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 . 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 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.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/15/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-20 are pending.
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.
Claims 1-5, 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (U.S. Patent No. 2021/0086388) in view of Koivukunnas (US 2008/0302255).
Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches a notching device (Abstract and Figure 1) comprising:
a die (110) configured to support an electrode (Figure 1; Paragraph 0062);
a first stripper (121) configured to move toward the die, and configured to press a mixture portion of the electrode and a second stripper (122) configured to move toward the die, and configured to press an uncoated portion of the electrode (Figure 1 and Paragraphs 0060-0066); and
a pattern portion (140) configured to move toward the die, and configured to form a pattern on the uncoated portion (Figure 1 and Paragraph 0060).
Lee does not provide multiple first pattern protrusions configured to form a first pattern on a first surface of the uncoated portion; or a support portion on the die, and comprising multiple second protrusions and recesses corresponding to the first pattern protrusions configured to form a second pattern on a second surface of the uncoated portion opposite to the first surface.
Koivukunnas teaches it is known in the art of notching to incorporate a device including multiple first pattern protrusions (2) configured to form a first pattern on a first surface of the workpiece (Figure 6); and a support portion on the die, and comprising multiple second protrusions and recesses (2) corresponding to the first pattern protrusions configured to form a second pattern on a second surface of the workpiece opposite to the first surface. (Figures 6-7; Paragraphs 0048-0051 noting the notching element 2 may be on both the top and the bottom to perform the notches on both sides of the workpiece 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the device of Lee to incorporate the teachings of Koivukunnas to provide multiple pattern protrusions. In doing so, it allows for the workpiece to be imprinted as desired in the appropriate size and shape.
Regarding claim 2, the modified device of Lee teaches the notching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second stripper is configured to interlock with the first stripper (120)(Lee Figures 1 and 4).
Regarding claim 3, the modified device of Lee teaches the notching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pattern portion is coupled to the second stripper (Lee Figures 1 and 4; Paragraphs 0082-0084 noting coupling via holder 132).
Regarding claim 4, the modified device of Lee teaches the notching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pattern portion is attachable to, or detachable from, the second stripper (Lee Paragraph 0088; See Figure 15).
Regarding claim 5, the modified device of Lee teaches the notching device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pattern portion comprises: a pattern body coupled to the second stripper; and the pattern protrusions at a lower portion of the pattern body (Lee Figure 1, and Koivukunnas Figures 6-7)
Regarding claim 13, the modified device of Lee teaches the notching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first pattern has a Koivukunnas Figures 6-7 noting a block shape). The modified device of Lee does not provide the first pattern as a concave/convex shape.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have further modified the device of Lee to provide the first pattern as any reasonable shape, including concave/convex. In doing so, it allows for the workpiece to be notched with the desired pattern shape.
Regarding claim 14, the modified device of Lee teaches the notching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support portion (111a) is configured to support the uncoated portion (Lee Figure 1; Paragraph 0062).
Related Prior Art
Below is an analysis of the relevance of references cited but not used
- "892 cited references A-B on page 1 establish the state of the art with Workman showing a variety of styles and shapes for dies and Yoon showing various notching elements with various patterns on the top and bottom.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the current combination of references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. See the new rejection utilizing Koivukunnas (US 2008/0302255) above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-12 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record does not appear to show the specifics of claim 6, including “a body insertion portion configured to be slidingly inserted into a second groove
defined by the second stripper; and a body base portion at the body insertion portion, in close contact with a bottom surface of the second stripper, and having a lower portion at which the pattern protrusion is located” in combination with the remaining claim language. Claims 7-12 are allowed as they depend from an allowed claim
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD D CROSBY JR whose telephone number is (571)272-8034. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-4:00.
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/RICHARD D CROSBY JR/ 09/23/2026Examiner, Art Unit 3724
