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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see "Remarks", pages 10-12, filed July 1, 2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection(s) of April 10, 2026 has been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments, page 12, with respect to newly added claim 22, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant's arguments do not comply with 37 CFR 1.111(c) because they do not clearly point out the patentable novelty which he or she thinks the claims present in view of the state of the art disclosed by the references cited or the objections made. Further, they do not show how the amendments avoid such references or objections. Rather, Applicant asserts that none of the cited prior art references teach that “the moveable assembly is movably coupled to the supporting member by a slide rail or an engagement by a gear and a rack”, to which Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner would draw Applicant’s attention to Kurosu (JP 6186847 B2; cited in prior PTO-892), page 9, para. 14, which describes that the displacement sensor 442 slides along rail 441, which teaches the moveable engagement recited in the claim limitations of claim 22, as recited in the below rejection.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kondo (JP 2014-78448 A; cited in prior PTO-892) in view of Kurosu.
In regard to claim 22, Kondo teaches an apparatus for detecting a wavy edge of an electrode sheet [edge detector, page 2 paras. 2-3; capable of differentiating thickness of electrode sheets (page 3 paras. 1-4), and therefore capable of detecting a wavy edge], comprising:
a supporting member [support member 56]; and
a first detecting assembly [edge detection sensor 54], the first detecting assembly comprising a movable assembly [contact 55; page 8 para. 8 - page 9 para. 1 describe the contact moving in the vertical direction, shown in Figs. 5a-5b] and a detecting member [piezoelectric sensor 61];
wherein:
the movable assembly is movably coupled to the supporting member [shown in Figs. 5a-5b], and the movable assembly is configured to move along the supporting member in a direction close to an electrode sheet, to be in contact with the electrode sheet [shown in Figs. 5a-5b, the contact 55 moves up and down based on contact with the electrode sheet; metal foil sheet 40a described as an electrode base material page 8 para. 3]; and
the detecting member is fixed on the movable assembly [shown in Fig. 4], and the detecting member is configured to detect a wavy edge of the electrode sheet based on movement of the movable assembly [page 9 paras. 1-4].
Kondo is not explicit that the moveable assembly is movable coupled to the supporting member by a slide rail or an engagement by a gear and a rack.
However, the use of coupling moveable assemblies using a slide rail is well-known in the art, as taught by Kurosu.
Kurosu teaches a waviness detection unit [plurality of displacement sensors 442] moveably coupled to a slide rail [coupled to rails 4411 and 4412; slideable engagement of the sensor 442 on the rail 441 described at least on page 9 para. 14] affixed to a supporting structure [shown at least in Fig. 1].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used Kurosu’s sliding rail as Kondo’s moveable coupling in order to better position a displacement sensor, as taught by Kondo [page 9 para. 14].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3 and 6-21 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
In regard to independent claims 1 and 12, Kondo teaches an apparatus for detecting a wavy edge of an electrode sheet [edge detector, page 2 paras. 2-3; capable of differentiating thickness of electrode sheets (page 3 paras. 1-4), and therefore capable of detecting a wavy edge], comprising: a supporting member [support member 56]; and a first detecting assembly [edge detection sensor 54], the first detecting assembly comprising a movable assembly [contact 55; page 8 para. 8 - page 9 para. 1 describe the contact moving in the vertical direction, shown in Figs. 5a-5b] and a detecting member [piezoelectric sensor 61]; wherein the movable assembly is movably coupled to the supporting member [shown in Figs. 5a-5b], and the movable assembly is configured to move along the supporting member in a direction close to an electrode sheet, to be in contact with the electrode sheet [shown in Figs. 5a-5b, the contact 55 moves up and down based on contact with the electrode sheet; metal foil sheet 40a described as an electrode base material page 8 para. 3]; and the detecting member is fixed on the movable assembly [shown in Fig. 4], and the detecting member is configured to detect an edge of the electrode sheet based on movement of the movable assembly [page 9 paras. 1-4]; a power mechanism [voltage sensor 61], movably coupled to the supporting member [shown in Figs. 5a-5b; electrode 59 of voltage sensor moves vertically in response to compression/displacement of the contact 55]; wherein the detecting member further comprises a displacement detecting member coupled to the power mechanism [piezoelectric element 58 measures the displacement of the contact 55 by the force applied to the sensor, at least in part electrode 59; page 8 para. 9 - page 9 para. 1], and the displacement detecting member is configured to detect displacement of the movable assembly [page 8 para. 9 - page 9 para. 1]; and the supporting member is provided with a measuring tool [electrode 60], the measuring tool is opposite to the displacement detecting member in terms of position [electrode 60 is on the opposite side of the piezoelectric element 58 compared to electrode 59], and the displacement detecting member reads the displacement of the movable assembly through the measuring tool [page 8 para. 9 - page 9 para. 1].
Although Kondo teaches that an apparatus capable of detecting a wavy edge of an electrode sheet, Kondo is not explicit that the apparatus does detect said wavy edge.
However, gauging waviness of a belt or sheet with a sensor is a well-known engineering practice in the art, as exemplified by Kurosu. Kurosu teaches a waviness detection unit [plurality of displacement sensors 442] with a control unit for detecting the waviness of a belt stretched between two rollers [abstract, page 2 para. 6; waviness detected by comparing displacement sensor output over time, page 14 paras. 4-12].
Yet, neither Kondo nor Kurosu teach that the measuring tool comprises an optical ruler or a scale mark such that the measuring tool is opposite to the position of the displacement detecting member, nor do they provide the rationale to do so.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Castillo (US 20080019751 A1) teaches an apparatus for optically sensing the curl of an edge of an electrode sheet, and Ichizawa (US 20110273557 A1) for optically measuring the edge of an electrode sheet.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL QUINN whose telephone number is (571)272-2690. The examiner can normally be reached T-R 07:00-19:00, F 07:00-11:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JOHN BREENE can be reached at (571)272-4107. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL M QUINN/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/NATALIE HULS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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