DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status [001] The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority [002] Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. FILLIN "Insert series code and serial no. of parent." KR10-2022-0088405 , filed on FILLIN "Enter the date filing of the parent application." 7/18/2022 . Specification [003] The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: - On page 6, paragraph 28 of the instant specification contains references to the cathode and anode; both components are referred to as elements 110 and 120. -The instant drawings and the instant specification define the separator as element 130. However, page 18 paragraph 110 of the instant specification refers to the separator as both elements 130 and 140. It is believed the “140” should read “130”. -Paragraph 96 of the instant specification is drawn to the negative current collector and its active layers . However, the motivation following it specifically reads on the positive current collector , while referring to the negative active material layer drawing numbers . [004] Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 [005] 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. [006] 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. [007] Claims FILLIN "Insert the claim numbers which are under rejection." \d "[ 1 ]" 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being FILLIN "Insert either—clearly anticipated—or—anticipated—with an explanation at the end of the paragraph." \d "[ 3 ]" anticipated by Guo et al. (CN 114566720 A; Henceforth, Guo ). [008] Regarding claim 1 , Guo teaches a lithium secondary battery ( lithium-ion battery , paragraph [n0035] ) , comprising a cathode comprising ( see Figure 8, annotated below , element 2 ) a cathode current collector ( Figure 8, below , element 23 ) an upper cathode active material layer disposed on a top surface of the cathode current collector ( Figure 8, below , element 21 ) a lower cathode active material layer disposed under a bottom surface of a cathode current collector ( Figure 8, below , element 22 ) and an anode facing the cathode ( Figure 8, below, element 1 ) wherein a thickness of the upper cathode active material layer increases in a direction from one end portion to the other end portion of the cathode current collector ( Figure 8, below ) , and a thickness of the lower cathode active material layer decreases in the direction from the one end portion to the other end portion of the cathode current collector ( Figure 8, below ). The examiner notes that lithium-ion batteries are lithium secondary batteries. Figure 8 , reproduced from Guo , annotated by the examiner . [009] Regarding claim 3, Guo teaches t he lithium secondary battery of claim 1, wherein a sum of thicknesses of the upper cathode active material layer and the lower cathode active material layer is uniform throughout an entire region of the cathode ( Figure 8, above ) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 [010] 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. [011] 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. [012] 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 . [013] Claims FILLIN "Pluralize claim, if necessary, and then insert the claim number(s) which is/are under rejection." \d "[ 1 ]" 2, 5, 8 , and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FILLIN "Insert the prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 2 ]" Guo as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of FILLIN "Insert the additional prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 4 ]" Masahiro (JP 2002100393 A; Henceforth Masahiro ) . [014] Regarding claim 2 , the instant claim is drawn to t he lithium secondary battery of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a thickness of the upper cathode active material layer disposed on the other end portion of the cathode current collector relative to a thickness of the upper cathode active material layer disposed on the one end portion of the cathode current collector is from 1.2 to 1.6, and a ratio of a thickness of the lower cathode active material layer disposed under the one end portion of the cathode current collector relative to a thickness of the lower cathode active material layer disposed under the other end portion of the cathode current collector is from 1.2 to 1.6. The motivation for this is that, within the thickness ratio range, degradation of stability due to an excessive concentration of the initial heat generated in a partial region of the cathode active material layers may be prevented while sufficiently improving the rapid charging performance (page 9, paragraph 56). [015] Guo teaches the lithium secondary battery of claim 1, but does not teach the ratio of the thicknesses of the active material layers at either end of the positive electrode. [016] Masahiro teaches a n alkaline spiral - type battery ( page 1, paragraph 1 ), with positive and negative electrodes each having both a front and back active material layers ( Figure 3, annotated below ). Masahiro teaches the ratio of the B2 end portion having a thicker back side active material layer thickness and the thinner B1 end portion is [ B2/B1] is restricted to 1 < [B2/B1] ≦ 2.3 ( page 2, paragraph 8; Figure 3, below ) . Additionally, Masahiro teaches this ratio extends to A1/A2 ( page 3, paragraph 18 ) , and teaches the thickness on both sides (Ax + Bx) of the active material layer is substantially constant at each point in the width direction of the battery ( Claim 1, page 6 ) . Masahiro additionally teaches this ratio to the active material layers of the positive electrode plate ( pages 2-3, paragraphs 18, 21-23 ). Masahiro further identifies that the breakage of the core due to the stress during winding has the effect of lowering the battery capacity ( page 1, paragraph 3 ), and teaches that, with the above structure, the breakage of the core due to the stress during winding can be significantly reduced, and the internal short circuit due to the winding deviation can be prevented ( page 2, paragraph 7 ) . Figure 3 , reproduced from Masahiro , annotated by the examiner . [017] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo with the ratios of the thickness of positive active material layer s , as taught by Masahiro in the same field of endeavor , to create a spiral-type battery to minimize the breakage of the core caused by stress during winding. The thickness ratios taught by Masahiro is a known technique in the same field of endeavor to minimize the amount of breakage of the core during winding of spiral-type batteries, like the one taught by Guo . Adoption of this technique would have had the predictable effect of reducing the breakage of the core during winding of the spiral battery, where a person of ordinary skill in the art would have the reasonable expectation that implementation of the technique would have been successful . Additionally, there would have been a motivation, as taught by Masahiro , for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date, to utilize a thickness ratio within the range of more than 1 and less than or equal to 2.3, to minimize the breakage of the core during winding, preventing the short circuiting that reduces the overall capacity of the battery . [018] Regarding claim 5 , the instant claim is drawn to t he lithium secondary battery of claim 1, wherein the anode comprises an anode current collector, an upper anode active material layer disposed on a top surface of the anode current collector, and a lower anode active material layer disposed under a bottom surface of the anode current collector, and a thickness of the upper anode active material layer decreases in a direction from one end portion to the other end portion of the anode current collector, and a thickness of the lower anode active material layer increases in the direction from one end portion to the other end portion of the anode current collector. The motivation for this is that an initial heat generation rate during the rapid charging may be increased at a portion having a relatively large thickness among the anode active material layers. Thus, mobility of lithium ions in the initial stage of the rapid charging may be increased, thereby improving the rapid charging performance ( page 13, paragraph 83) . [019] Guo teaches the lithium secondary battery of claim 1. Guo additionally teaches a different lithium-ion battery embodiment with an anode ( see Figure 4, annotated below, element 1 ) compris ing an anode current collector ( Figure 4, below, element 13 ) , an upper anode active material layer disposed on a top surface of the anode current collector ( Figure 4, below, element 11 ) , and a lower anode active material layer disposed under a bottom surface of the anode current collector ( Figure 4, below, element 12 ) , and a thickness of the upper anode active material layer decreases in a direction from one end portion to the other end portion of the anode current collector, and a thickness of the lower anode active material layer increases in the direction from one end portion to the other end portion of the anode current collector ( Figure 4, below ). Figure 4 , reproduced from Guo , annotated by the examiner . [020] However, Guo does not teach the use of both a cathode and an anode with active material layers that change in thickness over the length of the battery at the same time. [021] Masahiro teaches an alkaline battery with an anode ( see Figure 3, annotated above , element 7 ) comprising an anode current collector ( Figure 3, above , element 2 ), an upper anode active material layer disposed on a top surface of the anode current collector ( Figure 3, above , element 5 ), and a lower anode active material layer disposed under a bottom surface of the anode current collector ( Figure 3, above , element 6 ), and a thickness of the upper anode active material layer decreases in a direction from one end portion to the other end portion of the anode current collector, and a thickness of the lower anode active material layer increases in the direction from one end portion ( Figure 3, a bove ). Masahiro teaches that the breakage of the core due to the stress during winding can be significantly reduced with this structural configuration , and the internal short circuit due to the winding deviation can be prevented ( page 2, paragraph 7 ) . [022] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo with the negative current collector configuration taught by Masahiro in the same field of endeavor, to create a spiral-type battery to minimize the breakage