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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-12) in the reply filed on 12/12/25 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 2/11/25 and 3/23/23 were filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 3/29/23. These drawings are acceptable.
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 1-3 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2012-155974 A (“JP ’974”).
As to Claim 1:
JP ’974 discloses:
a composite current collector for a lithium-ion battery (Abstract; p. 1, lines 6–15);
a support layer made of a polymer, specifically a resin layer (resin layer 13) formed of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene (p. 3, lines 10–18; p. 4, lines 3–6);
a first conductor layer disposed on a first side of the support layer and a second conductor layer disposed on a second side of the support layer, wherein metal foils (upper metal foil and lower metal foil 14) are provided on opposite surfaces of the resin layer 13 (p. 4, lines 3–10; Fig. 7);
a welding (connection) region at an end portion of the composite current collector for connecting a tab electrode (connection region M) (p. 4, lines 11–18; Fig. 4);
and in the welding region, no polymer is provided between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer, stating that in at least part of the connection region M, the resin layer 13 is not interposed and the upper metal foil and the lower metal foil are electrically connected (p. 4, lines 18–23; Fig. 8).
As to Claim 2:
JP ’974 further discloses that the support layer is made of a polymer selected from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), or polyethylene (PE), describing the support layer (resin layer 13) as a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene and, in embodiments, PET (p. 3, lines 10–18; p. 4, lines 3–6).
As to Claim 3:
JP ’974 further discloses that the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer are each made of a metal material selected from aluminum or copper, describing that upper and lower metal foils (metal foils 14) are laminated on both sides of the resin layer 13 and are formed of metal foil such as aluminum or copper (p. 4, lines 3–10; p. 6, lines 1–6). Aluminum and copper are explicitly recited materials within the closed list of Claim 3.
As to Claim 7:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region M formed for electrically connecting a tab electrode, wherein the resin layer is not interposed between the upper and lower metal foils (p. 4, lines 11–23; Figs. 4 and 8). JP ’974 expressly shows that this connection (welding) region M is provided at an end portion of the current collector, i.e., at the edge of the composite current collector, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 8 and described in the corresponding text (p. 4, lines 11–18).
As to Claim 8:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region M at an end portion of the composite current collector, where the resin layer is not interposed between the upper and lower metal foils (p. 4, lines 11–23; Figs. 4 and 8). As shown in Figs. 4 and 8 and described in the corresponding text, the upper and lower metal foils extend beyond the end of the resin (support) layer in the connection region, such that a width of the first conductor layer and a width of the second conductor layer are each wider than a width of the support layer in the welding region (p. 4, lines 11–18).
As to Claim 9:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region M provided at an end portion of the composite current collector for connecting a tab electrode (p. 4, lines 11–18; Figs. 4 and 8). JP ’974 expressly teaches that in the connection (welding) region M, the resin layer 13 is not interposed between the upper metal foil and the lower metal foil, such that the metal foils are directly connected (p. 4, lines 18–23). As shown in Figs. 4 and 8 and described in the corresponding text, this structure is formed by removing or terminating the resin (support) layer in the welding region, i.e., the support layer is hollowed out in the welding region.
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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.
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.
Claims 4-6, and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2012-155974 A (“JP ’974”), as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of CN 108767262 A (“CN ’262”).
As to Claim 4:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region in which the resin layer is not interposed between the upper and lower metal foils, such that the metal layers are electrically connected (p. 4, lines 11–23; Figs. 4 and 8).
However, JP ’974 does not disclose that a thickness of the first conductor layer is in a range of 0.2 micrometer to 5 micrometer and that a thickness of the second conductor layer is in a range of 0.2 micrometer to 5 micrometer, as required by Claim 4. JP ’974 describes the conductor layers generically as metal foils without specifying numerical thickness ranges (p. 4, lines 3–10; p. 6, lines 1–6).
CN ’262 discloses a composite current collector having conductor layers formed on opposite sides of a polymer support layer, wherein each conductor layer has a thickness in the micrometer range, and expressly teaches exemplary thicknesses of about 0.5 micrometer to about 3 micrometers for the metal conductor layers (p. 4, lines 12–18; p. 6, lines 3–9). These disclosed thicknesses fall squarely within the claimed range of 0.2 micrometer to 5 micrometer for both the first and second conductor layers.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the composite current collector of JP ’974 by selecting conductor layer thicknesses within the micrometer-scale ranges taught by CN ’262 in order to obtain suitable electrical conductivity, flexibility, and weight reduction, as routinely optimized parameters in the art of battery current collectors.
As to Claim 5:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region at an end portion of the composite current collector, where the resin layer is not interposed between the upper and lower metal foils, such that the metal layers are electrically connected (p. 4, lines 11–23; Figs. 4 and 8).
However, JP ’974 does not disclose that an area of the welding region occupies 0.5% to 30% of an area of the first conductor layer, as required by Claim 5. JP ’974 describes the presence and function of the welding (connection) region but does not provide any numerical proportion or percentage of the welding region relative to the area of the first conductor layer (p. 4, lines 11–23).
CN ’262 discloses a composite current collector having a welding or tab-connection region formed on a conductor layer, and explicitly teaches that the area of the welding region is controlled as a percentage of the conductor layer area, with exemplary ranges disclosed within about 1% to 20% of the conductor layer area (p. 5, lines 1–10; p. 6, lines 10–18; Fig. 3). These disclosed proportions fall squarely within the claimed range of 0.5% to 30%.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the composite current collector of JP ’974 by selecting the area of the welding region to occupy 0.5% to 30% of the area of the first conductor layer, as taught by CN ’262, in order to balance mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and material utilization in the welding region, which are routine design considerations in the field of battery current collectors.
