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 without traverse of Group I, claims 1-3 in the reply filed on 27 August 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “ a case body of a bottomed rectangular cylindrical shape configuring the second primary wall portion and the four side wall portions and being formed with an opening of a rectangular shape configured by the four side wall portions; and a lid of a rectangular shape configuring the first primary wall portion in which a lid peripheral edge portion is joined to an entire circumference of an opening peripheral edge portion of the opening of the case body,”.
It is unclear what structural relationship the term “configuring” is attempting to impose in the claims. For the purpose of examination, it is assumed that the second primary wall is a part of the case bottom, and the lid is a part of the primary wall portion, to be consistent with the instant specification.
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1 or 2) as being anticipated by Miyazaki et al. (US Pub 2015/0093620 cited in IDS).
In regard to claim 1, Miyazaki et al. teach a power storage device comprising: a case 20, 203; an electrode body 202 housed in the case; and an impregnated electrolytic solution impregnated in the electrode body (paragraph [0054] – “The filling portion 244 has an electrolyte solution filling hole 245 formed in the lid body 24 and a plug body 246 for closing the electrolyte solution filling hole 245. The electrolyte solution filling hole 245 is an opening through which the electrolyte solution is filled into the case 20. The plug body 246 is fitted into the electrolyte solution filling hole 245 after the filling to thereby close the electrolyte solution filling hole 245.”),
the case being of a parallelepiped box-like shape and provided with: a first primary wall portion (lid portion 24) of a rectangular shape; a second primary wall portion (bottom wall 220) of a rectangular shape opposing to the first primary wall portion; and four side wall portions (long wall portion 222, 222; short wall portions 223, 223), each of which is of a rectangular shape, connects the first primary wall portion and the second primary wall portion, and extends in a case thickness direction (y direction in figures below), the electrode body being configured as a flat wound electrode body 12 in which a positive electrode plate 120 of a strip shape and a negative electrode plate 122 of a strip shape are flat-wound via a pair of separators 124 of strip shapes, the electrode body including an electrode laminated portion of a parallelepiped shape in which the positive electrode plate 120, the negative electrode plate 122, and the separators 124 are laminated in a flat plate-like shape in an electrode body thickness direction (y direction, figures below), and the electrode body being housed in the case in such a position that the electrode body thickness direction is in parallel to the case thickness direction (paragraph [0055-0058], figure 2),
wherein the case includes: a case body of a bottomed rectangular cylindrical shape 220 configuring the second primary wall portion and the four side wall portions 222, 222, 223, 223 and being formed with an opening of a rectangular shape configured by the four side wall portions; and a lid 24 of a rectangular shape configuring the first primary wall portion in which a lid peripheral edge portion is joined to an entire circumference of an opening peripheral edge portion of the opening of the case body, the first primary wall portion 24 and the second primary wall portion 120 of the case elastically compress the electrode laminated portion of the electrode body in the electrode body thickness direction (see paragraph [0060] “The support members 32 are disposed in corner portions of the section along the Y-Z plane of the case 20 (the substantially rectangular frame-shaped section (see FIG. 3)) to support (or press) the curved portions 12A toward the inside of the electrode assembly (radially inwardly). In this manner, because the support members 32 are disposed in the corner portions of the section in the case 20, the support members 32 are supported by the case 20 from two directions (e.g., the lower left support member 32 in FIG. 3 is supported by the bottom wall portion 220 and the long wall portion 222). In this way, the support members 32 can effectively support the curved portions 12A of the electrode assembly 12 toward inside. The support members 32 are disposed in the respective four corner portions in the case 20. Each of the support members 32 in the embodiment is a cylindrical member made of resin such as polypropylene and has substantially the same length as a length of the electrode assembly 12 in the X-axis direction. The support members 32 are disposed while being elastically deformed (concretely, while being pressed by the curved portions 12A toward inner peripheral faces of the corner portions of the case 20) between the insulating member 30 disposed along an inner peripheral face of the case 20 and the curved portions 12A of the electrode assembly 12 and support the curved portions 12A with resilience generated by the elastic deformation.” Emphasis added, all corners of the case are putting compression on electrode assembly),
the power storage device includes a plurality of bent ridge portions (in elastic support members 32, 32a and/or convex parts 225, 225a, 225b of case) protruding toward a thickness direction inner side of the case thickness direction in the case, the bent ridge portions having any one of: a configuration of extending at an axial inner side from a lower side to an upper side of the electrode body axial direction, being bent to an axial outer side in the electrode body axial direction, and extending further to the axial outer side; and a configuration of being bent at the axial inner side to the axial outer side from the lower side and extending further to the axial outer side when the power storage device is placed in a manner that the electrode body 20 axial direction and the electrode body thickness direction of the electrode body are in parallel to a horizontal direction (i.e. y direction), and the bent ridge portions being configured to press the electrode laminated portion of the electrode body by elastic compression of the first primary wall portion and the second primary wall portion to restrict movement of the impregnated electrolytic solution to a lower portion of both end portions in the electrode body axial direction of the electrode laminated portion (see annotated figures 3 and 4 below, paragraphs [0060-0078]).
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In regard to claim 2, Miyazaki et al. teach the power storage device according to claim 1, wherein an interposing member (support member 30) is provided in any one of between the first primary wall portion of the case 20 and the electrode laminated portion of the electrode body 12 and between the second primary wall portion of the case 20 and the electrode laminated portion of the electrode body 12, and a plurality of the bent ridge portions 32a are provided in the interposing member (see figure 4 above, support members provided in every corner – paragraph [0060] i.e. between every wall and the electrode assembly).
In regard to claim 3, Miyazaki et al. teach the power storage device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the bent ridge portions (elastic members 32, convex parts 225, 225a, 225b) are provided in at least any one of the first primary wall portion and the second primary wall portion of the case (figure 3 and 4 above, figures 6-9 showing additional embodiments, elastic members are considered provided in the bottom and top of the wall portions above “The support members 32 are disposed in the respective four corner portions in the case 20.” Paragraph [0060]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Cheon et al. (US Pub 2010/0227215 newly cited) teaches a similar battery case with rigid bent portions (figure 1).
Tsutsumi et al. (US Pub 2011/0027630 newly cited) teaches a battery case which joins together a lid and base in a similar manner shown in the instant figures (reproduced below).
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS P D'ANIELLO whose telephone number is (571)270-3635. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm EST.
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/NICHOLAS P D'ANIELLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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