Lee teaches the battery of Claim 12. The first step and the second step are a pair of right-angle steps (Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 19, Lee teaches the battery of Claim 12. The first step and the second step are arranged symmetrically (Fig. 3).
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.
Claim(s) 1, 5-8, and 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato (US 20170294684 A1, equivalent to EP 3200262 A1 cited in the 4/18/2025 IDS) in view of Chai (CN 210136949 U, machine translation provided in previous office action).
Regarding Claims 1 and 8, Sato teaches a current collecting member for a battery cell comprising:
a terminal connection portion for connection to an electrode terminal of the battery cell (part 44a), the terminal connecting portion having a greater dimension along a first direction X and a smaller dimension along a second direction Z normal to the first direction X (Fig. 5);
a tab connecting portion for connection to a tab of the battery cell (part 44c), the tab connecting portion having a greater dimension along the second direction Z and a smaller dimension along a third direction Y normal to the first and second directions X, Z;
and a transitional portion for connecting the terminal connecting portion and the tab connecting portion (part 44b) (0037, Fig. 1).
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Sato does not teach that the transitional portion has, along the first direction X, a width greater than that of the tab connecting portion and that the transitional portion comprises a first edge and a second edge that are opposite each other along said first direction X, wherein a projection of the tab connecting portion on a plane X, Y normal to the second direction is located strictly between a projection of the first edge and a projection of the second edge on said plane X, Y.
Chai teaches a current collecting member that connects a tab and a terminal (0007). The current collecting member has a terminal connecting portion (part 43), a tab connecting portion (part 42), and a transitional portion for connecting the terminal connecting portion and the tab connecting portion (part 41). The transitional portion has, along a first direction X, a width greater than that of the tab connecting portion due to a notch formed in the tab connecting portion (0007, Fig. 9). The notch facilitates welding and can increase energy density (0017).
Sato and Chai are considered analogous to the claimed invention as they relate to the same field of endeavor, namely current collecting members for batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the tab connecting portion to have a smaller width than the transitional portion as taught by Chai in order to facilitate welding and to increase energy density.
This would also mean that the transitional portion comprises a first edge and a second edge that are opposite each other along said first direction X, wherein a projection of the tab connecting portion on a plane X, Y normal to the second direction is located strictly between a projection of the first edge and a projection of the second edge on said plane X, Y (Sato: Fig. 5C; Chai: Fig. 9).
Modified Sato also teaches a battery cell comprising a housing provided with an opening (part 1), an electrode assembly provided inside the housing (part 3), the electrode assembly comprising a tab (parts 32b and 34b), an end cap assembly comprising a cover plate and an electrode terminal (part 6), the cover plate being used for covering the opening, and the electrode terminal being provided on the cover plate (parts 12 and 13), and the current collecting member (parts 24 and 44) (Sato: Fig. 2). The current collecting member comprises a terminal connection portion for connection to an electrode terminal of the battery cell (part 44a), the terminal connecting portion having a greater dimension along a first direction X and a smaller dimension along a second direction Z normal to the first direction X (Fig. 5); a tab connecting portion for connection to a tab of the battery cell (part 44c), the tab connecting portion having a greater dimension along the second direction Z and a smaller dimension along a third direction Y normal to the first and second directions X, Z; and a transitional portion for connecting the terminal connecting portion and the tab connecting portion (part 44b) (0037, Fig. 1); wherein the transitional portion has, along the first direction X, a width greater than that of the tab connecting portion (Chai: Fig. 9); wherein the transitional portion comprises a first edge and a second edge that are opposite each other along said first direction X, wherein a projection of the tab connecting portion on a plane X, Y normal to the second direction Z is located strictly between a projection of the first edge and a projection of the second edge on said plane X, Y (Sato: Fig. 5C; Chai: Fig. 9).
Regarding Claims 5 and 14, modified Sato teaches the current collecting member of Claim 1 and the battery of Claim 8. Modified Sato teaches that the transitional portion can have a thickness greater than that of the tab connecting portion (Sato: Fig. 5B).
Regarding Claims 6 and 15, modified Sato teaches the current collecting member of Claim 1 and the battery of Claim 8. The transitional portion can be viewed as comprising a first segment and a second segment, where one end of the first segment is connected to the terminal connecting portion, the other of the first segment being connected to one end of the second segment, and the other end of the second segment being connected to the tab connecting portion (Sato: Fig. 5B). The first segment is parallel to the tab connecting portion and the second segment is inclined relative to the first segment and the tab connecting portion (Fig. 5B).
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Regarding Claims 7 and 16, modified Sato teaches the current collecting member of Claim 6 and the battery of Claim 15. The second segment can be viewed as comprising a first region having a thickness along said third direction Y that varies along the second direction Z, and a second region having a constant thickness along said third direction Y, wherein the first and second regions are connected to each other, the second region being connected to the first segment, the second region having a thickness equal to that of the first segment, the first region being connected to the tab connecting portion, and the first region having a thickness gradually increasing from the end thereof connected to the tab connecting portion to the end thereof connected to the second region (Sato: Fig. 5B).
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Regarding Claim 17, as best understood over the 112(b) issues presented above, modified Sato teaches the battery of Claim 8. The tab connecting portion can be viewed as comprising a third edge and a fourth edge that are inclined relative to each other (Sato: Fig. 5A).
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Claim(s) 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 9559339 B2) in view of Kim (US 20140193696 A1).
Regarding Claims 9 and 10, Lee teaches the battery of Claim 8. Lee does not teach a battery comprising the battery of Claim 8 (Claim 9) or a power consuming device comprising the battery of Claim 9 (Claim 10).
Kim teaches that batteries can comprise a plurality of battery cells connected to each other in a battery pack and the battery pack can be used in vehicles (power consuming devices) (0005).
Kim is considered analogous to the claimed invention as it relates to the same field of endeavor, namely batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery of Lee by using it in a battery pack as Kim teaches it as a suitable use for a battery (Claim 9).
It would also be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery pack of modified Lee by using it in a vehicle (power consuming device) as Kim teaches it as a suitable use for a battery pack (Claim 10).
Claim(s) 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato and Chai as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Kim (US 20140193696 A1).
Regarding Claims 9 and 10, modified Sato teaches the battery of Claim 8. Modified Sato does not teach a battery comprising the battery of Claim 8 (Claim 9) or a power consuming device comprising the battery of Claim 9 (Claim 10).
Kim teaches that batteries can comprise a plurality of battery cells connected to each other in a battery pack and the battery pack can be used in vehicles (power consuming devices) (0005).
Kim is considered analogous to the claimed invention as it relates to the same field of endeavor, namely batteries.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery of modified Sato by using it in a battery pack as Kim teaches it as a suitable use for a battery (Claim 9).
It would also be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the battery pack of modified Sato by using it in a vehicle (power consuming device) as Kim teaches it as a suitable use for a battery pack (Claim 10).
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 9559339 B2).
Regarding Claim 20, Lee teaches the battery of Claim 12. Lee does not teach that the second step has a width greater than the first step (Col. 1, line 66 – Col. 2, line 3: Lee teaches that the current collecting plate/member can have an embodiment where it is symmetrical. However, Lee does not disclose any embodiments where it is asymmetrical).
However, it has been held that, where the only difference between the prior art and the claims is a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed device and a device having the claimed relative dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device is not patentably distinct from the prior art device (See MPEP 2144.04).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have modified the second step to have a width greater than the first step as a change in relative dimensions, without any new or unexpected results, is an obvious engineering design.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 ZIHENG LU whose telephone number is (703)756-1077. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30 - 5 ET.
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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/ZIHENG LU/Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/Maria Laios/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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