DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
2. 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.
3. Claims 1 and 2 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.
4. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the connecting pieces" in lines 18-19 and 19 . There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this Office Action, the limitation has been interpreted as "the plurality of connecting pieces" as there is antecedent basis.
5. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the cuts" in line 20. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this Office Action, the limitation has been interpreted as "the plurality of cuts" as there is antecedent basis.
6. Claim 2 is rejected as depending from claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Geshi et al. (WO 2022/059788A1) with citations from equivalent (US 2023/0361357).
Regarding claim 3, Geshi discloses a power storage cell (abstract, Figs. 1-8) comprising:
an electrode assembly (columnar wound body 20, Figs. 1 & 6, [0037]) including a positive electrode sheet(positive electrode 40, Fig. 6, [0037]), a negative electrode sheet (negative electrode 30, Fig. 6, [0037]), and a separator(50, Fig. 6, [0037]), and constructed as a wound body in which the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet are wound with the separator interposed between the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet(Fig. 6, [0037]), wherein each of the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet includes:
a current collecting foil(negative electrode current collector 31, Fig. 2, [0041], positive electrode current collector 41, Fig. 3, [0046]); and an active material layer provided on a surface of the current collecting foil(negative electrode active material layer 33, Fig. 2, [0038], positive electrode active material layer 43, Fig. 3, [0043]), the current collecting foil includes: a main region provided with the active material layer and arranged to overlap with itself in a radial direction of the wound body(see region with active material layer 33 in Fig. 2 and region with active material layer 43 in Fig. 3); and an end region formed outside the main region in an axial direction of the wound body, the end region being not provided with the active material layer(see negative electrode current collector exposed portion 32 in Fig. 2, [0038] and positive electrode current collector exposed portion 42 in Fig. 3, [0043]), the end region has a plurality of cuts formed at intervals in a circumferential direction of the wound body to define a plurality of connecting pieces that are separated from each other in the circumferential direction ([0022]) and leaned inward in the radial direction(see negative electrode current collecting tabs 34 in Figs. 2 & 4, and positive electrode current collecting tabs 44 in Figs. 3 & 4) and each of the plurality of cuts includes: a slit extending outward in the radial direction, from an edge portion of the end region in the radial direction(see tab 34 with negative electrode wide portion 35 in Fig. 2 [0022]); and a curved portion contiguous to an outer end of the slit in the radial direction(see Fig. A as annotated Fig. 2)
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Fig. A.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
10. 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.
11. Claim(s) 1 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Geshi et al. (WO 2022/059788A1) with citations from equivalent (US 2023/0361357) in view of Adachi et al. (JPH11176447A) as cited in IDS dated 10/20/25 with citations from translation provided by Applicant.
Regarding claim 1, Geshi discloses a method of manufacturing a power storage cell (abstract, [0017], Figs. 1-8), the method comprising: a preparing step of preparing an electrode sheet ([0018]) including a current collecting foil having a shape elongated in one direction (negative electrode current collector 31, Fig. 2, [0041], positive electrode current collector 41, Fig. 3, [0046]), and an active material layer provided on a surface of the current collecting foil (negative electrode active material layer 33, Fig. 2, [0038], positive electrode active material layer 43, Fig. 3, [0043]); a cutting step of forming a plurality of cuts in the current collecting foil to form a plurality of connecting pieces that are separated from each other in the one direction([0022], [0030]); and a winding step of winding the electrode sheet ([0049]) while bending each of the plurality of connecting pieces ([0051]), wherein the current collecting foil of the electrode sheet prepared in the preparing step includes a main region provided with the active material layer (see region with active material layer 33 in Fig. 2 and region with active material layer 43 in Fig. 3), and an end region that is not provided with the active material layer and has a shape continuous in the one direction (see negative electrode current collector exposed portion 32 in Fig. 2, [0038] and positive electrode current collector exposed portion 42 in Fig. 3, [0043]), and the end region includes an edge portion in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to both the one direction and a thickness direction of the current collecting foil(see Fig. B as annotated Fig. 2),
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Fig. B.
Continuing with claim 1, Geshi discloses in the cutting step, the plurality of cuts are formed in the end region to form the plurality of connecting pieces([0022]), wherein each of the plurality of connecting pieces is located between a pair of the plurality of cuts adjacent to each other in the one direction([0022]), and has a wide portion extending from the edge portion toward the main region, (see tab 34 with negative electrode wide portion 35 in Fig. 2, [0022]) and a narrow portion contiguous to an inside of the wide portion in the direction orthogonal to both the one direction and the thickness direction of the current collecting foil, and having a length in the one direction smaller than a length of the wide portion in the one direction(Fig. B), and in the winding step, the electrode sheet is wound while bending, at the narrow portion, each of the plurality of connecting pieces(Fig. 4) but does not explicitly disclose a winding core.
Adachi teaches battery and manufacture thereof (title). Adachi teaches for a positive electrode 8 and a negative electrode 9, collectors 80, 90 respectively comprising active material attachment zones 8a, 9a and non-attachment zones 8b, 9b are formed by rolling and pressing, and they are wound around a shaft core 2 via a separator 10(abstract, Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Geshi with a winding core as taught by Adachi as applying a known technique to a known method ready for improvement to yield predictable results. MPEP 2143.
Regarding claim 2, modified Geshi discloses in the cutting step, the cuts are each formed to include: a slit having a shape extending from the edge portion toward the main region, and defining the wide portion([0022], Fig. B); and an extended portion having a shape with a length in the one direction increasing gradually from the slit toward the main region, and defining the narrow portion(Fig. B).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTORIA HOM LYNCH whose telephone number is (571)272-0489. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST M-F.
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/VICTORIA H LYNCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1724
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