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 .
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.
Specification
The specification and drawings have been reviewed and no clear informalities or objections have been noted.
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 6-10 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.
The term “relatively adjacent” in claim 6 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “relatively adjacent” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is not clear what the term “relatively” means in “relatively adjacent”. Clarification is required.
Claim 8 claims “the first and second coupling parts are formed are projected to different positions along a first axis”. The recitation of “a first axis” renders the claim indefinite as it is not clear if this axis is the same as “a first axis” set forth in claim 1. Clarification is required.
The terms “relatively adjacent” and “relatively far” in claims 9 and 10 are relative terms which renders the claim indefinite. The term “relatively adjacent” and “relatively far” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is not clear what the term “relatively” means in “relatively adjacent” or “relatively far”. Clarification is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6-10, 12, 14, 18-20 and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takeuchi (US 2020/0152923).
Regarding claims 1 and 18, Takeuchi discloses a battery comprising:
a core cell (10) including first and second surfaces opposite each other along a first axis (see Fig. 2 which illustrates a top and bottom surface of battery 1);
first and second electrode tabs (external terminals 3) respectively disposed on first and second surfaces of the core cell (as depicted in Fig. 2); and
first and second coupling parts (662, see Fig. 14) respectively fixing the first and second electrode tabs on the first and second surfaces (tabs/terminals 3 are welded to the surface of the core cell, see paragraph 155), respectively,
wherein the first and second coupling parts are respectively formed along a concave arc shape toward a center position of each of the first and second surfaces (see Fig. 14 where coupling parts 662 have a concave shape relative to the center position of the surfaces).
Regarding claim 2. Takeuchi further discloses first and second electrodes (top and bottom surfaces of battery in Fig. 2), wherein the first and second coupling parts respectively conductively couple the first and second electrodes respectively formed on the first and second surfaces and the first and second electrode tabs, respectively, to each other (the coupling parts are welded to the surfaces/electrodes of the battery 1 which provide an electrical connection between the battery electrodes and the electrode tabs 3).
Regarding claim 3, Takeuchi further discloses the first and second coupling parts (as depicted in annotated Fig. 14 (A) below) are respectively at close-edge positions of the first and second surfaces that are inward from edge positions of the first and second surfaces and close to the edge positions of the first and second surfaces, respectively (see annotated Fig. 14(A) below where the coupling parts are near the edges of the first and second surfaces).
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Annotated Fig. 14(A)
Regarding claim 6, Takeuchi further discloses the first and second coupling parts are at positions relatively adjacent to the edge positions of the first and second surfaces among the center positions of the first and second surfaces and the edge positions of the first and second surfaces (se Fig. 14 where the coupling parts span a distance where at least a portion of the coupling part 662 is closer to the edge of the first and second surfaces, as depicted in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 7, Takeuchi further discloses the edge position of the first and second surfaces corresponds to the outer circumference of the first and second surfaces that come into contact with a side surface connecting the first and second surfaces to each other (as depicted in Fig. 2, the edge portions of the first and second surfaces (15, 25) are connected to each other via a side surface, which is depicted as a vertical side surface in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 8, Takeuchi further discloses close-edge positions of the first and second surfaces where the first and second coupling parts are formed are projected to different positions along a first axis (the couple parts are separated along the first axis, which, as depicted in Fig. 2 is a vertical separation and the coupling parts comprise portions that are near/close to the edge of the surfaces).
Regarding claims 9 and 10, Takeuchi further discloses the first coupling part is at a position relatively adjacent to the center position of the first surface, and wherein the second coupling part is at a position relatively far from the center position of the second surface (as depicted in annotated Fig. 14(B) below).
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Annotated Fig. 14(B)
Regarding claim 12, Takeuchi further discloses the first and second electrode tabs respectively comprise main bodies of the first and second electrode tabs formed on the first and second surfaces, respectively, and first and second connection pieces protruding from the main body of the first and second electrode tabs to an outer position of the first and second surfaces (see Fig. 2 which illustrates protruding connection pieces 63 extending outwardly from the battery).
Regarding claim 14. Takeuchi further discloses along the width direction intersecting the protruding direction of the first and second connection pieces, each of the first and second connection pieces has a width less than a width of the main body of each of the first and second electrode tabs (see Fig. 14 where the connection pieces 663 are narrower than the electrode tabs 603).
