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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election of Group I, claims 1-5, in the reply filed on June 16, 2026 is acknowledged. Applicant argues that US 6,045,944 does not disclose or render obvious that the spot-shaped or tail-shaped welding trajectory beginning portion is formed on an inner side of the circular welding trajectory of the battery exterior cap. This is not found persuasive because Hosokawa discloses a method of manufacturing a secondary battery (abstract). The method includes inserting a battery assembly 11 into a battery casing (outer can 12; ¶¶ 3, 53, 55); injecting an electrolyte solution into the battery casing (¶¶ 3, 55); arranging a battery exterior cap with an electrode in an opening of the battery casing (¶¶ 3, 15, 55-57; figs 2A-B; 3B); welding and sealing the battery exterior cap along a circular trajectory (¶¶ 8, 15-16, 51, 82-87); the sealing including forming a welding trajectory beginning portion on the battery exterior cap and performing welding along the circular trajectory from the welding trajectory beginning portion (¶¶ 27-28, 74-48, 82, 87; figs. 5A-C); wherein the welding trajectory beginning portion is spot-shaped or tail-shaped (marks 32B-C; ¶¶ 75-78); and wherein the welding trajectory beginning portion that is spot-shaped or tail-shaped is formed on an inner side of the circular welding trajectory of the battery exterior cap (¶¶ 16, 27, 57, 77; figs. 3B-D, 5B, 8A).
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hosokawa (US 2011/0240613).
Claim 1: Hosokawa discloses a method of manufacturing a secondary battery (abstract). The method includes inserting a battery assembly 11 into a battery casing (outer can 12; ¶¶ 3, 53, 55); injecting an electrolyte solution into the battery casing (¶¶ 3, 55); arranging a battery exterior cap with an electrode in an opening of the battery casing (¶¶ 3, 15, 55-57; figs 2A-B; 3B); welding and sealing the battery exterior cap along a circular trajectory (¶¶ 8, 15-16, 51, 82-87); the sealing including forming a welding trajectory beginning portion on the battery exterior cap and performing welding along the circular trajectory from the welding trajectory beginning portion (¶¶ 27-28, 74-48, 82, 87; figs. 5A-C); wherein the welding trajectory beginning portion is spot-shaped or tail-shaped (marks 32B-C; ¶¶ 75-78); and wherein the welding trajectory beginning portion that is spot-shaped or tail-shaped is formed on an inner side of the circular welding trajectory of the battery exterior cap (¶¶ 16, 27, 57, 77; figs. 3B-D, 5B, 8A).
Claim 2: Hosokawa discloses laser welding is used in the sealing (¶¶ 3, 15, 55-58, 75).
Claim 3: Hosokawa discloses an ambient temperature of the welding trajectory beginning portio of the battery exterior cap is approximately 660 C (¶¶ aluminum-based weld marks; ¶¶ 17-18, 28, 53, 65, 75-77).
Claim 5: Hosokawa discloses the laser energy being 5.7-57 J (¶¶ 22, 61-76).
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.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hosokawa (US 2011/0240613), as applied to claim 2 above, in view of Trinh (Trinh, L.N.; Lee, D. The Characteristics of Laser Welding of a Thin Aluminum Tab and Steel Battery Case for Lithium-Ion Battery. Metals 2020, 10, 842).
Hosokawa discloses laser welding but is silent as to the laser wavelength range of laser used in the welding being 100 nm to 1500 nm. However, Trinh teaches laser welding of a lithium-ion battery case with a fiber laser having a wavelength of 1064 nm (section 2.2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have used a 1064 nm fiber laser as Hosokawa’s laser welding equipment, as taught by Trihn, because it is a conventional, commercially available source for laser welding battery cases with predictable results, as taught by Trihn (sections 1, 2.2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY THROWER whose telephone number is (571)270-5517. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm MT M-F.
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/LARRY W THROWER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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