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) . 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 t he 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT MATTHEW J MERKLING whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-9813 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Basia Ridley can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-1453 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MATTHEW J MERKLING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725