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 Objections
Claim 1 and 4 are objected to because of the following informalities. Appropriate correction is required.
In claim 4, line 9, “conducive” should read “conductive”.
In claim 4, line 11, “between the boundary” is phrased unclearly and should be clearer for better understanding.
In claim 4, line 56, “between insulating film and insulating film” is unclear as there is only one insulating film recited in the specifications. Applicant should clarify that the language of the statement refers to the same feature. The claim only outlines one insulating film.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-5 is 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 limitation “bag-like” in line 3. This limitation is indefinite as the specification doesn’t define the meaning of “bag-like.” It is unclear of the limitations of “bag-like” as it could refer to the shape or material of a bag. Claims 2-5 are rejected by virtue of dependency on claim 1.
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.
4. Claims 1-4 are rejected 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tada (PGPub 2022/0085421).
Regarding claim 1, Tada teaches an electricity storage device (secondary battery 100) comprising: an electrode body (a pair of external terminals 20, Para 25, line 4);
a bag-like insulating film that covers the electrode body (the insulating sheet 50 covers the wound body 30, Para 25, line 13)
an electrolyte solution (the electrolyte is injected into the battery container 10, Para 62, lines 13-14)
a case (battery container 10, Figure 1) that houses the electrode body (wound body 30), the insulating film (insulating sheet 50), and the electrolyte solution
and includes a body including a rectangular bottom surface (bottom surface 10b, Figure 2), an opening opposed to the bottom surface (opening 11a, Figure 6), a pair of broad width surfaces (pair of wide side surfaces 10w, para 27, line 6-7) each of which extends from a corresponding one of a pair of long sides of the bottom surface (bottom surface 10b, para 27, line 10) that are opposed to each other, and a pair of narrow width surfaces (a pair of narrow side surfaces 10n, para 27, lines 7-8) each of which extends from a corresponding one of a pair of short sides of the bottom surface that are opposed to each other (Figure 5),
and a rectangular sealing plate that seals the opening (rectangular-plate-shaped battery lid 12 that closes the opening 11a of the battery can 11, Para 28, lines 1-2, Figure 2);
an electrode terminal attached to the case (electrode 20, Figure 6); and
and a current collecting member (current collector plates 40) connected to the electrode body and the electrode terminal inside the case (external terminals 20 are connected to the respective current collector plates 40, Para 25. lines 14-16, Figure 6),
wherein the sealing plate includes an attachment hole to which the electrode terminal is attached (through holes 12a through which the external terminals 20 are partially inserted, Para 29, lines 3-4) and a liquid injection hole through which the electrolyte solution is injected (liquid injection hole 16), and
the insulating film includes a first side surface opposed to a corresponding one of the broad width surfaces of the body (see Figure 5, insulating sheet 50 is opposed to wide side surfaces 10w), is closed at a lower end that is closer to the bottom surface of the body (secondary battery 100 has a feature that an end portion 50e of the insulating sheet 50 adjacent to the battery lid 12 is secured to the insulating plates 14, Para 25, lines 18-20, Figure 6) and is opened at an upper end that is closer to the sealing plate (through hole 50h is opened where the external terminal 20 is inserted, Para 91, lines 2-4, Figure 10),
and has a notch in the upper end in the first side surface (Depressed cutout portion 50ec is located towards the top of the battery lid 12. Figures 6 and 10 show that the depressed cutout portion is located on the long side surface, as it is in between through holes 50h which line up with the external terminals 20, Para 91, lines 1-4), and in a cross-sectional view along the narrow width surface of the body, the notch is provided under an intersection of a straight line passing through center of the liquid injection hole and extending in a short side direction of the sealing plate and a straight line extending along the first side surface (in Figure 2, the depressed cutout portion 50ec is aligned directly under the liquid injection hole 16. If one were to draw a straight line from the depressed cutout portion 50ec, it would hit the liquid injection hole 16).
Regarding claim 2, Tada teaches the invention as discussed above in claim 1. Further, Tada teaches the electricity storage device according to claim 1,
wherein the notch is provided closer to center of a long side of the sealing plate than a connection portion of the electrode terminal and the current collecting member (depressed cutout portion 50ec is in between through holes 50h which line up with external terminals 20. In Figure 2 and 10, the depressed cutout portion 50ec is more centered as it is in between the external terminals 20).
