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 § 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-5, 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(2) as being anticipated by Oda (US 20140178755 A1), hereinafter referred to as Oda-755.
Regarding claim 1, Oda-755 teaches a lithium-ion cell assembly ([0048]) which corresponds to the claimed cover assembly, a lid member 2 (which corresponds to the claimed cover body) having hole portions 2a and 2b, which penetrate the lid member 2 (which corresponds to the claimed penetrating through hole) (Oda-755, Fig. 3, [0053])
A negative-electrode terminal 8 (which corresponds to the claimed outer conductive member) consists of a clad portion formed by bonding a first metal layer, made of Al or Al alloy, and a second metal layer, containing Ni and Cu, to each other (Oda-755, [0007], [0060]), and a bond region 484 in which the Al in the Al layer 80 and Ni in the Ni layer 81 are bonded ([0115]), and are thus electrically connected to each other, which corresponds to the claimed outer conductive member comprising a first metal layer and a second metal layer of different materials, and a connection layer is provided between the first metal layer and the second metal layer.
Figures 3, 12, 14 show negative electrode columnar portion 52 (which corresponds to the claimed inner conductive member) inserted into hole portions 2a and 2b from below ([0053]) and the Ni-plated layer 52a of the negative-electrode columnar portion 52 are melted, and weld portion 86 is formed between the Ni—Cu alloy layer 81 and the Ni-plated layer 52a, since the Ni-plated layer 52a and the NI—Cu alloy layer 81 are conductive and the weld is conductive, the two are electrically connected to each other, which corresponds to the claimed inner conductive member passing through the cover through hole and configured to be electrically connected to the outer conductive member which creates a member which corresponds to the claimed electrode lead-out member having an outer conductive member and an inner conductive member.
Figure 5 teaches a bus bar 101 (which corresponds to the claimed tab), welded to an upper surface 83a of the bus bar bonding portion 83 of the first metal layer 80 (Oda-755, [0067]), making an electrical connection between the bus bar and the first metal layer which is electrically connected to the negative-electrode columnar portion as mentioned above, and figure 1 teaches the bus bar 101 leading away from the negative-electrode terminal 8 which corresponds to the claimed inner conductive member being electrically connected to a tab led out from an electrode assembly.
Regarding claim 2, Oda-755 teaches a hole portion 2b and a groove portion 82 formed in the Al layer 80 (which, in combination, correspond to the claimed first through hole), and the Ni—Cu alloy layer 81 (corresponding to the claimed second metal layer) is embedded in the groove portion 82 (Figs. 5, 6, [0063]) which corresponds to the claimed first through hole provided on the first metal layer and at least a portion of the second metal layer is located in the first through hole,
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Figure 6 shows a hole portion 2b (corresponding to the claimed second through hole), and a weld portion 86 is formed on a welded portion between the inner side surface 81d of the Ni—Cu alloy layer 81 and the Ni-plated layer 52a of the negative electrode columnar portion 52 (Fig. 5-6, [0063], [0069]) which corresponds to the claimed second through hole provided in the second metal layer, and at least a portion of the inner conductive member is located in the second through hole and connected to the second metal layer at the second through hole.
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Regarding claim 3, Oda-755 teaches the above-mentioned groove portion 82 which corresponds to the claimed middle portion of the sink portion and the hole portion 2b corresponds to the claimed through hole portion, in combination corresponds to the claimed sink portion,
Figure 6 shows: the groove portion 82 being on the side of the first metal layer 80 away from the electrode assembly, the claimed middle portion of the sink portion forming a step portion with a through hole portion, and that a portion of the second metal layer 81 is connected to a side of the sink portion close to the electrode assembly as mentioned above.
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Regarding Claim 4, Oda-755 teaches a bond region 484 (corresponding to the claimed connection layer) formed when pressure-bonding and diffusion-annealing the Al-layer 80 (corresponding to the claimed first metal layer) and the terminal connecting layer 481 (corresponding to the claimed second metal layer) (Figs. 13, [0115]) which corresponds to the claimed connection layer made of solder and at least a portion of the first metal layer and at least a portion of the second metal layer are connected by soldering, the welding corresponds to the soldering because one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that soldering merely requires joining/fusing through melting, which is achieved by Oda-755;
A weld portion 486 is formed on the welded portion between the terminal connecting layer 481 (including a Ni-layer portion) and the Ni-plated layer 52a of the negative-electrode columnar portion 52 (corresponding to the claimed inner conductive member) which corresponds to the claimed second metal layer and the inner conductive member being made of the same material and since the second metal layer and inner conductive member are conductive and the weld is conductive, the metal layer and the inner conductive member are electrically connected to one another.
Regarding claim 5, Oda-755 teaches Fig. 6 which shows the Al layer 80 (corresponding to the claimed first metal layer), the Ni—Cu alloy layer 81 (corresponding to the claimed second metal layer), and the bond region 84 (corresponding to the claimed connection layer) between them, in which they all overlap on sides close to the electrode assembly and away from the electrode assembly.
