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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 2-3 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.
The term “a length of the second region on a straight line connecting one point on an outer edge of the battery with a center of the battery and intersecting the second region in planar view” in claim 2 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “a length of the second region on a straight line connecting one point on an outer edge of the battery with a center of the battery and intersecting the second region in planar view” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear from what points the length of the second region is being measured from. For examination purposes, this will be interpreted as the length from the side surfaces of the counter-electrode collectors to the side surfaces of the counter-electrode active material layers.
The term “a length of the first region on a straight line connecting one point on an outer edge of the battery with a center of the battery and intersecting the first region in planar view” in claim 3 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “a length of the first region on a straight line connecting one point on an outer edge of the battery with a center of the battery and intersecting the first region in planar view” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear from what points the length of the first region is being measured from. For examination purposes, this will be interpreted as the length from the end of the electrode collector projection to the side surfaces of the two electrode active material layers.
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 1-8 & 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito et al. (JP 2020004697 A), in view of Kato et al. (JP 2019197652 A).
Regarding claim 1, Ito teaches a battery (all-solid-state battery 100) comprising: an electrode collector (first current collector layer 11); two electrode active material layers (first and second active material layers 21 and 22) disposed on both principal surfaces of the electrode collector (Fig. 2A, Par. 0006); two solid electrolyte layers (first and second solid electrolyte layers 31 and 32) each disposed on a side of a corresponding one of the two electrode active material layers that is disposed on the opposite side of the electrode collector (Fig. 2A, Par. 0006); two counter-electrode active material layers (third and fourth active material layers 23 and 24) each disposed on a side of a corresponding one of the two solid electrolyte layers that is disposed on the opposite side of the corresponding one of the two electrode active material layers (Fig. 2A, Par. 0006); two counter-electrode collectors (second and third current collector layers 12 and 13) each disposed on a side of a corresponding one of the two counter-electrode active material layers that is disposed on the opposite side of the corresponding one of the two solid electrolyte layers (Fig. 2A, Par. 0006); and a first insulating layer (insulating resin layer 50; Par. 0042, insulating layer is a UV curing resin) that covers side surfaces of the two solid electrolyte layers (Par. 0011, Fig. 2A), and the two electrode active material layers (Fig. 2A), wherein a first region not covered with any of the two electrode active material layers is provided at ends of both principal surfaces of the electrode collector (Fig. 2A; current collecting tab 11a is not covered on the extension portion outside of the battery), and the electrode collector projects from an outer surface of the first resin layer (Fig. 2; current collecting tab 11a). Ito fails to teach a second region not covered with any of the two counter-electrode current collectors on each of the counter-electrode active material layers.
However, Kato teaches two counter-electrode active material layers (positive electrode layers 1; Par. 0031, positive electrode layers contain active materials) and two counter-electrode current collector layers (positive electrode current collector layers 41), wherein a second region not covered with any of the two counter-electrode collectors is provided at an end of a principal surface of each of the two counter-electrode active material layers that faces toward a corresponding one of the counter-electrode collectors (Fig. 1a-c, the current collector layers are shorter than the active material layers, thus forming a second region).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the battery taught by Ito by forming the counter-electrode current collector layers to be shorter than the counter-electrode active material layers providing a region where the active material layers are not covered by the current collectors, as taught by Kato. This would be done in order to improve the battery’s energy density, as stated in Kato (Par. 0028).
Regarding claim 2, modified Ito fails to teach a length of the second region on a straight line connecting one point on an outer edge of the battery with a center of the battery and intersecting the second region in planar view which is greater than or equal to 100 m.
However, Kato teaches that the counter-electrode current collectors (positive electrode current collector layers 41) are smaller in length than the counter-electrode active material layers (positive electrode layers 1) (Fig. 1a-c). Therefore, based upon design considerations, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the size and relative dimensions of the counter-electrode current collectors and active material layers to prevent the counter-electrode collectors from projecting past the counter-electrode active material layers and potentially contacting the electrode active material layer. The only difference between the prior art and the claims is a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed counter-electrode components. This device would not perform differently than the prior art device, as the counter-electrode collectors do not project from the counter-electrode active material layers. Thus, the claimed device is not patentably distinct from the prior art device (See MPEP 2144.04(IV)(A)).
Regarding claim 3, modified Ito fails to teach a length of the first region on a straight line connecting one point on an outer edge of the battery with a center of the battery and intersecting the first region in planar view which is greater than or equal to 1 mm.
However, Ito teaches the electrode collector (current collecting tab 11a) projecting from the resin layer out of the battery module. The only difference between the prior art and the claims is a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed electrode collector. This device would not perform differently than the prior art device, as the resin layer mitigates risks of short-circuiting (Par. 0048), thus reducing connection resistance. Thus, the claimed device is not patentably distinct from the prior art device (See MPEP 2144.04(IV)(A)).