of the core caused by stress during winding. The negative current collector configuration taught by Masahiro is a known technique in the same field of endeavor to minimize the amount of breakage of the core during winding of spiral-type batteries, like the one taught by Guo . Adoption of this technique would have had the predictable effect of reducing the breakage of the core during winding of the spiral battery, where a person of ordinary skill in the art would have the reasonable expectation that implementation of the technique would have been successful . Additionally, there would have been a motivation, as taught by Masahiro , for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date, to utilize a structural configuration to minimize the breakage of the core during winding, preventing the short circuiting that reduces the overall capacity of the battery. [0 23 ] Regarding claim 8 , the instant claim is drawn to the lithium secondary battery of claim 5, wherein a sum of thicknesses of the upper anode active material layer and the lower anode active material layer is uniform throughout an entire region of the anode. The motivation for this is that, an excessive concentration of heat at a specific region during the rapid charging may be prevented to improve stability of the lithium secondary battery (page 15, paragraph 94). [0 24 ] Guo and Masahiro teach the lithium secondary battery of claim 5. Masahiro additionally teaches that the thickness on both (Ax + Bx) of the negative electrode active material layers are substantially constant at each point in the width direction of the battery ( Claim 1, page 6; also see Figure 3, reproduced above ), and this structure helps minimize the breakage of the core due to the stress during winding can be significantly reduced, and the internal short circuit due to the winding deviation can be prevented. [0 25 ] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo and Masahiro with the sum the thickness of negative active material layers is uniform, as taught by Masahiro in the same field of endeavor, to create a spiral-type battery to minimize the breakage of the core caused by stress during winding. Using the sum of the thickness taught by Masahiro is a known technique in the same field of endeavor to minimize the amount of breakage of the core during winding of spiral-type batteries, like the one taught by Guo . Adoption of this technique would have had the predictable effect of reducing the breakage of the core during winding of the spiral battery, where a person of ordinary skill in the art would have the reasonable expectation that the function of the battery would not otherwise change. Additionally, there would have been a motivation, as taught by Masahiro , for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date, to keep the sum of the thicknesses of the anodic active material layers uniform, to minimize the breakage of the core during winding, preventing the short circuiting that reduces the overall capacity of the battery. [02 6 ] Regarding claim 9 , the instant claim is drawn to the lithium secondary battery of claim 5, wherein a ratio of a thickness of the upper anode active material layer disposed on the one end portion of the anode current collector relative to a thickness of the upper anode active material layer disposed on the other end portion of the anode current collector is from 1.2 to 1.6, and a ratio of a thickness of the lower anode active material layer disposed under the other end portion of the anode current collector relative to a thickness of the lower anode active material layer disposed under the one end portion of the anode current collector is from 1.2 to 1 .6 . The motivation for this is that, when w ithin the above thickness ratio range, the degradation of stability due to an excessive concentration of the initial heat generated in a partial region of the anode active material layers may be prevented while sufficiently improving the rapid charging performance (page 15, paragraph 86) . [02 7 ] Guo and Masahiro teach the lithium secondary battery of claim 5. Masahiro additionally teaches an alkaline spiral - type battery ( page 1, paragraph 1 ), with both positive and negative electrodes each having both a front and back active material layers ( Figure 3, annotated above ). Masahiro teaches the ratio of the B2 end portion having a thicker back side active material layer thickness and the thinner B1 end portion is [ B2/B1] is restricted to 1 < [B2/B1] ≦ 2.3 ( page 2, paragraph 8; Figure 3, above ) . Masahiro further teaches that the breakage of the core due to the stress during winding has the effect of lowering the battery capacity ( page 1, paragraph 3 ), and with the above structure, the breakage of the core due to the stress during winding can be significantly reduced, and the internal short circuit due to the winding deviation can be prevented ( page 2, paragraph 7 ) . [02 8 ] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo and Masahiro with the ratios of the thickness of negative active material layer, as taught by Masahiro in the same field of endeavor, to create a spiral-type battery to minimize the breakage of the core caused by stress during winding. The thickness ratios taught by Masahiro is a known technique in the same field of endeavor to