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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-12 are currently pending.
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hyun (KR 20200109153 A).
Regarding claims 1-6, Hyun teaches a secondary battery comprising: an electrode laminated body (10) having a rectangular shape when seen in plan view, in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are laminated with each other via a separator, wherein when the thickness of the negative electrode decreases, the electrolytic solution discharged from the electrode laminated body is absorbed in the electrolytic solution temporary storing space, and, when the thickness of the negative electrode increases, the electrolytic solution is discharged from the electrolytic solution temporary storing space to the electrode laminated body (fig. 1; [0036]-[0038]); an electrolyte solution ([0057]); and an exterior body (5) accommodating the electrode laminated body and the electrolytic solution and having a sealer (20) at a position separated away from the electrode laminated body (figs. 2-3; [0036] & [0040]-[0044]), wherein a thickness of the negative electrode changes due to charging and discharging of electricity ([0005] & [0064]), the exterior body is able to expand and contract or deform in lamination directions of the electrode laminated body (fig. 5; [0075]), and an elastic porous body (40) forming an electrolyte solution temporary storing space that is able to absorb and discharge the electrolyte solution is disposed along a long side of the electrode laminated body and between at least one side surface, extending in the lamination directions, of the electrode laminated body and an inner surface of the exterior body and the sealer (figs. 2-3; [0059]-[0073]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hyun (KR 20200109153 A) in view of Ha (US 2020/0350574 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Hyun teaches the secondary battery of claim 1, wherein the space forming member is disposed on a side to which the positive electrode tab and the negative electrode tab are not coupled (figs. 2-3; [0038]-[0039]) but does not explicitly teach the positive electrode includes a positive electrode current collector, and the negative electrode includes a negative electrode current collector, with a positive electrode tab coupled to one side of the positive electrode current collector and a negative electrode tab coupled to one side of the negative electrode current collector. However, the presently claimed configuration is well-known arrangement of positive and negative electrodes in a secondary battery as taught by Ha (fig. 1; [0033], [0044]-[0045], [0047] & [0065]).
Regarding claim 8, Hyun teaches the secondary battery of claim 1, wherein the electrolytic solution contains an organic solvent and an electrolyte ([0057]) but is silent as to the concentration of the electrolyte ranging from 0.5 mol/L to 4.0 mol/L. Ha teaches a secondary battery comprising an electrolyte solution having a concentration of 0.1 M to 2.0 M ([0103]) which overlaps with the presently claimed range. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, to provide an electrolyte solution with a concentration of 0.1 M to 2.0 M in view of attaining excelling performance and lithium-ion mobility due to optimal electrolyte conductivity and viscosity as taught by Ha ([0103]).
Claims 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US 2021/0359370 A1) in view of Hyun (KR 20200109153 A).
Regarding claim 9, Wang teaches a secondary battery module comprising: a battery laminated body comprising a plurality of secondary batteries (31) laminated with each other (figs. 15-17; [0060]); and a pair of end plates (20) positioned at both ends, lying in lamination directions, of the battery laminated body (fig. 3; [0042]-[0043]) , respectively, the secondary batteries being laminated in the lamination directions of the electrode laminated body (figs. 6-8 & 16-17; [0044]-[0045] & [0060]), the secondary battery module including elastic bodies (40) disposed between two adjacent ones of the secondary batteries in the battery laminated body and/or between one of the secondary batteries and one of the end plates (figs. 16-17; [0060]), the elastic bodies each lying at a position overlapping with the electrode laminated body in each of the secondary batteries (figs. 6-8 & 16-17; [0044]-[0045] & [0060]). Wang is silent as to each of the secondary batteries being the secondary battery of claim 1. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the secondary battery of Hyun for each of the secondary batteries of Wang in view of achieving an improved structure, durability and performance as taught by Hyun ([0006]-[0008]).
Regarding claim 10, Wang as modified by Hyun teaches the secondary battery module of claim 9. Wang further teaches the elastic bodies being each disposed at a position not overlapping with the space forming member in each of the secondary batteries (figs. 16-17). It is noted that the elastic bodies extend from one end of the secondary batteries to the opposite end thereof whereas the space forming member does not extend the entire length of each secondary battery as illustrated in figs. 4-5 of Hyun. Accordingly, the elastic bodies are disposed at a position (i.e ends of the secondary battery in the length direction) not overlapping with the space forming member in each of the secondary batteries.
Regarding claim 11, Wang as modified by Hyun teaches the secondary battery module of claim 9. Wang further teaches wherein the elastic bodies each have, at an end on a side adjacent to the space forming member in each of the secondary batteries, an inclined portion having a downward inclination including toward each of the secondary batteries (figs. 16-17).
Regarding claim 12, Wang as modified by Hyun teaches the secondary battery of claim 9 but is silent as to the plurality of secondary batteries being each disposed such that a side surface on a side adjacent to the space forming member being positioned on an upper side in a gravity direction than a side surface on a side opposite to the side adjacent to the space forming member in each of the secondary batteries. However, it is noted the above-described configuration results from a mere rearrangement of the structure disclosed in Wang by flipping the structure shown in fig. 3 by 90°. See MPEP 2144.06 VI (C).
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANAEL T ZEMUI whose telephone number is (571)272-4894. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm (EST).
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/NATHANAEL T ZEMUI/Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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