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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Claims 11-14 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 07/17/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 07/17/2026 is acknowledged.
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(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai (KR 20110068947 A) in view of Lee (KR 20160010200 A).
Regarding claim 1, Nakai discloses “an electrode sheet notching apparatus” (abstract and fig.1), comprising:
“a conveying unit including a first roller and a second roller” (11a and 12a), “the conveying unit being configured to convey “an electrode sheet” (workpiece. MPEP 2115);
“a jig unit including a jig” (9 includes 9a and 9b), “the jig being configured to support the electrode sheet” (fig.2 shows jig being support the workpiece F. MPEP 2115); and
“a processing unit including a laser” (10), “the laser being configured to process the electrode sheet” (the laser apparatus 10 process the workpiece. MPEP 2115);
wherein “the jig has a slit positioned on a first surface of the jig facing the electrode sheet” (9a and 9b forms a slit 14 on a first surface facing the workpiece. MPEP 2115), “the jig being configured fig.2 shows the jig 9a and 9b on a plane coplanar with a first surface of the workpiece. MPEP 2115), “the first surface of the electrode sheet facing the jig, wherein the slit is configured to allow passage of a laser beam” (suction groove 14 serves as a scanning path of the laser irradiated from the laser device 10. Fig.2 shows laser beam aligned with the groove so that the slit is capable to allow passage of laser beam).
Nakai is silent regarding the jig being configured to move.
Lee teaches “the jig being configured to move” (the jig 140 and 150 is moving along the rails 172). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Nakai with Lee, by adding Nakai’s linear rails to Nakai’s suction system, to follow along the laser head and collect debris generated by the laser head.
Regarding claim 2, modified Nakai discloses “the jig is disposed between the first roller and the second roller” (Nakai, the jig 9 is disposed between the first roller 11a and the second roller 12a).
Regarding claim 3, modified Nakai discloses “the jig comprises a support portion” (Nakai, the jig 9 comprises a support portion at top surface), “the support portion being in contact with the electrode sheet and a suction portion” (Nakai, the support portion 9 being in contact with the sheet F and a suction portion 14), “the suction portion” (Nakai, suction portion 14. With respect to electrode sheet, it is considered as article worked upon the apparatus. MPEP 2115) “being configured to suction foreign substances generated when processing the electrode sheet” (the suction position at the cutting area (hence, right below the tip of cutting device 10 so that the suction is also capable of suction foreign substances), wherein “the suction portion is configured to suction the foreign substances through the slit” (the suction portion 14 is capable of suction foreign substances through slit because the suction position at the cutting area (hence, right below the tip of cutting device 10 so that the debris or foreign is capable of falling through the suction portion 14).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai (KR 20110068947 A) in view of Lee (KR 20160010200 A) as applied in claims 1-3 above, and further in view of Tamary (US 4,429,990).
Regarding claim 6, modified Nakai discloses “each of the first roller and the second roller” (Nakai, 11a and 12a)
Tamary teaches “each of the first roller and the second roller is a suction roller” (a vacuum roller 33 and vacuum roller 41), “the suction roller being configured to suction the electrode sheet” (a vacuum roller 33 and vacuum roller 41. With respect to electrode sheet, it is considered as article worked upon the apparatus. MPEP 2115). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Nakai with Tamary, to provide internal suction to grip a moving workpiece for purpose of transport workpiece and keep sensitive materials free from marks left by traditional pinch or drive wheels.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai (KR 20110068947 A) in view of Lee (KR 20160010200 A) as applied in claims 1-3 above, and further in view of Theodoulou et al. (US 5113223).
Regarding claim 7, modified Nakai discloses all the features of claim limitations as set forth above except for a rotation speed of each of the first roller and the second roller is configured to be individually controlled.
Theodoulou et al. teaches “a rotation speed of each of the first roller and the second roller is configured to be individually controlled” (col.4 at lines 57-58, i.e., different feed rollers pairs were driven at different speeds. Col.5 at lines 16-20, i.e., three transport roller pairs are each preferably driven by independently controlled rotational stepper motors). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Nakai with Theodoulou et al., by modifying Nakai’s roller speed according to Theodoulou et al.’s different roller speeds for accelerate or optimize workpiece process.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai (KR 20110068947 A) in view of Lee (KR 20160010200 A) as applied in claims 1-3 above, and further in view of JP 63224894 A.
Regarding claim 8, modified Nakai discloses “the slit is an opening positioned in the jig” (Nakai, the slit 14 is an opening positioned in the jig 9), “the opening being configured to extend along an inner the opening 14 being configured to extend along an inner surface of the jig from a first side of the jig to a second side of the jig 9), wherein “the first side of the jig faces the electrode sheet and the second side of the jig is spaced apart from the first side of the jig in a dimension orthogonal to a conveying direction of the electrode sheet” (the upper side of jig 9 is spaced apart from lower side of jig 9 in a dimension orthogonal (the thickness of jig 9 (hence, into the paper)) to a conveying direction (toward right) of the electrode sheet).
Modified Nakai is silent regarding an inner circumferential surface.
JP 894 teaches “an inner circumferential surface” (suction conduit 6). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Nakai with JP 894, by modifying the shape of Nakai’s jig according to JP 894’s jig shape, to eliminates sharp internal corners where debris can jam or clog and provide smooth 360 degree maneuverability to capture loose particles efficiently.
Claim(s) 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai (KR 20110068947 A) in view of Lee (KR 20160010200 A) as applied in claims 1-3 above, and further in view of Watanabe (US 20180079035).
Regarding claim 9, modified Nakai discloses all the features of claim limitations as set forth above except for a retrieve unit that is configured to retrieve a scrap generated when processing the electrode sheet.
Watanabe teaches “a retrieve unit” (80) that is configured to retrieve a scrap generated when processing the electrode sheet” ([0033] an ear portion collection portion 80 installed downstream of the ear portion separating portion 70 and configured to collect the ear portion 1b having passed through the ear portion separating portion 70). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Nakai with Watanabe, by adding Watanabe’s retrieve unit to Nakai’s system, to provide major financial returns, save workspace, and support eco-friendly programs.
Regarding claim 10, modified Nakai discloses “the electrode sheet is configured to be conveyed from the first roller to the second roller” (Nakai, fig.4 shows the sheet being conveyed from first roller 11a to the second roller. Watanabe also teach a first roller 13k a second roller 23b) and “the second roller” (Watanabe, 23b) is configured to convey “the scrap” (Watanabe, 1b and 1b’) to “the retrieve unit” (Watanabe, 80).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIMMY CHOU whose telephone number is (571)270-7107. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Friday.
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/JIMMY CHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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