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 . If status of the application as subject to 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 a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 8/31/2026 has been entered.
Status of Claims
Claims 1, 3-5, & 7-14 are pending in the application. Claims 13-14 are withdrawn. Claims 1-5 & 7-12 were rejected in the 6/23/2026 office action. Applicant cancelled claim 2 and added new claim 14. Claims 1, 3-5, & 7-12 are presently examined.
Election/Restriction
Restriction to one of the following inventions is required under 35 U.S.C. 121. These species were first introduced in the 8/31/2026 amendment.
In a phone call on 9/4/2026, Applicant’s representative, Li Jiang, elected Species A without traverse. The species are the following:
Species A is for an electrode assembly in which the first current collector is a negative electrode current collector and the second current collector is a positive current collector, as described in the present specification, paragraphs 10 & 16.
Species B is for an electrode assembly in which the first current collector is a positive electrode current collector and the second current collector is a negative current collector, as described in the present specification, paragraphs 10 & 14.
The species are independent or distinct because they are mutually exclusive and the application fails to teach how both features can be achieved simultaneously. In addition, these species are not obvious variants of each other based on the current record. No claim is generic to both species. Restriction for examination purposes as indicated is proper because all the inventions listed in this action are independent or distinct for the reasons given above and there would be a serious search and/or examination burden if restriction were not required because the two species are mutually exclusive.
Species A presently includes claims 1, 3-5, & 7-12. Species B presently includes new claim 14, which is now withdrawn.
Response to Amendment / Arguments
The 8/31/2026 amendment, in response to the 6/23/2026 office action, has been entered. Applicant’s claim amendments overcame the objections.
Applicant's arguments, regarding the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the previously-cited prior art fails to teach the new claim limitations. Examiner disagrees. Examiner used different sections of the same prior art to meet these new claim limitations, as discussed in the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections below.
Applicant specifically refers to the following, claim 1 amendment (also in new claim 12):
“at least part of the first coating region is located in the extension portion, such that the first active substance material layer on the first current collector covers and exceeds beyond a coating region of the second current collector that is coated with the second active substance material”
Applicant argues:
“Koji does not disclose the anode current collector 132 (alleged "first current collector") has a coating region beyond a coating region of the second current collector. As shown in the annotated Figure 6 of Koji, in the winding direction, the coating region with the negative electrode active material layer 133 of the anode current collector 132 ends at the same position as the coating region with the positive electrode active material layer 133 of positive electrode current collector 142.” Remarks p.9.
It does appear that a Koji has a first coating region segment that doesn’t exceed “beyond a coating region of the second current collector” (see lower “first coating region” in Figure C below). Koji, however, has another first coating region segment that does exceed “beyond a coating region of the second current collector” (see upper “first coating region” in Figure C below).
Figure C: Annotated Koji Partial Figure 6
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Claims 1 & 12 don’t state that the first coating region is adjacent to the coating region of the second current collector and exceeds beyond this coating region in an uninterrupted segment. Because these claims don’t state this, the two, separate first coating regions of Koji fulfill the above claim limitation.
Applicant argues that Koji fails to teach features of new claim 14. Claim 14 is withdrawn, so these arguments are mute.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
The claims are in bold font, the prior art is in parentheses.
Claims 1, 3-5, & 7-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP2018148230A machine translation (Koji) in view of US20110256438A1 (Taguchi).
With regard to claim 1, Koji teaches the following limitations:
An electrode assembly (paragraphs 71-72; figures 1-2: cylindrical wound electrode unit 10), comprising:
a first current collector (paragraph 34; figure 4(a): negative electrode current collector 132), wherein the first current collector (132) comprises a first coating region (Figure A below) and a second coating region (paragraph 35; Figure A below: uncoated region 130a),
the first coating region is coated with a first active substance material (paragraph 34; Figure B below: negative electrode active material layer 133) and the second coating region is coated with a lithiation material (paragraph 36; Figure B below: metallic lithium M), and
in an extension direction of the first current collector, a first gap (Figure A below) is disposed between the first coating region and the second coating region
Figure A: Annotated Koji Figure 4(a)
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Figure B: Annotated Koji Figure 4(b)
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Koji also teaches the following limitations of claim 1:
a second current collector (paragraph 38: positive electrode 140 has a positive electrode current collector 142), wherein the first current collector (132) and the second current collector (132) are wound with each other (paragraph 28; figure 2)
Koji also teaches the following limitations of claim 1:
the first current collector is a negative electrode current collector (paragraph 46; Figure C below: negative electrode current collector 132) and the second current collector is a positive current collector (paragraph 46; Figure C: positive electrode current collector 142);
in a winding direction of the electrode assembly, the first current collector (132) comprises an extension portion (Figure C below) that extends beyond the second current collector (142), and the second coating region (paragraph 55; Figure C: metallic lithium M) is entirely located in the extension portion; and
at least part of the first coating region (paragraph 58; Figure C: negative electrode active material layer 133b) is located in the extension portion, such that the first active substance material layer on the first current collector covers and exceeds beyond a coating region of the second current collector that is coated with the second active substance material (Figure C)
Figure C: Annotated Koji Partial Figure 6
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Koji, however, fails to teach the following limitations of claim 1, which are taught by Taguchi:
the second current collector (paragraph 174; Figure D below: positive electrode 51) has a third coating region coated with a second active substance material and a fourth coating region coated with the second active substance material (Figure D), and a second gap is disposed between the third coating region and the fourth coating region (Figure D); wherein the second coating region (paragraph 174; Figure D: lithium ion source 16C) is disposed opposite the second gap
Figure D: Annotated Taguchi Figure 17
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Taguchi is directed to a wound-type accumulator with rapid electrolytic solution penetration into wound electrode interior, rapid lithium ion doping of electrodes, and high productivity (paragraph 17). It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, for Koji’s wound electrode unit 10 to have a second gap between adjacent second current collectors, and for the second coating region to be opposite the second gap, for rapid electrolytic solution penetration into wound electrode interior, rapid lithium ion doping of electrodes, and high productivity.
