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 5/14/2026. Claim 1 is currently amended. Claim 10 was previously cancelled. Claims 1-9 and 11-12 are pending review in this 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The 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections in the previous Office Action are withdrawn.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.
Information Disclosure Statement
Applicant’s arguments regarding compliance with 37 CFR § 1.98(a)(4) have been considered and are found persuasive. The explicit statements provided in the IDS filed on 4/4/2025 and 7/7/2025 properly asserted that no size fee was required based on the respective item counts of 29 and 40. Accordingly, the non-compliance objection is withdrawn, and the information referred to therein has now been considered on the merits.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/14/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
1. Applicant traverses the characterization of Figs. 1-2 as Applicant Admitted Prior Art (AAPA), arguing that the designation “Related Art” was deliberately chosen to avoid an admission under MPEP § 2129. This argument is unpersuasive.
Under MPEP § 2129, a statement by an applicant in the specification identifying the work of another as conventional, background, or related art, coupled with a description of its structural limitations compared to the present invention, can be relied upon as an admission of the state of the art. The instant specification explicitly characterizes the structure in Figs. 1-2 as “in the related art” and describes its high resistance and limited current path as the technical problem solved by the “present invention.” Therefore, Figs. 1-2 are properly treated as admitted prior art.
2. Applicant argues that independent claim 1 is patentable because neither York So nor Lee discloses a can coupling portion with a “continuous outer peripheral surface” formed to “continuously surface-contact” the inner surface of the battery can “along a circumferential direction”. The Applicant asserts this avoids localized point contact, distributes contact load, and suppresses stress. This argument is unpersuasive.
As previously set forth, York So explicitly teaches a current collecting plate featuring a can coupling portion 172 with a continuous outer peripheral surface electrically connected to the inner surface of a battery can to maximize contact area. When a continuous, circular outer peripheral surface is press-fitted into a matching cylindrical battery can, it inherently establishes continuous surface contact along the circumferential direction.
Further, the newly added limitations merely recite the inherent structural configuration and functional results of mating So’s continuous outer ring with a conventional cylindrical battery can. Reciting an inherent function or technical effect of a known structure does not render the structurally identical combination patentable under 35 USC 103. The rejection of claim 1, as amended, and dependent claims thereof, is set forth below.
Examiner’s Comment
Any reference to “AARP” in the previous Office action is hereby corrected to “AAPA” (Applicant Admitted Prior Art”.
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) 1-4, 9 and 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Applicant Admitted Prior Art (AAPA; refer to Instant Specification – pp. 10-11; Figs. 1-2) in view of York So (US20150279574A1).
Regarding Claim 1, AAPA discloses a cylindrical secondary battery 1 [Instant Specification – pp. 10-11; Figs. 1-2] comprising:
an electrode assembly having a first electrode tab 11 at a first end of the electrode assembly;
a battery can having an opening portion at one end of the battery can, the battery can being configured to accommodate the electrode assembly therein;
a current collecting plate 30, the current collecting plate including:
at least three tab coupling portions 32 electrically connected to the first electrode tab; and
a can coupling portion 33 extending from ends of the tab coupling portions toward the opening portion of the battery can, the can coupling portion having an outer peripheral surface being formed to surface-contact an inner an inner surface of the battery can along the circumferential direction; and
a top cap 40 configured to cover the opening of the battery can.
AAPA fails to disclose wherein the can coupling portion has a continuous outer peripheral surface being formed to continuously surface-contact an inner surface of the battery can along a circumferential direction. However, York So, from the same field of endeavor, discloses a cylindrical secondary battery 100 comprising a battery can 102 accommodating an electrode assembly 104 therein and a current collecting plate 128, the current collecting plate including a tab coupling portion 170 electrically connected to the first electrode and a can coupling portion 172 extending from peripheral end of the tab coupling portion toward an end of the battery can, the can coupling portion having a continuous outer peripheral surface being formed to continuously surface-contact an inner surface of the battery can along a circumferential direction in order to enhance electrical contact between the current collecting plate and the battery can over a larger area for greater performance of the secondary cell [York So – pars. 0029,0034-38; Figs. 1,3]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have employed the teachings of York So to have modified the current collecting plate of AAPA wherein the can coupling portion has a continuous outer peripheral surface being formed to continuously surface-contact an inner surface of the battery can along a circumferential direction in order to enhance electrical contact between the current collecting plate and the battery can over a larger area for greater performance of the secondary cell.
