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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 is unclear due to what appears to be missing steps, inconsistent terminology, and lack of antecedent basis. Claims 2-14 contain similar errors and should be rewritten with clarity. To advance prosecution, claim 1 has been interpreted in the following way:
A method for checking a stack of multiple battery element layers, each battery element layer comprising an anodebattery layer as a first type of electrode, a cathodebattery layer as a second type of electrode, and a separatoranode and cathode battery element layers each having a polygonal surfacearea, and are stacked along a stacking direction that is oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to the polygonal surface area to make the stack of multiple battery element layers, the method comprising:
determininga geometry polygonal surface areas of at least one of the anode battery element layer andbattery element layer in a first determination step;
stacking the battery element layers in a stacking step to form the stack of multiple battery element layers and subsequently for a position check of at least one of a pair of anode battery layers andbattery layers stacked in the stack of multiple battery element layers;
irradiating, in a second determination step, the stack of multiple battery element layers by X-ray radiation that is emitted by an X-ray emitter and detected by an X-ray detector, the X-ray radiation being oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to thepolygonal surfaceareas of the multiple battery element layers;
determining, via the detected X-ray radiation, with regard to at least one pair of opposite sides of the stack of multiple battery element layers, the greatest edge spacing that is present between edges of at least one of the pair of anode battery layers and the pair of cathode battery layers;
checking, in a first check step, whether this greatest edge spacing is less than a first tolerance value, wherein when the greatest edge is not less than the first tolerance value, the stack if multiple battery element layers is assessed as unallowable and when the greatest edge is less than the first tolerance value, a second check step is carried out,
wherein in the second check step one-half the value by which the greatest edge spacing is less than the first tolerance value is defined as the overhang; and
checking whether the greatest edge spacing is less than a value that results from the sum of the shortest dimension with regard to the determination direction of all electrodes of at least one of the anode battery layers and the cathode battery layers and the difference between a second tolerance value and one-half the overhang, wherein when the greatest edge spacing is not less than the value, the stack of multiple battery element layers is assessed as unallowable and when the greatest edge spacing is less than the value, the stack of multiple battery element layers is assessed as allowable.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 have been rejected above, but would be allowable if rewritten to correct issues rejected under U.S.C. 112 above.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, the best prior art, US 2025/0189465 (KIM) disclose a method for checking a stack of multiple battery element layers (Fig. 1 and 2A), each battery element comprising an anodebattery layer as a first type of electrode (220), a cathodebattery layer as a second type of electrode (230), and a separatoranode and cathode battery element layers each having a polygonal surfacearea (Fig. 2A and 2B), and are stacked along a stacking direction that is oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to the polygonal surface area to make the stack of multiple battery element layers (Fig. 2A and 2B), the method comprising:
determininga geometry polygonal surface areas of at least one of the anode battery element layer andbattery element layer in a first determination step (Fig. 2A and 2B, required);
stacking the battery element layers in a stacking step to form the stack of multiple battery element layers and subsequently for a position check of at least one of a pair of anode battery layers andbattery layers stacked in the stack of multiple battery element layers (Fig. 2A);
irradiating, in a second determination step, the stack of multiple battery element layers by X-ray radiation that is emitted by an X-ray emitter and detected by an X-ray detector, the X-ray radiation being oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to thepolygonal surfaceareas of the multiple battery element layers (Fig. 1);
determining, via the detected X-ray radiation, with regard to at least one pair of opposite sides of the stack of multiple battery element layers, the greatest edge spacing that is present between edges of at least one of the pair of anode battery layers and the pair of cathode battery layers (Fig. 2A).
However, the prior art of record fails to teach the details ofchecking, in a first check step, whether this greatest edge spacing is less than a first tolerance value, wherein when the greatest edge is not less than the first tolerance value, the stack if multiple battery element layers is assessed as unallowable and when the greatest edge is less than the first tolerance value, a second check step is carried out,
wherein in the second check step one-half the value by which the greatest edge spacing is less than the first tolerance value is defined as the overhang; and
checking whether the greatest edge spacing is less than a value that results from the sum of the shortest dimension with regard to the determination direction of all electrodes of at least one of the anode battery layers and the cathode battery layers and the difference between a second tolerance value and one-half the overhang, wherein when the greatest edge spacing is not less than the value, the stack of multiple battery element layers is assessed as unallowable and when the greatest edge spacing is less than the value, the stack of multiple battery element layers is assessed as allowable.
Since the prior art of record fail to teach the details above, nor is there any reason to modify or combine prior art elements absent applicant’s disclosure, the claim is deemed patentable over the prior art of record. Claims 2-14 are indicated as allowable by virtue of their dependence.
Conclusion
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/DANI FOX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884