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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 9, 10, and 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kobayashi (JP 2011-238569 and its machine translation).
Kobayashi discloses a battery comprising a housing and a battery cell in the housing (case 10, cell 50; figures 1 and 2, [0022]), including parts equivalent to the instantly claimed first and second housing body (case 10, lid 17, and case body 11, having bottom 12; figure 2, [0026],[0027])), wherein one housing body (second housing body, lid 17) is mounted on the first housing body 11, and are electrically insulated from one another (see annular gasket PK made of an insulating resin; [0023]).
The battery cell comprises a positive electrode plate 60, a negative electrode plate 70 (first and second electrode plates) each comprising a current collector (electrode foils 62, 72), ad active material layers 61 and 71, and a separator 80 between the plates.
The battery is a wound electrode body (50) obtained by winding the plates and separator around a core material 30
The battery case 10 is made of metal, with the main body 11 having a case bottom 12, wherein the positive electrode plate 60 through the core material 30 is electrically connected to the lid 17 via conductive metal 32Y (connecting a housing member and electrode plate), and wherein the case bottom is electrically connected to the negative electrode plate through the metal core bottom portion 31 and cylindrical metal part 32X (conductive such as copper; [0029]), wherein 32X and 32Y are isolated from each other via 32Z, a resin portion . Therefore, the reference device includes parts equating to the first and second conductive members, which are electrically isolated from each other, wherein one connects the lid 17 and the positive electrode plate via conductive 32Y, and the other connects the negative electrode plate the body bottom 12 via conductive 32X, isolated via resin body 32Z in the core 30 (figure 2, 3, [0028]-[0032]; also instant positioning hole of the conductive members as required by the instant claim 14).
Additionally, the starting end of the plate 60 and the starting end of the plate 70 are located between the conductive members 32X and 32Y (figure 3). Therefore, the device as disclosed by the reference teaches the claimed features as set forth by the instant claim 1.
With respect to the instant claim 3, the positive and negative electrode current collectors 62 and 72 comprise a portion having an active material coating thereon (see figures 4 and 5, exposed portions 62f and 72f, blank foil regions) and the uncoated portions 62f is connected to the conductive member 32Y, and the uncoated portion 72f is connected to conductive member 32X as required by the instant claim 3 ([0027], [0030], [0031]).
Instant claim 4 requires the connecting surfaces wherein 62f and 32Y and 72f and 32X connect to face toward each other, and as seen in figures 4 and 6, the blank foil portions (uncoated) 62f and 72f are connected to 32Y and 32X in a manner wherein the portions face one another via core 30, and the instant claim 5 wherein the two connecting surfaces together form a conductive structure (32). The uncoated regions 62f and 72f have a surface area smaller than that of the conductive regions 32Y and 32X (see below wherein they extend beyond the connecting region; instant claim 6). The widths of the uncoated regions are the same, meeting the limitations of the instant claim 9.
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The separators 80 of the electrode assemblies are positioned between the connecting portion regions which include 62f and 72f (see figure 4 and 6; instant claim 7), and wherein the electrodes are wound in the same direction between the conductive portions as required by the instant claim 2.
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As seen in the drawings above, the conductive portions 32Y and 32 X each include an end connected to housing body 17, and an end disposed opposite, and one end connected to the housing 12, with and portion disposed opposite, wherein the direction of the winding axis of the cell the end of 32Y extend beyond that in one direction than 32X, and 32X extends beyond 32Y (in the winding direction, 32X extends beyond 32Y toward 12, and 32Y extends beyond 32X toward 17), therefore meeting the limitations of the instant claim 10.
The conductive portions are on hollow core 30, wherein the hollow core is a positioning hole, further comprising a winding pin at the end on the hollow core (near 32X, WP) as required by the instant claim 14. The cell has a general shape in the width direction of a cylinder, thus meeting the limitations of the instant claims 15 and 16 for a geometric shape, and a circle ([0022]).
Claim 17 is drawn to an electronic apparatus comprising the battery as is clearly described by the reference (including figure 12). Claims 18-20 are dependent upon claim 17, and present the limitations as set forth for the instant claims 2-4, discussed above.
Therefore, the device of the reference teaches the limitations of the instant claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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(s) 8 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi in view of Viavattine et al (2011/0247204).
Kobayashi has been discussed above. The reference teaches a wound battery, preferably cylindrical, for a variety of applications. The reference teaches an insulating resin portion 32Z, but fails to specifically disclose the resin.
Viavattine et al disclose a rechargeable wound battery wherein the reference teaches that an insulating materials suitable for battery applications include resins- ethylene/ tetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, polyimide, and Teflon ([0059], [0070]). The instant specification teaches that suitable “insulating glue” material between the two conductive areas include polyimide, PTFE (Teflon), PET, and polypropylene (see instant specification [0056]).
The reference further teaches that typical wound cell rechargeable batteries typically have sizes of widths of about 0.2 to 2 inches (5.08 to 50.8 mm99) and the pins which extend through the cell lid to the base wherein the electrode assembly is wound around has a length of about 0.4 to 1 inch (10.16 to 25.4 mm), including a portion extending outside of the case ([0045], [0046], figure 5). Therefore, it can be estimated that a suitable height of a battery case having an electrode assembly wound around it would reasonably be within the claimed range of each connecting portion (32Y and 32X of the primary reference) to be about 2mm or less given the length taught at typical for the pins (similar to the hollow core 30) and the portion covered by the connected portions and the electrode assembly.
Therefore, given the teachings of the references, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant invention to prepare the material of Kobayashi, choosing as the insulating resin for 32Z, that as taught by Viavattine et al to be known and useful in the art, which would meet the limitations of the instant claims for the “insulating glue”.
Additionally, given the teachings of Viavattine et al for typical battery part and electrode sizes as known in the art, one of ordinary skill in the art would have prepared the device of Kobayashi et al, choosing a battery of similar size such as having a pin/ similar to core 30 with portions 32 of about 10mm with an about 5 mm electrode assembly (leaving about 5 mm for the conductive portions, connecting portions am, that extending to the lid), wherein the resultant battery would include the hollow core 30, having the electrode assembly wound around it, with conductive connecting portions, and conductive portions of each conductive portion 32Y and 32X extending beyond the connection portions (and electrode assembly) would have a length of about 2mm or less each. The resultant device would also meet the limitations of the instant claims.
Alternatively, one of ordinary skill in the art would have arrived at the claimed length given the teachings of the references for the device structure of Kobayashi and the teachings of conventional battery sizes of Viavattine et al, through routine experimentation to achieve a battery having features and lengths/ sizes resulting in optimal battery overcharge protection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 and 13 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.
Claims 12 and 13 require that there is a fixed portion which electrically isolates the end portions from the housing bodies, disposed between the cell and the hosuing, however, the primary reference requires that the conductive portions extend from the cells to the lib and housing bottom, wherein there cannot be an electrically isolating portion between the cells and the housing to isolate the end portions of 32X and 32Y.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMANDA C WALKE whose telephone number is (571)272-1337. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday 5:30am to 4pm.
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/AMANDA C. WALKE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722