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
Claims 11-14 have been canceled by Applicant, as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 06/12/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 06/12/2026 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim(s) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (CN-200953357-Y with citations from the provided translation).
` Regarding Claim 1, Liu discloses:
A lithium secondary battery comprising (a soft -package lithium-ion battery device, see Pg1/L37-38):
an exterior member (the battery core is sealed with a packaging film, see Pg1/L51-52);
electrode cells disposed within the exterior member , each electrode cell including a cathode, an anode, and a separator disposed between the cathode and the anode (“a battery core formed by stacking a plurality of positive electrode plates and negative electrode plates separated by a diaphragm in sequence,” see Pg1/L44-45);
cathode tabs disposed on a first side of the cathode and configured to electrically connect conductive lines extending from the cathodes in the electrode cells; and anode tabs disposed on a second side of the anode that is different from the first side of the cathode, and configured to electrically connect conductive lines extending from the anodes in the electrode cells (“positive and negative electrode tabs located at both ends of the battery core, one end of each positive electrode plate is provided with a portion of a blank positive electrode current collector, and one end of each negative electrode plate is provided with a portion of a blank negative electrode current collector,” see Pg1/L45-48 and annotated Fig. 6 below),
wherein the cathode tabs and the anode tabs are formed asymmetrically on different sides (see annotated Fig. 6 below).
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Regarding Claim 2, Liu discloses:
further comprising a cathode lead that is electrically connected to the cathode through the cathode tabs; and an anode lead that is electrically connected to the anode through the anode tabs (positive and negative electrode ears 7 and 9 are welded to the indicated tabs in annotated Fig. 6 above, see Pg3/L33-34),
wherein the second side of the anode is an opposite side of the first side of the cathode (see annotated Fig. 1 above).
Regarding Claim 3, Liu discloses:
wherein a number of the anode tabs is greater than a number of the cathode tabs (see annotated Fig. 1 above).
Regarding Claim 4, Liu discloses:
wherein the cathode comprises a cathode current collector and a cathode active material layer disposed on the cathode current collector and including a cathode active material that allows lithium ions to be inserted to and extracted from the cathode active material layer (The positive electrode material coated on the positive current collector is mainly composed of LiCoO2 or LiNixMnyCozO2 is coated on the aluminum foil, see Pg2/L49-52 and Pg3/L32. The instant specification recognizes lithium cobalt oxide and lithium nickel manganese oxide as cathode active materials that “allows lithium ions to be inserted to and extracted from the active material,” see instant spec.-[0036]),
wherein the anode comprises an anode current collector and an anode active material layer on the anode current collector and including an anode active material that allows lithium ions to be inserted to and extracted from the anode active material layer (The negative electrode material coated on the negative current collector is mainly composed of a carbon or Si-based or Sn-based or a composite material thereof is coated on the copper foil as the negative electrode material, see Pg2/L54-59 and Pg3/L32. The instant specification recognizes carbon-based materials, silicon (Si), or tin (Sn) as anode active materials that “allows lithium ions to be inserted to and extracted from the active material,” see instant spec.-[0037]),
and wherein a thickness of the anode current collector is thinner than a thickness of the cathode current collector (the thickness of the positive current collector ranges
18 to 22 μm and the negative current collector thickness 8 to 12 μm, see Pg1/L60-Pg2/L1-2).
Regarding Claim 5, Liu discloses:
wherein the anode current collector comprises copper (the negative electrode collector is a copper foil, see Pg2/L1-2),
and wherein the cathode current collector comprises aluminum ( the positive electrode collector is an aluminum foil, see Pg1/L60-Pg2/L1).
Regarding Claim 6, annotated Fig. 1 above discloses:
wherein at least one of the cathode tabs is disposed adjacent to a first edge of the first side of the cathode, and at least one other of the cathode tabs is disposed adjacent to a second edge of the first side of the cathode,
and wherein at least one of the anode tabs is disposed adjacent to the first edge of the second side of the anode, and at least one other of the anode tabs is disposed adjacent to the second edge of the second side of the anode.
Regarding Claim 7, annotated Fig. 1 above discloses:
wherein at least one of the anode tabs is disposed in a central portion of the second side of the anode, and wherein the cathode tabs are not be disposed in a central portion of the first side of the cathode.
Regarding Claim 8, Liu discloses:
wherein the electrode cells have a stack-type structure (“a battery core formed by stacking a plurality of positive electrode plates and negative electrode plates separated by a diaphragm in sequence,” see Pg1/L44-45.
Regarding Claim 9, Liu discloses:
wherein the exterior member is structured to form an enclosure in which electrode cells are placed (the battery core is sealed with a packaging film, see Pg1/L51-52).
Regarding Claim 10, Liu discloses:
wherein the exterior member is a pouch type enclosure (the battery core is sealed with a packaging film, see Pg1/L51-52).
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kim et al (US-20130196210-A1) and Drews et al. (US-20060194108-A1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kayla E Clary whose telephone number is (571)272-2854. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00-5:00 (PT).
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/K.E.C./
Kayla E. ClaryExaminer, Art Unit 1721
/SADIE WHITE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1721
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