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 § 103
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.
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato et al., WO 2020/054801 A1 in view of Kondo et al., US 2016/0308185 A1. Sato is a non-English publication, and therefore Sato et al., US 2021/0344048 A1, which is in the same patent family as Sato, is cited as an English-language equivalent.
Regarding claims 1 and 2, Sato teaches a secondary battery 100 which reads on the claimed “battery comprising an electrode body.” See Sato Fig. 1A, [0040].
The battery 100 comprises a positive electrode 40 including positive electrode active material layers 42, 43. See Sato [0040]. The electrode 40 reads on the claimed ”positive electrode including a positive electrode active material layer.”
The battery 100 also comprises a negative electrode 20 including negative active materials layers 22, 23. See Sato [0040]. The electrode 20 reads on the claimed “negative electrode including a negative electrode active material layer.”
The battery 100 further comprises a first separator 10, a second separator 30, and separator webs 10A,30A that read on the claimed “separator.” See Sato Fig. 1A, [0040].
The separator 10 comprises an adhesive material that is applied to an affixing surface of a separator in sections that read on the “adhesive layer.” See Sato abstract. The “adhesive layer” corresponds to a position where a positive electrode body is located that reads on “the separator includes an adhesive layer at least on a surface that faces the positive electrode.” See Sato Fig. 1A.
The “adhesive layer” comprises of a first coated section 81 with a coating weight M1 and a second coated section 82 with a coating weight M2. See Sato abstract. The first coated section 81 and second coated section 82 read on the “first formation region” and “second formation region.”
The “first formation region” on the “adhesive layer” of separator 10 faces the positive active material layer 42,43 as claimed. See Sato Fig. 1A.
The “second formation region” on the “adhesive layer” is interpreted as the adhesive material region on the surface of the separator 10. The region 82 (second formation region) is located at an end portion that extends beyond the region 81 protrudes in an up-down direction of the battery as claimed. See Sato Figure 1A, 6A.
The “second formation region” and “first formation region” on separator 10 are alongside the positive active material layer 42,43 (Claim 2) reading on “relative to one end part of the positive electrode active material layer that faces the first formation region.” See Sato Figure 1A.
The adhesive material in the first coated section 81 has a smaller weight per area than the adhesive material in the second coated section 82, as claimed, because M1 is less than M2. See Sato abstract.
Sato differs from Claim 1 because it is silent to a battery case with a cuboid shape for accommodating the electrode body, but Kondo teaches a wound electrode body accommodated in a battery case 30 having a box shaped case body 32. See Kondo Fig.5, [0069]. It would have been obvious for the battery of Sato to have the battery case of Kondo as it is conventional structural arrangement.
Regarding claims 3 and 4, Sato as modified teaches the sections of the separator at the top extending from 82A to 82A (including the adhesive of 82A) that read on the "third formation region.” See Sato Fig. 6A.
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The “third formation region” protrudes outward in the up-down direction of the battery separator 10, relative to the other end part of the positive electrode active layer, as claimed, as seen in the annotated figure above.
Also, the “third formation region” is located at an end portion that extends beyond the region 81 and the separator 10 is located alongside positive active material layer 42,43 (Claim 4) reading on “relative to one end part of the positive electrode active material layer that faces the first formation region.” See Sato Fig. 1A.
Further, the adhesive material in the “third formation regions” has a larger weight per area than the adhesive material in the “first formation regions,” 81, as claimed, because the weight of the adhesive material in the “third formation regions” is M2, which is larger than M1. See Sato [0019].
Regarding claim 5, Sato in view of Kondo teaches a battery case 30 that includes an exterior body including an opening. See Kondo Fig. 5, [0069].
The battery case 30 comprises a bottom having an open end reading on “a bottom wall that faces the opening.” See Kondo [0069].
The battery case 30 also comprises a side wall extending from an edge side of the bottom wall to the opening as claimed. See Kondo Fig. 5,6.
The battery case 30 further comprises a cover 34 that seals the opening of the case body that reads on “a sealing plate that seals the opening.” See Kondo Fig. 5,6, [0069].
Further, Sato modified teaches an electrode body disposed in the battery case 30 so that the second formation region 82 is located on the side of the “sealing plate” and the third formation region 81 is located on the bottom wall, as claimed on. See Sato annotated Fig. 6A above.
The “third formation region” extends farther in the claimed up down direction of the battery than the “second formation region.” “A width” is defined as the full extent of that region in the up-down direction of the battery. Because the “third formation region” extends further in the up-down direction than the second formation region, the width of the “third formation region” is larger than the width of the “second formation region” as claimed. See Sato annotated Fig. 6A above
Claims 1, 2 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato et al., WO 2020/054801 A1 in view of Kondo et al., US 2016/0308185 A1. Sato is a non-English publication, and therefore Sato et al., US 2021/0344048 A1, which is in the same patent family as Sato, is cited as an English-language equivalent.
