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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 09/10/2021. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN20211062600.7 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 1-5, 10-12, 14-16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lu (CN 1805205 with English Machine Translation).
Regarding claim 1, Lu discloses an electrode assembly (title; abstract), comprising a positive electrode plate (3), a negative electrode plate (1), and a separation assembly (2), the separation assembly (2) being configured to separate the positive electrode plate (3) form the negative electrode plate (see Fig. 4; [0011]; [0020]); wherein the separation assembly (2) comprises a substrate area and a reinforcing area connected to the substrate area, and a thickness of the reinforcing area is greater than a thickness of the substrate area (see Modified Figure 4 below; [0013]; [0021]-[0022]); and at least part of the reinforcing area is located between the positive electrode plate (3) and the negative electrode plate (1) adjacent to each other (see Modified Figure 4 below).
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Modified Figure 4, Lu
Regarding claim 2, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 1. Lu further discloses that a thickness of each layer of the separator assembly (2) is between 10 and 30 µm (0.01-0.03 mm) ([0022]). Lu further discloses that the reinforcing area comprises three layers of the separation assembly (see Modified Figure 4 below; [0022]), making a thickness of the reinforcing area be between 30 and 90 µm, reading on the claimed range of 2 µm to 100 µm.
Regarding claim 3, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 1. Lu further discloses that the positive electrode plate (3), the separation assembly (2), and the negative electrode plate (1) are wound to form a bending region, and at least part of the reinforcing area is disposed in the bending region (see Modified Figure 4 above; [0011]; [0020]).
Regarding claim 4, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 3. Lu further discloses that the positive electrode plate (3) comprises a first bending portion located in the bending region and adjacent to the reinforcing area, and the negative electrode plate (1) comprises a second bending portion adjacent to the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 4 below); and the reinforcing area comprises a plurality of bending layers, the plurality of bending layers being located in the bending region and stacked between the first bending portion and the second bending portion (see Modified Figure 4 below).
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Modified Figure 4, Lu
Regarding claim 5, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Lu further discloses that the first bending portion is provided with the reinforcing area and the second bending portion at least on an inner side of the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 4 above).
Regarding claim 10, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Lu further discloses that the positive electrode plate (3) comprises a plurality of positive bending portions arranged along a winding direction, and at least the positive bending portion formed by first bending of the positive electrode plate (3) is provided as the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 4 below).
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Modified Figure 4, Lu
Regarding claim 11, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 10. Lu further discloses that the positive bending portion formed by second bending on the positive electrode plate (3) is also provided as the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 4 above).
Regarding claim 12, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 11. Lu further discloses that the reinforcing area located on an inner side of the positive bending portion formed by the first bending of the positive electrode plate (3) is composed of three layers of the separation assembly (2) (see Modified Figure 4 above; [0022]), and the reinforcing area located on an inner side of the positive bending portion formed by the second bending of the positive electrode plate (3) is also composed of three layers of the separation assembly (2) (see Modified Figure 4 above; [0022]), making a thickness of each reinforcing area equal. Thus, Lu reads on the claimed relationship T1≥T2.
Regarding 14, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Lu further discloses that the positive electrode plate (3) comprises a plurality of positive bending portions arranged along a winding direction, and at least the positive bending portion formed by final bending of the positive electrode plate (3) is provided as the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 4 above).
Regarding claim 15, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 3. Lu further discloses that the positive electrode plate (3), the separation assembly (2), and the negative electrode plate (1) are wound to further form a flat region, the flat region being connected to the bending region; and at least part of the substrate area is disposed in the flat region (see Modified Figure 4 below; [0011]; [0020]).
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Modified Figure 4, Lu
Regarding claim 16, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 15. Lu further discloses that a plurality of reinforcing areas and a plurality of substrate areas are provided, the plurality of reinforcing areas and the plurality of substrate areas being alternately arranged along the winding direction (see Modified Figure 4 above).