minimize the amount of breakage of the core during winding of spiral-type batteries, like the one taught by Guo . Adoption of this technique would have had the predictable effect of reducing the breakage of the core during winding of the spiral battery, where a person of ordinary skill in the art would have the reasonable expectation that implementation of the technique would have been successful. Additionally, there would have been a motivation, as taught by Masahiro , for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date, to utilize a thickness ratio within the range of more than 1 and less than or equal to 2.3, to minimize the breakage of the core during winding, preventing the short circuiting that reduces the overall capacity of the battery. [02 9 ] Claim FILLIN "Pluralize claim, if necessary, and then insert the claim number(s) which is/are under rejection." \d "[ 1 ]" 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FILLIN "Insert the prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 2 ]" Guo as applied to claim FILLIN "Pluralize claim, if necessary, and then insert the claim number(s) which is/are under rejection." \d "[ 3 ]" 1 above, and further in view of Fujita et al. ( JP 5347428 B2 ; Henceforth, Fujita ) and Hitsamitsu et al. ( JP 2006085921 A ; Henceforth, Hitsamitsu ). [0 30 ] Regarding claim 4 , the instant claim is drawn to t he lithium secondary battery of claim 1, wherein a slope angle of an extension direction of the cathode current collector with respect to a length direction of the cathode is from -2.0° to -0.1°. The motivation for this is that, when w ithin the slope angle range, the thickness deviation of the cathode active material layers may be implemented while forming the cathode 110 with a uniform thickness (page 10, paragraph 63). [0 31 ] Guo teaches the lithium secondary battery of claim 1, but does not teach the angle of inclination of the cathode current collector , or the dimensions of the current collectors . [0 32 ] Hitsamitsu teaches a bipolar battery ( Figure 1 , reproduced below ) where the outermost current collectors are sloped ( Figure 1, below, elements 11a and 11b ). Hitsamitsu teaches that the thickness of the outermost current collectors is about 10 – 1000 μm at its thickest, and 1 to 100 μm at its thinnest ( page 10, paragraph 61 ) and the size of the current collector can have a large area when a large electrode is manufactured, or it can have a small area when a small electrode is manufactured ( page 10, paragraph 62 ). The dimensions of the outermost current collectors define the angle at which all of the other current collectors are oriented ( Figure 1 ). Figure 1, reproduced from Hitsamitsu . [03 3 ] Hitsamitsu does not teach the specific area the current collectors used. [03 4 ] Fujita teaches a secondary battery wherein the positive and negative electrodes are coated with active material on both sides of the electrodes, and the thickness of the active material layers gradually increases towards the collecting tabs ( page 2, paragraph 10; also see Figure 2, reproduced below ) , which has the benefit of averaging the charge mobility over the entire surface of the active material layer ( page 3, paragraph 16 ) . Fujita further teaches the area of the current collectors to be 50 to 500 cm 2 ( page 5, paragraph 27 ). Fujita also teaches an embodiment with grid-shaped grooves in the active material layer ( Figure 5, annotated below ). Figure 2, reproduced from Fujita . Figure 5, reproduced from Fujita , with examiner annotations. [03 5 ] Fujita does not explicitly teach the dimensions of the current collectors. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art , using the grid-like grooves of Figure 5 , can calculate the dimensions of the plate, as the collector is 10 grid-units by 20-grid units. This results in dimensions of 5 - 15.8 cm (10 grid-units side) by 10 - 31.6 cm (20 grid-units side) , with the 10 – 31.6 cm being the length in the extension direction of the current collector. [03 6 ] These current collectors are simple metal foils ( Fujita , page 5, paragraph 27 ), are well known in the art, and could reasonably be selected to form a battery as taught by Hitsamitsu . With the thicknesses of the outer current collectors know (with a maximum height change of 1000 μm – 1 μm = 999 μm ) , the maximum angle of inclination of the current collector , with an extension length of 10 cm, can be calculated by a person of ordinary skill in the art to be 0.5 7 degrees. This value is within the range stated by the instant claim. It has been held that, when prior art teaches a value within a range the instant claims are drawn to, there is a prima facie case of obviousness. See MPEP 2131.03 and 2144.05. [03 7 ] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo with the current collectors of the dimensions taught by Fujita in the same field of endeavor, and angled to the same degree as the current collectors in Hitsamitsu , to have the positive current collectors angled between negative 0.1 and negative 2.0 degrees. One of ordinary skill could calculate the length of the current collectors taught by Fujita , as described above , in order to determine an angle of inclination that is taught by Hitsamitsu using a similarly-sized electrode . Since Guo already taught a battery with