Regarding claim 3, Tada teaches the invention as discussed above in claim 1. Further, Tada teaches, the electricity storage device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode body
is a wound electrode body (wound body 30) in which a long sheet-like positive electrode (positive electrode 31) and a long sheet-like negative electrode (negative electrode 32) with a long sheet-like separator (separators 33, 34) interposed therebetween are wound in a longitudinal direction (Figure 3),
includes a first curved portion, a second curved portion, and a flat portion provided between the first curved portion and the second curved portion (curving portions 30b are curved and wound in a semi-cylindrical shape, Para 36, lines 5-11, Figure 3), and
is housed in the case such that the first curved portion (curving portion 30b) is arranged closer to the sealing plate (battery lid 12) and the second curved portion is arranged closer to the bottom surface (Figure 5, curving portion 30b is arranged closer to the battery lid 12 than the bottom surface 10b) and
a deepest portion of the notch is provided closer to the sealing plate than a boundary of the first curved portion and the flat portion (The insulating sheet 50 covers the whole wound body 30 and so the depressed cutout portion 50ec is closer to the battery lid 12 than the curving portion 30b of the wound body 30, Para 56, lines 8-9, Figure 9).
Regarding claim 4, Tada teaches the invention as discussed above in claim 1. Further, Tada teaches the electricity storage device according to claim 3, wherein the electrode terminal includes (pair of external terminals 20)
a first conductive portion arranged outside the case (connecting portions 22, Figure 2)
a second conductive portion arranged inside the case (base portions 41, Figure 2), and
a shaft portion inserted through the attachment hole and connecting the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion (connecting portions 22 of the external terminals 20 are inserted through, for example, through holes 13a of the gaskets 13, the through holes 12a of the battery lid 12, through holes 14a of the insulating plates 14, and through holes 41a of the base portions 41 of the current collector plates 40, Para 51, lines 3-9, Figure 2)
the current collecting member (current collector plates 40) extends from the sealing plate (battery lid 12) toward the electrode body (external terminals 20) (Figure 7)
is connected to the second conducive portion at one end, and is connected to the electrode body at the other end (electrically connected to the external terminals 20 via the current collector plates 40, Para 53, lines 6-9, Figure 7), and
between the boundary in the electrode body and the sealing plate, is sandwiched between the insulating film and the insulating film (current collector plates 40 is in between insulating sheet 50, Figure 5).
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.
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.
7. Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tada (PGPub 2022/0085421) and further in view of Zhou et al. (PG Pub 2025/0323355).
Considering claim 5, Tada discloses a depressed cutout portion of the insulating sheet, which is used to keep the insulating sheet away from the battery lid (Para 92, lines 9-15). The depressed cutout portion also keeps the insulating sheet away from the liquid injection hole on top of the battery lid which is similar to the claimed invention where the notch is arranged away from the liquid injection hole to prevent capillary phenomenon of the electrolyte. The depressed cutout portion in Figure 10 shows the shape of a rectangle with curved lines which resemble closer to a semi-circular shape. However, Tada is silent to the other variety of shapes such as more circular or triangular shapes.
Zhou et al. discloses a second groove which may be in the shape of a circular ring or an annular square or triangle to improve fit and alignment of the groove with the other components of the battery (Para 158, lines 7-11). Zhou et al. also discloses that the second groove is essential in providing connection stability between the first connecting member and electrode terminal so that the insulating film can protect the interfacial part between the electrode terminal and the first end wall which reduces the risk of the electrolyte leaking inside the battery cell (para 160).
It would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the depressed cutout portion of the insulating sheet of Tada with the circular ring or annular square or triangular shape of the second groove of Zhou et al. to use different shapes of the notch to keep the insulating sheet away from the liquid injection hole to prevent the leakage of electrolyte, since choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success involves only routine skill in the art.
Conclusion
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/MEHER MEHTA/Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/CHRISTOPHER P DOMONE/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1725
August 20, 2026
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