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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group II claims 8-20 in the reply filed on 05/26/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that claims 1-7 do not contain a search burden due to the overlapping limitations. This is not found persuasive because the product of claims 1-7 is different structurally than a method of forming tabs and the product further includes limitations directed towards the structure of the system and not pertaining to the method of manufacture. Claims 8-20 are pending in this office action.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Objections
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: "having a the second dimension" should read "having the second dimension". Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 8-12, 14-16, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oh (KR 102158708 B1).
Regarding claim 8, Oh discloses a method of forming tabs in a battery cell foil comprising:
passing the battery cell foil over a web roller having a web roller axis (Figures 1-3; pattern jig 200 installed on the jig base 300 to guide the electrode film in a vertical direction; [0024]);
supporting a portion of the battery cell foil on a guide element support member including a plurality of guide elements (Figures 1-3; [0024-0025] first and second guide drums 230/240 of the pattern jig and having the electrode film wound on the pattern jig and guide elements);
directing a tab cutting mechanism at a first one of the plurality of guide elements (Figure 1-3; [0024] laser notching process is performed with lasers 100 and is fixedly connected to the jig base 300);
cutting a first tab in the portion of the battery cell foil, the first tab having a first dimension corresponding to the first one of the plurality of guide elements ([0024-0026] electrode tabs are formed by irradiating a laser on both sides of the electrode film);
shifting the guide element support member while the battery cell foil is passing over the web roller to align a second one of the plurality of guide elements with the tab cutting mechanism (Figures 1-3; [0023-0029] jig base 300 for the pattern jig 200 is installed at one side of the laser irradiator and rotates from one guide drum to the second guide drum to perform laser notching process on the other side of the electrode film); and
cutting a second tab in the portion of the battery cell foil, the second tab having a second dimension, distinct from the first dimension, corresponding to the second one of the plurality of guide elements (Figures 1-3; [0023-0030]; pattern holes 211 and 221 may have different sizes and thus the electrode tab can have different sizes; [0040,0046,0049]).
Regarding claim 9, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 8. Oh further discloses wherein directing the tab cutting mechanism includes aiming a laser at the first one of the plurality of guide elements ([0017,0023-0027,0035,0046] tab cutting mechanism includes a laser that forms the tabs while cutting through the pattern holes of the pattern drum).
Regarding claim 10, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 9. Oh further discloses wherein cutting the tab includes passing the laser through the battery cell foil into the first one of the plurality of guide elements ([0046-0049] laser irradiated to both sides of the electrode film in close contact with the first pattern drum and the second pattern dure and through the pattern holes of the drums to from the tabs).
Regarding claim 11, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 10. Oh further discloses wherein passing the laser through the battery cell foil includes guiding the laser to follow a pattern embodied by the first one of the plurality of guide elements (Figure 2; pattern hole 221; [0024,0030, 0032]).
Regarding claim 12, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 8. Oh further discloses wherein shifting the guide element support member while the battery cell is passing over the web roller to align a third one of the plurality of guide elements with the cutting mechanism (Figure 2; multiple pattern holes 221 and 211 are formed around the battery pattern drum that aligns with the cutting mechanism to cut the battery cell).
Regarding claim 14, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 8. Oh further discloses wherein shifting the guide element support member includes rotating the guide element support member relative to the web roller ([0029-0030] first and second guide frum rotate together).
Regarding claim 15, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 8. Oh further discloses wherein cutting the first tab having the first dimension includes forming the first tab having a first length defined along the web roller axis of the web roller (Figure 1-3; [0025,0030,0040] tab having a length defined by the size of the pattern hole).
Regarding claim 16, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 15. Oh further discloses wherein cutting the second tab having a the second dimension includes forming the second tab having a second length defined along the web roller axis of the web roller (Figure 1-3; [0025,0030,0040] tab having a length defined by the size of the pattern hole).