a positive current collector with a gradual negative angle of inclination, a person of ordinary skill in the art would reasonably expect that the application of the specific angle in the same orientation (that being angled below the length direction of the battery, resulting in a negative angle) in the battery of Guo would not diminish the functionality of the battery. [03 8 ] Claim 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FILLIN "Insert the prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 2 ]" Guo and Masahiro as applied to claim FILLIN "Pluralize claim, if necessary, and then insert the claim number(s) which is/are under rejection." \d "[ 3 ]" 5 above, and further in view of FILLIN "Insert the additional prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 4 ]" FILLIN "Insert the additional prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 4 ]" Fujita . [03 9 ] Regarding claim 6 , the instant claim is drawn to the lithium secondary battery of claim 5, wherein the one end portion of the anode current collector overlaps the one end of the cathode current collector in a thickness direction, and the other end portion of the anode current collector overlaps the other end portion of the cathode current collector in the thickness direction. The motivation for this is that , the initial heat generation rate may be further increased during the rapid charging. Further, a reversible capacity ratio and an electrode capacity ratio of the cathode 110 and the anode 120 may become uniform over the entire region of the electrode stack structure 100 or the lithium secondary battery. Thus, the driving stability of the lithium secondary battery may be improved (page 14, paragraph 89). [0 40 ] Guo and Masahiro teach the lithium secondary battery of claim 5, but do not teach the one end portion of the anode current collector overlap ping the one end of the cathode current collector in a thickness direction, and the other end portion of the anode current collector overlap ping the other end portion of the cathode current collector in the thickness direction. [0 41 ] Fujita teaches a secondary battery wherein the positive and negative electrodes are coated with active material on both sides of the electrodes, and the thickness of the active material layers gradually increases towards the collecting tabs ( page 2, paragraph 10; also see Figure 2, reproduced above ). Fujita teaches the thick portion of the positive electrode active material layer 5 overlaps the thin portion of the negative electrode active material layer 7, and the thin portion of the positive electrode active material layer 5 overlaps the thick portion of the negative electrode active material layer 7 ( page 5-6, paragraph 23 ; Figure 2 ) . Fujita further teaches that , although the thickness of each of the active material layers 5 and 7 gradually increases toward the current collecting tabs 8 and 9, the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface ( page 6, paragraph 23 ) , ensuring that, when a large current is required, it is possible to respond to the request for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte is suppressed ( page 6, paragraph 24 ). [0 42 ] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo and Masahiro with the orientation of the current collectors and their active material layers taught by Fujita in the same field of endeavor, to create a lithium secondary battery where the one end portion of the anode current collector overlaps the one end of the cathode current collector in a thickness direction, and the other end portion of the anode current collector overlaps the other end portion of the cathode current collector in the thickness direction . The orientation of the active material layers and the current collectors taught by Fujita is a known technique in the same field of endeavor to ensure the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface . Adoption of this technique would have had the predictable effect of allowing the battery to respond for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte is suppressed , where a person of ordinary skill in the art would have the reasonable expectation that implementation of this technique would have been successful . Additionally, there would have been a motivation, as taught by Fujita , for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date, to ensure the ends of the active material layers on the current collectors overlap, to ensure the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface , so that , when a large current is required, it is possible to respond to the request for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte can be suppressed. [04 3 ] Regarding claim 7 , the instant claim is drawn to the lithium secondary battery of claim 5, wherein a sum of a thickness of the lower cathode active material layer disposed under the one end portion of the cathode current collector and a thickness of the upper anode active material layer disposed on the one end portion of the anode current collector is equal to a sum of a thickness of the upper cathode active material layer disposed on the other end portion of the cathode current collector and a thickness of the lower anode active material layer disposed under the other end portion of the anode current