DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority 2 . Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, or 365(c) is acknowledged. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), which papers have been placed of record in the file. Information Disclosure Statement 3 . Information disclosure statements (IDS), submitted August 31, 2023 and June 12, 2025 , have been received and considered by the examiner. Claim Interpretation 4 . All “wherein” clauses are given patentable weight unless otherwise noted. Please see MPEP 2111.04 regarding optional claim language. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 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. 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application , as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 5. Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)( 2 ) as being anticipated by Yoshida JP2015-191879 . Regarding Claim 1 , Yoshida discloses a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 100 comprising an electrode assembly (electrode group) 1 obtained by winding a positive electrode 20 and a negative electrode 30 with an interposed separator 2 , a non-aqueous electrolyte, and an outer casing (battery can) 8 that houses the electrode assembly and the non- aqueous electrolyte ( Fig; para s 00 12-0013 ), wherein the negative electrode 30 contains a first negative electrode active material A and a second negative electrode active material B having a coefficient of expansion ( expansion/contraction rate ) during charging that is higher than that of the first negative electrode active material (para 0021) , and assuming that a ratio (percentage) of a mass of the second negative electrode active material relative to a total mass of the two negative electrode active materials is defined as a second negative electrode active material ratio, a second negative electrode active material ratio at an outer winding end portion (axial end of the core 7 ) is lower than a second active electrode active material ratio at an inner winding end portion (axial center of the core 7 ) (paras 0019-0021) (see entire disclosure of Yoshida and especially Figs and paras . Regarding Claim 2 , Yoshida discloses wherein the first negative electrode active material is e.g. amorphous graphite and the second negative electrode active material is e.g. graphite to which Si has been added (i.e. a silicon-based material, under broadest reasonable interpretation) (paras 0021, 0027). 6 . Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)( 2 ) as being anticipated by Wang US PG Publication 2022 / 0052386 . Regarding Claim 1 , Wang discloses a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 100 comprising an electrode assembly (electrode group) 1 obtained by winding a positive electrode 20 /21 and a negative electrode 10/11 with an interposed separator 30 , a non-aqueous electrolyte, and an outer casing ( housing ) 101 that houses the electrode assembly and the non-aqueous electrolyte (Fig s 1-2 ; paras 0052-0053 ), wherein the negative electrode 10/11 contains a first negative electrode active material and a second negative electrode active material having a coefficient of expansion during charging that is higher than that of the first negative electrode active materia l (first negative active material layer 121 and second negative active material layer (paras 0059, 0148, Fig. 3) l, and assuming that a ratio of a mass of the second negative electrode active material relative to a total mass of the two negative electrode active materials is defined as a second negative electrode active material ratio, a second negative electrode active material ratio at an outer winding end portion is lower than a second active electrode active material ratio at an inner winding end portion since first part 111 and second part 1112 (parts in which first negative electrode active material layer 121 and second negative electrode active material layer 122 are sequentially connected along the winding direction with the first part 111 being along the inner winding end and the second part 112 being on the oute winding end (see para 0053, Figs 2-3, Examples 6-7) with first negative electrode active material layer 12 1 containing Si-based active material (first active material) while second negative electrode active material layer 122 contain s only graphite/hard carbon (see paras 0139, 0146, 0148). Regarding Claim 2 , Wang discloses wherein the first negative electrode active material having low expansion is e.g. carbon-based such as graphite and graphite-hard carbon (para 0062) while second negative electrode active material is e.g. SiC-2000 or SiOx-1000 which are silicon-based. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT LISA S PARK whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-3597 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-Th 5:30a to 3p Eastern Time. 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. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /LISA S PARK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1729