DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 2/25/2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 3-6 and 8 remain pending in the application. Claims 2 and 7 were cancelled.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2/25/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 3-4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boscolo (EP 1172188 A1) in view of Marlow (US 20020104412 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Boscolo teaches a cutting device for cutting a continuous body (N) of an electrode plate, the electrode plate including a current collector plate having a first surface and a second surface facing away from each other, a first active material layer laminated on the first surface, and a second active material layer laminated on the second surface (the work piece is interpreted as not required by the claim), the cutting device comprising:
a process unit (4) that causes a cutting blade (9) to configured to advance into the continuous body from a side of the first active material layer, beyond the current collector plate, as far as a depth short of a surface of the continuous body toward the second active material layer, thereby cutting the first active material layer and the current collector plate and causing the continuous body to be pressed against a support unit (7, see Figure 2); and
the support unit that faces the process unit across the continuous body to support the continuous body, has a groove that is recessed in a direction away from the process unit at a position facing the cutting blade, and is configured such that a portion of the second active material layer that overlaps the groove is crushed at an edge of the groove and peeled from the current collector plate (see Figure 2),
wherein the cutting blade is configured to cut the continuous body in a first direction crossing a second direction in which the continuous body is conveyed (see Figure 2), and has a first width (D) perpendicular to the first direction, the first width being a width of an end of a trunk of the cutting blade toward a cutting edge (see Figure 2),
wherein the groove extends in the first direction and has a second width (d) perpendicular to the first direction, the second width being a width of an opening that intersects a surface of the support unit (see Figure 2), and
wherein the second width is less than the first width (see Figure 2).
If there is any doubt that a continuous body of an electrode plate can be cut,
Marlow teach a drum cutter for cutting a continuous body of an electrode plate (see Figure 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordain skill in the art to modify the device of Boscolo to cut a continuous body of an electrode plate, as taught by Marlow, in order to better cut work piece (abstract of Boscolo).
Regarding claim 3, modified Boscolo further teaches a conveying unit (see Figure 1 of Boscolo) that conveys the continuous body, wherein the process unit and the support unit are disposed on a conveying path of the continuous body (see Figure 1 of Boscolo).
Regarding claim 4, modified Boscolo further teaches the process unit includes a roll, the cutting blade being provided on a circumferential surface of the roll, and the roll rotating synchronously with conveyance of the continuous body (see Figure 1 of Boscolo).
Regarding claim 6, modified Boscolo further teaches the process unit is conjured to limit a maximum depth of advancement of the cutting blade into the continuous body is 60-80% of the thickness of a continuous body (as the current claim does not required the cutting blade to only cut 60-80% of the thickness of a continuous body, as the device of Pfaff cut from zero to 100% of the thickness, as shown in Figure 2 of Pfaff, the device/method meets the limitation of “a depth of advancement of the cutting blade into the continuous body is 60-80% of the thickness of a continuous body” since it within the range of 0-100%).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 8 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 5, Boscolo teaches a cutting method for cutting a continuous body, the cutting method comprising:
causing a cutting blade (9) to advance from a side of continuous body to another; and
supporting the continuous body from a side of continuous body by using a support unit having a groove (8f), and aligning the groove with a position facing the cutting blade to peel a portion of the continuous body that overlaps the groove (see Figure 2), with a position facing the cutting blade such that a portion of the second active material layer that overlaps the groove is crushed at an edge of the groove and peeled from the current collector plate (see Figures 1-2).
Boscolo fails to teach the continuous body is a continuous body of an electrode plate, the electrode plate including a current collector plate having a first surface and a second surface facing away from each other, a first active material layer laminated on the first surface, and a second active material layer laminated on the second surface, causing a cutting blade to advance from a side of the first active material layer, beyond the current collector plate, as far as a depth short of a surface of the continuous body toward the second active material layer, thereby cutting the first active material layer and the current collector plate, controlling the cutting blade to limit a maximum depth of advancement of the cutting blade into the continuous body during each cutting operation to 60-80% of a thickness of the continuous body.
Marlow teach a drum cutter for cutting a continuous body (10) of an electrode plate (see Figure 6), the continuous body is a continuous body of an electrode plate, the electrode plate including a current collector plate having a first surface and a second surface facing away from each other, a first active material layer laminated on the first surface, and a second active material layer laminated on the second surface (see Figure 3)
It would have been obvious to one of ordain skill in the art to modify the device of Pfaff to cut a continuous body of an electrode plate, as taught by Marlow, in order to collecting the scrap pieces (abstract of Pfaff). The resulting method of modified Pfaff teaches the continuous body is a continuous body of an electrode plate, the electrode plate including a current collector plate having a first surface and a second surface facing away from each other, a first active material layer laminated on the first surface, and a second active material layer laminated on the second surface (as modified, cutting the material in Marlow), causing a cutting blade to advance from a side of the first active material layer, beyond the current collector plate, as far as a depth short of a surface of the continuous body toward the second active material layer, thereby cutting the first active material layer and the current collector plate (using the same method of Pfaff to cut the material added b Marlow).
Modified Boscolo still fails to teach controlling the cutting blade to limit a maximum depth of advancement of the cutting blade into the continuous body during each cutting operation to 60-80% of a thickness of the continuous body.
Block (US 20180154602 A1) teaches a cutting device that does not cut 100 percent of the work (see Figure 10).
Swift (US 1828234) teaches a cutting device that does not cut 100 percent of the work (see Figure 1).
However, no art was found for a cutting blade to only have a maximum depth of advancement of 60-80% of a thickness of the continuous body, then the support on the opposite side to finish the cutting.
Furthermore, no additional prior art could be found to teach the claimed limitations either alone nor in combination to further modify the device of Boscolo, Block and Swift. Thus claim 5 is allowable, claim 8 is allowable by virtue of its dependency on claim 5.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/25/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-6 and 8 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LIANG DONG whose telephone number is (571)270-0479. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8 AM-6 PM.
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 3/27/2026