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 .
Response to Amendment
This is a final office action in response to Applicant’s remarks and amendments filed on 11/07/2025. Claims 1 and 7 are currently amended. Claims 1-16 are presented for examination.
Applicant's amendment to claim 7 has overcome the rejection set forth in the previous Office Action.
The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections in the previous office action are withdrawn. New grounds of rejection necessitated by Applicant’s amendments are presented below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference (Zhang) applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-4, 6, and 10-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2024/0234985 A1, cited in the IDS filed 06/21/2024) in view of Won (US 2024/0291014 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a button cell (100, FIG. 1, [0030]) comprising:
an electrode assembly (110, FIG. 1, [0031]) comprising a first (negative) electrode, a second (positive) electrode, and a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode ([0031]);
a case (120, FIG. 1, [0032]) accommodating the electrode assembly (110), electrically connected to the first electrode ([0036]), and having an opening (121, FIG. 1, [0033]) exposing the electrode assembly (110);
a cap plate (130, FIG. 1, [0033]) coupled to the case (120) at an outer periphery of the opening (121) and having a through hole (131, FIG. 1, [0034]) exposing a central area of the opening (121);
a terminal plate (140, FIG. 1, [0030]) connected to the second electrode ([0035]), insulatively bonded to the cap plate (130) ([0039]), and covering the through hole (131);
an annular welded portion (170, FIG. 1, [0033]) connecting an edge of the cap plate (132, FIG. 1, [0033]) and a sidewall of the case (120); and
an annular gasket (190, FIG. 1, [0042]) inside the case (120), corresponding to the annular welded portion (170), and between the electrode assembly (110) and the edge of the cap plate (132) and between the electrode assembly (110) and a sidewall of the case (120), the annular gasket (190) having an open center region defined by an inner edge (top of diagonal portion in FIG. 1).
Kim further teaches that the annular gasket (190) may be provided as an insulator ([0043]), but does not disclose a plurality of cut portions extending from the inner edge of the annular gasket and spaced apart from each other along an inner edge thereof.
Won teaches a cell (FIG. 7, [0120]) comprising an electrode assembly (10, FIG. 7, [0120]), a case (20, FIG. 7, [0120]) accommodating the electrode assembly (10), and an annular insulator (100, FIGS. 4 and 7, [0111]) inside the case (20) between the electrode assembly (10) and a top of the case (20) and between the electrode assembly (10) and a side of the case (20) (FIG. 7), the annular insulator (100) having an open center region defined by an inner edge and a plurality of cut portions (130, FIG. 4, [0078]) extending from the inner edge of the annular insulator (100) and spaced apart from each other along an inner edge thereof (FIG. 4). A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have modified the annular gasket of Kim to add a plurality of cut portions extending from the inner edge of the annular gasket and spaced apart from each other along an inner edge thereof because Won teaches that that doing so would prevent separation at the end of the electrode assembly ([0081]). Further, Kim teaches that the button cell may be modified beyond the disclosed embodiments ([0058]).
Regarding claim 2, Kim in view of Won teaches wherein each of the cut portions in the annular gasket has a triangular shape (Won: FIG. 4, [0078]).
Regarding claim 3, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) wherein the annular gasket (190) has: a first extension (first extension in annotated figure 1 below) between an upper surface of the electrode assembly (110) and the edge of the cap plate (130); and a second extension (second extension in annotated figure 1 below) extending from the first extension and being between a side surface of the electrode assembly (110) and the sidewall of the case (120).
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Annotated figure 1
Regarding claim 4, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Won) wherein the cut portions (130) are in the first extension (120 and 110 in Won FIGS. 4 and 7 respectively correspond to first and second extensions of Kim).
Regarding claim 6, Kim in view of Won teaches wherein the second extension is shorter than the first extension (vertical length of second extension is shorter than horizontal length of first extension in annotated figure 1 above).
Regarding claim 10, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) an insulating washer (160, FIG. 1, [0040]) between the annular gasket (190) and the cap plate (130).
Regarding claim 11, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) wherein the insulating washer (160) extends over an entire rear surface of the cap plate (130) (FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 12, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) a bonding layer (150, FIG. 1, [0038]-[0039]) between the cap plate (130) and the terminal plate (140) to insulatively bond the cap plate (130) and the terminal plate (140).
Regarding claim 13, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) wherein the terminal plate (140) has: a flange portion (142, FIG. 1, [0050]) covering the through hole (131) in the cap plate (130) and contacting the bonding layer (150); and a protrusion (141, FIG. 1, [0050]) extending from the flange portion (142) through the through hole (131) in the cap plate (130).
Regarding claim 14, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) wherein the electrode assembly (110) comprises: a first electrode tab (112, FIG. 1, [0035]-[0036]) extending from the first electrode and welded to the case (120); and a second electrode tab (111, FIG. 1, [0035]-[0036]) extending from the second electrode and welded to the protrusion (141) of the terminal plate (140).
