DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
2. Figures 7A, 7B and 7C should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Grosvenor et al. (US 5,800,946) as cited in IDS dated 6/8/23.
Regarding claim 1, Grosvenor discloses a bipolar storage battery (Col. 10, lines 32-36) comprising: a bipolar electrode (bipolar plate structure 31 with electrically conductive multilayered electrode (ECME)32, Fig. 3, ECME 19, Fig. 2, Col. 9, lines 31-33) including a positive electrode(see metal 24 in Fig. 2, Col. 8, lines 32-36 and positive active material 39 in Fig. 3), a negative electrode(see metal 30 in Fig. 2, Col. 8, lines 47-51 and negative active material 40 in Fig. 3), and a bipolar plate provided with the positive electrode on one surface and the negative electrode on an other surface (polymer/metal mesh composite core 18, Fig. 2), wherein: a first adhesive is provided between the one surface of the bipolar plate and the positive electrode to bond the positive electrode to the bipolar plate(electrically conductive adhesive layer 26, Fig. 2), and the first adhesive is a conductive adhesive(Col. 8, lines 32-35).
Regarding claim 2, Grosvenor discloses the positive electrode includes a positive current collector(metal 24, Fig. 2), the negative electrode includes a negative current collector(metal 30, Fig. 2), and the positive current collector and the negative current collector are made of lead or a lead alloy(Col. 8, lines 32 and 50-51).
Regarding claim 3, Grosvenor discloses the first adhesive is provided to cover the one surface of the bipolar plate(Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, Grosvenor discloses the positive electrode includes a positive current collector(metal 24, Fig. 2), the negative electrode includes a negative current collector(metal 30, Fig. 2), and the positive current collector and the negative current collector are made of lead or a lead alloy(Col. 8, lines 32 and 50-51).
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claim 5 is 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.
In particular, the allowable limitation is the first adhesive is provided in a peripheral region of a communication hole communicating the one surface and the other surface of the bipolar plate, and a second adhesive is provided in another region other than the peripheral region in the one surface of the bipolar plate.
In the instant invention, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , the first adhesive 140 is provided only in the peripheral region X of the communication hole 150, and the second adhesive 141 is provided in the other region Y of the substrate 111([0054] US 2023/0318046). This second adhesive 141 is not a conductive adhesive, unlike the first adhesive 140([0054]). Instead, for example, the second adhesive 141 is an adhesive that does not contain a conductive filler and is generally used for bonding a substrate and a lead layer([0054]).
Grosvenor does not disclose, teach or render obvious the first adhesive is provided in a peripheral region of a communication hole communicating the one surface and the other surface of the bipolar plate, and a second adhesive is provided in another region other than the peripheral region in the one surface of the bipolar plate.
7. Claims 6-12 are objected to as being dependent upon allowable claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the allowable claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTORIA HOM LYNCH whose telephone number is (571)272-0489. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Miriam Stagg can be reached at 571-270-5256. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VICTORIA H LYNCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1724
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