Regarding claim 4, modified Ito fails to teach a thickness of a portion of the first insulating layer covering the second region which is greater than a thickness of each of the counter-electrode collectors. However, Ito teaches that the thickness of the insulating resin layer may be optimized to balance the battery’s volume energy density and the resin layer’s insulating function (Par. 0044).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the referenced teachings as motivation to optimize the thickness of the insulation layer of the battery set forth by Ito, as taught by Kato, in order to achieve desired electrode protection through routine optimization and experimentation (See MPEP 2144.05(II)).
Regarding claim 5, modified Ito teaches the battery of claim 1, wherein each of the electrode active material layers contains a negative-electrode active material (Par. 0033, “The first active material layer 21 and the second active material layer 22 are one of a negative electrode active material layer and a positive electrode active material layer. In particular, a negative electrode active material layer is preferable.”) and each of the counter-electrode active material layers contains a positive-electrode active material (Par. 0031, “When the first active material layer 21 and the second active material layer 22 are negative electrode active material layers, the third active material layer 23 and the fourth active material layer 24 are positive electrode active material layers”).
Regarding claim 6, modified Ito teaches the battery of claim 1, wherein a planimetric shape of the battery is a rectangle (Fig. 1), and the first insulating layer is provided at least on one side of the battery in planar view (Fig. 2A; Par. 0006, “an insulating resin layer is provided over a side surface”).
Regarding claim 7, modified Ito teaches the battery of claim 1, wherein the electrode collector, the two electrode active material layers, the two solid electrolyte layers, the two counter-electrode active material layers, and the two counter-electrode collectors constitute a unit cell (Par. 0047; each cell is its own singular stacked battery), and a plurality of the unit cells are laminated (Par. 0006; each component of the battery is laminated).
Regarding claim 9, modified Ito teaches the battery of claim 1, wherein the first insulating layer covers side surfaces of the two counter-electrode active material layers (Fig. 2A, Par. 0007; the insulating resin layer 50 covers sides of the third and fourth active material layers 23 and 24).
Regarding claim 10, modified Ito teaches the battery of claim 9, wherein the first insulating layer covers side surfaces of the two counter-electrode collectors (Fig. 2A, Par. 0045; the insulating resin layer contacts the inner side of the second and third current collectors 12 and 13).
Regarding claim 11, Kato teaches a first insulating layer (Par. 0051; photocurable resin 30 is a UV curable resin, which is the same material as that of Ito) covering the second region (Fig. 1b-c).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito and Kato, further in view of Yoshioka (US 2021/0203007 A1, priority date of 9/14/2018).
Regarding claim 8, modified Ito fails to teach a second insulating layer covering ones of the side surfaces of the two counter-electrode collectors, the two counter-electrode active material layers, the two solid electrolyte layers, and the two electrode active material layers which are not covered by the first active material layer, wherein at least one of a plurality of the counter-electrode collectors projects from an outer surface of the second insulating layer.
However, Yoshioka teaches a second insulating layer (protective layer 5; Par. 0066, the protective layer is insulative) that covers ones of side surfaces of two counter-electrode collectors (positive electrode current collecting layers 11; Fig. 2), two counter-electrode active material layers (positive electrode layers 1; Fig. 2), two solid electrolyte layers (solid electrolyte layers 3; Fig. 2), and two electrode active material layers (negative electrode layers 2; Fig. 2) that are not covered with a first insulating layer (Fig. 2, protective layer 5 insulates on both sides; the left side insulates the opposite side of the battery from the negative electrode current collector), wherein at least one of a plurality of the counter-electrode collectors projects from an outer surface of the second insulating layer (Par. 0056, Fig. 2; the positive electrode current collecting layers 11 have electrical connection portions 11a which extend through the insulating layer on the opposite side from the negative electrode current collector).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the battery taught by Ito by incorporating a second insulating layer covering side surfaces of the battery components which are not covered by the first insulating layer, as taught by Yoshioka. This would be done in order to electrically and physically protect the battery, as stated in Yoshioka (Par. 0005).
Additionally, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the battery of Ito by projecting at least one counter-electrode collector through the second insulating layer, as taught by Yoshioka. This would be done in order to allow for electrical connection to the outside while keeping the active material and solid electrolyte layers sealed, as stated in Yoshioka (Par. 0040, 0082).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CAMERON M BAIRD whose telephone number is (571)272-9742. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30am-5pm.
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/CAMERON M BAIRD/ Examiner, Art Unit 1728
/MATTHEW T MARTIN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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