Regarding claim 19, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 1. Lu further discloses that the reinforcing area is provided as a multi-layer structure, and the substrate area is provided as a single-layer structure (see Modified Figure 4 above; [0013]; [0021]-[0022]).
Regarding claim 20, Lu discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 1. Lu further discloses that the separation assembly (2) comprises a first separation layer and a second separation layer (see Modified Figure 4 below), the first separation layer being configured to insulate and separate the positive electrode plate (3) from the negative electrode plate (1) (see Modified Figure 4 below; [0011]; [0020]), at least part of the second separation layer being located between the positive electrode plate (3) and the negative electrode plate (1) and stacked with the first separation layer (see Modified Figure 4 below); and a region of the first separation layer overlapping with the second separation layer and the second separation layer form the reinforcing area of the separation assembly (2) (see Modified Figure 4 below), and a region of the first separation layer not overlapping with the second separation layer forms the substrate area (see Modified Figure 4 below).
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Modified Figure 4, Lu
Claims s 1-5, 10-16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kaneda (JP 2011008929 with English Machine Translation).
Regarding claim 1, Kaneda discloses an electrode assembly (title), comprising a positive electrode plate (14), a negative electrode plate (24), and a separation assembly (31+10) (see Figs. 1A-1C; [0029]), the separation assembly (31+10) being configured to separate the positive electrode plate (14) from the negative electrode plate (24) (see Figs. 1A-1C; [0029]); wherein the separation assembly comprises a substrate area and a reinforcing area connected to the substrate area (see Modified Figure 1C; [0029]), and a thickness of the reinforcing area is greater than a thickness of the substrate area (see Modified Figure 1C below); and at least part of the reinforcing area is located between the positive electrode plate (14) and the negative electrode plate (24) adjacent to each other (see Modified Figure 1C below).
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Modified Figure 1C, Kaneda
Regarding claim 2, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 1. Kaneda further discloses that a thickness of the microporous film layer (31) of the separation assembly (31+10) can be 20 µm ([0051]), and a thickness of the spacer layer (10) of the separation assembly (31+10) can be 10 µm ([0050). Thus, the reinforcing area disclosed by Kaneda, which includes the microporous film layer (31) and two layers of the spacer layer (10) (see Modified Figure C above) would necessarily have a thickness of 40 µm (20+2*10), reading on the claimed range of 2 to 100 µm.
Regarding claim 3, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 1. Kaneda further discloses that the positive electrode plate (14), the separation assembly (31+10), and the negative electrode plate (24) are wound to form a bending region (see Modified Figure 1B below; [0029]), and at least part of the reinforcing area is disposed in the bending region (see Modified Figure 1B below).
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Modified Figure 1B, Kaneda
Regarding claim 4, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 3. Kaneda further discloses that the positive electrode plate (14) comprises a first bending portion located in the bending region and adjacent to the reinforcing area, and the negative electrode plate (24) comprises a second bending portion adjacent to the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 1B above); and the reinforcing area comprises a plurality of bending layers (10, 31), the plurality of bending layers being located in the bending region and stacked between the first bending portion and the second bending portion (see Modified Figure 1B above; [0029]).
Regarding claim 5, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Kaneda further discloses that the first bending portion is provided with the reinforcing area and the second bending portion at least on an inner side of the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 1B above).
Regarding claim 10, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Kaneda further discloses that the positive electrode plate (14) comprises a plurality of positive bending portions arranged along a winding direction (see Modified Figure 1A below; [0029]), and at least the positive bending portion formed by first bending of the positive electrode plate is provided as the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 1A below).
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Modified Figure 1A, Kaneda
Regarding claim 11, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 10. Kaneda further discloses that the positive bending portion formed by second bending of the positive electrode plate (14) is also provided as the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 1A above).
