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 .
Summary
This is the initial Office Action based on the 18/658,412 application filed on 05/08/2024.
Claims 1-15 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the lamination tape" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Choi et al. (US 2016/0126585).
Addressing claim 1, Choi discloses an electrode assembly 110 of a rechargeable battery (figs. 1-2), the electrode assembly comprising an electrode plate of a positive electrode 11, an electrode plate of a negative electrode 12, a separator 13 between the electrode plate of the positive electrode and the electrode plate of the negative electrode (fig. 3),
wherein each of the electrode plate of the positive electrode and the electrode plate of the negative electrode comprises:
an electrode substrate (11 for positive electrode and 12 for negative electrode [0034]);
a first active material layer (112a for positive electrode and 122a for negative electrode) on a first surface of the electrode substrate;
a first lamination tape (511b for positive electrode and 521b for negative electrode) and a second lamination tape (511a for positive electrode and 521a for negative electrode) attached to the first active material layer (112a and 122a), an end portion of the electrode substrate (11 and 12), and the second active material layer (512a and 522a),
wherein the first lamination tape forms a first attachment portion on the first active material layer (the portion of the first active material layer that is in direct physical contact with the first lamination tape) in a wound central portion of the electrode assembly (fig. 3);
wherein the second lamination tape forms a second attachment portion on the second active material layer (the portion of the second active material layer that is in direct physical contact with the second lamination tape) in a wound central portion of the electrode assembly (fig. 3); and
wherein an end of the first attachment portion on the first active material layer and an end of the second attachment portion on the second active material layer are spaced apart from each other in a winding direction of the electrode assembly (fig. 3).
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.
Claim(s) 2-4 and 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 2016/0126585) in view of Matsui et al. (US 11,631,901).
Addressing claims 2 and 10, Choi discloses the electrode substrate, the first active material layer and the second active material layer are the positive electrode and have a same cross-section (fig. 3). However, Choi is silent regarding the first attachment portion is longer than the second attachment portion by a first length as required by claim 2 or an eleventh length as required by claim 10.
Matsui discloses in annotated fig. 2 below an electrode assembly similarly to that of Choi; wherein, the electrode substrate 21A, the first active material layer and the second active material layer are positive electrode 21 and the first attachment portion is longer than the second attachment portion by a first length as required by claim 2 or the eleventh length as required by claim 10.
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At the time of the effective filing date of the invention, one with ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the first and second lamination tape of Choi to cover the positive electrode in the known configuration disclosed by Matsui in order to obtain the predictable result of preventing short circuiting (Rationale B, KSR decision, MPEP 2143).
Addressing claims 3-4 and 11, annotated fig. 2 above shows the claimed first extension attachment portion extending from an end portion of the uncoated portion as claimed.
Claim(s) 5-6 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 2016/0126585) in view of Kim et al (US 2024/0055741).
Addressing claims 5 and 12, Choi discloses the electrode substrate, the first active material layer and the second active material layer are the negative electrode and have a same cross-section (fig. 3). Choi is silent regarding a third attachment portion that is shorter than a fourth attachment portion by a second length as required by claim 5 or a twelfth length as required by claim 12.
Kim discloses an electrode assembly having wound positive and negative electrodes similarly to that of Choi; wherein, the electrode substrate 121, the first active material layer 123, and the second active material layer 122 are the negative electrode [0028]. The first lamination tape 180 forms a third attachment portion (the portion of the tape 180 that contacts the overlying layer, fig. 2). The second lamination tape 190 forms a fourth attachment portion (the portion of the tape 190 that contacts the underlying layer, fig. 2). The third attachment portion is shorter than the fourth attachment portion by a second length (fig. 2) as required by claim 5 or by a twelfth length as required by claim 12.
At the time of the effective filing date of the invention, one with ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to modify the electrode assembly of Choi with the first and second lamination tapes to cover the first active material and the second active material in the known configuration disclosed by Choi in order to obtain the predictable result of preventing short circuit from occurring (Kim, [0058]).
Addressing claim 6, Kim discloses in fig. 2 that the electrode substrate further comprises an uncoated portion 125 [0020] and the first lamination tape and the second lamination tape are attached to the uncoated portion (fig. 2) and the first lamination tape 180 and the second lamination tape 190 comprise a second extension attachment portion extending from an end of the uncoated portion (paragraph [0053] discloses the first protective tape 190 covers the entire surface of the non-coating portion 125 and paragraph [0055] discloses the second protective tape 180 covers the entire surface of the non-coating portion; therefore, collectively the first and second protective tape forms the claimed extension attachment portion extending from an end portion of the uncoated portion as claimed.
Claim(s) 8 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 2016/0126585) in view of Matsui et al. (US 11,631,901) and Kim et al (US 2024/0055741).
Addressing claim 8, please see the rejection of claims 2 and 5 because claim 8 recites the limitations of claims 2 and 5
Addressing claim 14, please see the rejection of claims 10 and 12 above because claim 14 recites the limitations of claims 10 and 12.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 9 (pending the 35 USC 112, second paragraph, rejection above), 13 and 15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/BACH T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1726 08/30/2026
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