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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-8, 13 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (U.S. Patent Publication 2019/0221825) in view of Gang (U.S. Patent Publication 2020/0106074).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a secondary battery comprising a stack electrode assembly 110, a first terminal part 130 electrically connected to one side of the electrode assembly, a first current collecting member 150, a first sub-tab 160 interposed between the one side of the electrode assembly and the first terminal part, wherein a first main tab 114 is formed from gathered tabs of the stack of cells and connected to the first sub-tab (Paragraphs 0036, 0040, 0041, Figs. 2A and 2B). As to claim 2, the first current collecting member and the first sub-tab together act as a clip for supporting the first main tab, with the first current collecting member being the ligation part. Fig. 7A shows that the extended part of the first main tab is formed on the side of the current collecting member opposite the electrode assembly. Regarding claim 3, Lee teaches that the first main tab is welded to the first sub-tab (Paragraph 0041). As to claims 5-8, Lee discloses that multiple electrode assemblies, each having the same connecting structure described above, can be formed (Paragraph 0091 and Fig. 8B). Regarding claims 13 and 14, Lee shows that the current collecting member has grooves that converge towards the slit portion (Fig. 5A), which could be used to guide the tab through the slit.
Lee fails to disclose that the extended portion has an excess length corresponding to the swelling of the electrode assembly.
Regarding claim 1, Gang discloses a battery module comprising a stack of battery cells 100, each cell comprising an electrode lead 150, wherein the electrode leads of the cells are combined and connected to a connection bus bar 350, and wherein the length of each electrode lead is determined and extended due to swelling of the electrode assembly (Paragraphs 0034, 0037, 0039, 0052, 0054).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention that the extended portion of the first main tab of Lee could have an excess length based on swelling of the electrode assembly because Gang teaches that this prevents the tabs from being separated from one another during expansion of the battery.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 9-12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRITTANY L RAYMOND whose telephone number is (571)272-6545. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 am-6 pm.
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BRITTANY L. RAYMOND
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1722
/BRITTANY L RAYMOND/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722
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