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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takahashi (WO 2022/163482 A1; cited in the IDS filed 16 December 2025; using US 2023/0344094, cited in the IDS filed 16 December 2025, for the English translation and citations).
Regarding claim 1, Takahashi teaches a power storage cell (lithium ion battery 1, see Fig. 1; [0031]) comprising:
a wound electrode assembly (electrode wound body 20, see Fig. 1; [0031]) including a wound first electrode (negative electrode 22, see Fig. 1; [0040]) and a wound second electrode (positive electrode 21, see Fig. 1; [0040]); and
a case (battery can 11, see Fig. 1; [0040]) that houses the wound electrode assembly (see Fig. 1 and [0040]), wherein
the first electrode (negative electrode 22, see Fig. 1; [0040]) includes a sheet-shaped current collector (negative electrode foil 22A, see Fig. 3 and [0042]) and an electrode composite material layer (negative electrode active material layer 22 B, see Fig. 3; [0042]) provided on the current collector (negative electrode foil 22A, see Fig. 3 and [0042]),
the current collector (negative electrode foil 22A, see Fig. 3 and [0042]) includes a coated portion that is coated with the electrode composite material layer (negative electrode active material layer 22 B, see Fig. 3; [0042]), and an uncoated portion that is not coated with the electrode composite material layer (negative electrode active material uncovered part 22C, see Fig. 3; [0042]),
the uncoated portion (negative electrode active material uncovered part 22C, see Fig. 3; [0042]) protrudes from the coated portion (negative electrode active material layer 22 B, see Fig. 3; [0042]) to one side in an axial direction of the wound electrode assembly (see Fig. 3 and [0042]-[0044]),
the case (battery can 11, see Fig. 1; [0040]) includes a cylindrical wall portion (battery can 11 having a cylindrical shape, see [0032]) provided to cover an outer peripheral side of the wound electrode assembly (electrode wound body 20, see Fig. 1 and [0040]), and a bottom portion (bottom part 11A, see Fig. 1; [0033]) disposed on the one side in the axial direction and connected to one end of the cylindrical wall portion (see Fig. 1), and
the bottom portion (bottom part 11A, see Fig. 1; [0033]) is joined to the uncoated portion by welding from an outside of the case (flat surface 72, which is part of the first negative electrode active material uncovered part 221A, are coupled to the bottom part 11A of the battery can 11 by weld 81, see Fig. 6; [0064]-[0066]).
Regarding claim 2, Takahashi teaches wherein:
the case (battery can 11, see Fig. 1; [0040]) further includes an external terminal (any portion opposite the bottom portion can be equated to the external terminal, such as bent part 11P, see Fig. 1; [0037]) connected to the other end (see Fig. 1) of the cylindrical wall portion (battery can 11 having a cylindrical shape, see [0032]) and integrated with the cylindrical wall portion (see Fig. 1); and
the bottom portion (bottom part 11A, see Fig. 1; [0033]) is joined to the cylindrical wall portion (see Fig. 1) by welding to electrically connect the first electrode to the external terminal via the bottom portion and the cylindrical wall portion (flat surface 72, which is part of the first negative electrode active material uncovered part 221A, are coupled to the bottom part 11A of the battery can 11, and thus to the bent part 11P, by weld 81, see Fig. 6; [0064]-[0066]).
Furthermore, Applicant is reminded that the patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. See MPEP §2113.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Katsumoto et al. (US 2022/0181725; hereinafter “Katsumoto”).
Regarding claim 3, Takahashi teaches wherein:
the case (battery can 11, see Fig. 1; [0040]) further includes an external terminal (bent part 11P, see Fig. 1; [0037]) joined to the other end (see Fig. 1) of the cylindrical wall portion (battery can 11 having a cylindrical shape, see [0032]); and
the bottom portion (bottom part 11A, see Fig. 1; [0033]) is integrated (welded, se [0064]-[0066]) with the cylindrical wall portion (see Fig. 1) to electrically connect the first electrode (negative electrode 22, see Fig. 1; [0040]) to the external terminal (bent part 11P, see Fig. 1; [0037]) via the bottom portion (bottom part 11A, see Fig. 1; [0033]) and the cylindrical wall portion (battery can 11 having a cylindrical shape, see [0032]).
Takahashi teaches wherein the external terminal is joined to the other end of the cylindrical wall portion by crimping (see [0035]-[0038]), but is silent to wherein the external terminal is joined to the other end of the cylindrical wall portion by welding.
Katsumoto teaches a crimpless battery can. The battery can 10 includes a container part 11 and a cover part 12, wherein the cover part 12 is joined to the container part 11 by a method such as a welding method (see [0042]-[0047]). Katsumoto teaches that a reason for employing the crimpless can is that this increases a device space volume inside the battery can 10, and accordingly, increases also an energy density per unit volume of the secondary battery (see [0042]-[0047]).
In view of Katsumoto’s teachings, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the cell of Takahashi to include wherein the external terminal is joined to the other end of the cylindrical wall portion by welding, as taught by Katsumoto, because the use of a weld creates a crimpless can that increases a device space volume inside the battery can, and accordingly, increases also an energy density per unit volume of the secondary battery.
Furthermore, Applicant is reminded that the patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. See MPEP §2113.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN HA whose telephone number is (571)270-5934. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00 EST.
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/S.S.H/Examiner, Art Unit 1735 7 August 2026
/KEITH WALKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1735
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