Regarding claim 19, Takeuchi further discloses the first and second coupling parts respectively extend to different lengths along an arc shape formed by the first and second coupling parts (see annotated Fig. 14 above which illustrates different lengths of the first and second coupling arcs).
Regarding claim 20, Takeuchi further discloses along the arc shape of the first and second coupling parts, the second coupling part extends more than the first coupling part (as depicted in annotated Fig. 14(B) above).
Regarding claim 23, Takeuchi further discloses: i) the positions equally dividing the length of the arc shape along the length of the arc shape formed by the first and second coupling parts, and ii) the positions of first and second connection pieces protruding to external positions of the first and second surfaces among the first and second electrode tabs are aligned with respect to each other along the extension direction of the first and second electrode tabs (see Fig. 14 where the centerline dividing the arc shape of coupling parts 663 are aligned with the centerline of the protruding parts 663).
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.
Claim(s) 4, 5, 11 and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takeuchi (US 2020/0152923) in view of Tanii (US 2013/0323538).
Regarding claims 4, 11 and 22, Takeuchi is silent regarding the particular structure of the can type configuration where a first electrode is a can and the second electrode is a lid where the can extends to the outer circumference of the lid/other electrode. More specifically, Takeuchi does not teach:
wherein first and second electrodes respectively electrically connected to the first and second electrode tabs are on first and second surfaces of the battery, respectively, wherein the second electrode is formed from a can extending to an edge position of a first surface to surround an opening of an open upper end while forming the entire second surface, wherein the first electrode is formed from a cap assembly assembled to an opening of an open upper end of the can, wherein the second electrode is at an edge position of the first surface, and wherein a thickness at the edge position of the second surface is greater than a thickness at the center position of the second surface.
Tanii also disclose a battery (see abstract).
Tanii teaches a structure for containing a battery cell which comprises a first electrode (20) that in forms a lid of a battery enclosure (as depicted in Fig. 3) and a second electrode (10) that forms a can/base of the battery enclosure (see Fig. 3). Tanii teaches that the second electrode (10) is formed from a can extending to and edge position of the first electrode surface and forming the entire second surface/electrode surface (entire outer surface of can 10 is the electrode) and where a thickness of the edge position of the second surface that is accessible from the outside of the can is greater than the thickness of the center position of the second surface (as depicted in Fig. 3). Tanii teaches such a configuration in order to provide for a protective case for the battery cell (paragraph 3).
As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the can/cover configuration of Tanii in the battery of Takeuchi in order to provide for a protective case for the battery cell.
Regarding claim 5, Takeuchi, as modified by Tanii above, further discloses the first coupling part is at an inner position of an outer circumferential line forming an end of the cap assembly (the first coupling part is located near the center of the cap assembly, as modified by Tanii above).
Claim(s) 13 and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takeuchi (US 2020/0152923).
Regarding claims 13 and 21, Applicant claims limitations that are directed to the length of the protruding member relative to other portions of the apparatus. While Takeuchi does not explicitly disclose these limitations, the difference between Takeuchi and the claimed invention of claims 13 and 21 is merely the length of the protruding part. The protruding part of a battery, sometimes referred to as a terminal, has a length that is necessary to attach to an external element/load such that electricity can be transmitted. Lengthening or shortening the length of the protruding part would have been an obvious modification to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention in order to configure Takeuchi to be connectible to an electric load that is located very close or very far to/from the battery which would have necessitated shortening/lengthening the size of the protruding part. Furthermore, there is nothing in the instant disclosure that suggests that this feature produces any unexpected results other than allowing for the protruding part to connect to an associated electric load.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13, 15-17 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 15, the closest prior art, Takeuchi, teaches the claimed first and second electrode tabs. However, neither Takeuchi, nor the prior art, teach or suggest an embodiment where the radial distance of the first electrode tab is greater than the rotational length of the first electrode tab in addition to the radial length of the second electrode tab being shorter than the rotational length. The prior art neither teaches this, nor does it provide a motivation to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Takeuchi to arrive at such a configuration.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW J MERKLING whose telephone number is (571)272-9813. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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/MATTHEW J MERKLING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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