Regarding Claim 2, AAPA discloses wherein the tab coupling portions extend from a central portion 31 of the current collecting plate to the can coupling portion, and wherein the tab coupling portions directly contact the first electrode tab [Instant Specification – pp. 10-11; Figs. 1-2].
Regarding Claim 3, AAPA discloses wherein an angle between adjacent tab coupling portions of the tab coupling portions is 90° which falls within the claimed range of 40° or more and 140° or less [AAPA – Fig. 1(b)].
Regarding Claim 4, AAPA discloses wherein the battery can includes a beading portion 21 extending inward from a side of the battery can, the beading portion being adjacent to the opening portion of the battery can [AAPA – Fig. 2].
Regarding Claim 9, modified AAPA teaches wherein a perimeter of the can coupling portion has a circular shape [AAPA – Fig. 1; York So – par. 0025,0038].
Regarding Claims 11-12, AAPA teaches the cylindrical secondary batter cells for vehicles which require a batter pack with high output and high capacity [AAPA – pars. 0003-056]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have employed the cylindrical secondary battery of modified AAPA to be comprised in a battery pack and a vehicle comprising the same.
Claim(s) 5-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over AAPA and York So, as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of Lee (US 20170372849A1).
Regarding Claim 5, modified AAPA teaches that the battery can may include a beading portion 122 in order to compress the can coupling portion 172 which may deform to enhance the electrical connection between the current collecting plate and the battery can [York So - par. 0038; Fig. 3], but fails to explicitly teach wherein the can coupling portion of the current collecting plate includes a curved portion that extends inward toward a center of the current collecting plate, the curved portion contacting the beading portion. However, Lee, from the same field of endeavor, teaches a cylindrical battery cell comprising a battery can 210 accommodating an electrode assembly 200 therein and a current collecting plate 240 including a tab coupling portion 241 electrically connected to a first electrode tab of the electrode assembly and a can coupling portion 242 extending from the peripheral end of the tab coupling portion toward the bottom end of the battery can, the can coupling portion having a continuous outer peripheral surface electrically connected to an inner surface of the battery can, wherein the can coupling portion of the current collecting plate includes a curved portion that extends inward toward a center of the current collecting plate, the curved portion contacting the beading portion in order to closely adhere and tightly fix the can coupling portion to the battery can by deforming the can coupling portion [Lee – pars. 0086-99; Figs. 11-15]. Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled artisan to have employed the teachings of Lee to have further modified the secondary battery of AAPA, wherein the can coupling portion of the current collecting plate includes a curved portion that extends inward toward a center of the current collecting plate, the curved portion contacting the beading portion in order to closely adhere and tightly fix the can coupling portion to the battery can by deforming the can coupling portion as a well-known configuration in the art for establishing a physical and electrical connection of a current collecting plate with the battery can of a cylindrical secondary battery.
Regarding Claim 6, AAPA discloses wherein the battery can includes a crimping portion 22 located at the opening portion adjacent the beading portion, the crimping portion being bent to extend toward a central axis of the battery can [AAPA – pp. 10-11; Fig. 2].
Regarding Claim 7, modified AAPA discloses wherein the can coupling portion is compressed and fixed by the beading portion [York So – par. 0038; Lee – par. 0099].
Regarding Claim 8, AAPA discloses wherein an outer peripheral surface of the can coupling portion extends from a lower end of the beading portion to a lower end of the crimping portion [AAPA – Fig. 2].
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JONATHAN LEONG can be reached at (571) 270-1292. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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HAROON S. SHEIKH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1751
/Haroon S. Sheikh/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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