Regarding claim 15, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) wherein the case (120) and the cap plate (130) have the same polarity as that of the first electrode, and wherein the terminal plate (140) has the same polarity as that of the second electrode ([0036]).
Regarding claim 16, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) wherein a ratio of a height to a diameter of the button cell is 1or less (FIG. 1, [0030]).
Claim 5 is rejected as rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2024/0234985 A1) in view of Won (US 2024/0291014 A1), as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Kim-2013 (US 2013/0183556 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Kim in view of Won does not disclose wherein the second extension is thinner than the first extension.
Kim-2013 teaches a battery (100, FIG. 2, [0037]) comprising an electrode assembly (110, FIG. 2, [0038]), a case (120, FIG. 2, [0037]) accommodating the electrode assembly (110), a cap plate (130, FIG. 2, [0037]), and an annular gasket (116, FIG. 2, [0042]) between the electrode assembly (110) and the cap plate (130) and between the electrode assembly (110) and a sidewall of the case (120); wherein the annular gasket (116) has a first extension (116) between an upper surface of the electrode assembly (110) and the cap plate (130) and a second extension (116a, FIG. 2, [0048]) extending from the first extension (116) and being between a side surface of the electrode assembly (110) and the sidewall of the case (120); and wherein the second extension (116a) is thinner than the first extension (116) (FIG. 2, [0060]). A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have modified the annular gasket of Kim in view of Won such that the second extension is thinner than the first extension because Kim-2013 teaches that an annular gasket with this configuration can adequately fix the electrode assembly without creating a large gap between the electrode assembly and the case ([0060]).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2024/0234985 A1) in view of Won (US 2024/0291014 A1), as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Watanabe (US 2023/0070512 A1, previously cited).
Regarding claim 7, Kim in view of Won teaches (see Kim) wherein the electrode assembly (110) is wound about a winding axis to have a jelly roll shape ([0030]). Kim teaches wherein the first electrode is a negative electrode ([0036]) and that the button cell may have lithium ion chemistry ([0005]), but Kim in view of Won does not disclose wherein the first electrode protrudes closer to the cap plate than the second electrode does.
Watanabe teaches a button cell (FIG. 2, [0027]) comprising an electrode assembly (40, FIG. 2, [0058]) comprising a first electrode (42, FIG. 2, [0032]) and a second electrode (41, FIG. 2, [XXXX]), a case (11, FIG. 2 [0039]) accommodating the electrode assembly (40), and a cap plate (12, FIG. 2 [0039]) coupled to the case (11), wherein the first electrode (42) protrudes closer to the cap plate (12) than the second electrode (41) does (first electrode protrudes relative to the positive electrode at upper and lower surfaces of the electrode assembly, [0080], and therefore protrudes closer to the cap plate). A person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to have modified the electrode assembly of Kim in view of Won such that the first electrode protrudes closer to the cap plate than the second electrode because Watanabe teaches that doing so prevents lithium precipitation in the button cell ([0080]).
Claims 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2024/0234985 A1) in view of Won (US 2024/0291014 A1) and Watanabe (US 2023/0070512 A1), as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Kim-2013 (US 2013/0183556 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Kim in view of Won and Watanabe does not disclose wherein the second extension overlaps the first electrode in a horizontal direction crossing the winding axis and does not overlap the second electrode.
Kim-2013 teaches a battery (100, FIG. 2, [0037]) comprising an electrode assembly (110, FIG. 2, [0038]), a case (120, FIG. 2, [0037]) accommodating the electrode assembly (110), a cap plate (130, FIG. 2, [0037]), and an annular gasket (116, FIG. 2, [0042]) between the electrode assembly (110) and the cap plate (130) and between the electrode assembly (110) and a sidewall of the case (120); wherein the annular gasket (116) has a first extension (116) between an upper surface of the electrode assembly (110) and the cap plate (130) and a second extension (116a, FIG. 2, [0048]) extending from the first extension (116) and being between a side surface of the electrode assembly (110) and the sidewall of the case (120); and wherein a length of the second extension (116a) is long enough to fix the electrode assembly, but not so long that the gasket cannot be inserted into the case ([0056]). Accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have optimized, by routine experimentation, the length of the second extension of the gasket of modified Kim, including to a value such that “the second extension overlaps the first electrode in a horizontal direction crossing the winding axis and does not overlap the second electrode,” to obtain a desired balance between stability and manufacturing difficulty as taught by Kim-2013 ([0056]).
Regarding claim 9, Kim in view of Won, Watanabe, and Kim-2013 teaches (see Kim) wherein the first electrode is an anode, and the second electrode is a cathode ([0036]).
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 CHRISTINE C. DISNEY whose telephone number is (703)756-1076. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:30 MT.
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/C.C.D./Examiner, Art Unit 1723 /TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723