DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
In response to the amendment received 02/02/2026, the following objections and rejections have been withdrawn from the previous office action:
Objections to the claims
35 U.S.C. 102 rejections of claims 1-2 and 8-14
35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 4
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the first single tabs" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-7, and 9-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foreign Publication CN217444585U (supplied by applicant, used previously attached machine translation), hereafter Zeng.
Regarding claim 1, Zeng discloses a cylindrical battery ([0001] cylindrical battery), comprising:
a winding cell ([0068] wound cylindrical battery core 10), wherein one end of the winding cell (10) is provided with a first tab (Fig 2, [0066] positive electrode tab group 141), and a center of the winding cell is formed with a central hole ([0077] center hole 145);
wherein along a radial direction of the central hole (145), the first tab (141) comprises a first tab layer (Fig 2, [0070] tab groups 113) and a second tab layer (113) disposed adjacent to each other (Fig 4 tab groups are adjacent in the radial direction), the first tab layer (113) comprises a first single tab (Fig 2, one single tab 1121 in first tab group 113), the second tab layer comprises at least two second single tabs (two single tabs 1121 in second tab group 113), and a number of the second single tabs of the second tab layer is one more than a number of the first single tab of the first tab layer (two single tabs 1121 in second tab group 113),
wherein along a radial direction of the central hole (145), the first tab (141) further comprises a third tab layer (113) disposed adjacent to the second tab layer (113) (Fig 2, third tab group 113 with 3 tabs), the third tab layer (113) comprises at least two third single tabs (Fig 2, third tab group 113 with 3 tabs),
wherein the winding cell (10) is further provided with a second tab ([0066] negative electrode tab group 142), polarities of the first tab (141) and the second tab (142) are opposite, and the first tab (141) and the second tab (142) are disposed at a same end (140) of the winding cell (10) ([0066], Fig 4, on the same end face 140 of the cylindrical battery cell 10),
wherein a number of the first tab (141) is one and a number of the second tab (142) is one (Fig 4).
Zeng further discloses the number of tabs (1121) in each tab group (113) may be adjusted according to actual needs ([0070]).
Zeng is silent on a number of the third single tabs of the third tab layer being consistent with a number of the second single tabs of the second tab layer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to modify the invention of Zeng to select the number of third single tabs in the third tab layer to be the same as the number of the second single tabs of the second tab layer, as a matter of design choice, since the number of tabs in each tab group is disclosed by Zeng to be adjustable according to actual needs.
Regarding claim 2, Zeng discloses wherein along a circumferential direction of the central hole (145), a difference between a width of the second tab layer (113) and a width of the first tab layer (113) is not less than a width of the second single tab (1121) (Fig 2, first tab 1121 is one tab wide, tabs in second tab group 113 two tabs wide plus space between the two tabs).
Regarding claim 3, Zeng further discloses wherein the first tab layer (113) comprises at least two of the first single tabs, the adjacent second single tabs (1121) are disposed at an interval, and the adjacent third single tabs (1121) are disposed at an interval, so that a difference between a width of the second tab layer (113) and a width of the third tab layer (113) is greater than a width of a third single tab (Fig 2, width in second tab group 113 is two tabs wide plus space between the two tabs while width in third tab group 113 is three tabs wide plus space between each tab). Zeng further discloses the leftmost positive electrode tab group (113) has one tab (1121), but the number of tabs (1121) in each tab group (113) may be adjusted according to actual needs ([0070]).
Zeng is silent on wherein the first tab layer comprises at least two first single tabs.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to modify the invention of Zeng to select the number of first single tabs in the first tab layer to be at least two, as a matter of design choice, since the number of tabs in each tab group is disclosed by Zeng to be adjustable according to actual needs.
Regarding claim 5, Zeng discloses wherein along the radial direction of the central hole (145), the first tab (141) further comprises a fourth tab layer (113) disposed adjacent to the third tab layer (113) (Fig 2, fourth tab group 113 with 4 tabs), the fourth tab layer (113) comprises at least three fourth single tabs (1121) (Fig 2, fourth tab group 113 with 4 tabs), and a number of the fourth single tabs (1121) of the fourth tab layer (113) is one more than a number of the third single tabs (1121) of the third tab layer (113) (Fig 2, fourth tab group 113 with 4 tabs while third tab group 113 has 3 tabs).
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Regarding claim 6, Zeng discloses wherein along the radial direction of the central hole (145), the first tab layer (113), the second tab layer (113), the third tab layer (113), and the fourth tab layer (113) are located at a middle part of the first tab (141) (Fig 4, tab groups are centered in alignment).
