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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 5/9/24 and 3/4/25 were filed on 5/9/24 and 3/4/25. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 5/9/24 are accepted by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
Claims 1-20 are 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. With respect to claim 1, it is unclear what “corresponding to a direction of the electrode assembly” is referring to because there is no spatial orientation of the electrode assembly defined in the claims or described in the specification.
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.
Claims 1-6 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al (US 2011/0117402).
Regarding claims 1-6 and 16-20, Kim et al discloses a battery unit “101” (secondary battery) comprising: an electrode assembly “102” comprising a positive plate “112” (first electrode plate) and a negative plate “113” (second electrode plate); a case “110” for accommodating the electrode assembly, and having one open side; a cap plate “112” coupled to the case at the one open side; a positive electrode terminal “103” (first terminal) and a negative electrode terminal “104” (second terminal) electrically connected to the electrode assembly, and coupled to the cap plate; and a bottom retainer “400” (lower insulator) at a lower portion of the electrode assembly, located between the electrode assembly and another side of the case that faces the cap plate in a longitudinal direction, and comprising an inclined part “403” corresponding to a direction of the electrode assembly on at least one edge of an upper end of the lower bottom retainer (insulator);
wherein the inclined part “403” of the bottom retainer is inclined from the upper end toward a lower end of the bottom retainer so that an upper end surface of the bottom retainer has a planar area “401”, “402” that is less than that of a lower end surface of the bottom retainer; wherein the inclined part “403” is flat; wherein the inclined part “403” is positioned inwardly from an outer edge of the bottom retainer;
wherein the inclined part comprises a part “405” (stepped portion);
wherein the bottom retainer has a rectangular plate shape comprising a pair of long sides, and a pair of short sides connected to the pair of the long sides, and wherein the inclined part “403” is on an edge of the pair of the long sides;
wherein the positive plate (first electrode plate) and the negative plate (second electrode plate) respectively comprise a positive electrode current collector connector “115c” (first electrode tab) and a negative electrode current collector connector “116c” (second electrode tab) in a direction of the cap plate, and wherein the battery unit further comprises a positive electrode current collector lead “115a” (first current collector plate) and a negative electrode current collector lead “116a” (second current collector plate) respectively electrically coupled to the positive electrode current collector connector (first electrode tab) and the negative electrode current collector connector (second electrode tab);
wherein the positive electrode terminal (first terminal) comprises a first terminal pillar “103” coupled to one side of the cap plate, and a bus bar “108” (first terminal plate) coupled to the first terminal pillar “103” and exposed, and wherein the negative electrode terminal (second terminal) comprises a second terminal pillar “104” coupled to another side of the cap plate, and a bus bar “108” (second terminal plate) coupled to the second terminal pillar “104” and exposed;
wherein the positive electrode current collector lead (first current collector plate) is interposed between the electrode assembly and the one side of the cap plate to electrically connect the positive electrode current collector connector (first electrode tab) to the positive electrode terminal (first terminal), and wherein the negative electrode current collector lead (second current collector plate) is interposed between the electrode assembly and the other side of the cap plate to electrically connect the negative electrode current collector connector (second electrode tab) to the negative electrode terminal (second terminal);
wherein the one side of the cap plate defines a first through-hole through which the first terminal pillar “103” passes, and a first coupling hole to which an insulator “105” (first insulating member) is coupled to provide insulation from the positive electrode terminal (first terminal), and wherein the other side of the cap plate defines a second through-hole through which the second terminal pillar “104” passes, and a second coupling groove to which an insulator “105” (second insulating member) is coupled to provide insulation from the negative electrode terminal (second terminal); and
further comprising an insulating case “118” (upper insulator) between the cap plate and the first and second current collector plates “115a”, “116a”, and defining an opening through which the first terminal pillar “103” and the second terminal pillar “104” pass;
wherein a support part “401”, “402” is on a surface of the bottom retainer excluding the opening and the inclined part; wherein the support part “401”, “402” contacts the electrode assembly (Fig. 4);
wherein a space is defined between the electrode assembly and the bottom retainer due to the inclined part (Fig. 4);
wherein an interior of the support part of the bottom retainer “700” defines an empty space (Fig. 7);
wherein a lower end surface of the support part of the bottom retainer defines a groove “405” ([0041],[0046],[0051],[0052],[0056],[0063],[0066],[0068]-[0072] and Figs. 2 and 4).
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 7-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al (US 2011/0117402) in view of Guen (US 2017/0098808). The Kim reference is applied to claim 1 for reasons stated above.
However, Kim et al does not expressly teach wherein a central area of the lower insulator defines an opening (claim 7); wherein the case comprises another open side opposite the one open side in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the secondary battery further comprises a bottom plate coupled to the case at the other open side of the case (claim 12); wherein the bottom plate defines a vent hole having a safety vent therein (claim 13); wherein the lower insulator defines a vent through-hole corresponding to a position of the vent hole (claim 14); wherein the vent through-hole has a size that is greater than or equal to a size of the vent hole (claim 15).
Guen discloses a case “121” comprising another open side opposite the one open side in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the secondary battery further comprises a bottom plate “123” coupled to the case at the other open side of the case; wherein the bottom plate defines a vent hole “140” having a safety vent therein ([0046] and Fig. 2). Examiner’s note: although Guen does not teach a lower insulator, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that a central area of the lower insulator that defines an opening, wherein the lower insulator defines a vent through-hole corresponding to a position of the vent hole is inherently present in order to establish a gas exhaust path for gas generated in the case to be released to the outside of the case. In addition, a vent through-hole that has a size that is greater than or equal to a size of the vent hole is an obvious matter of design choice which one of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to make to facilitate the gas exhaust path.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Kim battery unit to include a central area of the lower insulator defines an opening; wherein the case comprises another open side opposite the one open side in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the battery unit further comprises a bottom plate coupled to the case at the other open side of the case; wherein the bottom plate defines a vent hole having a safety vent therein; wherein the lower insulator defines a vent through-hole corresponding to a position of the vent hole; wherein the vent through-hole has a size that is greater than or equal to a size of the vent hole in order to enhance safety by including safety vents in distinct locations that may release internal gases when an internal pressure of the secondary battery increases ([0008]).
Conclusion
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/T.S.C/Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/JONATHAN G LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1751 8/14/2026
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