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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed on 04/17/24 is a duplication of the IDS filed on 04/01/24, as such the examiner has crossed the IDS filed on 04/01/24. It is noted that applicants have made a minor correction on First Named inventor on pages 1-4 of the IDS filed on 04/17/24.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being (a)(1) by CN 111479634A.
As to claim 1, CN’634 teaches (see Fig 1) a coating apparatus capable of applying a slurry (the electrode and insulating coating materials are capable of being a slurry) on a substrate, comprising: a coating die head (3), wherein the coating die head (4) has a first coating port (31, 32), and the first coating port (see Fig 1) is disposed corresponding to the substrate (S) and is used for the electrode material to flow out and applying the material onto the substrate (S) to form a first coating area; and an air blowing module (5) disposed downstream of the coating die head (4) in a movement direction of the substrate (S), wherein the air blowing module (5) is disposed on a side of the substrate coated with the electrode material (see Fig 2), the air blowing module (5) comprises an air outlet (nozzles 51, 52), the air outlet is disposed corresponding to an edge of the first coating area, the air outlet (nozzles 51,52) is used for blowing air along a first direction (see Figs 1-2 for profile changing part 6 positioning air nozzle 5 in X, Y and Z directions) to the edge of the first coating area to reduce thickness of the slurry at the edge of the first coating area (see English Translation on page 5), the first direction (the Z-direction) is parallel to a first surface, and the first surface is perpendicular to the substrate (S) and parallel to the movement direction of the substrate (see the substrate extending in length and width directions).
As to claim 2, CN’634 teaches (see Fig 1) the coating die head (4) further has a second coating port (32), wherein the second coating port (32) is disposed in a second direction on at least one side of the first coating port (31) and is used to create a second coating area on the substrate, the second direction is perpendicular to the first surface, a slurry fusion area (a mixed area wherein L1 overlapped with L2) is present between the first coating area and the second coating area, and the air outlet is disposed corresponding to the slurry fusion area (see Fig 1).
As to claim 3, in CN’634 the coating apparatus further comprises (see Fig 1 and English Translation on page 5) a positioning module (profile changing part 6 with a sliding block actuator), wherein the air blowing module (5) is disposed on the positioning module to control a position of the air blowing module, and the positioning module (profile changing part 6) comprises: a first positioning module (actuator moving in Z-direction), in driving connection with the air blowing module and capable of driving the air blowing module to move along the first direction, to adjust a distance between the air outlet and the first coating area.
As to claim 7, CN’634 teaches the coating die head (4) has multiple first coating ports (31, 32) disposed along the second direction to create multiple first coating areas on the substrate; and the coating apparatus comprises multiple air blowing modules (5) disposed corresponding to the multiple first coating areas, and multiple air outlets (51, 52) of the multiple air blowing modules are disposed corresponding to edges of the multiple first coating areas.
As to claim 8, CN’634 teaches the coating die head (4) has multiple first coating ports (31) and multiple second coating ports (32) alternately disposed along the second direction to create multiple slurry fusion areas (mixed areas wherein L1 overlapped with L2) on the substrate; and the coating apparatus (4) comprises multiple air blowing modules (31, 32) corresponding to the multiple slurry fusion areas (mixed areas wherein L1 overlapped with L2), and multiple air outlets (51, 52) of the multiple air blowing modules are disposed corresponding to the multiple slurry fusion areas (mixed areas wherein L1 overlapped with L2).
Regarding claim 9, in CN’634 (see English translation pages 6-7) the air blowing module (5) comprises an airflow adjustment unit and an airflow transmission unit (a structure and pneumatic regulator), wherein the airflow adjustment unit is used to control velocity of an airflow at the air outlet, and the airflow transmission unit is used to transmit the airflow to the air outlet.
As to claim 10, CN’634 teaches (see Fig 1) the airflow adjustment unit comprises: an air pressure adjusting component, configured to adjust air pressure of the airflow to control the velocity of the airflow; and/or a flow control component, configured to adjust flow of the airflow to control the velocity of the airflow (a structure and pneumatic regulator, see English translation pages 6-7).
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.
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) 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 111479634A in view of CN 211443918.
InCN’634 the coating apparatus further comprises (see Fig 1 and English Translation on page 5) a positioning module (profile changing part 6 with a sliding block actuator), wherein the air blowing module (5) is disposed on the positioning module to control a position of the air blowing module, and the positioning module (profile changing part 6) comprises: a first positioning module (actuator moving in Z-direction), in driving connection with the air blowing module and configured to drive the air blowing module to move along the first direction, to adjust a distance between the air outlet and the first coating area. Although CN’634 teaches air nozzle moving in X, Y & Z directions, a first positioning module with a first moving part and positioning rod (profile changing part 6 with a sliding block actuator) lacks specifically teaching the first positioning module comprises a first slide rail and a first slider, a second positioning module comprises second slide rail and a second slider, wherein the second slide rail extends along the second direction, in driving connection with the air blowing module and configured to drive the air blowing module to move along the second direction, to adjust a position of the air outlet in the second direction. However, a transport platform with first, second and third positioning module moving an air blowing means in in X, Y & Z directions having first, second and third sliding rails and sliders is taught by CN’918 (see Figs 8-9 a blowing head 210 on with a moving component 220 is a three-axis moving platform having first x-direction sliding table 2211 with lines extending in x-direction, second y-direction sliding table 222 with lines extending in y-direction and third z-direction sliding table 223 with lines extending in z-direction). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include first positioning module comprises a first slide rail and a first slider, a second positioning module comprises second slide rail and a second slider as claimed in CN’634 to attain the desired three-dimensional positioning of the air nozzle.
Claim(s) 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 111479634A in view of CN 206325798 U.
CN’634 teaches air blowing module provided with a structure adjusting flow of the airflow to control the velocity of the airflow (a structure and pneumatic regulator, see English translation pages 6-7) and adjusting position of the air nozzle, but lacks teaching an image acquisition module disposed downstream of the air blowing module. CN’798 teaches a coating apparatus further comprising an image acquisition module (CCD camera 9) disposed downstream of the air blowing module (tube 4) in the movement direction of the substrate and in communication connection with the air blowing module, wherein the image acquisition module (9) is configured to acquire image information of the substrate (see Fig 1) and the CCD camera system in communication with a control system is capable of adjusting velocity of an airflow at the air outlet by adjusting the position of the air nozzle or blowing module. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a CCD camera in CN’634 (wherein adjustability of flow rate of the airflow at the outlet and positioning of the air blowing module is disclosed, see English translation pages 6-7) to accurately position the blowing nozzle in ensuring efficiency as taught by CN’798 (see English translation on page 2).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 111479634A in view of CN 110495024A.
CN’634 teaches a coating apparatus in a process of manufacturing the electrode piece of a battery, drying process after coating and the use of heated air jet to dry the coated insulating material (see Fig 1 and English Translation Abstract and pages 1-2, 3 and 8), wherein the coating apparatus is capable of applying a slurry (the electrode and insulating coating materials are capable of being a slurry). In any event, a coating apparatus configured to apply a slurry on the substrate is known in the art such as taught by CN’024 (see English Translation Abstract and page 2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the coating apparatus to apply a slurry in CN’634 in manufacturing secondary battery electrode as taught by CN’024 (see English Translation on page 2).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YEWEBDAR T TADESSE whose telephone number is (571)272-1238. The examiner can normally be reached 7.00-3:30 PM.
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YEWEBDAR T. TADESSE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1717
/YEWEBDAR T TADESSE/
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