Introductory Notes
Any paragraph citation of the instant is in reference to the U.S. published patent application.
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 .
Joint Inventors
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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A1 in the reply filed on 7/24/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 3-5 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention and/or species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/24/2026.
The restriction requirement toward Group B (sealing element being separate piece, or one piece with the first insulation / cover plate) detailed in the Restriction of 6/18/2026 is withdrawn. Notably claim 15 is therefore not withdrawn.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 11, “a first insulation component” should read “the first insulation component”.
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 1-2, 6-7, 9-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by WANG (US 20240204309 A1).
Regarding claim 1, WANG discloses an end cap assembly applicable to a battery cell (“battery top cover”, Abstract) , comprising:
a cover plate (cover plate 1), configured to close a housing of the battery cell (“the cover plate 1 is configured to seal and block an opening of the housing” [0038]);
a terminal plate (pressing plate 2), located on a side of the cover plate, the side being away from the housing (as shown in Fig. 1);
a first insulation component (insulation member 3), at least partially located between the terminal plate and the cover plate (as shown in Fig. 1);
an electrode terminal (pole 5), penetrating the cover plate and the first insulation component, connected to the terminal plate (as shown in Figs. 1-3), and configured to input or output electrical energy (“the pole 5 is electrically connected to the cell through the connection member 7” [0052]);
and a sealing element (combination of first insulation plate 32, third insulation plate 33, and positioning column 35 as shown in Fig. 7), comprising a sealing portion (combination of first insulation plate 32 and third insulation plate 33) and a connecting portion (positioning column 35) connected to the sealing portion, wherein the sealing portion is disposed between a first insulation component and the cover plate to form a sealing region around the electrode terminal (first insulation plate 32 and third insulation plate 33 are the plates/faces adjacent to the pole 5 as shown in Fig.3);
wherein at least one of the first insulation component or the cover plate comprises an accommodation recess, and at least a part of the connecting portion is accommodated in the accommodation recess to fixedly fit the accommodation recess (“the cover plate 1 is provided with a positioning groove fitted with the positioning column 35” [0041], positioning groove shown in Fig. 1 as element 15).
Regarding claim 2, WANG discloses the connecting portion has a columnar shape, and all cross-sections of the connecting portion are equal in area (positioning column 35 as shown in Fig. 7).
Regarding claims 6 and 7, WANG discloses the sealing portion fully covers the opening of the accommodation recess, and a width of the sealing portion is greater than a width of the opening of the accommodation recess (as shown in combination of Figs. 1 and 7, first insulation plate 32 covers the positioning groove).
Regarding claim 9, WANG discloses the sealing portion has a closed ring structure (see Fig. 7 wherein the first insulation plate 32 and third insulation plate 33 read on a closed ring structure), and the accommodation recess comprises a plurality of holes spaced apart along a circumferential direction of the closed ring structure (multiple position grooves 15 as shown in Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10, WANG discloses the plurality of holes are arranged symmetrically with respect to a centerline of the closed ring structure in at least one direction (as shown in comparison of Figs. 1 and 7).
Regarding claim 11, WANG discloses a sum of lengths of the plurality of holes in the circumferential direction of the closed ring structure is less than a sum of lengths of all solid parts between every two adjacent holes in the circumferential direction of the closed ring structure (as shown in Fig. 1, the sum of the grooves is less than the non-grooved area).
Regarding claim 12, WANG discloses a cross-sectional shape of the accommodation recess comprises at least one of a polygon, a circle, an ellipse, or a sector ring (circle per Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, WANG discloses the cover plate comprises a first through-hole, the first insulation component comprises a second through-hole, the electrode terminal penetrates the first through-hole and the second through-hole along a thickness direction of the cover plate, and both the first through-hole and the second through-hole are located in the sealing region (as shown in Fig. 1, the pole goes through a hole in the cover plate and insulation member) .
Regarding claim 14, WANG discloses a material of the sealing element is different from a material of the at least one of the first insulation component or the cover plate (“the insulation member 3 is injection molded” [0039], which encompasses first insulation plate 32; and “cover plate 1 is formed by sheet stamping forming” [0053]).