As to Claim 6:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region M provided at an end portion of the composite current collector, wherein the resin layer is not interposed between the upper and lower metal foils, such that the conductor layers are electrically connected in the welding region (p. 4, lines 11–23; Figs. 4 and 8).
However, JP ’974 does not disclose that the welding region has a specific geometric shape, such as a rectangle, circle, ellipse, sector, polygon, or an irregular shape, as required by Claim 6. JP ’974 describes the location and function of the welding region but is silent as to the particular shape of the welding region (p. 4, lines 11–23).
CN ’262 discloses a composite current collector having a welding or tab-connection region formed on a conductor layer, and explicitly teaches that the welding region may be formed in various shapes, including rectangular, circular, polygonal, and irregular shapes, as illustrated in the embodiments and figures (p. 5, lines 1–15; p. 6, lines 1–9; Figs. 2–3). These disclosed shapes correspond directly to the shapes recited in Claim 6.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the welding region of JP ’974 to have a rectangular, circular, elliptical, polygonal, or irregular shape as taught by CN ’262, as the selection of the welding-region shape is a matter of routine design choice to accommodate welding reliability, current distribution, and manufacturing convenience in battery current collectors.
As to Claim 10:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region M at an end portion of the composite current collector, wherein the resin layer is not interposed between the upper and lower metal foils, such that the conductor layers are electrically connected in the welding region (p. 4, lines 11–23; Figs. 4 and 8).
However, JP ’974 does not disclose that a conductive adhesive is disposed between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer in the welding region, as required by Claim 10. Instead, JP ’974 teaches direct electrical connection between the upper and lower metal foils without an intervening adhesive (p. 4, lines 18–23).
CN ’262 discloses a composite current collector having a welding or tab-connection region in which a conductive adhesive is applied between conductive layers to both mechanically bond and electrically connect the layers in the welding region (p. 5, lines 15–25; p. 6, lines 9–18; Fig. 3). CN ’262 expressly teaches disposing a conductive adhesive between conductor layers in the welding region to improve connection reliability and manufacturing flexibility.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the welding region of the composite current collector of JP ’974 to include a conductive adhesive between the first and second conductor layers, as taught by CN ’262, in order to enhance bonding strength, electrical reliability, and manufacturing tolerance in the welding region, which are well-known design considerations in the field of battery current collectors.
As to Claim 11:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region M provided at an end portion of the composite current collector, wherein the resin layer is not interposed between the upper and lower metal foils, such that the conductor layers are electrically connected in the welding region (p. 4, lines 11–23; Figs. 4 and 8).
However, JP ’974 does not disclose that a thickness of the first conductor layer in the welding region is greater than a thickness of the first conductor layer outside the welding region, that a thickness of the second conductor layer in the welding region is greater than a thickness of the second conductor layer outside the welding region, or that both conductor layers are locally thickened in the welding region so as to form a thickened region, as required by Claim 11. JP ’974 describes the conductor layers as metal foils of uniform thickness and is silent as to any localized thickening in the welding region (p. 4, lines 3–23).
CN ’262 discloses a composite current collector in which a welding or tab-connection region is formed by locally increasing the thickness of one or both conductor layers relative to regions outside the welding region, thereby forming a reinforced or thickened region to improve mechanical strength and electrical conductivity during welding (p. 4, lines 18–26; p. 6, lines 1–9; Figs. 2–3). CN ’262 expressly teaches that the thickness of the conductor layer in the welding region is greater than the thickness outside the welding region, and further discloses embodiments in which both conductor layers are thickened in the welding region.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the composite current collector of JP ’974 by locally increasing the thickness of one or both conductor layers in the welding region, as taught by CN ’262, in order to form a thickened region that enhances welding strength, current-carrying capability, and durability, which are routine design considerations in the field of battery current collectors.
As to Claim 12:
JP ’974 further discloses a welding (connection) region M provided at an end portion of the composite current collector, wherein the resin layer is not interposed between the upper and lower metal foils, such that the conductor layers are electrically connected in the welding region (p. 4, lines 11–23; Figs. 4 and 8).
However, JP ’974 does not disclose that a thickened region is formed by increasing the thickness of one or both conductor layers in the welding region, nor does JP ’974 disclose that a width of such a thickened region is 0.5 mm to 10 mm greater than a width of the welding region, as required by Claim 12.
CN ’262 discloses a composite current collector in which a welding or tab-connection region is provided with a thickened (reinforced) region formed by locally increasing the thickness of one or both conductor layers relative to regions outside the welding region, thereby improving welding strength and current-carrying capability (p. 4, lines 18–26; p. 6, lines 1–9; Figs. 2–3). CN ’262 thus teaches forming the thickened region required by Claim 12.
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify the composite current collector of JP ’974 to include a thickened region at the welding region, as taught by CN ’262, and to further configure that thickened region so that its width is greater than the width of the welding region. Selecting a width difference within the claimed range of 0.5 mm to 10 mm would have been a matter of routine optimization of a result-effective variable, chosen to provide sufficient reinforcement for welding while minimizing excess material, which are well-recognized design considerations in the field of battery current collectors.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN 215377445 discloses that “the edge of the thickened area is wider than the welding area” and gives exact numeric range of 0.5-10 mm.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIMMY K VO whose telephone number is (571)272-3242. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8 am to 6 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tong Guo can be reached at (571) 272-3066. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIMMY VO/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1723
/JIMMY VO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723