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 under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP2023-050491, filed on 03/27/2023.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-3 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue et al. (US 20030157404 A1, hereinafter Inoue) in view of Mitsuyuki (CN 112203794 A).
Regarding claim 1, Inoue discloses a laser welding method of welding a second member to a first member by irradiating a laser beam (Para. 0002, “a battery case of e.g. aluminum alloy in which a battery case body and a battery body are fit to each other and are connected by laser welding.”, where the case body 1 and battery cover 2 are the two members welded together by a laser beam, Para. 0006, “battery case body 1 and battery cover 2”),
the method comprising: a preparation process of preparing a joining member in which the second member is joined to the first member (Para. 0045, “However, the battery case body 1 is formed of a cladding material in which a substantially pure aluminum plate lc is bonded to the inner face of an aluminum alloy plate according to JIS standard 3003 with high strength and excellent processing/corrosion-resistance property.”); and
a welding process of welding the second member to the first member by irradiating a laser beam on the joining member (Para. 0046, “The upper end surfaces of the respective bonding areas la and 2a of the battery case body 1 and battery cover 2 are irradiated with laser light. Thus, the aluminum alloy of the irradiated area is molten for laser welding. During the laser welding, the pure aluminum plate lc having a lower melting point than the aluminum alloy plate lb is first molten so that the absorption rate of the laser light of the molten area is increased.”), the first member including a first base member, and a first oxide film formed at a surface of the first base member, the second member including a second base member, and a second oxide film formed at a surface of the second base member (Para. 0042, “The aluminum alloy of the battery case body 1 and battery cover 2 is generally touched with an oxygen gas in the air during the processing in a manufacturing line so that its surface is oxidized to form an oxide covering film. Such an oxide covering film has a high melting point.”, where both the first and second members or the battery case body and battery cover have base members underneath the oxide films on their external surfaces),
the preparation process including removing the first and second oxide films (Para. 0043, “In this embodiment, although the oxide covering films of the bonding areas la and 2a was removed by cutting or grinding, they may be removed by chemical treatment.”) and joining the second base member to the first base member in a state in which the second member overlaps the first member so that the first oxide film and the second oxide film are in contact (Para. 0004, “As shown in FIG. 13, the respective bonding areas la and 2a of the battery case body 1 and battery cover 2 are connected by welding, thereby completing a battery case.”, where Fig. 1 shows that the first member 1 and the second member 2 are welded where the two members overlaps, where the first member 1 includes a step that allows for vertical overlap with the second member 2, where the oxide film located on the exterior of the first and second members would be connected to each through as the weld merges the two members together),
the welding process including welding the second base member to the first base member by irradiating the laser beam on a portion at which the second base member is joined to the first base member (Para. 0046, “The upper end surfaces of the respective bonding areas la and 2a of the battery case body 1 and battery cover 2 are irradiated with laser light.”, where both the first and second members are irradiated with the laser beam to join the two members together).
Inoue does not disclose:
joining the second base member to the first base member by ultrasonically vibrating the first and second members.
However, Mitsuyuki discloses, in the similar field of welding (Abstract, “the horn welding nozzle (6)”), where a member can be joined through ultrasonic vibration (Page 5, last Para., “Thus, the ultrasonic bonding device 1 when engaging the workpiece W while adjusting the pressing amount or static pressure applying composite vibration, thereby reliably promoting engagement (solid-phase engagement). In this way, the solid-phase engagement is supplemented, for example, the surface of the metal atom is covered by grease, oxide film and so on, as the state that atoms are close to each other and are impeded. In the ultrasonic bonding, applying ultrasonic vibration to the metal, so as to generate strong friction force on the metal surface. Thus, the oxide film on the metal surface is removed, and the cleaning and activation of the metal atoms are shown on the bonding surface.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the first and second member welding system in Inoue to include the ultrasonic vibration before the weld in order to strip away the oxide film as taught by Mitsuyuki, where Inoue discloses how the oxide film is removed before welding occurs.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to clean the surface of the member through ultrasonic vibration, which allows for a fresh surface and reduces impurities in the bonding that follows, as stated by Mitsuyuki, Page 6, Para. 1, “In the ultrasonic bonding, applying ultrasonic vibration to the metal, so as to generate strong friction force on the metal surface. Thus, the oxide film on the metal surface is removed, and the cleaning and activation of the metal atoms are shown on the bonding surface.”.
Regarding claim 2, modified Inoue teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses wherein the first member is a housing having an opening part, the second member is a lid covering the opening part, and the housing and the lid are welded at a position at which the opening part and the lid overlap (Inoue, Para .0004, “As shown in FIG. 13, the respective bonding areas la and 2a of the battery case body 1 and battery cover 2 are connected by welding, thereby completing a battery case.”, where the first member is the battery case body 1, which from Fig. 10 is shown to include an opening at the top of the battery case body; where the second body is the battery cover 2, which is the lid that covers the opening of the battery case body; where the weld occurs when the battery case body and lid are overlapping as shown in Fig. 1, where there is vertical overlap between the two members).
