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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 06/23/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
In response to the amendment received 06/23/2026, the following objections and rejections have been withdrawn from the previous office action:
35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection of claim 3
35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 5
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, 6-7, 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 (Fig 4, [0068] wound cylindrical battery core 10), wherein one end of the winding cell (10) is provided with a first tab (Fig 4, [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 (see annotated Fig 2 below, [0070] all tab groups are labeled 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 (Fig 4, [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),
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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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, wherein a width of the first tab varies non-linearly.
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 (which the examiner notes would constitute a non-linear variation of the width of the first tab), 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 the first tab layer (113), 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 (see above annotated 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 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 (1121), a number of the single tab (1121) of the first surface is equal to a number of the first single tab (1121) of the first tab layer (113), the second surface is formed by a plurality of single tabs (1121), and a number of the single tabs (1121) of the second surface is equal to a number of the single tabs (1121) 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 0 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s argument regarding claim 1 on page 8 of applicant’s remarks that the newly added limitation of “the width of the first tab varies non-linearly” should clearly distinguish with Zeng, the examiner disagrees. As stated in the rejection, this limitation is met by the meeting of the limitation that the number of third single tabs of the third tab layer is consistent with the number of second single tabs of the second tab layer, which is understood as a matter of design choice, because Zeng discloses that the number of tabs in each tab group is adjustable according to actual needs ([0070]).
Conclusion
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Susan Leong can be reached at (571) 270-1487. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/T.G.H./Examiner, Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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