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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of 1-13 in the reply filed on 08/03/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 8, 10, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ma et al. (CN 111081966S; English translation relied upon, translation obtained from Espacenet).
Regarding Claim 1, Ma meets the claimed,
A cylindrical battery ([0006] teaches that the battery is a cylindrical battery), comprising a core ([0008] teaches a core), wherein the core comprises one or more electrode sheets ([0008] teaches a positive electrode sheet and a negative electrode sheet), a tab is provided at an end of each of the electrode sheets ([0008] teaches that both the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet have their own tabs), and the tab is spaced apart from each of a winding start and a winding end of the each of the electrode sheets ([0011] teaches that the tabs are shorter than the full length of the sheet. Fig. 5 teaches that this is exemplified by the tabs not reaching the winding start or winding end of the electrode sheet).
Regarding Claim 2, Ma meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 1, further comprising a current collecting plate ([0013] teaches a current collector plate 4), the current collecting plate comprising an end cap and a welding part connected to the end cap ([0013] teaches an annular groove that is welded to the tabs; the annular groove is connected to the current collector 4, which functions as an end cap), wherein an end of the welding part away from the end cap is in contact with the tab ([0040] teaches that annular groove 41, connected to current collector 4, is in contact with the tab), and an outer sidewall of the welding part is welded to a peripheral sidewall of the tab ([0046] and Fig. 3 teach that the welding of the tabs is carried out along the annular groove 41); and wherein a diameter of the end cap is smaller than or equal to a maximum diameter of the core (Fig. 2, 3 and 7 teach that the diameter of the current collector 4 is smaller than or equal in diameter to the core. Notably, Figs. 2, 3, and 7 teach cover plate 3 as being larger and [0021] teaches that cover plate 3 folds over to close the battery, and must be approximately the diameter of the housing).
Regarding Claim 3, Ma meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 2, wherein a core hole is provided at a winding center of the core ([0018] teaches a cylindrical space at the core axis position), and an end surface of the end cap is provided with a welding through hole (Figs. 1 and 7 teach a hole in the center of the current collector 4); and wherein a diameter of the welding through hole is greater than or equal to a diameter of the core hole (Fig. 2 teaches that the through hole in current collector 4 is the same size as the core hole).
Regarding Claim 4, Ma meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 1, wherein the tab comprises a plurality of separately arranged sub-tabs ([0043] and Fig. 5 teach multiple tabs) each bent towards a central axis of the core ([0027] teaches the tabs being flattened), and respective orthographic projections of every two adjacent ones of the sub-tabs on a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the core overlap at least partially each other ([0027] teaches that the tabs overlap each other).
Regarding Claim 5, Ma meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 4, wherein a core hole is provided at a winding center of the core ([0018] teaches a cylindrical space at the core axis position), and respective orthographic projections of the sub-tabs on the plane perpendicular to the central axis of the core are located at a periphery of the core hole ([0017] and [0018] teach that the cylindrical space is made due to the electrode tabs being cut, which makes the hole defined as the area where the tabs are not, which would necessarily make the tabs perpendicular to the central axis of the core located at a periphery of the core).
Regarding Claim 8, Ma meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 4, further comprising a current collecting plate ([0040] teaches current collector 4), wherein an end surface of the current collecting plate face the sub-tabs is welded to the sub-tabs ([0040] teaches that annular groove 41, connected to current collector 4, is welded to the tabs), and a diameter of the current collecting plate is smaller than or equal to a maximum diameter of the core (Fig. 2 teaches that the through hole in current collector 4 is the same size as the core hole).
Regarding Claim 10, Ma meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 1, wherein the each of the electrode sheets further comprises a material area ([0008] and Fig. 5 teach an electrode sheet which ostensibly has a "material area"), the tab is located at an end of the material area ([0008] and Fig. 5 teach that the tab is at an end of the electrode sheet), and the two sides of the material area are respectively as the winding start and the winding end ([0008] teaches that the electrodes are wound into a cylindrical shape and as such, must have a winding start and a winding end).
Regarding Claim 13, Ma meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 1, wherein the one or more electrode sheets comprise two electrode sheets ([0008] teaches a positive electrode sheet and a negative electrode sheet), and the core further comprises a separator between the two electrode sheets ([0008] teaches an inner separator and an outer separator) and is formed by stacking and winding the separator and the two electrode sheets ([0008] teaches that the electrodes and separators are stacked and wound); and the tab of one of the two electrode sheets and the tab of an other one of the two electrode sheets are located respectively at opposite ends of the core ([0012] teaches that one end of the core has the wound tab of the positive electrode and the other end has the wound negative electrode tab).