Regarding claim 12, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 11. Kaneda further discloses that the reinforcing area along the entire winding length of the electrode assembly can have a uniform thickness (see Modified Figure 1C above; [0050]). Thus, Kaneda necessarily discloses that a total thickness of the reinforcing area located on an inner side of the positive bending portion formed by the first bending of the positive electrode plate (14) is equal to a total thickness of the reinforcing area located on an inner side of the positive bending portion formed by the second bending of the positive electrode plate (14), reading on the claimed relationship T1≥T2.
Regarding claim 13, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Kaneda further discloses that two sides of the first bending portion are both provided with the reinforcing area and the second bending portion (see Modified Figure 1B below). Kaneda further discloses that the reinforcing area along the entire winding length of the electrode assembly can have a uniform thickness (see Modified Figure 1C above; [0050]). Thus, Kaneda necessarily discloses that a total thickness of the reinforcing area located on an inner side of the first bending portion is equal to a total thickness of the reinforcing area located on an outer side of the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 1B below), reading on all of the limitations in claim 13.
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Modified Figure 1B, Kaneda
Regarding 14, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Kaneda further discloses that the positive electrode plate (14) comprises a plurality of positive bending portions arranged along a winding direction (see Modified Figure 1A above; [0029]), and at least the positive bending portion formed by final bending of the positive electrode plate (14) is provided as the first bending portion (see Modified Figure 1A above).
Regarding claim 15, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 3. Kaneda further discloses an embodiment in which the positive electrode plate (14), the separation assembly (31+10), and the negative electrode plate (24) are wound to further form a flat region, the flat region being connected to the bending region (see Modified Figure 5B below; [0043]); and at least part of the substrate area is disposed in the flat region (see Modified Figure 5B below).
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Modified Figure 5B, Kaneda
Regarding claim 16, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 15. Kaneda further discloses that a plurality of reinforcing areas and a plurality substrate areas are provided (see Modified Figure 5A; [0043]), the plurality of reinforcing areas and the plurality of substrate areas being alternately arranged along the winding direction (see Modified Figure 5A; [0043]).
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Modified Figure 5A, Kaneda
Regarding claim 19, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 1. Kaneda further discloses that the reinforcing area is provided as a multi-layer structure, and the substrate area is provided as a single-layer structure (see Modified Figure 1C above).
Regarding claim 20, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 1. Kaneda further discloses that the separation assembly (31+10) comprises a first separation layer (31) and a second separation layer (10), the first separation layer (31) being configured to insulate and separate the positive electrode plate (14) from the negative electrode plate (24), at least part of the second separation layer (10) being located between the positive electrode plate (14) and the negative electrode plate (24) and stacked with the first separation layer (31) (see Modified Figure 1C above; [0029]); and a region of the first separation layer (31) overlapping with the second separation layer (10) and the second separation layer (10) form the reinforcing area of the separation assembly (31+10) (see Modified Figure 1C above), and a region of the first separation layer (31) not overlapping with the second separation layer (10) forms the substrate area (see Modified Figure 1C above).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 6 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaneda (JP 2011008929 with English Machine Translation) in view of Kim (US 6,258,478).
Regarding claim 6, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Kaneda further discloses that the first bending portion comprises a first current collection portion (11) and a first active material layer (12a, 12b) disposed on a surface of the first current collection portion (11) (see Fig. 1C; [0029]-[0031]), and a thickness h1 of the first active material layer (12a, 12b) can be equal to 75 µm ([0049]); the second bending portion comprises a second current collection portion (21) and a second active material layer (22a, 22b) disposed on a surface of the second current collection portion (21) (see Fig. 1C; [0029]-[0032]), wherein a thickness h2 of the second active material layer (22a, 22b) can be 85 µm ([0050]), a thickness h3 of each of the bending layers (10) can be 10 µm ([0050]), and a thickness h4 of the second current collection portion (21) can be 10 µm ([0050]). In the embodiment shown in Figure 1B, Kaneda discloses that a maximum distance X between the first bending portion and the second bending portion is represented by the thickness of the separation assembly (31+10) (see Modified Figure 1B above), which consists of a separator layer (31) and two spacer layers (10) (see Modified Figure 1C above; [0029]). Thus, given that Kaneda discloses that a thickness of each spacer layer (10) is 10 µm ([0050]) and a thickness of the separator layer (31) is 20 µm ([0051]), it is clear that a maximum distance X is equal to 40 µm (20+2*10). Furthermore, given that the thickness of the separator layer (31) is equal to the thickness of two spaces layers (10), a number Y of layers of the bending layers between the first bending portion and the second bending portion can be considered to be 4. Thus, given the above values, it is clear that Kaneda satisfies the claimed relationship: 2.63 (
2
h
2
+
h
4
+
h
3
+
h
1
+
2
X
h
2
+
h
4
+
1
) < Y (equal to 4) < 7.63 (
2
h
2
+
h
4
+
h
3
+
h
1
+
2
X
h
2
+
h
4
+
4
). Kaneda fails to explicitly disclose, however, the claimed relationship A2/A1≥1 between an active material capacity per unit area A1 of the first active material layer (12a, 12b) and an active material capacity per unit area A2 of the second active material layer (22a, 22b).