Regarding claim 7, Zeng discloses wherein a circumferential outer surface of the first tab (141) comprises a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface, the first surface and the second surface are disposed opposite to each other (Fig 4 outer arc and inner arcs of fan-shaped tab 141), the first surface is located on a side of the first tab (141) close to the central hole (145) (Fig 4), the second surface is located on the other side of the first tab (141) away from the central hole (145) (Fig 4), the opposite third surface and fourth surface are both connected to the first surface and the second surface (Fig 4, non-arcuate sides of fan-shaped tab 141), the first surface is a first arc surface (Fig 4), the second surface is a second arc surface (Fig 4), the third surface is a first plane (Fig 4), and the fourth surface is a second plane (Fig 2, Fig 4, when wound, inside surface of tab 141 forms first arc, outside surface forms second arc, with planar ends joining arcuate sides);
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the first surface is formed by at least one single tab (1141), a number of the single tab (1141) of the first surface is equal to a number of the first single tab (1141) of the first tab layer (113), the second surface is formed by a plurality of single tabs (1141), and a number of the single tabs (1141) of the second surface is equal to a number of the single tabs (1141) of the last tab layer (Fig 4, positive electrode tab group 141 forming the positive electrode tab 112 is bounded by first tab group 113 and last tab group 113 in the radial direction).
Zeng further discloses the number of tab groups (113) may be set to other suitable numbers greater or less than 6 ([0070]).
Zeng is silent on the number of single tabs of the second surface being equal to the number of tabs in the fourth tab layer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to modify the invention of Zeng to select the number of tab groups to be set to 4 as a matter of design choice, since the number of tabs in each tab group is disclosed by Zeng to be adjustable according to actual needs.
Regarding claim 9, Zeng discloses wherein a circumferential outer surface of the first tab (141) comprises a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface, the first surface and the second surface are disposed opposite to each other (Fig 4 outer arc and inner arcs of tab 141), the first surface is located on a side of the first tab (141) close to the central hole (145) (Fig 4), the second surface is located on the other side of the first tab (141) away from the central hole (145) (Fig 4), the opposite third surface and fourth surface are both connected to the first surface and the second surface (Fig 4, non-arcuate sides of tab 141), the first surface is a first arc surface (Fig 4), the second surface is a second arc surface (Fig 4), the third surface is a first plane (Fig 4), and the fourth surface is a second plane (Fig 2, Fig 4, when wound, inside surface of tab 141 forms first arc, outside surface forms second arc, with planar ends joining arcuate sides).
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Regarding claim 10, Zeng discloses wherein along the radial direction of the central hole (145), the first tab (141) comprises a plurality of tab layers (113), the winding cell (10) comprises a plurality of winding units (Fig 2, positive electrode sheet 11, negative electrode sheet 12, diaphragm 13), and the winding units are wound to form the winding cell (10) ([0066] 11, 12, 13 wound together to form cylindrical battery cell 10),
wherein an arc length of an nth tab layer is L, L = ar, a is a number of radians of the nth tab layer, r is a radius of the nth tab layer (this is the standard formula for arc length), r = r1+(φn-φ0)×(h/2π), r1 is a distance between the first surface and a center line of the central hole, h is a thickness of the winding unit, φn is an angle at which the nth tab layer is wound from a winding starting point of the winding unit, φ0 is an angle at which the first surface is wound from a winding starting point of the winding unit (the examiner notes this formula appears to be universal for any nth tab layer of a cylindrical cell wound electrode assembly with a central winding axis hole and adjacent layers of tabs as shown in Fig 4 of Zeng, thus the limitation is met inherently).
Regarding claim 11, Zeng discloses wherein the first tab layer (113) forms at least part of the first surface (Fig 2, Fig 4, first tab group 113 arranged closest to winding axis).
Regarding claim 12, Zeng discloses wherein a difference between an arc length of the second tab layer (113) and an arc length of the first tab layer (113) is not less than a width of the second single tab (1121) (Fig 2, first tab 1121 is one tab wide, tabs in second tab group 113 two tabs wide plus space between the two tabs).
Regarding claim 13, Zeng discloses wherein a distance between the first surface and the central hole (145) is greater than zero (Fig 4, [0077] positive electrode tab group 141 spaced apart near center O of the circle (not at the diameter of the hole 145)).
Regarding claim 14, Zeng discloses wherein an area of the first surface is less than an area of the second surface, and an area of the third surface is equal to an area of the fourth surface (Fig 2, Fig 4, when wound, inside surface of positive electrode tab group 141 forms first arc, outside surface forms second arc, with planar ends).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/02/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s argument regarding claim 1 on page 9 of applicant’s remarks that having equal number of the third single tabs of the third tab layer and second single tabs of the second tab layer and the winding cell being further provided with a second tab of opposite polarity on the same end of the winding cell amounts to unexpected results since it avoids the excessive width of the tab layer leading to excessive size of the tab area, which would increase the possibility of contact between the positive tab and the negative tab, by providing an increased connection area of the first tab and the second tab to ensure the first tab and second tab can have a reliable current flow area, while still with a reliable insulation distance between first tab and second tab, the examiner disagrees, and notes this would be an expected result, considering fig 4 of Zeng, one skilled in the art would understand the tab layer widening would also enlarge the tab area and want to avoid contact between the positive and negative tabs.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY HEMINGWAY whose telephone number is (571)272-0235. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 6-4.
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/T.G.H./Examiner, Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754