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 .
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)(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.
1. Claim(s) 1,6,12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) as being anticipated by Jeong et al. (US20200235369).
As to claim 1, Jeong et al. discloses a lithium secondary battery (figure 1b) comprising: a positive electrode (121) including a positive electrode current collector of an elongated sheet, and a positive electrode active material layer supported on the positive electrode current collector, a negative electrode (122) including a negative electrode current collector of an elongated sheet, a separator (123)interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, a nonaqueous electrolyte having a lithium ion conductivity (paragraph 0048), a negative electrode external terminal (146) electrically connected to the negative electrode current collector, and a negative electrode connection (141) portion interposed between the negative electrode current collector and the negative electrode external terminal, wherein in the negative electrode (122), a lithium metal deposits during charging and the lithium metal dissolves during discharging, the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator form an electrode group of a cylindrical wound body, and the negative electrode connection portion includes a plurality of negative electrode tab-leads (125) electrically connected to the negative electrode current collector and extending from the one end face of the wound body.
As to claim 6, Jeong et al. discloses comprising a positive electrode external terminal (figure 1b number 136) electrically connected to the positive electrode current collector, and a positive electrode connection portion (131) interposed between the positive electrode current collector and the positive electrode external terminal, wherein the positive electrode connection portion includes a plurality of positive electrode tab-leads (124) electrically connected to the positive electrode current collector and extending from the other end face of the wound body.
As to claim 12, Jeong et al. discloses wherein the positive electrode includes a composite oxide including lithium and a metal Me other than lithium, and a molar ratio of a total amount of Li included in the positive electrode and the negative electrode mLi relative to an amount of the metal Me included in the composite oxide mMe: mLi/mMe is 1.1 or less (paragraph 0036).
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.
2. Claim(s) 2,7,8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong et al. (US20200235369).
Jeong et al. discloses the lithium secondary battery described above. Jeong et al. fail to disclose, wherein the negative electrode connection portion includes the plurality of negative electrode tab-leads, and a total width In of the plurality of negative electrode tab-leads is 2% or more of a length Ln of a longitudinal direction of the negative electrode.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time applicant's invention was made to provide Jeong et al. with wherein the negative electrode connection portion includes the plurality of negative electrode tab-leads, and a total width In of the plurality of negative electrode tab-leads is 2% or more of a length Ln of a longitudinal direction of the negative electrode for the purpose of providing optimal design size and shape in absence of unexpected results.
As to claim 7, Jeong et al. fail to disclose wherein the positive electrode connection portion includes the plurality of positive electrode tab-leads, and a total width lp of the plurality of positive electrode tab-leads is 1% or more of a length Lp of the longitudinal direction of the positive electrode.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time applicant's invention was made to Jeong et al. with wherein the positive electrode connection portion includes the plurality of positive electrode tab-leads, and a total width lp of the plurality of positive electrode tab-leads is 1% or more of a length Lp of the longitudinal direction of the positive electrode for the purpose of providing optimal design size and shape in absence of unexpected results.
As to claim 8, Jeong et al. discloses wherein the negative electrode connection portion includes the plurality of negative electrode tab-leads, the positive electrode connection portion includes the plurality of positive electrode tab- leads (figure 1b number 124). Jeong et al. fail to disclose a total width in of the plurality of negative electrode tab-leads is larger than a total width lp of the plurality of positive electrode tab-leads.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time applicant's invention was made to provide Jeong et al. with a total width in of the plurality of negative electrode tab-leads is larger than a total width lp of the plurality of positive electrode tab-leads for the purpose of providing optimal design size and shape in absence of unexpected results.
3. Claim(s) 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong et al. in view of Zhu et al. (CN109494339).
Jeong et al. discloses the lithium secondary battery described above. Jeong et al. fail to disclose wherein when the negative electrode is zoned into three or more regions having the same length in the longitudinal direction, at least one of the negative electrode tab-leads is connected to each region and wherein a to-be-fractured portion for allowing a fracture to occur in the negative electrode current collector in a prioritized manner is provided at an interface between the regions next to each other.
Zhu et al. teaches wherein when the negative electrode is zoned into three or more regions having the same length in the longitudinal direction, at least one of the negative electrode tab-leads is connected to each region and wherein a to-be-fractured portion for allowing a fracture to occur in the negative electrode current collector in a prioritized manner is provided at an interface between the regions next to each other for the purpose of increasing battery capacity and improving battery energy density (paragraph 0044).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time applicant's invention was made to Jeong et al. with wherein when the negative electrode is zoned into three or more regions having the same length in the longitudinal direction, at least one of the negative electrode tab-leads is connected to each region and wherein a to-be-fractured portion for allowing a fracture to occur in the negative electrode current collector in a prioritized manner is provided at an interface between the regions next to each other for the purpose of increasing battery capacity and improving battery energy density (paragraph 0044).
As to claim 5, Jeong et al. discloses wherein the negative electrode external terminal (figure 1b) includes an outer can (110) accommodating the electrode group, the nonaqueous electrolyte, and the negative electrode connection portion, the outer can has a tubular side portion, a bottom portion (140) closing one end portion of the side portion, and an opening (150) at the other end portion of the side portion, and the plurality of negative electrode tab-leads (125) are each connected to an inner face of the bottom portion (140) of the outer can.
4. Claim(s) 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong et al. in view of Okano et al. (US20210265617).
Jeong et al. discloses the lithium secondary battery described above. Jeong et al. fail to disclose, wherein the electrode group has a space that allows the separator to be apart from and oppose at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, further comprising a spacer interposed between the separator and the at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and the space is provided by the spacer, and wherein the spacer is insulative, and a portion of the spacer is disposed at the connection portion.
Okano teaches wherein the electrode group has a space that allows the separator to be apart from and oppose at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, further comprising a spacer interposed between the separator and the at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and the space is provided by the spacer, and wherein the spacer is insulative, and a portion of the spacer is disposed at the connection portion for the purpose of providing space for storing lithium metal between the positive and negative electrode (paragraph 0031).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time applicant's invention was made to Jeong et al. with wherein the electrode group has a space that allows the separator to be apart from and oppose at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, further comprising a spacer interposed between the separator and the at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and the space is provided by the spacer, and wherein the spacer is insulative, and a portion of the spacer is disposed at the connection portion for the purpose of providing space for storing lithium metal between the positive and negative electrode (paragraph 0031).
Conclusion
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/JANE J RHEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1724
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