Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/577,050

CYLINDRICAL BATTERY

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Jan 05, 2024
Priority
Jul 14, 2021 — JP 2021-116223 +1 more
Examiner
HO, ANDREW YEWHONG
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Panasonic Holdings Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 0% of cases
0%
Career Allowance Rate
0 granted / 0 resolved
-60.0% vs TC avg
Minimal +0% lift
Without
With
+0.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
4
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
93.3%
+53.3% vs TC avg
§112
6.7%
-33.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 0 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
CTNF 18/577,050 CTNF 101793 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15-03-aia AIA Claim s 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jo et al. (US 2023/0395956) Regarding Claim 1, Jo meets the claimed, A cylindrical battery ([0018] teaches a cylindrical battery) , comprising: an electrode assembly (Abstract teaches an electrode assembly) ; a bottomed cylindrical external can ([0007] and Fig. 1 teach a bottom of the battery) that accommodates the electrode assembly ([0007] and Fig. 5 teach that the electrode assembly is accommodated in the bottomed can) ; a sealing assembly that blocks an opening of the external can ([0089] teaches top cap 30) ; a gasket that is interposed between the external can and the sealing assembly ([0090] teaches gasket 50 that is between top cap 30 and battery can 20) ; and an external terminal plate that is bonded to the outer surface of the external can ([0060] teaches conductive washer 40) , wherein the external terminal plate is a metal plate having a thick portion and a thin portion (Fig. 5 and Fig. 7 teach that conductive washer 40 has a thick portion and a thin portion) , and the thin portion is bonded to an open edge of the external can ([0109] and Fig. 7 teach that the thin portion is bonded to an open edge of the battery can 20) . Regarding Claim 2, Jo meets the claimed, The cylindrical battery according to claim 1, wherein the metal plate has a circular ring shape or an arc shape in plan view ([0060] and Fig. 1 teach conductive washer 40 is a circular ring shape). Regarding Claim 3, Jo meets the claimed, The cylindrical battery according to claim 2, further comprising: an insulating member having a circular ring shape or an arc shape in plan view ([0060] and Fig. 3 teach a circular ring gasket 50) and disposed between the sealing assembly and the external terminal plate ([0060] and Fig. 5 teach insulative washer 60 between conductive washer 40 and top cap 30) . Regarding Claim 4, Jo meets the claimed, The cylindrical battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the external terminal plate is disposed in a state of no protruding outward radially from an outer peripheral surface of the external can (Fig. 5 teaches that conductive washer 40 does not protrude outward radially) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jo et al. (US 2023/0395956) in view of Sano et al. (US 2015/0357679) . Jo meets the claimed, The cylindrical battery according to claim 3, wherein the gasket has an extending portion extending from between the external can and the sealing assembly (Fig. 4 teaches the gasket 50 extending past the battery can 20). Jo does not teach the insulating member overlapping the gasket. Sano teaches a cylindrical lithium-ion battery. Sano meets the claimed, […] and the insulating member is disposed overlapping the extending portion ([0124] and Fig. 1 teach insulating layer 19 layered over the extended portion of gasket 13). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to place the insulating member on top of the extended portion of the gasket as taught by Sano in order to reduce the chance of failure in the insulation and the chance of possible shorts . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Uesugi et al. (JP 2002141028) teaches a cylindrical battery with an external terminal plate having a thick portion and a thin portion in the form of reinforcing member 5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW Y. HO whose telephone number is (571)842-1342. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 - 6:00, Mon - Thurs. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Xiao S. Zhao can be reached at (571) 270-5343. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /A.Y.H./ Examiner, Art Unit 1744 /XIAO S ZHAO/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1744 Application/Control Number: 18/577,050 Page 2 Art Unit: 1744 Application/Control Number: 18/577,050 Page 3 Art Unit: 1744 Application/Control Number: 18/577,050 Page 4 Art Unit: 1744 Application/Control Number: 18/577,050 Page 5 Art Unit: 1744 Application/Control Number: 18/577,050 Page 6 Art Unit: 1744
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Prosecution Timeline

Jan 05, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
Grant Probability
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 0 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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