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 Interpretation
As an initial matter, it is noted that claims allow for recited heat dissipation layer to correspond to other positively recited structural features (i.e., an electrode layer or current collector). This is consistent with the disclosure, which states that any or all of various electrode layers may correspond to the heat dissipation layer. Thus, in applying art to the claims, the Office will give the claims a correspondingly broad interpretation of the claims where a piece of art disclosing a battery having an electrode layer which functions as a heat dissipation layer will be considered to disclose both the electrode layer, and that the disclosed electrode layer may be considered to correspond to the recited heat dissipation layer.
Further, it is noted that “heat dissipation layer” is a functional description, requiring a layer capable of dissipating heat. Aside from an absolute vacuum, all materials will dissipate heat (some better/faster, others slower/worse). Thus, it appears nearly any material layer can be considered to meet the “heat dissipation layer” functionality.
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0328882 to Kato (“Kato”). Regarding claims 1, 2, 4, 10, 19, and 20, Kato discloses all-solid ceramic-based batteries for use in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones (which are wearable when used in combination with, for example, an arm band, and is understood to include a microprocessor/controller). The battery includes a solid-state battery main portion includes a stack of cells, each cell including a positive electrode (2), a solid electrolyte (3), and a negative electrode (1). Each of the positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material layer, and each of the negative electrodes similarly includes a negative electrode active material layer. Kato at paragraphs [0048], [0049], and Figure 1a. Each of those active material layers will dissipate heat, including towards the end electrode current collectors, thereby functioning as the recited heat dissipation layer. Along each of two opposed lateral side of the stacked cells are, respectively, a first end electrode (51) and a second end electrode (52), each extending along the stacking direction, one of which is connected to the positive electrodes and the other to the negative electrodes. Finally, the end electrodes and stack of cells are fully coated by a multi-layer coating layer including an inner-most barrier layer (7), a buffer layer (8), and an impact resistant layer (9) acting as a packaging or case. Id. At paragraph [0129] and Figure 1f.
Further regarding claim 3, the end electrodes will also dissipate heat and are located between the stack and the outer packaging/case. Thus, those end electrodes may be considered heat dissipation layers.
Further regarding claim 5, in some embodiments, each of the positive electrode and negative electrode include a current collector, with the respective active material coated on one side of the current collector nearest an adjacent solid electrolyte layer such that in each cell the electrode active material layer is in contact on one side with the electrolyte and on the other side with its respective current collector.
Further regarding claims 6-8, the current collector material may be chosen from a list of materials. When the negative and positive electrode current collectors are chosen to be different materials (for example, in order to minimize reactivity with the different active material layers each collector is in contact with) then the collectors will have different coefficients based on the different materials from which the collectors are made. Even in the event that each collector is made of the same material, they will each be in contact with different active materials, which based on their heat capacities/thermal conductivities, will impact the coefficient of each collector in different ways, leading to differences in the coefficients between the two collectors.
Further regarding claim 9, in some embodiments each side of the collector is coated with active material.
Further regarding claim 12, the inner-most packaging layers (7 and 8) are considered to correspond to the case, with the outermost layers (7, 8, and 9) are considered to correspond to the recited heat dissipation layer on an outer surface of the case.
Further regarding claims 13 and 16, the packaging, including outer layers (7, 8, and 9) conform to the outer shape of the battery and various end/bottom electrodes, including complex bends/wrinkles around the lower electrodes 61 and 62. Id. At Figures 1f and 2b.
Further regarding claims 14 and 17, in bending/wrinkling around those lower electrodes, the packaging, including outer layers (7,8, and 9) must protrude multiple times.
Further regarding claims 15 and 18, the outer barrier layer (7) may be considered to correspond to the recited first material layer with the outer buffer layer (8) and impact resistant layer (9) corresponding to the recited remaining portion. Because those three layers are all made of different materials, they barrier layer (7) will necessarily have a different coefficient than the combined outer buffer (8) and impact resistant (9) layers.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WYATT P MCCONNELL whose telephone number is (571)270-7531. The examiner can normally be reached 9am to 5pm M-F.
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/WYATT P MCCONNELL/Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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