collector. The motivation for this is that the entire thickness of the electrode stack structure may be substantially uniform. Thus, mechanical stability may be maintained or improved while improving the rapid charging properties of the lithium secondary battery (page 15, paragraph 92). [04 4 ] Guo and Masahiro teach the lithium secondary battery of claim 5. Masahiro teaches that the front and back active material layers (Ax + Bx) are substantially constant at each point along the width direction of the battery ( Claim 1 ). However, Masahiro does not explicitly equate the thicknesses of the active material layers of the positive and negative current collectors. [04 5 ] Fujita teaches a secondary battery wherein the positive and negative electrodes are coated with active material on both sides of the electrodes, and the thickness of the active material layers gradually increases towards the collecting tabs ( page 2, paragraph 10; also see Figure 2, reproduced above ). Fujita teaches the thick portion of the positive electrode active material layer 5 overlaps the thin portion of the negative electrode active material layer 7, and the thin portion of the positive electrode active material layer 5 overlaps the thick portion of the negative electrode active material layer 7 ( page 5-6, paragraph 23 , Figure 2 ) . Fujita further teaches that , although the thickness of each of the active material layers 5 and 7 gradually increases toward the current collecting tabs 8 and 9, the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface ( page 6, paragraph 23 ), ensuring that, when a large current is required, it is possible to respond to the request for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte is suppressed ( page 6, paragraph 24 ). Fujita teaches that the current collectors are flat ( Figure 2, above ), meaning the sum of thick portion of the positive electrode active material and the thin portion of the negative electrode active material is equal to sum of thin portion of the positive electrode active material and the thick portion of the negative electrode active material. [04 6 ] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo and Masahiro with the orientation of the current collectors and their active material layers taught by Fujita in the same field of endeavor, to create a lithium secondary battery where the sum of thick portion of the positive electrode active material and the thin portion of the negative electrode active material is equal to sum of thin portion of the positive electrode active material and the thick portion of the negative electrode active material. The orientation of the active material layers and the current collectors taught by Fujita is a known technique in the same field of endeavor to ensure the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface . Adoption of this technique would have had the predictable effect of allowing the battery to respond for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte is suppressed, where a person of ordinary skill in the art would have the reasonable expectation that implementation of this technique would have been successful. Additionally, there would have been a motivation, as taught by Fujita , for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date, to ensure the ends of the active material layers on the current collectors overlap , so that the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface , ensuring that, when a large current is required, it is possible to respond to the request for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte can be suppressed. [04 7 ] Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FILLIN "Insert the prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 2 ]" Guo and Masahiro as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of FILLIN "Insert the additional prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 4 ]" Fujita and Hitsamitsu . [04 8 ] Regarding claim 10 , the instant claim is drawn to The lithium secondary battery of claim 5, wherein a slope angle of an extension direction of the anode current collector with respect to a length direction of the anode is from 0.1° to 2.0°. The motivation for this is that, when w ithin the slope angle range, the thickness deviation of the cathode active material layers 124 and 126 may be implemented while forming the cathode 120 with a uniform thickness (pages 15-16, paragraph 96). The examiner notes that this paragraph is subject to an objection, as outlined above, for motivating the rational for the cathodic current collector layers, wh ile the drawing numbers referenced and the rest of the paragraph are drawn to the anodic current collector. [0 49 ] Guo and Masahiro teach the lithium secondary battery of claim 5 , but do not teach the angle of inclination of the negative current collector, or the dimensions of the current collectors. [05 0 ] Hitsamitsu teaches a bipolar battery ( Figure 1 , reproduced above ) where the outermost current collectors are sloped ( Figure 1, above , elements 11a and 11b ). Hitsamitsu teaches that the thickness of the outermost current collectors is about 10 – 1000 μm at its thickest, and 1 to 100 μm at its thinnest ( page 10, paragraph 61 ) and the size of the current collector can have a large area when a large