CTNF 18/385,971 CTNF 101423 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claims 1-3 are pending in the application Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamo (WIPO Patent Application Publication No. 2020/184502) in view of Nakashima (US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0208070). For prior art discussion see English translations for WO-2020184502-A1 . Regarding Claims 1 and 2, Kamo teaches a lithium-ion secondary battery ( [0007] ) which includes an electrode body with a positive electrode having a positive electrode active material layer and a positive electrode current collector ( [0010], and fig. 1 ref. #11, #13 ) and a negative electrode with a negative electrode active material layer and a negative electrode current collector ( [0050] ). The positive electrode and negative electrode are laminated with a separator therebetween ([0064]) . The positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer contact the separator ( [0058] ), and the positive electrode active material layer a groove in a thickness direction ( [0012] and fig. 1 ref. #13, #15 ). Kamo does not teach the separator having a conductive layer, nor a surface of the separator, which faces a surface of the at least one of the positive electrode active material layer or the negative electrode active material layer which has the groove, includes the conductive layer. Nakashima teaches a separator for use in a nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery ( a battery with positive electrodes and negative electrodes which are capable of occluding and releasing lithium ) ( abstract ). Nakashima teaches the separator having a conductive ( electroconductive ) layer ( abstract ) on at least one of the surfaces of the separator ( [0069] ), including on a surface that faces the positive electrode active material ( [0076]-[0077] ). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use the conductive layer on the surface on the separator of Nakashima on the separator of Kamo. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to include the conductive layer as it increases the safety of the battery by preventing the battery module from short-circuiting even when it comes into an overcharged state ( Nakashima, [0034] ). Regarding Claim 3 , the conductive layer on the surface of the separator of Nakashima may only be on the positive electrode active material side ( [0069] ). Therefore, the separator of modified Kamo has the conductive layer only at a portion facing the groove, as the other portion ( the opposite face of the separator ) does not have the conductive layer. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Myles Alan Lovasz whose telephone number is (571)272-0214. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30 am - 5:00 pm. 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, Alicia Chevalier can be reached at (571) 272-1490. 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. /MAL/ Myles Alan LovaszExaminer, Art Unit 1788 04/29/2026 /Alicia Chevalier/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1788 Application/Control Number: 18/385,971 Page 2 Art Unit: 1788 Application/Control Number: 18/385,971 Page 3 Art Unit: 1788 Application/Control Number: 18/385,971 Page 4 Art Unit: 1788
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