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 .
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.
Claims 20, 21, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gansemer et al. (US 2017/0162845; “Gansemer”; reference of record).
Regarding claim 20, Gansemer teaches a power source (2; figures 1 and 5) comprising:
a housing (3); and contained within the housing (3),
an electrochemical cell (10); and
a piezo sensor (38) embedded within the electrochemical cell (10), the piezo sensor (38) configured to generate an electrical response (voltage) to a deformation (from pressure or force) of the electrochemical cell (10) and thereby the power source (2), the electrical response indicative of a characteristic of the deformation (para. [0047]. “When the piezoelectric sensor 38 detects a pressure or force, the piezoelectric sensor 38 generates a voltage that the evaluation unit 40 receives as a measurement value.”).
As for claim 21, Gansemer teaches wherein the piezo sensor includes a piezoelectric material (38) on a core material, the piezoelectric material configured to generate an electrical voltage response to the deformation of the power source (para. [0047]).
As for claim 25, Gansemer teaches wherein the electrochemical cell and the piezo sensor are formed in a multilayer arrangement (see layers in figures 1 and 5) including a cathode layer (12), an anode layer (11), and a separator layer (18) of the electrochemical cell, and including a layer of composite material (30) including at least one of piezoelectric material (38) or piezoresistive material for the piezo sensor.
Claims 20-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schneider et al. (DE 102012209397; “Schneider”; reference of record).
Regarding claim 20, Schneider teaches a power source (figure 1) comprising:
a housing (12, 14); and contained within the housing (12, 14),
an electrochemical cell (10); and
a piezo sensor (30) embedded within the electrochemical cell (10), the piezo sensor (30) configured to generate an electrical response to a deformation of the electrochemical cell and thereby the power source, the electrical response indicative of a characteristic of the deformation (Paragraphs five and six under the heading Disclosure of the Invention: “A piezoresistive pressure sensor contains a membrane with applied electrical resistances and is predominantly produced as a silicon pressure sensor. About a pressure-dependent deformation of the membrane and diffused thereon deformation-dependent resistors there is the formation of an electrical voltage.” “In a piezoelectric sensor, an electric voltage is generated in a crystal by means of pressure by charge separation.”).
As for claim 21, Schneider teaches wherein the piezo sensor includes a piezoelectric material on a core material, the piezoelectric material configured to generate an electrical voltage response to the deformation of the power source (Paragraph six under the heading Disclosure of the Invention: “In a piezoelectric sensor, an electric voltage is generated in a crystal by means of pressure by charge separation.”).
As for claim 22, Schneider teaches wherein the core material comprises a piezoresistive material configured to generate an electrical resistance response to the deformation of the power source (Paragraph five under the heading Disclosure of the Invention: “A piezoresistive pressure sensor contains a membrane with applied electrical resistances and is predominantly produced as a silicon pressure sensor. About a pressure-dependent deformation of the membrane and diffused thereon deformation-dependent resistors there is the formation of an electrical voltage.”).
Regarding claim 23, Schneider teaches wherein the piezo sensor includes a piezoresistive material on a core material, the piezoresistive material configured to generate an electrical resistance response to the deformation of the power source (Paragraph five under the heading Disclosure of the Invention: “A piezoresistive pressure sensor contains a membrane with applied electrical resistances and is predominantly produced as a silicon pressure sensor. About a pressure-dependent deformation of the membrane and diffused thereon deformation-dependent resistors there is the formation of an electrical voltage.”).
Regarding claim 24, Schneider teaches wherein the core material comprises a piezoelectric material configured to generate an electrical voltage response to the deformation of the power source (Paragraph six under the heading Disclosure of the Invention: “In a piezoelectric sensor, an electric voltage is generated in a crystal by means of pressure by charge separation.”).
As for claim 25, Schneider teaches wherein the electrochemical cell and the piezo sensor are formed in a multilayer arrangement (see layers in figure 1) including a cathode layer (24), an anode layer (22), and a separator layer (26) of the electrochemical cell, and including a layer of composite material (30) including at least one of piezoelectric material or piezoresistive material for the piezo sensor (Paragraph four under the heading Embodiments of the Invention).
Regarding claim 26, Schneider teaches wherein the layer of composite material includes the piezoelectric material on a core of piezoresistive material (Paragraphs five and six under the heading Disclosure of the Invention).
Regarding claim 27, Schneider teaches wherein the layer of composite material includes the piezoresistive material on a core of piezoelectric material (Paragraphs five and six under the heading Disclosure of the Invention).
As for claim 28, Schneider teaches wherein the multilayer arrangement includes the layer of composite material (30) deposited on a substrate (Paragraph three under the heading State of the Art: “The electrode coil comprises two metallic substrates which are coated with the active cathode or anode material. Between the two substrates is a separator.”), and the cathode layer (24) deposited on the layer of composite material (30) so that the layer of composite material is between the cathode layer (24) and the substrate.
As for claim 29, Schneider teaches wherein the multilayer arrangement includes the layer of composite material (30) deposited on a substrate (Paragraph three under the heading State of the Art: “The electrode coil comprises two metallic substrates which are coated with the active cathode or anode material. Between the two substrates is a separator.”), and the anode layer (22) deposited on the layer of composite material (30) so that the layer of composite material is between the anode layer (22) and the substrate.
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.
Claims 22-24, 26, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gansemer.
Regarding claim 22, Gansemer teaches the power source of claim 21, as detailed above, but fails to teach wherein the core material comprises a piezoresistive material configured to generate an electrical resistance response to the deformation of the power source.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to embody an internal pressure sensor of a battery with piezoresistive and piezoelectric materials. For example, see para. [0010] in the background of Gansemer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize a piezoresistive material in the pressure sensor of Gansemer because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known battery pressure sensor material.
Regarding claim 23, Gansemer teaches the power source of claim 20, as detailed above, but fails to teach wherein the piezo sensor includes a piezoresistive material on a core material, the piezoresistive material configured to generate an electrical resistance response to the deformation of the power source.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to embody an internal pressure sensor of a battery with piezoresistive and piezoelectric materials. For example, see para. [0010] in the background of Gansemer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize a piezoresistive material in the pressure sensor of Gansemer because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known battery pressure sensor material.
As for claim 24, Gansemer teaches wherein the core material comprises a piezoelectric material (38) configured to generate an electrical voltage response to the deformation of the power source (para. [0047]).
As for claim 26, Gansemer teaches wherein the layer of composite material includes the piezoelectric material (38), but fails to teach the piezoelectric material on a core of piezoresistive material.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to embody an internal pressure sensor of a battery with piezoresistive and piezoelectric materials. For example, see para. [0010] in the background of Gansemer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize a piezoresistive material in the pressure sensor of Gansemer because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known battery pressure sensor material.
Regarding claim 27, Gansemer teaches the power source of claim 25, as detailed above, but fails to teach wherein the layer of composite material includes the piezoresistive material on a core of piezoelectric material.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to embody an internal pressure sensor of a battery with piezoresistive and piezoelectric materials. For example, see para. [0010] in the background of Gansemer.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize a piezoresistive material in the pressure sensor of Gansemer because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known battery pressure sensor material.
Conclusion
The prior art references made of record and not relied upon teach batteries including piezoelectric/piezoresistive sensors.
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/LEVI GANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836 July 2, 2026
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