electrode is manufactured, or it can have a small area when a small electrode is manufactured ( page 10, paragraph 62 ). The dimensions of the outermost current collectors define the angle at which all of the other current collectors are oriented ( Figure 1 ). [05 1 ] Hitsamitsu does not teach the specific area the current collectors used. [05 2 ] Fujita teaches a secondary battery wherein the positive and negative electrodes are coated with active material on both sides of the electrodes, and the thickness of the active material layers gradually increases towards the collecting tabs ( page 2, paragraph 10; also see Figure 2, reproduced above ), which has the benefit of averaging the charge mobility over the entire surface of the active material layer ( page 3, paragraph 16 ). Fujita further teaches the area of the current collectors to be 50 to 500 cm 2 ( page 5, paragraph 27 ). Fujita also teaches an embodiment with grid-shaped grooves in the active material layer ( Figure 5, annotated above ). [05 3 ] Fujita does not explicitly teach the dimensions of the current collectors. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art, using the grid-like grooves of Figure 5 , can calculate the dimensions of the plate, as the collector is 10 grid-units by 20-grid units. This results in dimensions of 5 - 15.8 cm (10 grid-units side) by 10 - 31.6 cm (20 grid-units side), with the 10 – 31.6 cm being the length in the extension direction of the current collector. [05 4 ] These current collectors are simple metal foils ( Fujita , page 5, paragraph 27 ), are well known in the art, and could reasonably be selected to form a battery as taught by Hitsamitsu . With the thicknesses of the outer current collectors know (with a maximum height change of 1000 μm – 1 μm = 999 μm ), the maximum angle of inclination of the current collector, with an extension length of 1 0 cm, can be calculated by a person of ordinary skill in the art to be 0.5 7 degrees. This value is within the range stated by the instant claim. It has been held that, when prior art teaches a value within a range the instant claims are drawn to, there is a prima facie case of obviousness. See MPEP 2131.03 and 2144.05. [05 5 ] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo with the current collectors of the dimensions taught by Fujita in the same field of endeavor, and angled to the same degree as the current collectors in Hitsamitsu , to have the positive current collectors angled between negative 0.1 and negative 2.0 degrees. One of ordinary skill could calculate the length of the current collectors taught by Fujita , as described above, in order to determine an angle of inclination that is taught by Hitsamitsu using a similarly-sized electrode. Since Guo already taught a battery with a positive current collector with a gradual negative angle of inclination, a person of ordinary skill in the art would reasonably expect that the application of the specific angle in the same orientation (that being angled below the length direction of the battery, resulting in a negative angle) in the battery of Guo would not diminish the functionality of the battery. [05 6 ] Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FILLIN "Insert the prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 2 ]" Guo as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of FILLIN "Insert the additional prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 4 ]" Yeh et al. (EP 3916854 A!; Henceforth, Yeh ) . [05 7 ] Regarding claim 11 , the instant claim is drawn to the lithium secondary battery of claim 1, wherein the upper cathode active material layer and the lower cathode active material layer include different types of cathode active materials. [05 8 ] Guo teaches the lithium secondary battery of claim 1, but does not teach using different active materials on either side of the cathodic current collector. [0 59 ] Yeh teaches an electrode plate that includes a metal foil, a first active material layer disposed on the top surface of the metal foil and a second active material layer disposed on the bottom surface of the metal foil ( page 3, paragraph 11 ) . Yeh teaches that the crystalline system of the first active material layer is different from the crystalline system of the second active material layer, and, if that were not the case, the currents would not be different when the battery is charged or discharged, thereby failing to adjust the capacitance of the battery and extend the cycle lifespan of the batter y ( page 3, paragraph 11 ). Yeh teaches both positive ( page 4, paragraph 13 ) and negative (page 4, paragraph 12 ) versions of the electrode plate, both of which can be used to make a battery ( page 4, paragraph 15 ). The examiner notes that, in the list of positive electrode active materials taught by Yeh ( page 4, paragraph 13 ), each of the crystalline systems are the different chemical composition s, not just one chemical composition with different crystal structures. [06 0 ] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo where the positive electrode active material layers are composed of different active materials, as taught by Yeh in the same field of endeavor, to create a lithium secondary battery where the top and bottom positive electrode active material layers are composed of