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 .
Priority
Acknowledgement has been made of applicant’s claim for priority under 35 USC 119 (a-d). The certified copy has been filed on 08/10/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statements (IDS) filed 01/11/2024 has been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings received 07/19/2023 are acceptable for examination purposes.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1, 2 , 9, 12, 13, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by CN 210092147 to Qu (Qu, machine translation).
Regarding claim 1, Qu discloses a battery (claim 1), comprising a battery cell body (5, Fig. 1) and a packaging housing, wherein a cavity for accommodating the battery cell body is provided inside the packaging housing (Fig.1, 4), an edge of the packaging housing has an edge banding, and the edge banding has a cross section cut along a thickness direction of the edge banding; the edge banding extends upwardly along a side surface of the battery cell body, a side surface, close to the battery cell body, of the edge banding is an inner side surface, a side surface, away from the battery cell body, of the edge banding is an outer side surface, a first bonding body is disposed on the cross section, and the first bonding body wraps the cross section, a part of the inner side surface, and a part of the outer side surface; and a thickness L1 of the first bonding body on the inner side surface is greater than a thickness L2 of the first bonding body on the outer side surface (see marked Fig. 4).
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Therefore the instant claim 1 anticipated by Qu.
Regarding claim 2, Qu discloses wherein a lower edge of the first bonding body on the outer side surface is higher than a lower edge of the first bonding body on the inner side surface (Fig. 4 above).
Regarding claim 9, Qu discloses wherein a top end of the first bonding body is higher than the cross section of the edge banding (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 12, Qu discloses wherein a top end of the first bonding body is lower than or equal to a height of a top surface of the battery cell body (Fig. 4 above).
Regarding claims 13 and 14: since Ou discloses all structural limitations of the battery as claimed: claimed properties such as wherein a drawing force, along a direction perpendicular to the edge banding, between the first bonding body and the edge banding is greater than or equal to 0.01 kg/mm and wherein a hardness of the first bonding body is greater than 20 A are inherently present. MPEP 2112 V states that "once a reference teaching product appearing to be substantially identical is made the basis of a rejection, and the Examiner presents evidence or reasoning tending to show inherency, the burden shifts to the Applicant to show an unobvious difference."
Regarding claim 15, Qu discloses a lithium battery (para 19).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 3, 4, 10, 11, 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over CN 210092147 to Qu (Qu, machine translation).
Regarding claim 3 and 4, Qu discloses the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 2 and incorporated therein. Qu does not expressly disclose wherein a distance from a top end of the first bonding body to the lower edge of the first bonding body on the outer side surface is H1, and a numerical range of H1 is H1 > 0.05 mm and wherein a distance from the top end of the first bonding body to the lower edge of the first bonding body on the inner side surface is H2, and a numerical range of H2 is H2 > 0.05 mm and H2 > H1.
However, since the criticality establishing a distance from a top end of the first bonding body to the lower edge of the first bonding body on the outer side surface is H1, and a numerical range of H1 is H1 > 0.05 mm and wherein a distance from the top end of the first bonding body to the lower edge of the first bonding body on the inner side surface is H2, and a numerical range of H2 is H2 > 0.05 mm and H2 > H1 -a position claimed by Applicant is not supported by any showing of criticality of such placement in the instant specification, nor did Applicant stated that such placement serves any specific purpose or performs any specific function other that the function disclosed in Qu, it would have been obvious top those skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to establish establishing a distance from a top end of the first bonding body to the lower edge of the first bonding body on the outer side surface is H1, and a numerical range of H1 is H1 > 0.05 mm and wherein a distance from the top end of the first bonding body to the lower edge of the first bonding body on the inner side surface is H2, and a numerical range of H2 is H2 > 0.05 mm and H2 > H1 as an obvious design choice, and as such it does not impact the patentability of claims 3 and 4.
