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
Applicant’s election of Group I, Claims 1-12 and 14-17 in the reply filed on July 7, 2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 13 and 18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 7, 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-12 and 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park et al (KR 20210033322 A; of record in IDS filed November 29, 2023).
Regarding claims 1-4 and 14, Park shows an electrode assembly comprising electrodes and separator alternatively stacked, wherein the separator sheet has a zigzag shape formed by being folded at least twice, a length one electrode is shorter than the other, a side surface wrapped by the separator among both side surfaces of the first electrode and a side surface wrapped by the separator among both side surfaces of the second electrode are respectively spaced apart from the separator, an opposite side surface of the side surface wrapped by the separator among both side surfaces of the first (longer) electrode protrudes further than the separator from the side surface wrapped by the separator among both side surfaces of the second (shorter) electrode, and a separation distance between the separator and the side surface of the second electrode is equal to or shorter than a distance by which the first electrode protrudes further than the second electrode from the side surface wrapped by the separator among both side surfaces of the second electrode (Figs. 2 and 3). Further regarding claim 14, Park shows that the first side surface of the first electrode is wrapped by an spaced apart a first distance from the first separator sheet portion and the second side surface of the second electrode is wrapped by and spaced apart a second distance from the second separator sheet portion, and a distance the first side surface extends beyond the second opposite side surface is greater than the second distance (Figs. 2 and 3).
Regarding claim 5, the claimed side surface opposite the separator wrapped side surface of the first electrode is in the same vertical line as the outer side surface of the electrode assembly (Figs. 2 and 3).
Regarding claim 6, the opposite side surface of the side surface wrapped by the separator sheet between the opposing side surfaces of the first electrode and the side surface wrapped by the separator sheet between the opposing side surfaces of the second electrode are located so as to be adjacent to each other (Figs. 2 and 3).
Regarding claim 7, Park teaches a plurality of relatively longer and shorter alternately stacked electrodes having the separator sheet zigzagging therebetween as claimed (Figs. 2 and 3).
Regarding claims 8-10, Park shows each side surface of both the shorter and longer electrodes in contact with the separator sheet, and it can be seen that the opposite side surface of the longer electrode, opposite the wrapped side, is in a vertical line with the wrapped side of the shorter electrode (Figs. 2 and 3).
Regarding claim 15, Park shows that the gap between the wrapped separator sheet and the longer electrode is shorter than the same gap of the shorter electrode (Figs. 2 and 3).
Regarding claims 11, 12, 16, and 17, Park shows the separator sheet extending along an outer surface of the electrode assembly and wrapping an entire outer surface of the electrode assembly (Figs. 2 and 3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COLIN W SLIFKA whose telephone number is (571)270-5830. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-5:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ching-Yiu (Coris) Fung can be reached at 571-270-5713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Colin W. Slifka/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1732
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