different active materials. The technique taught by Yeh wherein of the top and bottom cathodic active material layers is a known technique in the same field of endeavor. Adoption of this technique would have had the predictable effect of making the currents different when the battery is charged or discharged, thereby adjusting the capacitance of the battery and extending the cycle lifespan of the battery , where a person of ordinary skill in the art would have the reasonable expectation that the function of the battery would improve. Additionally, there would have been a motivation, as taught by Yeh , for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date, to have the top and bottom cathodic active material layers be different , so that the currents would be different when the battery is charged or discharged, thereby adjusting the capacitance of the battery and extending the cycle lifespan of the battery. [06 1 ] Claim FILLIN "Pluralize claim, if necessary, and then insert the claim number(s) which is/are under rejection." \d "[ 1 ]" 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FILLIN "Insert the prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 2 ]" Guo as applied to claim FILLIN "Pluralize claim, if necessary, and then insert the claim number(s) which is/are under rejection." \d "[ 3 ]" 1 above, and further in view of FILLIN "Insert the additional prior art reference(s) relied upon for the obviousness rejection." \d "[ 4 ]" Fujita . [06 2 ] Regarding claim 12 , the instant claim is drawn to the lithium secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the lithium secondary battery has a uniform thickness throughout an entire region. The motivation for this is so that the entire thickness of the electrode stack structure 100 may be substantially uniform. Thus, mechanical stability may be maintained or improved while improving the rapid charging properties of the lithium secondary battery ( page 15, paragraph 92 ). [06 3 ] Guo teaches e lithium secondary battery of claim 1, but does not teach the battery having a uniform thickness throughout the entire region. [06 4 ] Fujita teaches a secondary battery wherein the positive and negative electrodes are coated with active material on both sides of the electrodes, and the thickness of the active material layers gradually increases towards the collecting tabs ( page 2, paragraph 10; also see Figure 2, reproduced above ). Fujita teaches the thick portion of the positive electrode active material layer 5 overlaps the thin portion of the negative electrode active material layer 7, and the thin portion of the positive electrode active material layer 5 overlaps the thick portion of the negative electrode active material layer 7 ( page 5-6, paragraph 23 , Figure 2 ) . Fujita further teaches that , although the thickness of each of the active material layers 5 and 7 gradually increases toward the current collecting tabs 8 and 9, the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface ( page 6, paragraph 23 ), ensuring that, when a large current is required, it is possible to respond to the request for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte is suppressed ( page 6, paragraph 24 ). [06 5 ] Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to create a lithium secondary battery with the components taught by Guo with the orientation of the current collectors and their active material layers taught by Fujita in the same field of endeavor, to create a lithium secondary battery where the battery has a uniform thickness throughout the entire region. The orientation of the active material layers and the current collectors taught by Fujita is a known technique in the same field of endeavor to ensure the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface . Adoption of this technique would have had the predictable effect of allowing the battery to respond for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte is suppressed, where a person of ordinary skill in the art would have the reasonable expectation that implementation of this technique would have been successful. Additionally, there would have been a motivation, as taught by Fujita , for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date, to ensure the ends of the active material layers on the current collectors overlap, so that the secondary battery as a whole has a uniform thickness over the entire surface , ensuring that, when a large current is required, it is possible to respond to the request for a large current without increasing the burden on the active material and the electrolyte, and the deterioration of the active material and the electrolyte can be suppressed. Conclusion [06 6 ] Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT RYAN P MURPHY whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-9321 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:30 pm . [06 7 ] Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. [0 6 8 ] If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Nicholas A Smith can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 272-8760 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. [0 69 ] Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /RPM/ Examiner, Art Unit 1752 /NICHOLAS A SMITH/ Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752