Regarding claims 1 and 2, Sato teaches a secondary battery 100 which reads on the claimed “battery comprising an electrode body.” See Sato Fig. 1A, [0040].
The battery 100 comprises a positive electrode 40 including positive electrode active material layers 42, 43. See Sato [0040]. The electrode 40 reads on the claimed ”positive electrode including a positive electrode active material layer.”
The battery 100 also comprises a negative electrode 20 including negative active materials layers 22, 23. See Sato [0040]. The electrode 20 reads on the claimed “negative electrode including a negative electrode active material layer.”
The battery 100 further comprises a first separator 10, a second separator 30, and separator webs 10A,30A that read on the claimed “separator.” See Sato Fig. 1A, [0040].
The separator 10 comprises an adhesive material that is applied to an affixing surface of a separator in sections that read on the “adhesive layer.” See Sato abstract. The “adhesive layer” corresponds to a position where a positive electrode body is located that reads on “the separator includes an adhesive layer at least on a surface that faces the positive electrode.” See Sato Fig. 1A.
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In the “second formation region,” the adhesive material protrudes outward in the long side direction of the battery, as claimed, as seen in the annotated figure above, where the adhesive material 82A in the left-hand section of the “second formation region” is located along the long side direction.
The “second formation region” and “first formation region” on separator 10 are alongside the positive active material layer 42,43 (Claim 2) reading on “relative to one end part of the positive electrode active material layer that faces the first formation region.” See Sato Figure 1A.
Further, the adhesive material in the “second formation regions” has a larger weight per area than the adhesive material in the “first formation regions,” 81, as claimed, because the weight of the adhesive material in the “second formation regions” is M2, which is larger than M1. See Sato [0019].
Sato differs from Claim 1 because it is silent to a battery case with a cuboid shape for accommodating the electrode body, but Kondo teaches a wound electrode body accommodated in a battery case 30 having a box shaped case body 32. See Kondo Fig.5, [0069]. It would have been obvious for the battery of Sato to have the battery case of Kondo as it is conventional structural arrangement.
Regarding claim 6, Sato as modified teaches an electrode body disposed in the battery case 30 and a “second formation region” formed intermittently along the up-down direction of the battery, as claimed, as seen in the annotated figure above, where the “first formation region” is located in between the next “second formation region.”
Regarding claim 7, Sato in view of Kondo teaches a battery case 30 that includes an exterior body including an opening. See Kondo Fig. 5, [0069].
The battery case 30 comprises a bottom having an open end reading on “a bottom wall that faces the opening.” See Kondo [0069].
The battery case 30 also comprises a side wall extending from an edge side of the bottom wall to the opening as claimed. See Kondo Fig. 5,6.
The battery case 30 further comprises a cover 34 that seals the opening of the case body that reads on “a sealing plate that seals the opening.” See Kondo Fig. 5,6, [0069].
The cover 34 also comprises a safety valve 36 which is set to release an internal pressure reading on “a gas discharge valve.” See Kondo Fig. 5,6, [0069].
Sato teaches “second formation regions” that are not continuously formed, but instead are formed in portions along the up-down direction, with defined regions where the “second formation regions” are not formed. See Sato annotated Fig. 6A above.
Sato in view of Kondo, teaches the formation regions above in that a portion where the second formation region is not formed exists below the gas discharge valve in a vertical direction, as claimed, as seen in the annotated figure above. See Kondo Fig. 6.
Further, Sato modified teaches an electrode body disposed in the battery case 30 so that the second formation region 82 is located on the side of the “sealing plate” and the third formation region 81 is located on the bottom wall, as claimed on. See Sato annotated Fig. 6A above.
Regarding claim 8, Sato in view of Kondo teaches a battery case 30 that includes an exterior body including an opening. See Kondo Fig. 5, [0069].
The battery case 30 comprises a bottom having an open end reading on “a bottom wall that faces the opening.” See Kondo [0069].
The battery case 30 also comprises a side wall extending from an edge side of the bottom wall to the opening as claimed. See Kondo Fig. 5,6.
The battery case 30 further comprises a cover 34 that seals the opening of the case body that reads on “a sealing plate that seals the opening.” See Kondo Fig. 5,6, [0069].
The battery case 30 also comprises an injection port through which a non-aqueous electrolytic solution is injected reading on “a liquid injection hole for electrolyte solution.” See Kondo [0069].
Sato teaches “second formation regions” that are not continuously formed, but instead are formed in portions along the up-down direction, with defined regions where the “second formation regions” are not formed. See Sato annotated Fig. 6A above.
Sato in view of Kondo, teaches the formation regions above in that a portion where the second formation region is not formed exists below the liquid injection hole in a vertical direction , as claimed, as seen in the annotated figure above. See Kondo Fig. 6.
Conclusion
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/S.M.A./Examiner, Art Unit 1772
/T. BENNETT MCKENZIE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776
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