DETAILED ACTION
Receipt is acknowledged of the amendment filed on December 9, 2025, which has been fully considered in this action. Claims 1, 3, 4, 6, 10, 14 and 18 have been amended. Claims 1-20 remain in the application and an action as to the merits follows
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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-3 and 5-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In claim 1, lines 10 and 11, the applicant only incorporates a portion of objected to allowable claim 4 and none of the intervening claims, which makes the claim indefinite since it is not clear where and how the “inflow hole” and injection hole” are structurally related to the other elements in the claim and creates a break between these structural connections to clearly define the invention and make it definite.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is allowed.
Claims 1-3 and 5-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter of claim 4: The prior art did not teach or suggest an injection nozzle as claimed by the applicant, specifically an injection nozzle wherein the main nozzle includes an inflow hole that is configured to receive the material from the source, an injection hole that is configured to spray the material supplied through the inflow hole to the surface of the rechargeable battery housing, and a main nozzle body that is in fluid communication with and between the inflow hole and the injection hole, and wherein a width of an inner space of the main nozzle in the lateral direction is reduced from the inflow hole through the main nozzle body to the injection hole, together in combination with the other claimed features of applicant’s invention.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN J GANEY whose telephone number is (571)272-4899. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur Hall can be reached at (571)270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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STEVEN J. GANEY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3752
/STEVEN J GANEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752