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 .
Summary
This is the response to the Amendment/Request for Reconsideration filed on 09/01/2026.
Claims 11-21 remain pending in the application.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 11-12, 16-19 and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chai et al. (US 2023/0344097).
Addressing claims 11 and 21, Chai discloses a cylindrical battery (figs. 3 and 17), comprising:
an electrode terminal 30 and a current collecting assembly for electrical connection to the electrode terminal;
the electrode terminal comprising:
a columnar portion, an end surface of the columnar portion is concave inwards to form a first groove (annotated fig. 17 below);
a first extension portion, extending outwards along a circumferential direction of the end surface of the columnar portion formed with the first groove (fig. 17); and
an electric connection portion (sealing plate 33 or the upper surface 322) which is formed at an end of the columnar portion away from the first groove (fig. 17);
the current collecting assembly comprising:
a first current collecting member 40, comprising a first protrusion 46, an end surface of the protrusion is provided with a first welding portion (fig. 17 shows the portion of the protrusion 46 being welded at W1 as the claimed first welding portion), the first protrusion is embedded in the first groove of the columnar portion, and the first protrusion and the first groove are welded at the first welding portion (fig. 17); and
a second current collecting member (21, 22 or 50), the first current collecting member is insulated from the second current collecting member (via first and second insulating members 60, 70 and 80, [0295], shown in figs. 7, 13 and similarly in fig. 17);
a third groove is formed in a surface of the columnar portion of the electrode terminal away from the first groove (annotated fig. 17), and a welding point W1 of the electrode terminal and the first current collecting member 40 is located in the third groove of the columnar portion;
a housing 20 and a cell 10, the cell comprises a main body 12 as well as a first tab unit 11 and a second tab unit 13 respectively arranged on the main body portion and opposite in polarity [0157], and the cell is accommodated in the housing (fig. 4); and
the first current collecting member 40 is electrically connected to the first tab unit (fig. 17), and the second current collecting member (21, 22 or 50) is electrically connected to the second tab unit [0160-161].
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Addressing claim 12, fig. 4 of Chai shows the housing comprises a bottom wall 50 and a side wall 21 arranged on the edge of the bottom wall, the cylindrical battery further comprises a top cover 22 covering the housing, the top cover is provided with an electrode lead-out hole 221, and the electrode terminal passes through the electrode lead-out hole and is fixed to the top cover in an insulated manner by a sealing part (60+70, [0295]).
Addressing claim 16, annotated fig. 17 above shows the claimed second groove formed in a side surface of the columnar portion of the electrode terminal.
Addressing claim 17, figs. 16-17 show the third groove is an annular continuous groove as claimed.
Addressing claim 18, fig. 17 shows the first current collecting member and the second current collecting member are arranged separately.
Addressing claim 19, fig. 17 discloses the current collecting assembly comprises an insulating part (60+70+80 shown in fig. 13 and similarly depicted in fig. 17), the insulating part is configured for insulating connection with the first current collecting member 40 and the second current collecting member (21 or 22), and the insulating part, the first current collecting member and the second current collecting member are integrally formed, which structurally corresponds to the claimed integrally molded because the word “molded” implies the process of integrating the first current collecting member, the insulating part and the second current collecting member that does not structurally differentiate the claimed first current collecting member, the second current collecting member and the insulating part.
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:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chai et al. (US 2023/0344097).
Addressing claim 13, Chai discloses the first current collecting member 40 is welded to the first tab unit at W3. Chai further discloses the second current collecting member (21, 22 or 50) is electrically connected to the second tab unit 13 and the cover plate 50 is welded to the cylinder 21 [0151]. However, Chai is silent regarding the second current collecting member 50 is welded to the second tab unit 13.
At the time of the effective filing date of the invention, one with ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the battery of Chai by the known welding technique in order to obtain the predictable result of electrically connecting the second tab unit 13 to the second current collecting member 50 (Rationale B, KSR decision, MPEP 2143).
Claim(s) 14-15 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chai et al. (US 2023/0344097) in view of Xu et al. (US 2024/0250283).
Addressing claims 14-15, Chai discloses that the first tab 11 and the second tab 13 protrude from the same side of the main body 12 [0136], the first current collecting member 40 is connected to the second current collecting member 21 in a combined manner by an insulating part (60+70).
Chai is silent regarding the top cover is welded to the second current collecting member and the fourth groove configured to be welded to the second current collecting member.
Xu discloses a cylindrical battery with the tabs 12 and 22 having opposite polarity are lead out from the same end of the main body portion (figs. 8-10) similarly to that of Chai. Xu further discloses that the second tab 22 is electrically connected to the end cap body 1021 by welding the corresponding current collecting member to the end cap body [0177] in a groove that is the structural equivalence to the fourth groove.
At the time of the effective filing date of the invention, one with ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the battery of Chai with the known technique of welding the second current collect member to the end cap body via a groove as disclosed by Xu in order to obtain the predictable result of electrically connecting the electrode tab to the end cap body (Rationale B, KSR decision, MPEP 2143).
Addressing claim 20, Chai discloses that the first tab 11 and the second tab 13 protrude from the same side of the main body 12 [0136]. Chai further discloses in fig. 7 the insulating part (60+70+80) is provided with a through hole (figs. 4 and 7) and an opening area (the area outside of the through hole), the first current collecting member 40 is installed in the insulating part, the first protrusion passes through the through hole (fig. 17), the opening area is at least arranged on one side away from the first protrusion, at least a part of one side of the first current collecting member away from the first protrusion is exposed in the opening area (fig. 17) and the first current collecting member form a welding area on one side away from the first protrusion as claimed.
Chai is silent regarding the second current collecting member, along with the first current collecting member, both form a welding area on one side away from the first protrusion as claimed.
Fig. 8 of Xu shows the insulating part 1022C is provided with a through hole (the opening through which the portion 1022B extend) and an opening area (the area outside of the aforementioned opening as shown in annotated fig. 8 below), the first current collecting member 1022B is installed in the insulating part (fig. 8), the first protrusion passes through the through hole (fig. 8), the opening area is at least arranged on one side away from the first protrusion (fig. 8 below shows the area below the annotated through-hole as the claimed opening area), at least a part of one side of the first current collecting member away from the first protrusion is exposed in the opening area (fig. 8, the side away from the protrusion is exposed in the opening area in order to establish electrical connection with the tab 12), and the first current collecting member 1022B and the second current collecting member 1021 form a welding area on one side away from the first protrusion (W1 and W2 collectively form the claimed welding away on one side away from the first protrusion).
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At the time of the effective filing date of the invention, one with ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the battery of Chai with the second tab and the associated second current collecting member on the same side as the first tab and the first current collecting member and both the first and second current collecting member form a welding area on one side away from the first protrusion as disclosed by Xu in order to obtain the predictable result of electrically connecting the first and second tabs to the corresponding first and second current collecting members on the same side of the battery (Rationale B, KSR decision, MPEP 2143).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 11-21 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 BACH T DINH whose telephone number is (571)270-5118. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday 8:00 - 4:30 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Barton can be reached at (571)-272-1307. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BACH T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1726 09/16/2026
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