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 .
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US20230118382A1 (Lee).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a power storage cell, comprising: a wound electrode assembly which includes a first electrode (10) [fig. 1-2, Lee], a second electrode (11) [fig. 1-2, Lee], and a separator (12) [fig. 1-2, Lee] disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode [fig. 1-2, Lee]; and a battery can (“case”) accommodating the wound electrode assembly [0054, Lee], wherein the wound electrode assembly is configured of the first electrode [0007, fig. 3, Lee], the second electrode [0007, fig. 3, Lee], and the separator being wound about a winding axis [0007, fig. 3, Lee], the first electrode includes a first current collector and a first electrode material layer with which a portion of the first current collector is coated [0009, fig. 1, Lee], the first electrode material layer facing the separator in a radial direction of the wound electrode assembly [0160, fig. 2, 9a, Lee], wherein the first current collector has: a first coated portion that is coated with the first electrode material layer [0029, Lee]; and a first uncoated portion (10 a) that is not coated with the first electrode material layer [0011, 0029, Lee], the first uncoated portion projecting from the first coated portion to one axial side of the wound electrode assembly [fig. 3, 7a, Lee], wherein the first uncoated portion is bent in the radial direction [0015, 0037, 0144, Lee], and the first uncoated portion includes an outer circumference portion (“first portion”) and a core (“first proximate portion”) which are joined together by welding [0360, Lee].
Lee teaches of welding techniques used to connect the overlapping bend uncoated portion to a current collector. This reads on the claimed limitations as the uncoated portions are still welded together.
Lee continues to teach wherein the first proximate portion projects from the first coated portion at a location more proximate to the winding axis than a location at which the first portion projects from the first coated portion [fig. 3, 7a, Lee].
Regarding claim 2, Lee discloses the power storage cell, wherein a welded portion [0360, Lee], which is formed by the first portion and the first proximate portion being welded together [0360, Lee], is formed in a portion on the one axial side of the wound electrode assembly [0360, Lee].
Regarding claim 6, Lee discloses the power storage cell according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode includes a second current collector and a second electrode material layer with which a portion of the second current collector is coated [0219, 0361, fig. 1-2, Lee], the second electrode material layer facing the separator in the radial direction [fig. 2, Lee], wherein the second current collector has: a second coated portion that is coated with the second electrode material layer [0219, fig. 1-2, Lee]; and a second uncoated portion that is not coated with the second electrode material layer [0219, 0361, fig. 1-2, Lee], the second uncoated portion projecting from the second coated portion to the other axial side of the wound electrode assembly[0219, 0361, fig. 1-3, Lee], wherein the second uncoated portion is bent in the radial direction [0015, 0037, 0144, 0219, Lee], and the second uncoated portion includes an outer circumference portion (“second portion”) and a core (“second proximate portion”) which are joined together by welding [0219, 0360, Lee].
Lee teaches of welding techniques used to connect the overlapping bend uncoated portion to a current collector. This reads on the claimed limitations as the uncoated portions are still welded together.
Lee continues to teach wherein the second proximate portion projects from the second coated portion at a location more proximate to the winding axis than a location at which the first portion projects from the first coated portion [0219, fig. 3, 7a, Lee].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
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.
Claim(s) 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim (US20240128605A1; priorities extending to 02/19/2021).
Regarding claim 3, Lee is explicitly silent to if the welding portion is formed on the outer periphery of the wound electrode.
However, Kim teaches of a power storage cell wound/cylindrical battery with an electrode plate containing a bent uncoated portion [0009, 0023, Kim]. Where the uncoated portion is bent towards the core of the wound electrode forming overlapped layers of the bent surface region [0016, 0023, 0156, Kim]. The bent surface region comprises a welding target region (“welded portion”) extending along the radial direction of the electrode assembly and having a number of the overlapping layers of the uncoated portion [0023, 0026, 0156, Kim]. A ratio of the length of the welding target region may be 30%-90% of the radius of the electrode assembly [0027, 0158, Kim]. The welding target region may be radially arranged from a center of the core to the outer circumferential surface of the electrode assembly [0031, Kim].
Prior to the effective filing date, one of ordinary skill within the arts would find it obvious to modify Lee such that the welded portion was arranged from the center of the core to the outer circumferential surface of the electrode assembly. Doing so would provide one with a the ability to have an overlapped bent portion of an uncoated portion with a sufficiently securing welding target region (“welding portion”) [0260, Kim]
Regarding claim 4, Modified Lee discloses a “welded portion” extending to the outer circumferential surface (“termination portion”) of the electrode assembly [0031, Kim], and the “welded portion” is formed at least in the first portion of the termination portion [0031, Kim].
For clarity of the record, the examiner notes that if the “termination portion” has a “welded portion” then the “first portion” would also have a welded portion.
Modified Lee discloses the “welded portion” extending from the first portion of the outer periphery to the first proximate portion on the inner periphery of the wound electrode [0031, Kim].
Conclusion
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/QUINTIN D. ELLIOTT/Examiner, Art Unit 1724
/STEWART A FRASER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1724
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