However, this ratio between the capacities of the negative active material and the positive active material in an electrode assembly is common in the art. For instance, Kim teaches a similar electrode assembly (2) (title), comprising a positive electrode plate (2b), a negative electrode plate (2a), and a separation assembly (2c) configured to separate the positive electrode plate from the negative electrode plate (see Fig. 2; Col. 4, lines 18-27; Col. 4, lines 53-55; Col. 5, lines 24-29). Kim further teaches that a ratio N/P between the capacity of the negative electrode active material to the capacity of the positive electrode active material is greater than 1 (abstract; Col. 1, line 61-Col. 2, line 4; Col. 3, lines 1-3), suggesting the claimed relationship A2/A1≥1. Kim further teaches that configuring the electrode assembly (2) in this way helps prevent the deterioration of the charge and discharge ability of the electrode assembly (2) (see Col. 1, line 61-Col. 2, line 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the electrode assembly disclosed by Kaneda to have the claimed A2/A1 relationship, as taught by Kim, because they would have had a reasonable expectation that doing so would prevent the deterioration of the charge and discharge ability of the electrode assembly.
Regarding claim 8, modified Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 6. As set forth above, modified Kaneda discloses that a thickness h3 of each of the bending layers (10) can be 10 µm (Kaneda: [0050]), suggesting the claimed range of 1 µm to 20 µm.
Regarding claim 9, modified Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 6. As set forth above, modified Kaneda discloses that the maximum distance X between the first bending portion and the second bending portion is represented by the thickness of the separation assembly (31+10) (see Modified Figure 1B above), which consists of a separator layer (31) and two spacer layers (10) (see Modified Figure 1C above; [0029]). Thus, given that modified Kaneda discloses that a thickness of each spacer layer (10) is 10 µm (Kaneda: [0050]) and a thickness of the separator layer (31) is 20 µm (Kaneda: [0051]), it is clear that a maximum distance X is equal to 40 µm (20+2*10), suggesting the claimed range of 10 µm to 5000 µm.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaneda (JP 2011008929 with English Machine Translation) in view of Yang et al. (US 2023/0317916) (Yang).
