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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 3/26/24 and 11/3/25 have been considered by the examiner.
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 1-5 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 recites “the first electrode sheet includes a first long side located at an end portion on one side in an axial direction in which a winding axis of the wound electrode body extends”, which is confusing and does not particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention. It is unclear what power storage cell structure Applicant is intending to claim.
Claim 1 recites “the second electrode sheet includes a second long side located at an end portion on the one side in the axial direction”, which is confusing and does not particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention. It is unclear what power storage cell structure Applicant is intending to claim. In addition, the limitation "an end portion" lacks sufficient antecedent basis in the claim.
Claim 1 recites “the first uncoated portion is provided on the first long side and includes a plurality of first piece portions disposed in the winding direction”, which is confusing and does not particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention. It is unclear what power storage cell structure Applicant is intending to claim.
Claim 2 recites “the first electrode sheet includes a third long side located at an end on another side in the axial direction” and “the second electrode sheet includes a fourth long side located at an end on the other side in the axial direction”, which is confusing and does not particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention. It is unclear what power storage cell structure Applicant is intending to claim. In addition, all claim limitations require proper antecedent basis.
Claim 2 recites “the second uncoated portion is provided on the fourth long side and includes a plurality of second piece portions disposed in the winding direction”, which is confusing and does not particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention. It is unclear what power storage cell structure Applicant is intending to claim.
Claim 4 recites “the insulating member is provided continuously along the winding direction”, which is confusing and does not particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention. It is unclear what power storage cell structure Applicant is intending to claim. Specifically, it is unclear how the insulating member is provided “along the winding direction”.
Claim 5 recites “the insulating member is provided intermittently along the winding direction”, which is confusing and does not particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention. It is unclear what power storage cell structure Applicant is intending to claim. Specifically, it is unclear how the insulating member is provided “along the winding direction”.
To the extent the claims are understood in view of the 35 USC 112 rejections above, note the following prior art rejections.
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) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Izumi et al., WO 2022/209112 A1.
Izumi teaches a secondary battery 10 (power storage cell) comprising a wound type electrode body 14 (wound electrode body) formed by winding an elongated positive electrode 11 (first electrode sheet) and an elongated negative electrode 12 (second electrode sheet) via a separator 13, wherein the positive electrode 11 has a positive electrode core material 20 (first current collector), a positive electrode mixture layer 24 (first coated portion) arranged on the positive electrode core material 20, an exposed portion 28 (first uncoated portion) in which the positive electrode mixture layer 24 is not arranged, and an insulating protective layer 26 (second insulating portion), and the negative electrode 12 has a negative electrode core material 30 (second current collector), a negative electrode mixture layer 32 (second coated portion) arranged on the negative electrode core material 30, exposed portions 34a and 34b (second uncoated portion) in which the negative electrode mixture layer 32 is not arranged, and an insulating protective layer 26 (first insulating portion) formed at both ends. See, in particular, paragraphs [0012] - [0016] and Figs. 1-5. In addition, Izumi (paragraph [0034] and Fig. 12) teaches that the exposed portion 28 of the positive electrode core material 20 has a plurality of protruding portions 36 protruding from one end portion, and the protruding portions 36 correspond to the "first piece portion".
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In Izumi, not only the separator 13 but also the insulating protective layer 26 is used to insulate the exposed part 28 of the positive electrode core member 20 and the negative electrode 12 from each other and to insulate the exposed parts (34a and 34b) of the negative electrode core member 30 and the positive electrode 11 from each other. Therefore, even when dust is generated by welding between the protrusion formed of the exposed part and the current collector and the dust is adhered to the electrode, the insulation property between the exposed part of one electrode and the other electrode can be ensured, and thus an internal short circuit can be suppressed. Furthermore, for example, even when winding deviation of the electrode or the separator removes the separator from between the protrusion formed of the exposed part of one electrode and the other electrode, the insulation property between the electrodes can be ensured by the insulating protective layer, and thus an internal short circuit can be suppressed [0045]. The separator/insulating protective layer may be a porous material [0079]. See also [0053].
Thus, the claims are anticipated.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Fujita et al. (US2006051663A1) teaches a lithium ion secondary battery including: an electrode group including a belt-like positive electrode and a belt-like negative electrode that are wound with a separator interposed therebetween; and a can with a bottom for accommodating the electrode group, wherein the positive electrode has a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode mixture layer carried on the positive electrode current collector, the negative electrode has a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode mixture layer carried on the negative electrode current collector, and a porous heat-resistant layer is partially provided between the separator and at least one of the positive electrode mixture layer and the negative electrode mixture layer (abstract).
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/TRACY M DOVE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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