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 4/13/2026. Claim 1 is currently amended. Claims 2 and 4 are cancelled. Claims 10-22 are newly added. Claims 1, 3 and 5-22 are pending review in this action.
The 35 U.S.C. 102 and 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections in the previous Office Action are withdrawn.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 amended claim 1 and new claim 10 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5-19 and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (KR20170100290; foreign copy and machine translation attached herein).
Regarding Claims 1 and 3, Lee discloses a secondary battery [pars. 0022,0033-50; Figs. 1-3] comprising:
an electrode assembly 1;
a case (can member 3) in which the electrode assembly is accommodated; and
a cap assembly 100 which is coupled to the top of the case and comprises a cap-up (cap plate 110) having opening (exhaust hole 115), a safety vent (vent plate 121) provided under the cap-up and having a notch 123 to be ruptured at a predetermined pressure or higher, and a cap-down (base plate 130) provided under the safety vent and electrically connected to the electrode assembly (i.e., via lead shown in Fig. 1),
wherein the notch is exposed through the opening {That is, Figs. 1-3 shows the positional relation from a center of the battery of the notch 123, exhaust hole 115, the head portion 119 and the extension portion 117 where the notch has a radius larger than the head portion but less than the extension portion such that it necessarily would be exposed through the opening},
wherein the cap-up includes a terminal portion (head portion 119) protruding upward, a coupling portion (support portion 111) positioned on an outer periphery of the terminal portion and in contact with the safety vent, and a connection portion (column 112) connecting the terminal portion and the coupling portion, and the opening is formed in the connecting portion, and
wherein the area of the opening includes an inner area positioned inside the notch and an outer area positioned outside the notch based on the line where the notch is formed, and the inner area is larger than the outer area, wherein the inner area is set to 55% or more of the area of the opening [clearly shown in Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 5, Lee discloses wherein an inner area of the opening is determined by a diameter of the terminal portion and a diameter of the notch [Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 6, Lee discloses wherein an outer area of the opening is determined by a diameter of the notch and a diameter of the connecting portion [Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 7, Lee discloses wherein the diameter of the notch is larger than the diameter of the terminal portion and smaller than the diameter of the connecting portion [Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 8, Lee discloses wherein a gas vent hole located below the notch is formed in the cap-down [pars. 0044-45; Fig. 1].
Regarding Claim 9, Lee discloses the battery further comprising a gasket positioned between the cap assembly and the case [Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 10, Lee discloses a secondary battery [pars. 0022,0033-50; Figs. 1-3] comprising:
an electrode assembly 1;
a case (can member 3) in which the electrode assembly is accommodated; and
a cap assembly 100 which is coupled to the top of the case and comprises a cap-up (cap plate 110) having opening (exhaust hole 115), and a safety vent (vent plate 121) provided under the cap-up and having a notch 123 to be ruptured at a predetermined pressure or higher,
wherein the notch is exposed to the outside through the opening {That is, Figs. 1-3 shows the positional relation from a center of the battery of the notch 123, exhaust hole 115, the head portion 119 and the extension portion 117 where the notch has a radius larger than the head portion but less than the extension portion such that it necessarily would be exposed through the opening},
wherein the diameter of the notch is larger than the diameter of a terminal portion of the cap-up and smaller than the diameter of a connecting portion of the cap-up [Fig. 1], and
wherein the notch is located at a position corresponding to the opening formed in the cap-up and formed in a circular shape along the outer periphery of the safety vent [Fig. 1].
Regarding Claims 11-12, Lee discloses wherein the area of the opening includes an inner area positioned inside the notch and an outer area positioned outside the notch based on the line where the notch is formed, and the inner area is larger than the outer area, wherein the inner area is set to 55% or more of the area of the opening [clearly shown in Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 13, Lee discloses wherein the cap-up includes a terminal portion (head portion 119) protruding upward, a coupling portion (support portion 111) positioned on an outer periphery of the terminal portion and in contact with the safety vent, and a connection portion (column 112) connecting the terminal portion and the coupling portion, and the opening is formed in the connecting portion [Figs. 1-3].
Regarding Claim 14, Lee discloses wherein an inner area of the opening is determined by a diameter of the terminal portion and a diameter of the notch [Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 15, Lee discloses wherein an outer area of the opening is determined by a diameter of the notch and a diameter of the connecting portion [Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 16, Lee discloses wherein the diameter of the notch is larger than the diameter of the terminal portion and smaller than the diameter of the connecting portion [Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 17, Lee discloses wherein a gas vent hole located below the notch is formed in the cap-down [pars. 0044-45; Fig. 1].
Regarding Claim 18, Lee discloses the battery further comprising a gasket positioned between the cap assembly and the case [Figs. 1,3].
Regarding Claim 19, Lee discloses wherein the opening is positioned above the notch [Fig. 1].
Regarding Claim 22, Lee wherein the cap assembly further comprising a cap-down (base plate 110) provided under the safety vent and electrically connected to the electrode assembly [Fig. 1].
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.
Claim(s) 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, as applied to claim 10 above.
Regarding Claim 20, Lee discloses wherein the electrode assembly includes a first electrode (positive or negative electrode), a second electrode (other of positive or negative electrode), and a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first electrode includes a first electrode uncoated portion (i.e., non-coated portion) to which a first electrode active material is not applied, wherein the second electrode includes a second electrode uncoated portion to which a second electrode active material is not applied [pars. 0023-28]. Lee fails to explicitly disclose wherein a first electrode tab is coupled to the first electrode uncoated portion, and wherein a second electrode tab is coupled to the second electrode uncoated portion. However, Lee discloses an electrode tab connected at one end to the electrode assembly and connected as the other end to the cap assembly [Fig. 1]. An ordinary skilled artisan would readily appreciate that the electrical tab shown is electrically connected to at least on of the first electrode and the second electrode uncoated portions where the cap assembly forms an external terminal for a cylindrical secondary battery. Thus, Lee discloses at least wherein a first electrode tab is coupled to the first electrode uncoated portion [Fig. 1]. Further, it is well-known in the art to electrically connect the other of the first and second electrode to the case of a cylindrical battery by a second electrode tab, an end of which is connected to the electrode uncoated portion to establish a working counter external terminal in a cylindrical secondary battery. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the secondary battery of Lee wherein a second electrode tab is coupled to the second electrode uncoated portion as a well-known configuration in the art to establish a working counter external terminal with the case of the cylindrical secondary battery of Lee.
Regarding Claim 21, modified Lee discloses wherein one end of the first electrode tab is electrically connected to the first electrode, and a second end of the first electrode tab upwardly protrudes from the electrode assembly and is electrically connected to the cap assembly [Fig. 1], wherein one end of the second electrode tab is electrically connected to the second electrode, and a second end of the second electrode tab downwardly protrudes from the electrode assembly and is electrically connected to a bottom plate of the case (i.e., as modified in rejection of claim 20 above).
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 HAROON S SHEIKH whose telephone number is (571)270-0302. The examiner can normally be reached 9-6.
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HAROON S. SHEIKH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1751
/Haroon S. Sheikh/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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