Regarding claim 3, modified Inoue teaches the apparatus according to claim 2, as set forth above, discloses wherein the preparation process includes continuously joining an entire perimeter of an overlapping portion of the opening part and the lid (Inoue, Para. 0045, “However, the battery case body 1 is formed of a cladding material in which a substantially pure aluminum plate le is bonded to the inner face of an aluminum alloy plate”, where the preparation process includes putting the cladding material or joining member in between the first and second members, where the overlapped portion of the opening part and lid of the first and second members is continuously joined at the overlapped portion’s perimeter through the joining member being on the inner face of the battery case body), and the welding process includes continuously irradiating the laser beam on the entire perimeter of the overlapping portion of the opening part and the lid (Inoue, Para. 0050, “In this structure, a notch 2g is formed at the upper end edge on an outer periphery of the bonding area 2a. The battery cover 2 is fit in the upper end opening of the battery case body 1 so that the bonding area 2a is fit along the inside of the bonding area la. AV-groove is formed by the notches id and 2g. The V-groove is irradiated with laser light for laser welding. The laser light enters the V-groove so that it is effectively absorbed. Thus, the aluminum alloy is continuously molten from the vicinity of the V-groove.”, where the entire perimeter of the overlapped area of the first and second member is irradiated, where this overlap and weld is shown in Fig. 1 through the step in the battery case body that allows for vertical overlap with the battery cover, where the weld would be on the surfaces contacting the two members together).
Regarding claim 5, modified Inoue teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses wherein the first member and the second member include aluminum (Inoue, Para. 0004, “Within a battery case body 1 in a shape of a long cylindrical vessel of aluminum alloy… In this state, an oval battery cover 2 of aluminum alloy is fit in an upper end opening of the battery case body 1 and its periphery is sealed by welding as shown in FIG. 11.”).
Claims 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue et al. (US 20030157404 A1, hereinafter Inoue) in view of Mitsuyuki (CN 112203794 A) in further view of Miyamura (US 20230261346 A1, where the effective filing date is 02/13/2023).
Regarding claim 4, modified Inoue teaches the apparatus according to claim 2, as set forth above, discloses wherein the welding process includes continuously irradiating the laser beam on the entire perimeter of the overlapping portion of the opening part and the lid (Inoue, Para. 0050, “In this structure, a notch 2g is formed at the upper end edge on an outer periphery of the bonding area 2a. The battery cover 2 is fit in the upper end opening of the battery case body 1 so that the bonding area 2a is fit along the inside of the bonding area la. AV-groove is formed by the notches id and 2g. The V-groove is irradiated with laser light for laser welding. The laser light enters the V-groove so that it is effectively absorbed. Thus, the aluminum alloy is continuously molten from the vicinity of the V-groove.”, where the entire perimeter of the overlapped area of the first and second member is irradiated, where this overlap and weld is shown in Fig. 1 through the step in the battery case body that allows for vertical overlap with the battery cover, where the weld would be on the surfaces contacting the two members together).
Modified Inoue does not disclose:
the preparation process includes joining, discontinuously at a plurality of spots, an entire perimeter of an overlapping portion of the opening part and the lid.
However, Miyamura discloses, in the similar field of laser welding (Para. 0059, “metal joint 45 is, for example, a welded connection formed by welding, such as laser welding, electron beam welding, ultrasonic welding, resistance welding, or tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding.”), where the preparation process that joins two members together to be discontinuous at a plurality of spots (Para. 0058, “Accordingly, this embodiment requires less energy in forming the metal joint 45 and provides improved weldability when the metal joint 45 is formed by welding. The metal joint 45 is formed continuously or discontinuously.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the overlapped first and second member in modified Inoue to include the preparation process having a discontinuously joined joint as taught by Miyamura.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to reduce the influence of heat generated through the laser weld, where this can reduce distortion on the components, as stated by Miyamura, Para. 0095, “When the metal joint 345 is provided with the first connection region 345a having a discontinuous shape ( or a dashed shape), the influence of heat generated during formation (e.g., welding) of the metal joint 345 is reduced to a greater degree than when the metal joint 345 is provided with the first connection region 345a having a continuous shape. Accordingly, providing the metal joint 345 including the discontinuous first connection region 345a makes it possible to reduce the influence of distortion on the fastener 43 and/or other component(s).”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN GUANHUA WEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9940 and whose email is kevin.wen@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm.
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/KEVIN GUANHUA WEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
08/13/2026
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