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.
Claim(s) 6-7, 9, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Ma et al. (CN 111081966S; English translation relied upon, translation obtained from Espacenet) in view of Deng et al. (US 2024/0396181).
Regarding Claim 6, Ma does not specifically teach each sub tab being parallelogram or trapezoid in shape, though it does teach rectangular sub tabs, which may be considered a specific type of parallelogram and/or trapezoid.
Deng is analogous as it teaches a cylindrical battery.
Deng meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 4, wherein a shape of each of the sub-tabs is one of parallelogram and trapezoid ([0019] teaches the tabs have a parallelogram structure).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to use the tabs as taught by Deng in order to reduce the rolling pressure required to flatten the tabs and avoid deformation of the tab plate and reduce the falling off of active materials from the positive and negative electrode plates (See Deng [0024]).
Regarding Claim 7, Ma does not specifically teach a particular value for the acute angle between sub tabs.
Deng is analogous as it teaches a cylindrical battery.
Deng meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 6, wherein an acute angle between two adjacent sides of each of the sub-tabs is of 30° to 80 ° ([0016] teaches acute angle a which is less than 60°).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to further use the limitations of the tab structures as taught by Deng in order to best achieve the benefits as specified by Deng in Deng [0024].
Regarding Claim 9, Ma does not teach a particular distance between the winding start or winding end to the tab.
Deng is analogous as it teaches a cylindrical battery.
Deng meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 1, wherein a circumferential distance between the tab and the winding start is of 5 mm to 300 mm, and a circumferential distance between the tab and the winding end is of 5 mm to 300 mm ([0047] teaches Length N which exists between each tab, and ostensibly the edges of the electrode sheet as seen in Fig. 2. [0048] teaches Length N being 0.1 mm to 10 mm).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to further use the limitations of the tab structures as taught by Deng in order to best achieve the benefits as specified by Deng in Deng [0024].
Regarding Claim 11, Ma does not teach a blank foil area between the tab and material area.
Deng is analogous as it teaches a cylindrical battery.
Deng meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 10, wherein a blank foil is provided between the tab and the material area ([0041] teaches an emtpy foil area 12 from which the tabs are cut out of, which results in a small area, defined as between boundary line 13 and coating area 11, which is a blank foil area between the tabs and the material area), and the length of the blank foil in a winding direction is equal to a length of the material area in the winding direction (Fig. 2 and [0041] teaches that the empty foil area 12 extends the full length of the material area).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to further use the limitations of the tab structures as taught by Deng in order to best achieve the benefits as specified by Deng in Deng [0024].
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Ma et al. (CN 111081966S; English translation relied upon, translation obtained from Espacenet) in view of Deng et al. (US 2024/0396181) and further in view of Yan (US 2025/0192238).
Regarding Claim 12, Ma meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 11, wherein the electrode sheets comprise a metal foil (It is generally understood that electrode sheets are formed using a metal foil).
The examiner notes that this claim is directed towards a product. Product claims are not limited by the manipulation of the recited steps only the structure implied by the steps. Since the product of the prior art is substantially identical to that of the instant claim, the burden shifts to the Applicant to show a nonobvious difference (see MPEP 2113). In this claim, applicant recites “and the material area is formed by coating a slurry on a part of the metal foil.”
However, Ma does not explicitly teach a metal foil component in its electrode sheets.
Yan is analogous as it teaches a wound-type battery.
Yan meets the claimed,
The cylindrical battery according to claim 10, wherein a blank foil is provided between the tab and the material area, and the material area is formed by coating a slurry on a part of the metal foil ([0111] teaches creating a negative electrode plate 21 by creating a slurry and applying it to a copper foil).
The examiner finds that [Ma] differs from the claim only in the combination of the use of electrode sheets comprising a metal foil as taught by Yan. The examiner finds that one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods, and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately. The examiner notes that one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the use of electrode sheets comprising a metal foil with Ma because it yields the predictable result of a battery with an electrode sheet containing a metal foil (See Yan [0111]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Deng et al. (US 2024/0222807) teaches a cylindrical battery with folded parallelogram-shaped tabs and a core hole.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW Y. HO whose telephone number is (571)842-1342. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 - 6:00, Mon - Thurs.
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.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Xiao S. Zhao can be reached at (571) 270-5343. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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.
/A.Y.H./ Examiner, Art Unit 1744
/MICHAEL M. ROBINSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744
Prosecution Insights