DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. 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.
3. Claims 1, 2, 4-7, and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Du et al. (CN-112582668-A, provided in IDS received on 19 August 24, machine translation used for rejection below).
As to claim 1, Du discloses a lithium-ion battery (figure 1, page 2 lines 13-19) comprising at least one storage cell (figure 2, battery cell assembly 5, page 2 lines 13-19) that has at least one electrode sheet, the at least one electrode sheet is extended in a longitudinal direction (figure 2, positive electrode sheet 2, page 2 lines 13-19), the at least one electrode sheet has an electrode current collector (figure 2, positive electrode sheet 2, page 2 lines 51-52) that forms a first contact tag (figure 2, positive electrode sheet 2, page 2 lines 51-52) and a second contact tag (figure 2, positive electrode sheet 2, page 2 lines 51-52).
As to claim 2, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 1, and Du further discloses wherein the electrode current collector is extended in the longitudinal direction, wherein the electrode current collector has, viewed in the longitudinal direction, two mutually opposite ends (figure 2, positive electrode sheet 2, page 2 lines 51-52), and wherein each of the two ends forms one of the two contact tags (figure 2, positive electrode sheet 2, page 2 lines 51-52).
As to claim 4, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 1, and Du further discloses wherein the electrode current collector is formed by a film (figure 2, positive electrode sheet 2, page 2 lines 51-52).
As to claim 5, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 1, and Du further discloses wherein the storage cell has at least one basic element (page 2 lines 13-19), wherein the basic element has two electrode sheets, namely an anode sheet (figure 2, positive electrode sheet 2, page 2 lines 13-19) and a cathode sheet (figure 2, negative electrode sheet 3, page 2 lines 13-19), wherein the anode sheet forms two contact tags, namely two primary contact tags (figure 4, positive electrode ears 21), and wherein the cathode sheet forms two contact tags, namely two secondary contact tags (figure 5, negative electrode ears 31).
As to claim 6, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 5, and Du further discloses wherein a separator sheet or an electrolyte sheet of the basic element is arranged between the anode sheet and the cathode sheet of the basic element (figure 3, membrane 4).
As to claim 7, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 5, and Du further discloses wherein one of the two electrode sheets of the basic element is enclosed between two separator sheets of the basic element (membrane 4, page 4 lines 34-35).
As to claim 9, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 5, and Du further discloses wherein the storage cell has an enclosure (figure 1, aluminum shell 1) and two basic elements, namely a first basic element and a second basic element arranged in the enclosure (figure 2, battery cell assembly 5), wherein each of the two basic elements has two primary contact tags, namely a first primary contact tag and a second primary contact tag (figure 4, positive electrode ears 21), wherein the storage cell has two primary cell current collectors, namely a first primary cell current collector and a second primary cell current collector that are each passed through the enclosure (figure 2, positive poles 11), wherein the first primary contact tags are connected to the first primary cell current collector within the enclosure (figure 2, positive poles 11, positive electrode ears 21), and wherein the second primary contact tags are connected to the second primary cell current collector within the enclosure (figure 2, positive poles 11, positive electrode ears 21).
As to claim 10, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 5, and Du further discloses wherein the storage cell has an enclosure (figure 1, aluminum shell 1) as well as two basic elements, namely a first basic element and a second basic element arranged in the enclosure (figure 2, battery cell assembly 5), wherein each of the two basic elements has two secondary contact tags, namely a first secondary contact tag and a second secondary contact tag (figure 5, negative electrode ears 31), wherein the storage cell has two secondary cell current collectors, namely a first secondary cell current collector and a second secondary cell current collector that are each passed through the enclosure (figure 2, negative poles 12), wherein the first secondary contact tags are connected to the first secondary cell current collector within the enclosure (figure 2, negative poles 12, negative electrode ears 31), and wherein the second secondary contact tags are connected to the second secondary cell current collector within the enclosure (figure 2, negative poles 12, negative electrode ears 31).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du et al. (CN-112582668-A, provided in IDS received on 19 August 24, machine translation used for rejection below) as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Fujii (US-20160260978-A1).
As to claim 3, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 1, but Du does not disclose wherein the at least one electrode sheet is extended in the longitudinal direction over a length greater than or equal to 500 mm.
Fujii discloses an electrode used within the battery, wherein the at least one electrode sheet is extended in the longitudinal direction over a length greater than or equal to 500 mm ([0085], 580mm) to improve the cycle retention of the electrode. In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the lithium-ion battery as disclosed within Du to further include that the at least one electrode sheet is extended in the longitudinal direction over a length greater than or equal to 500nm to improve the cycle retention of the electrode as disclosed within Fujii.
6. Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du et al. (CN-112582668-A, provided in IDS received on 19 August 24, machine translation used for rejection below) as applied to claim 7, and further in view of Kwak (EP-4024546-A1).
As to claim 8, Du discloses the lithium-ion battery of claim 7, but Du does not disclose wherein the two separator sheets of the basic element form a pocket in which the one of the two electrode sheets is enclosed.
Kwak discloses an electrode assembly, wherein the two separator sheets of the basic element form a pocket in which the one of the two electrode sheets is enclosed (figure 3, separators 1, [0052]) to restrict movements of the separators during thermal fusion of the electrode assembly.
As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the lithium-ion battery as disclosed within Du to further include that the two separator sheets of the basic element form a pocket in which the one of the two electrode sheets is enclosed to restrict movements of the separators during thermal fusion of the electrode assembly as disclosed within Kwak.
Conclusion
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/J.J.S./Examiner, Art Unit 1727
/BARBARA L GILLIAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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