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 .
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 6/8/23 and 8/23/24 have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The term “regular” in claim 4 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “regular” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear what encompasses a “regular” interval and/or a “regular” size.
Claim 5 recites “in a direction in which an electrode lead protrudes” and “in a direction in which no electrode lead protrudes”, which is indefinite. Claim 1 does not require a “electrode lead”, “a protruding electrode lead” or “no electrode lead”, and, thus, the “directions” of claim 5 are indefinite.
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.
Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Roh et al., US 2011/0014516 A1.
Roh teaches a rechargeable battery that includes a case made of a laminate sheet; an electrode assembly installed in the case and an electrode terminal that protrudes outside the case and is connected to the electrode assembly. The case includes a receiving unit receiving the electrode assembly and including a first sealing part, and a cover covering the receiving unit and including a second sealing part that is thermally fused to the first sealing part. The first sealing part and the second sealing part include first protrusions and depressions and second protrusions and depressions respectively formed on a portion corresponding at least to the electrode terminal, and the electrode terminal includes third protrusions and depressions respectively corresponding to the first protrusions and depressions and the second protrusions and depressions (abstract). See also Figures 1-2 that depict a rechargeable battery referred to as “a pouch type rechargeable battery” [0052]. As shown by at least Figure 1, the protrusions/depressions (embossed pattern) sealed portion is provided around the entire periphery of the battery case [0059]. Regarding claims 2-4, see the Figures of Roh with respect to the protrusions and depressions shown by the figures.
Regarding claim 5, Roh teaches the first sealing part 111 of the receiving unit 11 and the electrode terminal 30 is combined to the first protrusions and depressions 112 with the first surface 301 of the third protrusions and depressions 303 such that the mutual adhesion area is increased, and a first path P1 formed against the penetration of the moisture is elongated (different interval). Also, the second sealing part 121 of the cover 12 and the electrode terminal 30 is combined to the second protrusions and depressions 122 with the second surface 302 of the third protrusions and depressions 303 such that the mutual adhesion area is increased, and the second path P2 formed under the penetration of the moisture is elongated (different interval) [0064; Figure 6&8]. Regarding claim 6, Roh teaches the protrusions and depressions may be a hexahedron shape, a quadrangle ridges/furrows shape, a hemispherical shape, semicircular ridges/furrows shape, a triangular pyramid shape and/or a triangular ridges/furrows shape [0013-0017].
Regarding claims 7 and 11, FIG. 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the first sealing part and the second sealing part in a state before thermal fusion, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an electrode terminal, the first sealing part, and the second sealing part after the thermal fusion. The electrode assembly 20 is received in the receiving unit 11, the cover 12 covers it in a state in which the electrode terminal 30 protrudes therefrom, and then the first sealing part 111 of the receiving unit 11 and the second sealing part 121 of the cover 12 are thermal fused by using a heat bar (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the first sealing part 111 and the second sealing part 121, thereby completing the case 10. That is, in the state of FIG. 3, the heat bars (upper and lower sealing blocks) are disposed on the lower side of the first sealing part 111 of the receiving unit 11 and the upper side of the second sealing part 121 of the cover 12, and the first sealing part 111 and the second sealing part 121 are thermally fused according to the surface shape of the heat bars such that they may have various shapes. Under the thermal fusion, the first sealing part 111 and the second sealing part 121 are combined to each other while forming first protrusions and depressions 112 and second protrusions and depressions 122 facing away from each other (referring to FIG. 4). The first protrusions and depressions 112 and the second protrusions and depressions 122 are at least formed at a portion corresponding to an electrode terminal 30, and the present exemplary embodiment shows a configuration in which the first protrusions and depressions 112 and the second protrusions and depressions 122 correspond to the entire range of the first and second sealing parts 111 and 121 [0054-0059]. Furthermore, note the Figures of Roh regarding claims 8-9.
Thus, the claims are anticipated.
Conclusion
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/TRACY M DOVE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725