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 Species B, claims 1, 3 and 5-7, in the reply filed on June 16, 2026 is acknowledged.
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 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ota (US 2017/0025646).
Claim 1: Ota discloses a method for manufacturing an electrochemical cell (abstract). The method includes a process A of manufacturing a first structure by stacking a first film, a first current collector, and a first electrode (¶ 194; cathode current collector 1310 is laminated onto pouch film 1340a and cathode material 1320 is disposed on the current collector); a process B of manufacturing a second structure by stacking a second film, a second current collector, and a second electrode (¶ 194; anode current collector 1350 is laminated onto pouch film 1340b, and anode material); a process C of disposing a separator (1330) between the first and second structures (¶ 194; fig. 13b); a process D of manufacturing a unit cell by sealing an outer periphery of the first film and an outer periphery of the second film outside the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, while leaving a first non-sealing region in at least part of the outer periphery of the first film (¶¶ 98, 195; figs. 14, 17; partially sealed degassing portions 1761a to 1761d).
Claim 5: Ota discloses sealing the unit cell in a package (metal case 560; fig. 5), and forming a gap between an inner wall of the package and the unit cell (fig. 5).
Claims 1 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Uto (WO 2019/087956; paragraph references to corresponding US 2020/0350537).
Claim 1: Uto discloses a method for manufacturing an electrochemical cell (abstract). The method includes a process A of manufacturing a first structure by stacking a first film, a first current collector, and a first electrode (¶ 23; fig. 2); a process B of manufacturing a second structure by stacking a second film, a second current collector, and a second electrode (¶ 23; fig. 2); a process C of disposing a separator (8) between the first and second structures (¶ 23; fig. 2); a process D of manufacturing a unit cell by sealing an outer periphery of the first film and an outer periphery of the second film outside the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, while leaving a first non-sealing region in at least part of the outer periphery of the first film (fig. 2; hole 10; ¶ 23).
Claim 5: Uto discloses sealing the unit cell in a package (housing 13; ¶ 75), and forming a gap between an inner wall of the package and the unit cell (¶ 75).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ota (US 2017/0025646), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Yang (US 2014/0011060).
Claim 3: Ota discloses sealing the film periphery outward of the electrodes (first sealing region) and forming a non-sealing/degassing region in the periphery, but is silent as to the non-sealing region being at a cutout that enters inboard of the electrode edge. However, Yang teaches forming a venting (weak-seal/non-sealing) region using a wedge-shaped notch cutout 13a located within the thermally-bonded sealed area and oriented toward the electrode assembly (figs. 3a, 4). As taught by Yang, this allows for localized and enhanced control of venting/degassing of gas generated during cell formation. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have formed Ota’s first non-sealing region at a cutout region of the first film periphery recessed toward/into the outer periphery of the first electrode, by sealing the films on both the sealing region and the cutout region, in order to localize and enhance controlled venting/degassing of gas generated during cell formation.
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ota (US 2017/0025646), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Glanz (US 2018/0076474)
Ota is silent as to stacking the electrode extending outward from an outer periphery of the current collector in a plan view seen along a stacking direction of the film, the current collector, and the electrode. However, Glanz discloses an electrode in which the active-material foil protrudes beyond the collector, with “at least the first and/or the second active material foil protruding beyond the current collector on all sides” whereby active-material volume is increased and the collector edge is protected (¶ 33). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have stacked the first electrode (claim 6) and the second electrode (claim 7) of Ota so as to extend outward beyond the outer periphery of the respective current collector in order to increase the active-material volume/energy density of the electrode and protect the current-collector edge, as taught by Glanz.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uto (WO 2019/087956; paragraph references to corresponding US 2020/0350537), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Yang (US 2014/0011060).
Claim 3: Uto discloses sealing the film periphery outward of the electrodes (first sealing region) and forming a non-sealing/degassing region in the periphery, but is silent as to the non-sealing region being at a cutout that enters inboard of the electrode edge. However, Yang teaches forming a venting (weak-seal/non-sealing) region using a wedge-shaped notch cutout 13a located within the thermally-bonded sealed area and oriented toward the electrode assembly (figs. 3a, 4). As taught by Yang, this allows for localized and enhanced control of venting/degassing of gas generated during cell formation. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have formed Uto’s first non-sealing region at a cutout region of the first film periphery recessed toward/into the outer periphery of the first electrode, by sealing the films on both the sealing region and the cutout region, in order to localize and enhance controlled venting/degassing of gas generated during cell formation.
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uto (WO 2019/087956; paragraph references to corresponding US 2020/0350537), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Glanz (US 2018/0076474)
Uto is silent as to stacking the electrode extending outward from an outer periphery of the current collector in a plan view seen along a stacking direction of the film, the current collector, and the electrode . However, Glanz discloses an electrode in which the active-material foil protrudes beyond the collector, with “at least the first and/or the second active material foil protruding beyond the current collector on all sides” whereby active-material volume is increased and the collector edge is protected (¶ 33). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have stacked the first electrode (claim 6) and the second electrode (claim 7) of Uto so as to extend outward beyond the outer periphery of the respective current collector in order to increase the active-material volume/energy density of the electrode and protect the current-collector edge, as taught by Glanz.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY THROWER whose telephone number is (571)270-5517. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm MT M-F.
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/LARRY W THROWER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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