Regarding claim 18, Oh discloses a battery cell formed by a method comprising:
passing the battery cell foil over a web roller having a web roller axis (Figures 1-3; pattern jig 200 installed on the jig base 300 to guide the electrode film in a vertical direction; [0024]);
supporting a portion of the battery cell foil on a guide element support member including a plurality of guide elements (Figures 1-3; [0024-0025] first and second guide drums 230/240 of the pattern jig and having the electrode film wound on the pattern jig and guide elements);
directing a tab cutting mechanism at a first one of the plurality of guide elements (Figure 1-3; [0024] laser notching process is performed with lasers 100 and is fixedly connected to the jig base 300);
cutting a first tab in the portion of the battery cell foil, the first tab having a first dimension corresponding to the first one of the plurality of guide elements ([0024-0026] electrode tabs are formed by irradiating a laser on both sides of the electrode film);
shifting the guide element support member while the battery cell foil is passing over the web roller to align a second one of the plurality of guide elements with the tab cutting mechanism (Figures 1-3; [0023-0029] jig base 300 for the pattern jig 200 is installed at one side of the laser irradiator and rotates from one guide drum to the second guide drum to perform laser notching process on the other side of the electrode film); and
cutting a second tab in the portion of the battery cell foil, the second tab having a second dimension, distinct from the first dimension, corresponding to the second one of the plurality of guide elements (Figures 1-3; [0023-0030]; pattern holes 211 and 221 may have different sizes and thus the electrode tab can have different sizes; [0040,0046,0049]),
stacking the first portion of the battery cell foil and the second portion of the battery cell foil to form a battery cell ([0002] stacking the prepared electrodes to form a battery and is generally known).
Regarding claim 19, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 18. Oh further discloses wherein directing the tab cutting mechanism at the first one of the plurality of guide elements includes activating a laser ([0017,0023-0027,0035,0046] tab cutting mechanism includes a laser that forms the tabs while cutting through the pattern holes of the pattern drum).
Regarding claim 20, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 19. Oh further discloses wherein activating the laser includes passing the laser through the battery cell foil and tracing a pattern defined by the first one of the plurality of guide elements to form the first tab (Figure 2; pattern hole 221; [0024,0030, 0032] laser irradiated to both sides of the electrode film in close contact with the first pattern drum and the second pattern dure and through the pattern holes of the drums to from the tabs).
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.
Claims 13 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oh (KR 102158708 B1).
Regarding claim 13, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 12. Oh discloses multiple pattern holes however, is explicitly silent with respect to wherein cutting a third tab in the portion of the battery cell foil, the third tab having a third dimension, distinct from the first dimension and the second dimension, corresponding to the third one of the plurality of guide elements. It would have been obvious in view of a skilled artisan to duplicate the laser cutting region to include a third region in which a third tab is formed having a third dimension and that corresponds to the third one of the plurality of guide elements as a simple duplication of the guide element and cutting region as the number of cutting regions and tabs formed would have been obvious in view of a skilled artisan. The mere duplication of parts, without any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Harza, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
Regarding claim 17, Oh discloses all the claim limitations of claim 16. Oh discloses wherein multiple tabs can be formed and wherein the pattern holes can have different sizes that would related to different sizes of the tab produced. Oh is explicitly silent with respect to the second tba being shorter than the first tab, however, it would have been obvious in view of a skilled artisan and teaching of Oh to change the size of the second tab and second pattern hole to be smaller than the first pattern hole as a simple change in shape of the size as taught by Oh. The size of an article is not a matter of invention. See In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bojanowski et al. (US 2023/0249291 A1)- discloses a laser notching apparatus for cutting of electrode sheets and is analogous with the instant invention as being within the same field of endeavor of cutting electrode sheets.
Kim et al. (US 2024/0246177 A1)- discloses an electrode manufacturing device used for laser notching of electrodes and is analogous with the instant invention as being within the same field of endeavor of cutting electrode sheets.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Adam J Francis whose telephone number is (571)272-1021. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 7 am-4 pm EST.
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/ADAM J FRANCIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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