Regarding claim 15, WANG discloses the sealing element is formed in one piece together with the at least one of the first insulation component or the cover plate through an injection molding process (“first insulation plate 31, the second insulation plate 32, the third insulation plate 33 and the positioning column 35 in the insulation member 3 are integrally injection molded” [0043]).
Regarding claim 16, WANG discloses hardness of the material of the sealing element is lower than hardness of the material of the at least one of the first insulation component or the cover plate (“the insulation member 3 is injection molded” [0039], which encompasses first insulation plate 32; and “cover plate 1 is formed by sheet stamping forming” [0053]).
Regarding claim 17, WANG discloses a battery cell, comprising:
an electrode assembly; a housing, configured to accommodate the electrode assembly, wherein an end portion of the housing is opened; and the end cap assembly according to claim 1, wherein the end cap assembly is disposed at the end portion of the housing (“The battery top cover is mounted on a cell, the cell includes a housing and a core, the housing has a receiving cavity configured to receive the core and an electrolyte, the core is mounted within the receiving cavity, and the battery top cover is mounted at an opening position of the housing and is configured to seal the core and the electrolyte in an interior of the housing” [0038]).
Regarding claim 20, WANG discloses a battery (“battery”, abstract).
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WANG.
Regarding claim 8, WANG discloses the connecting portion is in fit with an inner wall of the accommodation recess without clearance (“the cover plate 1 is provided with a positioning groove fitted with the positioning column 35” [0041]” [0041])
WANG does not explicitly state the clearance, or lack thereof, between positioning column and groove. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to arrive at “without clearance” through routine optimization given the teaching of WANG that the purpose of the positioning columns and grooves is to “facilitating the positioning and mounting of the insulation member 3, and avoiding the rotation of the insulation member 3 relative to the cover plate 1” [0041].
Claims 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WANG in view of CHEN (CN 112310496 A, with corresponding US 20210359365 A1 used as translation and citations).
Regarding claim 18, WANG does not expressly teach both end portions of the housing are opened.
CHEN is directed to an end cover assembly for a battery cell, like WANG. CHEN discloses Figs. 3 and 4 showing housing 1 with two open ends as well as a positive end cover assembly 2 and a negative end cover assembly 3.
CHEN teaches the “the housing 1 is also cylindrical. The end cover assemblies 5 are roughly all circular” [0137] and that when “structure in which the terminal assembly 52 adopts two terminal main bodies 521 prevent such phenomenon of rotation relative to the housing 1 after the end cover assembly 5 is installed” [0142] as well as the ability to package the cells together efficiently into a pack as shown in Fig. 2.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the two open structure of CHEN as the base housing structure while incorporating the teachings of WANG regarding the end cap assembly.
The motivation to do so being to prevent rotation and improve assembly as a pack.
Therefore, modified WANG discloses the end cap assembly is a negative end cap assembly of the battery cell located on one side of the electrode assembly; the battery cell further comprising: a positive end cap assembly, located on another side of the electrode assembly; wherein both end portions of the housing are opened, and the negative end cap assembly and the positive end cap assembly fit and cover the two end portions of the housing respectively (as taught by CHEN).
Regarding claim 19, modified WANG discloses all the claim limitations as set forth above and WANG further discloses liquid injection hole 14.
The choice as to which end cap has the injection port is limited to two options in the cell of modified WANG, namely either the negative or the positive end cap, and the choice of the positive is a design decision well within the capabilities for one of ordinary skill in the art. It has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art while the device having the claimed dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 and since it has been held that a mere reversal of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art, In re Einstein, 8 USPQ 167.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
LI (US 20190067651 A1) directed to a cap assembly wherein Fig. 1 shows sealing member 23 and stopper 24 which together map to the sealing element such that the sealing member 23 maps to sealing portion and stopper 24 maps to connection portion. Furthermore, Fig. 1 shows elements reading on cover plate with recess, terminal plate, first insulation component, and electrode terminal. As such, LI reads on at least claim 1.
YAMAMOTO (US 20130249173 A1) directed to a gasket with positioning projections, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRAVIS L MARTIN whose telephone number is (703)756-5449. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8am-5pm ET.
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/T.L.M./Examiner, Art Unit 1721
/ALLISON BOURKE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1721
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