Regarding claim 12, Oda-755 teaches a lithium-ion cell 1 (corresponding to the claimed battery) with a cell case body 3 (corresponding to the claimed casing) and the claimed cover assembly of claim 1 as stated above, and a storage portion 3a (corresponding to the claimed receiving chamber) of the cell case body ([0049], [0056]).
Regarding claim 13, Oda-755 teaches a lithium-ion assembly 100, constituted of a plurality of lithium-ion cells 1, employed for an electric vehicle which corresponds to the claimed electronic apparatus comprising the battery according to claim 12.
Claims 1, 5, 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oda (JP 2015056273 A) where an English translation is used and cited herein and is hereinafter referred to as Oda-273.
Regarding claim 1, Oda-273 teaches a battery case body 3 (corresponding to the claimed cover assembly) and a lid member 2 (corresponding to the claimed cover body) with a holes 2a and 2b (corresponding to the claimed cover through hole) and a negative electrode terminal 8 (corresponding to the claimed outer conductive member) and a negative electrode cylindrical portion 52 (corresponding to the claimed inner conductive member) (Oda-273, Figs. 2-3, Fig. 9, [0028-0030]), which in combination, correspond to the claimed electrode lead-out member;
Where the hole 2b is configured such that the negative electrode cylindrical portion 52 is inserted into it (which corresponds to the claimed inner conductive member passing through the cover through hole) (Oda-273, Fig. 9, [0030]) and a current collector 51 (corresponding to the claimed tab) that is electrically connected to the negative electrode cylindrical portion 52 (Oda-273, [0032]) and the negative electrode terminal 8 consists of a clad material 82 (corresponding to the claimed outer conductive material) which is welded to the negative electrode cylindrical portion 52 (Oda-273, [0042]) which corresponds to the claimed inner conductive material being electrically connected to a tab and an outer conductive member;
Where the clad material 82 of the negative electrode terminal 8 (corresponding to the claimed outer conductive member) is made of an Al layer 80 (corresponding to the claimed first metal layer) and a Cu layer 81 (corresponding to the claimed second metal layer) joined together with a Ni layer 386 (corresponding to the claimed connection layer) placed between them (Oda-273, [0036], [0069-0070]) which corresponds to the claimed outer conductive member.
Regarding claim 5, Oda-273 teaches Figure 9, which shows an Al layer 80 (corresponding to the claimed first metal layer) overlapping with both the Cu layer 81 (corresponding to the claimed second metal layer) and the Ni layer 386 (corresponding to the claimed connection layer).
Regarding claim 11, Oda-273 teaches figure 6, which shows a concave portion 83b of the Al layer 80 and a convex portion 83a of the Cu layer 81, and that both the portions are joined, which corresponds to the claimed cover assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the first metal layer and the second metal layer has a fitting concave portion, and at least a portion of the other one of the first metal layer and the second metal layer is fitted into the fitting concave portion.
Regarding claim 12, Oda-273 teaches a lithium-ion battery 1 (which corresponds to the claimed battery) comprising a battery case body 3 (which corresponds to the claimed casing) and a lid member 2 (corresponding to the claimed cover assembly according to claim 1, as mentioned above) (Oda-273, [0029]) and a storage portion 3a (which corresponds to the claimed receiving chamber) of the battery case body 3,
Figure 3 shows a negative electrode portion 5 and a positive electrode portion 4 (which in combination, correspond to the claimed electrode assembly) to be received in the storage portion 3a and the lid member 2 to cover the storage portion 3a.
Regarding claim 13, Oda-273 teaches that a battery pack 100, constructed with multiple lithium-ion batteries 1, is used in electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, residential energy storage, and the like (Oda-273, [0026]), which corresponds to the claimed electronic apparatus comprising the battery according to claim 12.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 6, Oda-273 teaches Figure 9, which shows a concave portion 83b which is formed between opposite side walls of the Al layer 80 and the Cu layer 81 which corresponds to the claimed accommodating groove formed between opposite sidewalls of the first metal layer and the second metal layer, but Oda-273 neither teaches nor renders obvious the connection layer at least partially extending into the accommodating groove.
Claims 7-8 are objected to as being reliant on claim 6.
Regarding claim 9, Oda-273 teaches a concave portion 83b of the Al layer 80 and a convex portion 83a of the Cu layer 81, and that both the portions are joined, but Oda-273 neither teaches nor renders obvious the concave and convex portions having a width of 0.2mm to 8mm and a height of 0.1mm to 4mm.
Claim 10 is objected to as being reliant on claim 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Zeng (US 11594791 B2) teaches a similar device, see figures 4, 6.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES M CLEVER whose telephone number is (571)270-3156. The examiner can normally be reached Tues-Thurs | 9:00am-4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Johnson can be reached at (571) 272-1177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J.M.C./ Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/NICHOLAS A WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1734
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