Regarding claim 7, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 4. Kaneda further discloses that the first bending portion comprises a first current collection portion (11) and a first active material layer (12a, 12b) disposed on a surface of the first current collection portion (11) (see Fig. 1C; [0029]-[0031]), and a thickness h1 of the first active material layer (12a, 12b) can be equal to 75 µm ([0049]); the second bending portion comprises a second current collection portion (21) and a second active material layer (22a, 22b) disposed on a surface of the second current collection portion (21) (see Fig. 1C; [0029]-[0032]), wherein a thickness h2 of the second active material layer (22a, 22b) can be 85 µm ([0050]), a thickness h3 of each of the bending layers (10) can be 10 µm ([0050]), and a thickness h4 of the second current collection portion (21) can be 10 µm ([0050]). In the embodiment shown in Figure 1B, Kaneda discloses that a maximum distance X between the first bending portion and the second bending portion is represented by the thickness of the separation assembly (31+10) (see Modified Figure 1B above), which consists of a separator layer (31) and two spacer layers (10) (see Modified Figure 1C above; [0029]). Thus, given that Kaneda discloses that a thickness of each spacer layer (10) is 10 µm ([0050]) and a thickness of the separator layer (31) is 20 µm ([0051]), it is clear that a maximum distance X is equal to 40 µm (20+2*10). Furthermore, given that the thickness of the separator layer (31) is equal to the thickness of two spaces layers (10), a number Y of layers of the bending layers between the first bending portion and the second bending portion can be considered to be 4. Thus, given the above values, it is clear that Kaneda satisfies the claimed relationship: 3.63 (
2
h
2
+
h
4
+
h
3
+
h
1
+
2
X
h
2
+
h
4
) < Y (equal to 4) < 11.63 (
2
h
2
+
h
4
+
h
3
+
h
1
+
2
X
h
2
+
h
4
+
8
). Kaneda fails to explicitly disclose, however, the claimed relationship A2/A1<1 between an active material capacity per unit area A1 of the first active material layer (12a, 12b) and an active material capacity per unit area A2 of the second active material layer (22a, 22b).
However, this ratio between the capacities of the negative active material and the positive active material in an electrode assembly is known in the art. For instance, Yang teaches a similar electrode assembly (title, abstract), comprising a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separation assembly configured to separate the positive electrode plate form the negative electrode plate (see Figs. 1A-1C; [0047]). Yang further teaches that a ratio N/P between the capacity of the negative electrode active material and the capacity of the positive electrode active material is less than 1 ([0047]; [0061]), suggesting the claimed relationship A2/A1<1. Yang further teaches that configuring the electrode assembly in this way can improve the cycle stability of the electrode assembly ([0073]; [0085]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the electrode assembly disclosed by Kaneda to have the claimed A2/A1 ratio, as taught by Yang, because they would have had a reasonable expectation that doing so would lead to an improvement in the cycle stability of the electrode assembly.
Claims 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaneda (JP 2011008929 with English Machine Translation) in view of Wang (CN 201956407 with English Machine Translation).
Regarding claims 17 and 18, Kaneda discloses all of the limitations as set forth above for claim 16. Kaneda fails to explicitly disclose, however, that thicknesses of the plurality of reinforcing areas gradually decrease from inside to outside along the winding direction, wherein a difference between the thicknesses of adjacent reinforcing areas ranges from 0.5 µm to 10 µm along the winding direction.
Wang teaches a similar electrode assembly (title, abstract), comprising a positive electrode plate (100), a negative electrode plate (200), and a separation assembly (300) configured to separate the positive electrode plate (100) from the negative electrode plate (200) (see Fig. 3; [0040]). Wang further teaches that a thickness of the separation assembly (300) gradually decreases from inside to outside along the winding direction (see Fig. 3; [0036]; [0041]), wherein a thickness of one section of the separation assembly (300) is equal to 0.12 mm, and a thickness of an adjacent section of the separation assembly (300) is equal to 0.11 mm ([0045]), making a difference between adjacent thicknesses of the separation assembly (300) be equal to 0.01 mm (0.12-0.11), which is equal to 10 µm, suggesting the claimed range of 0.5 µm to 10 µm. Wang further teaches that configuring the separation assembly (300) in this way reduces the possibility of short circuits and improves the life of the electrode assembly ([0016]-[0017]; [0065]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the separation assembly, including the reinforcing areas, disclosed by Kaneda to meet the claimed limitations, as taught by Wang, because they would have had a reasonable expectation that doing so would reduce the possibility of short circuits and improve the life of the electrode assembly.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRENDON C DARBY whose telephone number is (571)272-1225. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Katelyn Smith can be reached at (571) 270-5545. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/B.C.D./Examiner, Art Unit 1749
/KATELYN W SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1749
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