Regarding claim 10 and 11, Qu discloses the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 1 and incorporated therein. In addition, Qu discloses the distance from the inner side end of the adhesive coating (4) to the inner side surface of the side sealing edge 3 in an orthographic projection direction of the battery body (5) and the distance from the outer side end of the adhesive coating (4) to the outer side surface of the side sealing edge (3) in the orthographic projection direction of the battery body (5). Therefore, Qu discloses that numerical value of L1 and L2 more than 0 mm. Regarding the range of 0<(L2 or L1)<0.3 mm: since the criticality of the claimed range <(L2 or L1)<0.3 mm the - a position claimed by Applicant is not supported by any showing of criticality of such distance in the instant specification, nor did Applicant stated that structural feature serves any specific purpose or performs any specific function other that the function disclosed in Qu, it would have been obvious top those skilled in the art at the time the invention was filed to find suitable thickness as a result of routine optimization as an obvious design choice, and as such it does not impact the patentability of claims 10 and 11.
Alternatively, regarding claims 13 and 14, Qu discloses the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 1 and incorporated therein. Qu does not expressly disclose wherein a drawing force, along a direction perpendicular to the edge banding, between the first bonding body and the edge banding is greater than or equal to 0.01 kg/mm and wherein a hardness of the first bonding body is greater than 20 A. However, Qu discloses that the sealing structures can be prepared from terpene resin, petroleum resin, polyolefin, polyvinyl butyral, polyamide, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer (SIS), and polyester; and the pressure-sensitive adhesive is one of acrylic resin, thermosetting polyurethane, silicone, rubber, ethylene butene-polystyrene linear triblock copolymer (SEBS), styrene-butadiene block copolymer (SEPS), and epoxidized styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer (ESIS, claim 7). It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to optimize properties of first bonding body based on materials disclosed by Qu by routine optimization in order to increase mechanical integrity of the battery.
Claims 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over CN 210092147 to Qu in view of CN 202134624 to Cheng (Cheng, machine translation).
Regarding claim 5, Qu discloses the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 1 and incorporated therein. Qu does not expressly disclose wherein a second bonding body is provided between the inner side surface of the edge banding and the battery cell body.
Cheng teaches a soft-pack lithium battery edge sealing and fixing structure (claim 1, Fig. 2). In addition, Cheng teaches a structure comprising bent upward sealing edge 22 and a first binder 23 (reads on first sealing body) disposed below second binder (24) (See Fig. 2, below). Cheng also teaches that such structure can adapt to an unevenness of the sealing edge area, which is suitable for characteristics of soft-pack lithium batteries with varied shapes and sizes and provides bonding performance, reduces the probability and risk of failure (para 18). It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the battery of Qu with the sealing structure comprising first and second bonding bodies, as taught by Cheng, in order to adapt to an unevenness of the sealing edge area, which is suitable for characteristics of soft-pack lithium batteries with varied shapes and sizes and provides bonding performance, reduces the probability and risk of failure.
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Regarding claim 6, modified Qu discloses wherein a lower edge of the first bonding body (24) on the inner side surface is higher than an upper edge of the second bonding body (23) on the inner side surface (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 7, modified Qu discloses wherein a lower edge of the first bonding body on the outer side surface is higher than an upper edge of the second bonding body on the inner side surface (Qu, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 8, modified Qu discloses the invention as discussed above as applied to claim 5 and incorporated therein. Modified Qu does not disclose wherein a lower edge of the first bonding body on the inner side surface is higher than an upper edge of the second bonding body on the inner side surface; and a lower edge of the first bonding body on the outer side surface is higher than an upper edge of the second bonding body on the inner side surface. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to rearrange the first and the second bonding bodies such that the lower edge of the first bonding body on the inner side surface is higher than an upper edge of the second bonding body on the inner side surface; and the lower edge of the first bonding body on the outer side surface is higher than an upper edge of the second bonding body on the inner side surface , since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (MPEP 2144.04 (VI-C)).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER USYATINSKY whose telephone number is (571)270-7703. The examiner can normally be reached IFP.
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/Alexander Usyatinsky/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751