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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph [0044] “efficiently” should read efficiency
In paragraph [0046] “stores” should read storing.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 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(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue et al. (Pub. No. US 2006/0188785 A1) in view of Uematsu et al (Pub. No. JP 2017157471 A), as listed on the IDS, in view of Kifune et al (Pub. No. US 2021/0194043 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Inoue teaches a non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery (a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, see Inoue et al. [0028]), comprising:
a positive electrode plate (positive electrode, see Inoue et al. [0028]); a negative electrode plate (negative electrode, see Inoue et al. [0028]); a separator (5, Fig. 1) insulating the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate (interposed between said positive electrode and said negative electrode, see Inoue et al. [0028]); and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution (a non-aqueous electrolyte, see Inoue et al. [0028]),
wherein: the positive electrode plate (positive electrode, see Inoue et al. [0028]) includes a positive electrode current collector (positive electrode current collector, see Inoue et al. [0070]), a positive electrode mixture layer (a material mixture layer containing: a positive electrode active material, see Inoue et al. [0070] and 1, Fig. 1) formed on part of at least one surface of the positive electrode current collector (The positive electrode is formed by placing on a positive electrode current collector, see Inoue et al. [0070]), and an insulating protective layer (porous insulating film, 2, Fig. 1) formed on the at least one surface of the positive electrode current collector, the insulating protective layer being adjacent to the positive electrode mixture layer (a porous insulating film (2, Fig. 1) adhered to a surface of at least one selected from the group consisting of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, see Inoue et al. [0028]); the insulating protective layer (insulating film, 2, Fig. 1) further includes a cavity (voids, 4, Fig. 1).
Inoue et al. does not teach the insulating protective layer includes an interposed portion located between the positive electrode mixture layer and the positive electrode current collector; and the insulating protective layer further includes a cavity extending between the interposed portion and the positive electrode current collector, the cavity dimensioned to be 3 μm or greater in a thickness direction of the positive electrode plate and in a range of 5 to 100 μm, inclusive, in a widthwise direction of the positive electrode plate.
However, Uematsu et al. teaches a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery (10, Fig. 1) wherein the insulating protective layer (insulating layer, 34, Fig. 4) includes an interposed portion (overlapped portion, 37, Fig. 4) located between the positive electrode mixture layer (positive electrode mixture layer, 31, Fig. 4) and the positive electrode current collector (positive electrode current collector foil, 30, Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the battery taught by Inoue et al. by having the insulating protective layer include an interposed portion located between the positive electrode mixture layer and the positive electrode current collector as taught by Uematsu et al. to prevent the insulating layer from peeling off of the current collector foil (see Uematsu et al. [0014]).
Inoue et al. in view of Uematsu et al. does not teach the cavity dimensioned to be 3 μm or greater in a thickness direction of the positive electrode plate and in a range of 5 to 100 μm, inclusive, in a widthwise direction of the positive electrode plate.
However, Kifune et al. teaches the insulating protective layer (insulating layer, 31, Fig. 5) includes a cavity (hole, 30, Fig. 5), the cavity dimensioned to be 3 μm or greater in a thickness direction of the positive electrode plate and in a range of 5 to 100 μm, inclusive, in a widthwise direction of the positive electrode plate (A plurality of holes (30, Fig. 5) having a diameter of 2.5 μm or more are present on a straight line having a length of 100 μm along the interface between the negative mixture layer (32a, Fig. 5) and the insulating layer (31, Fig. 5) (see Kifune et al. [0040])).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the battery taught by Inoue et al. in view of Uematsu et al. by having cavities dimensioned to be 3 μm or greater in a thickness direction of the positive electrode plate and in a range of 5 to 100 μm, inclusive, in a widthwise direction of the positive electrode plate as taught by Kifune et al. to hold electrolyte to allow keeping a Li-ion concentration in the proximity of the positive electrode active material particles constant, thereby ensuring improvement of the output and the responsiveness of the lithium ion secondary battery.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue et al (Pub. No. US 2006/0188785 A1) in view of Uematsu et al (Pub. No. JP 2017157471 A), as listed on the IDS, in view of Kifune et al (Pub. No. US 2021/0194043 A1) in view of Park et al. (Pub. No. US 2020/0373558 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Inoue et al. in view of Uematsu et al. in view of Kifune et al. teaches wherein: the positive electrode plate (see [0028], Inoue et al.), the negative electrode plate (see Inoue et al. [0028]), and the separator (5, Fig. 1, Inoue et al.) form a rolled-type electrode body (were spirally wound, see Inoue et al. [0087] and [0135]) but does not teach the interposed portion has a width in a range of 0.2 to 1.0 mm, inclusive, in a direction orthogonal to a rolling direction of the rolled-type electrode body.
However, Park et al. teaches a battery (see Park et al. [0034]) comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator (see Park et al. [0105]) and an insulating protective layer (insulating layer, see Park et al. [0034]) having an interposed portion (region of overlapping portion of insulating layer on the electrode active material layer in a partial region, see [0034]); the interposed portion having a width in a range of 0.2 to 1.0 mm, inclusive (the length of the overlap may be 0.05 to 1.3 mm, and preferably 0.1 to 1.0 mm, see [0067]), in a direction (first direction, see claim 2) orthogonal to the electrode body (see claim 2).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the battery taught by Inoue et al. in view of Uematsu et al. in view of Kifune et al. by forming the width of the interposed portion within a range of 0.2 to 1.0 mm, inclusive, in a direction orthogonal to a rolling direction of the rolled-type electrode body as taught by Park et al. to limit the reduction in capacity of the battery and to enhance the cohesive or adhesive strength between the overlapped layers (see Park et al. [0067]).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue et al (Pub. No. US 2006/0188785 A1) in view of Uematsu et al (Pub. No. JP 2017157471 A), as listed on the IDS, in view of Kifune et al (Pub. No. US 2021/0194043 A1) in view of Sato et al. (Pub. No. US 2020/0168886 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Inoue et al. in view of Uematsu et al. in view of Kifune et al. does not teach the non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery according to claim 1, wherein the insulating protective layer, excluding the cavity, has a porosity in a range of 42% to 55%, inclusive. However, Sato teaches the non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery (secondary battery, 10, Fig. 1) wherein the insulating protective layer (porous layer, 43, Fig. 4), excluding the cavity, has a porosity in a range of 42% to 55%, inclusive (the porosity of the porous layer (43, Fig. 4) is preferably 10% to 60% by volume, more preferably 30% to 50% by volume).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the battery taught by Inoue et al. in view of Uematsu et al. in view of Kifune et al. by setting the porosity of the porous insulating film to a range of 42% to 55% as taught by Sato et al. to suppress a rise in temperature when a short circuit occurs (see Sato et al. [0046]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KINESHA L HARRIS whose telephone number is (571) 270-1960. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tiffany Legette-Thompson can be reached at 571-270-7078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/K.L.H./Examiner, Art Unit 1723 /TIFFANY LEGETTE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723
Prosecution Insights