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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Claims 1-9 and 16-20 in the reply filed on 04/21/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 10-15 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04/21/2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 08/25/2023, 02/13/2025, and 01/23/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings received on 08/25/2023 were received and are acceptable.
Specification
The specification received on 08/25/2023 was received and is acceptable.
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.
(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) 1-2, 9, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yang et al (CN113241480A, hereafter Yang).
Regarding claim 1, Yang discloses the following:
A winding device for winding a material, comprising: (In a first aspect, the present invention provides a non-stop, uniform, and efficient diaphragm winding machine…, Yang, [0006])
a winding switching mechanism, comprising a rotating disc and a plurality of winding pins arrange on the rotating disc at intervals, the material being wound around one of the winding pins along a preset path; (The winding mechanism 150 includes a winding head 151 and three winding needles 153 rotatably mounted on the winding head 151., Yang, [0037])
a compounding mechanism, provided upstream of the winding pins along the preset path and configured to laminate and compound plural layers of the material at a present position; (The membrane bonding mechanism is located between the sheet feeding mechanism and the winding mechanism…The membrane bonding mechanism is used to thermally bond the diaphragms and clamp the diaphragms., Yang, [0006], Fig.1, 190)
and a breaking mechanism, provided between the compounding mechanism and any one of the winding pins along the preset path and configured to break compounded plural layers of the material at a compounding region. (the membrane cutting mechanism 170 cuts the thermally laminated diaphragm, thereby forming the diaphragm head and diaphragm tail., Yang, [0067], Fig.1, 170)
Regarding claim 2, Yang discloses all of claim 1 as shown above. Yang also discloses the following:
The winding device according to claim 1, wherein the compounding mechanism comprises: a first hot melting piece and a second hot melting piece oppositely arranged and spaced apart, the material passing between the first hot melting piece and the second hot melting piece; (…the membrane composite mechanism 190 includes a thermal composite box 191, a first hot press roller 193, and a second hot press roller 195., Yang, [0043])
and a driving assembly, connected with the first hot melting piece and/or the second hot melting piece to drive the first hot melting piece and the second hot melting piece to approach each other, so as to bond and compound the plural layers of the material through hot pressing. (…a first hot-pressing drive 19 and a second-hot pressing drive 199 are provided inside the hot-composite box 191. The first-hot pressing drive 197 is driven to the first hot-pressing roller 197 and is used to drive the first hot-pressing roller to move closer to or away from the second hot-pressing roller 195., Yang, [0046] and …and are used to bring them together to achieve thermal composite of the diaphragm…, Yang, [0043])
Regarding claim 9, Yang discloses all of claim 1 as shown above. Yang also discloses the following:
The winding device according to claim 1, wherein the winding device further comprises a pressing mechanism, and the pressing mechanism is provided on one side of a path of rotation of the winding pins with the rotating disc and configured to press the material on the winding pins tightly during breakage. (…the winding mechanism 150 further includes a diaphragm clamping robot 158. The diaphragm clamping robot 158 is mounted on the mounting plate 110 and has a retractable first clamping arm 1581. A first clamping roller 1583 is provided at the end of the first clamping arm 1581. An intermediate guide roller 1585 is also provided between every two winding needles 153. The first clamping arm 1581 is used to press against the intermediate guide roller 1585 between the winding station 155 and the adhesive application station 157 so that the first clamping roller 1583 and the corresponding intermediate guide roller 1585 clamp the diaphragm tail., Yang, [0049], Fig.8, 158)
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Regarding claim 16, Yang discloses all of claim 1 as shown above. Yang also discloses the following:
A jelly roll, formed by winding a plurality of layers of a material using the winding device according to claim 1, wherein (The winding needles located at the winding station are used to adsorb the cut diaphragm head and wind the diaphragm head onto the outer circumferential surface of the corresponding winding needle, so that the electrode and the diaphragm are wound to form a battery cell., Yang, [0007])
the plurality of layers of the material are provided with a compounding portion, (by adding a membrane composite mechanism between the feeding mechanism and the winding mechanism, the diaphragm can be thermally composited, so that the diaphragm is composited into one piece, Yang, [0018])
the plurality of layers of the material are laminated and compounded together at the compounding portion, and a predetermined distance exists between the compounding portion and an end portion of the material in a winding direction; and (by adding a membrane composite mechanism between the feeding mechanism and the winding mechanism, the diaphragm can be thermally composited, so that the diaphragm is composited into one piece, Yang, [0018])
the end portion is an end of an innermost circle of the material in the winding direction, or the end portion is an end of an outermost circle of the material in the winding direction. (The winding needles located at the winding station are used to adsorb the cut diaphragm head and wind the diaphragm head onto the outer circumferential surface of the corresponding winding needle, so that the electrode and the diaphragm are wound to form a battery cell., Yang, [0007])
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. 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.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al (CN113241480A, hereinafter Yang) in view of Murayama (JP2009289661A) and if further view of Taylor et al (US20150372340A1, hereinafter Taylor).
Regarding claim 3, Yang discloses all of claim 2 as shown above. However, Yang does not disclose the following:
The winding device according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of protrusions are arranged on each of surfaces of the first hot melting piece and/or the second hot melting piece at intervals, and the protrusions are configured to abut against the material to hot melt a plurality of spaced holes in the material.