With regard to claim 3, Koji teaches the limitations of claim 1 as discussed above. Koji also teaches the following limitation of claim 3:
at least part of the first gap is located in the extension portion (Figure C above)
With regard to claim 4, Koji teaches the limitations of claim 1 as discussed above. Koji also teaches the following limitation of claim 4 (Figure A & Figure C above):
the first coating region is at least two first coating regions of the first current collector (132), and the second coating region is disposed between two adjacent first coating regions of the at least two first coating regions
With regard to claim 5, Koji teaches the limitations of claims 1 & 4 as described above. Koji, however, fails to teach the following limitations of claim 5, which are taught by Taguchi:
the second current collector comprises at least two second current collectors (paragraphs 176 & 178; Figure D above: positive electrode 51 has two separate sections 511 & 512);
the first current collector and the at least two second current collectors are wound with each other (paragraph 173; figure 16), the second gap (Figure D) is disposed between two adjacent second current collectors of the at least two second current collectors (Figure D)
With regard to claim 7, Koji teaches the limitations of claim 1 as described above. Claim 7 states:
the first gap is greater than or equal to 1 mm
Koji teaches a gap (paragraph 73; figure 2: intra-positive electrode space 11S) for no contact between the lithium ion source 16C and the positive electrode 11. Koji doesn’t specify a size of the gap; however it would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to optimize the size of the gap for no contact between the lithium ion source 16C and the positive electrode 11, and thus achieve the claimed ≥ 1 mm.
With regard to claim 8, Koji teaches the limitations of claim 1 as discussed above. Koji also teaches the following limitation of claim 8 (Figure E below):
the first current collector comprises a first surface and a second surface that are opposite each other in a thickness direction of the first current collector, and the second coating region is located in at least one of the first surface or the second surface
Figure E: Annotated Koji Figure 4(a)
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With regard to claim 9, Koji teaches the limitations of claim 1 as discussed above. Koji also teaches the following limitation of claim 9:
A battery cell (title & abstract: electrochemical device), comprising the electrode assembly of claim 1.
With regard to claim 10, Koji teaches the limitations of claims 1 & 9 as discussed above. Koji also teaches the following limitation of claim 10:
A battery (title & abstract: electrochemical device), comprising the battery cell according to claim 9.
With regard to claim 11, Koji teaches the limitations of claim 10 as discussed above. Koji also teaches the following limitation of claim 11:
An electric apparatus, comprising the battery according to claim 10, wherein the battery is configured to supply electric energy. (paragraph 2)
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP2018148230A machine translation (Koji) in view of US20210126250A1 (Jiang).
Koji teaches the following limitations of claim 12:
An electrode assembly (paragraphs 71-72; figures 1-2: cylindrical wound electrode unit 10), comprising:
a first current collector (paragraph 34; figure 4(a): negative electrode current collector 132), wherein the current collector (132) comprises a first coating region (Figure A below) and a second coating region (paragraph 35; Figure A below: uncoated region 130a),
the first coating region is coated with a first active substance material (paragraph 34; Figure B below: negative electrode active material layer 133) and the second coating region is coated with a lithiation material (paragraph 36; Figure B below: metallic lithium M)… and
in an extension direction of the current collector, a gap (Figure B below) is disposed between the first coating region and the second coating region; and
Figure A: Annotated Koji Figure 4(a)
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Figure B: Annotated Koji Figure 4(b)
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a second current collector (paragraph 38; figure 3: positive electrode current collector 142) coated with a second active substance material (paragraph 38; figure 3: positive electrode active material layer 143); wherein:
the first current collector is a negative electrode current collector (paragraph 46; Figure C below: negative electrode current collector 132) and the second current collector is a positive current collector (paragraph 46; Figure C: positive electrode current collector 142);
in a winding direction of the electrode assembly, the first current collector (132) comprises an extension portion (Figure C below) that extends beyond the second current collector (142), and the second coating region (paragraph 55; Figure C: metallic lithium M) is entirely located in the extension portion; and
at least part of the first coating region (paragraph 58; Figure C: negative electrode active material layer 133b) is located in the extension portion, such that the first active substance material layer on the first current collector covers and exceeds beyond a coating region of the second current collector that is coated with the second active substance material (Figure C)
Figure C: Annotated Koji Partial Figure 6
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Koji, however, fails to teach that the lithiation material includes lithium oxide. Jiang teaches lithium oxide for lithiation (paragraph 42). Jiang is directed to pre-lithiation for high efficiency, better cycle performance, and safety (abstract; paragraph 4). It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, for Koji’s lithium to be lithium oxide, as taught by Jiang, for high efficiency, better cycle performance, and safety.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT WEST whose telephone number is 703-756-1363 and email address is Robert.West@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10 am - 7 pm ET.
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/R.G.W./Examiner, Art Unit 1721
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