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 .
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.
Specification
The specification and drawings have been reviewed and no clear informalities or objections have been noted.
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) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Suzuki (US 2012/0052343).
Regarding claim 1, Suzuki teaches a cylindrical battery (see paragraph 34 which discloses a battery which comprises a cylindrical cylinder housing), comprising:
an electrode assembly having a positive electrode and a negative electrode wound via a separator (as described in paragraph 39);
a bottomed tubular exterior can housing the electrode assembly (as illustrated in annotated Fig. 1 below); and
a sealing assembly sealing an opening of the exterior can (see “lid” on can 11 in annotated Fig. 1 below), wherein
a bottom of the exterior can has an inversion portion that has a projecting shape protruding to the electrode assembly side in an axial direction (see annotated below where the inversion portion is inverted/concave, with respect to the axial direction of the electrode assembly) and that is inverted when a battery internal pressure reaches a first pressure (as described in paragraph 50 which teaches that the plate 11c expands outward with a rising pressure), and
the sealing assembly has a safety valve (12a) that discharges gas inside the battery by rupturing when the battery internal pressure reaches a second pressure larger than the first pressure (as disclosed in paragraph 35 which discloses extreme pressure rises are exhausted through valve 12a), and
the sealing assembly has a mechanism to disconnect a current path between the electrode assembly and the sealing assembly such that when the battery internal pressure rises, the current path is disconnected at a pressure lower than the first pressure. Suzuki teaches a configuration where the bottom of the cell is inverted at a given pressure (as illustrated in Fig. 2b) as described above. Suzuki also teaches a structure which can disconnect the current via pushing the tabs 11d away from the negative electrode 22 at a pressure that is lower than the pressure needed to completely invert the bottom cover. In other words, the structure of Suzuki can indeed cut the current path at a pressure below the first pressure (the pressure needed for inversion) such as a pressure that is just high enough to disconnect 11d from 22, but is not high enough to completely invert the bottom cover.
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Regarding claim 2, Suzuki further discloses a bottom surface of the inversion portion includes:
a tapered portion an inner diameter of which is decreasing as going to the electrode assembly side in the axial direction (see Fig. 1 in which inverted/curved plate 11a has a decreasing inner diameter the closer it gets to the electrode assembly, or it is concave in shape); and a flat portion connecting to an inner circumferential end of the tapered portion and being substantially perpendicular to the axial direction (see paragraph 46 which stats that the contacting portion 11c can be formed with a flat configuration).
Regarding claim 3, Suzuki the inversion portion is provided at a center of the bottom (see Fig. 1 in which the inversion portion 11a is centered on the electrode assembly).
Regarding claim 4, Suzuki further discloses a planar shape of the inversion portion is circular (as depicted in Fig. 1 and discussed in paragraph 34, the circular shape of the battery housing will produce a circular planar shape at the inversion portion).
Relevant Prior Art
EP2911227A1 – Discloses a battery pack in which the bottom of the housing bulges out as a result of increased internal pressure, but is silent regarding a valve to release pressure.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/8/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. On pages 5-6, Applicant argues that Suzuki does not teach a structure where the current path is interrupted below the first pressure (pressure at which the bottom of the can is inverted). The Office respectfully disagrees with this argument. While Suzuki does not detail this feature in the disclosure, this claim limitation is present in Suzuki. Suzuki teaches a pressure at which the bottom of the can is inverted. Due to the nature of the structure of Suzuki, there is a pressure that is below this inversion pressure where the bottom of the can in Suzuki will indeed be disconnected from the negative electrode and halt current. This pressure is the pressure that is just high enough to disconnect the contacts 11d and 22 of Suzuki, but not high enough to invert the bottom of the can, as depicted in Fig. 2b of Suzuki.
Furthermore, on page 6, Applicant argues that Suzuki does not achieve an advantageous effect of the features of recited claim 1. Applicant’s argument is not persuasive because the prior art does not need to recognize the same benefit or advantage alleged by Applicant.
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 MATTHEW J MERKLING whose telephone number is (571)272-9813. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Basia Ridley can be reached at 571-272-1453. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MATTHEW J MERKLING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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