Murayama discloses heating protrusions on the surface of a heating plate (Murayama, [0034]) and that these protrusions are pressed against the tapes from below joining them by heat welding (Murayama, [0044]). However, Murayama does not disclose the heating pieces being provided upstream from the winding device. Taylor discloses a laminator used to laminate electrode elements using heat and/or pressure (Taylor, [0019]). This laminator is situated upstream from the winding and consists of a heated upper and lower roll which either or both of may contain a pattern (Taylor, [0019]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to combine the melting pieces and winding device of Yang with the specific heating protrusions of Murayama and the positioning of Taylor to increase the speed of production of the wound element and therefore reduce the cost of assembly (Taylor, [0002]).
Regarding claim 4, modified Yang discloses all of claim 3 as shown above. Modified Yang also discloses the following:
The winding device according to claim 3, wherein a pre-cutting portion is provided between adjacent protrusions, and a protruding height of the pre-cutting portion is lower than that of the protrusions, so as to contact the material and form a pre-cutting position on the material.
Modified Yang discloses areas between protrusions that are of lower height than the protrusions themselves (See figure below).
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Claim(s) 5is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al (CN113241480A, hereinafter Yang) in view of Murayama (JP2009289661A) and Taylor as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of Tsuchiya et al (JP2009252425A, hereinafter Tsuchiya).
Regarding claim 5, modified Yang discloses all of claim 4 as shown above. However, modified Yang does not disclose the following:
The winding device according to claim 4, wherein the breaking mechanism is an axial roller provided in a center of the rotating disc, and the axial roller is configured to tension the material between any two of the winding pins and break the material compounded together at the pre-cutting position.
Tsuchiya discloses an axial roller provided at the center of a rotating disc configured to apply tension to the material between any two of the winding pins (Tsuchiya, Fig.7, 111) Tsuchiya does not directly disclose the use of the tension to break the material, Tsuchiya does disclose that the laminated strip is wrapped around the rotating shaft 111 of the turret 110 and cut by a cutter 133 (Tsuchiya, [0047]).With the above mentioned method of creating holes in the compounded material with heated protrusions at a given region it would necessarily follow that applying tension to that region would cause breakage.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to substitute the cutting arrangement of Yang with the cutting arrangement of Tsuchiya because the substituted component was known, their functions were known in the art, one of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted one known component for another and that the results of the substitution would have been predictable. See MPEP 2143 I (B).
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Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al (CN113241480A, hereinafter Yang) in view of Yang et al (CN113555610A, hereinafter Yang.R).
Regarding claim 6, Yang discloses all of claim 1 as shown above. However, Yang does not disclose the following:
The winding device according to claim 1 wherein the compounding mechanism comprises a gluing member configured to spray glue between two adjacent layers of the material to compound the material.
Yang.R discloses an adhesive coating assembly with a built-in adhesive spray valve for applying adhesive to the surface of the diaphragm. Rollers are disposed downstream of the adhesive coating assembly to bond the diaphragm. (Yang.R, [0015])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to combine the winding machine of Yang with the adhesive coating assembly of Yang.R to further compound the material by bonding through adhesive.
Claim(s) 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al (CN113241480A, hereinafter Yang) in view of Sheng et al (EP3944396A1, hereinafter Sheng).
Regarding claim 17, Yang discloses all of claim 16 as shown above. However, Yang does not disclose multiple compounding regions. Sheng a wound electrode with multiple compounded regions. (Sheng, [0078], Fig.18).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to substitute the compounded region of Yang with the compounded regions of Sheng because the substituted component was known, their functions were known in the art, one of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted one known component for another and that the results of the substitution would have been predictable. See MPEP 2143 I (B).
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Regarding claim 18, modified Yang also discloses welding, bonding, and riveting the plurality of layers together to form this compounding region (Sheng, [0049]).
Regarding claim 19, modified Yang does not directly disclose the predetermined distance between compounding regions but the figures show it can be less than the perimeter of the innermost circle of the jelly roll (Sheng, Fig.1, Fig.18).
Regarding claim 20, modified Yang again does not directly disclose the predetermined distance between compounding regions but as the perimeter of the outermost circle must be greater than the perimeter of the innermost circle the same from the above claim applies (Sheng, Fig.1, Fig.18).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-8 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Regarding claim 7, the instant claim is drawn to the winding device of claim 1, wherein the breaking mechanism comprises a cutter provided on the rotating disk, and the cutter is configured to cut off compounded plural layers of the material at the compounding region.
The closest pertinent art is Tsuchiya (JP2009252425A) and Murayama (JP2009289661A). Both Tsuchiya and Murayama disclose a cutter for cutting a plurality of layers of a wound electrode (Tsuchiya, Fig.7, 133) (Murayama, Fig.1, 36). However, both Tsuchiya and Murayama do not disclose that this cutter is provided on the rotating disk of the winding apparatus. Tsuchiya provides the cutter to the side of the rotating disk and Murayama provides the cutter above the rotating disk.
The examiner notes that the cutting of a plurality of layers of a wound electrode is known in the art. However, the cutter is not provided on the rotating disk of the winding apparatus, as in the manner of the instant claim.
For the reasons outlined above, claim 7 has been found to indicate allowable subject matter. Claim 8 also indicates allowable subject matter due to its dependence on claim 7.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSHUA P BISTANY-RIEBMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-9591. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri. 7:30am-5pm.
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/JOSHUA P BISTANY-RIEBMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/ALLISON BOURKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1721
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