DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 1, 4, 5, and 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matsumoto et al. (JP 2014-029776), machine translation.
Regarding claims 1, 4, 5, 18, and 19, Matsumoto discloses a battery collector plate and battery cell comprising:
a battery case 11 (housing assembly) with first positive electrode terminal 22A and second positive electrode terminal 22B (electrode lead-out portion);
power generation element 13 (electrode assembly) having positive electrode joining end portion 14A (tab);
positive electrode current collecting member 17 configured to electrically connect the tab with the electrode lead-out portion;
the current collecting member includes a body and elastic portion 172; the positive electrode joining end portions 14A (tab) are joined to the surface of the positive electrode current collecting member 17 (body) on the power generation element 13 side by electron beam welding; the other (elastic portion) being electrically connected to the positive terminal (electrode lead-out portion) (Figs. 1 and 4).
Figures 1 and 4 to Matsumoto provided below.
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Regarding claims 16 and 17, Matsumoto discloses (secondary batteries) are used as one of power sources for portable electronic devices; where the batteries are placed is viewed as the box.
Claims 1-4, 10-14, 18, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Doo et al. (US 2023/0318099).
Regarding claims 1, 18 and 19, Doo discloses a secondary battery comprising:
can 110 (housing assembly) including a negative terminal at the bottom surface 112 of the can (electrode lead-out) (Fig. 1);
electrode assembly 130 including non-coating portion 132a (tab) (Fig. 1);
current collecting plate 170 electrically connected to the tab and electrode lead-out (Fig. 1);
the current collecting plate includes a body and an elastic part 176 (Figs. 2 and 3); wherein the non-coating portion 132a (tab) is welded to an upper surface of the protruding surfaces of the substrate current collecting part 172 (para 0048).
Figures 1 and 2 to Doo are provided below.
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Regarding claim 2, Doo discloses wherein the current collecting member comprises a plurality of such elastic portions; and the plurality of elastic portions are spaced apart on the body along a circumferential direction of the body (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, Doo discloses wherein the body is provided with a plurality of through holes; wherein the plurality of through holes are spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the body; and the elastic portions are provided in correspondence with the through holes, and the elastic portion is connected to a hole wall of the through hole (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, Doo discloses wherein the body is integrally formed with the elastic portion (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10, Doo discloses wherein the housing assembly has a wall portion 112, the wall portion being the electrode lead-out portion; and the body is welded to the tab (para 0048), the elastic portion abuts against the wall portion (Fig. 1), and the elastic portion protrudes from a side of the body back away from the tab and is configured to elastically deform relative to the body when the electrode assembly moves relative to the wall portion.
Regarding claim 11, Doo discloses wherein two ends of the elastic portion in a radial direction of the body are connected to the body, and a middle part of the elastic portion protrudes from the side of the body back away from the tab (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 12, Doo discloses wherein the elastic portion has an abutting plane for the wall portion to abut against (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 13, Doo discloses wherein the body is welded to the tab to form a weld mark 172a, the weld mark being alternately arranged with the elastic portion along a circumferential direction of the body (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 14, Doo discloses wherein the weld mark extends along a radial direction of the body (Fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-9 and 15 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Sugalski et al. (US 4,529,675); and Park et al. (US 2024/0313373).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS BARCENA whose telephone number is (571)270-5780. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8-5 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tong Guo can be reached at (571)272-3066. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CARLOS BARCENA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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