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 .
Election/Restrictions
2. Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I (Claims 1-7) in the reply filed on August 10, 2026, is acknowledged.
3. Claims 8-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species II and Species III, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on August 10, 2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. Information disclosure statements (IDS), submitted January 15, 2024, and September 4, 2024, have been received and considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
6. 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.
7. Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matsumoto (US 2018/0316050 A1).
With regard to Claim 1, Matsumoto discloses in Figures 1-3, a battery cell (10), comprising: a stack, called an electrode assembly (20), including: C cathode electrodes (20a) each including a cathode current collector (20a1), a cathode active layer (20a2) arranged on the cathode current collector (20a1), and an external tab, called an exposed portion (20a3), extending from the cathode current collector (20a1); A anode electrodes (20b) each including an anode current collector (20b1), an anode active layer (20b2) arranged on the anode current collector (20b1), and an external tab, called an exposed portion (20b3), extending from the anode current collector (20b1); and S separators (20c), where C (20a), A (20b) and S (20c) are integers greater than one (paragraphs 0015-0018; See Figures 1-2); and an internal terminal, called a current collector terminal (22, 24), including a slot or slit (22c, 24c), wherein, the external tabs (20a3, 20b3) of one of the C cathode electrodes (20a) and the A anode electrodes (20b) extend through the slot (22c, 24c) and are welded in the slot (22c, 24c), the slot (22c, 24c) is open-ended and defines a first leg (22b, 24b) and a second leg (22b, 24b) on opposite sides of the slot (22c, 24c), and each of the first leg (22b, 24b) and the second leg (22b, 24b) is tapered, called a tip end portion, where a first width of the slot (22c, 24c) at an open end of the slot (22c, 24c) is greater than a second width of the slot (22c, 24c) at a closed end of the slot (22c, 24c) (paragraphs 0023-0024; See Figure 3).
With regard to Claim 2, Matsumoto discloses in Figures 1-3, wherein the closed end of the slot, called a curved portion (22d, 24d), defines at least a partially circular opening configured to facilitate clamping of the first leg (22b, 24b) and the second leg (22b, 24b) for welding of the external tabs (20a3, 20b3) of the one of the C cathode electrodes (20a) and the A anode electrodes (20b) extending through the slot (22c, 24c) (paragraphs 0039-0041).
With regard to Claim 3, Matsumoto discloses in Figures 1-3, wherein the internal terminal (22, 24) is "L"-shaped and includes a first portion, called a base plate (22a, 24a), and a second portion, called a plate portion (22b, 24b), extending transversely relative to the first portion (22a, 24a); a plane of the second portion (22b, 24b) of the internal terminal (22, 24) is perpendicular to an extension direction of the external tabs (20a3, 20b3) of the one of the C cathode electrodes (20a) and the A anode electrodes (20b) through the slot (22c, 24c); and the slot (22c, 24c) is defined on the second portion (22b, 24b) of the internal terminal (22, 24) (paragraphs 0022-0027; See Figure 3).
With regard to Claim 4, Matsumoto discloses in Figures 1-3, wherein a taper, called a tip end portion, of each of the first leg (22b, 24b) and the second leg (22b, 24b) extends from the closed end (22d, 24d) of the slot (22c, 24c) to the open end of the slot (22c, 24c) (paragraph 0037; See Figure 3).
With regard to Claim 5, Matsumoto discloses in Figures 1-3, wherein each of the first leg (22b, 24b) and the second leg (22b, 24b) includes a taper portion, called a tip end portion, and a straight portion, called the plate portion (22b, 24b); the second width of the slot (22c, 24c) is constant along the straight portion (22b, 24b) of the first leg and the second leg; and the taper portion, tip end portion, includes a chamfer at the open end of the slot (22c, 24c) (paragraph 0037; See Figure 3).
With regard to Claim 6, Matsumoto discloses in Figures 1-3, wherein each of the first leg (22b, 24b) and the second leg (22b, 24b) includes a taper portion, called a tip end portion, and a straight portion, called the plate portion (22b, 24b); the second width of the slot (22c, 24c) is constant along the straight portion (22b, 24b) of the first leg and the second leg; and the taper portion, tip end portion, includes a round curve at the open end of the slot (22c, 24c) (paragraph 0037; See Figure 3).
With regard to Claim 7, Matsumoto discloses in Figures 1-3, wherein a weld of the slot (22c, 24c) to the external tabs (20a3, 20b3) of the one of the C cathode electrodes (20a) and the A anode electrodes (20b) extending through the slot (22c, 24c) is a laser oscillation weld (paragraph 0041).
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KARIE O APICELLA whose telephone number is (571)272-8614. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicole Buie-Hatcher can be reached at 571-270-3879. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KARIE O'NEILL APICELLA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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