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 .
Applicant’s election of Group II, Claims 8-13 in the reply filed on 05/15/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Non-elected claims 1-7 have been withdrawn.
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.
Claims 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakajima (JP2017123278A, English machine translation provided with this Office Action).
Regarding claim 8, Nakajima discloses an electrode assembly (See annotated Fig. 7 below), comprising: a negative electrode plate ([0067] negative electrode plate 22); a positive electrode plate ([0067] positive electrode plate 21); a separator ([0067] separator 23); and a binder layer ([0067] coating layer or covering layer 70), the binder layer being along an edge of one end of the electrode assembly (See Fig. 7 below and [0082] immersed in the coating liquid 71). Note that the coating layer 70 is formed after curing of the coating liquid 71 ([0059]).
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Regarding claim 9, Nakajima discloses the electrode assembly (See annotated Fig. 7 above) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the binder layer ([0067] coating layer/covering layer 70) extends as a whole along the edge of the one end (See annotated Fig. 6 below, enlarged sectional view of the electrode body 20).
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Regarding claim 10, Nakajima discloses the electrode assembly (See annotated Fig. 7 above) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the binder layer ([0067] coating layer/covering layer 70) continuously or integrally extends across an end surface of the one end and a side surface adjacent to the end surface of the one end (See annotated Fig. 6 above, enlarged sectional view of the electrode body 20).
Regarding claim 12, Nakajima discloses the electrode assembly (See annotated Fig. 7 above) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the binder layer ([0067] coating layer/covering layer 70) is on at least respective outermost layers (See annotated Fig. 6 above, enlarged sectional view of the electrode body 20) of the negative electrode plate ([0067] negative electrode plate 22), the positive electrode plate ([0067] positive electrode plate 21), and the separator ([0067] separator 23).
Regarding claim 13, Nakajima discloses the electrode assembly (See annotated Fig. 7 above) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the binder layer ([0067] coating layer/covering layer 70) is only on an outer edge of an end surface of the one end (See annotated Fig. 6 above, enlarged sectional view of the electrode body 20), and is not on a central portion of the end surface of the one end (See Fig. 6, coating layer only formed on the edges of the electrode plates).
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 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakajima (JP2017123278A, English machine translation provided with this Office Action) as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Roh et al. (DE102021107103A1 English Machine Translation provided with this Office Action).
Regarding claim 11, Nakajima discloses the electrode assembly (See annotated Fig. 7 above) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a binder layer ([0067] coating layer or covering layer 70) on the negative electrode plate ([0067] negative electrode plate 22), the positive electrode plate ([0067] positive electrode plate 21), and the separator ([0067] separator 23). Nakajima does not disclose a thickness of the binder layer on the negative electrode plate, the positive electrode plate, and the separator is greatest at an outermost part of the electrode assembly and is gradually reduced toward an interior of the electrode assembly.
Roh discloses an electrode comprising an edge binder layer ([0013]), wherein a thickness of the binder layer on the negative electrode plate, the positive electrode plate, and the separator layer is greatest at an outermost part of the electrode assembly and is gradually reduced toward an interior of the electrode assembly ([0013] concentration of electrode binder increases continuously from the center of the composite material layer toward the edge). Roh also discloses that the adhesion of the composite material layer at the edge is increased ([0012]).
Nakajima and Roh are analogous prior art to the current invention because they are concerned with the same field of endeavor, namely electrodes with an edge binder layer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the electrode assembly of Nakajima such that a thickness of the binder layer on the negative electrode plate, the positive electrode plate, and the separator is greatest at an outermost part of the electrode assembly and is gradually reduced toward an interior of the electrode assembly as taught by Roh in order to increase the adhesion of the composite material layer at the edge.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Carlson et al. (US20170098857A1) discloses an electrode for a battery stack in which edge reinforcement areas are applied to coated layers ([0058]).
Ikeuchi et al. (US20210288326A1) discloses an electrode a with a binder concentration gradient which is gradually reduced toward an interior of the electrode assembly ([0107]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAN N TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-0183. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 7:30am-5pm.
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/DAN NGUYEN TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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