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 § 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 3 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.
Claim 3 recites “the positive-negative electrode foil is bent in a stepped shape”. It is unclear what the applicant means by a stepped shape as a stepped shape could imply a single step, multiple steps, and multiple shapes to the step or steps. For the purposes of prosecution, the examiner interprets a stepped shape to require at least two flat portions at separate levels and wherein adjacent edges of both flat portions are connected via an intermediate portion.
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chu et al. (US 2019/0190030), hereinafter “Chu”.
Regarding claim 1, Chu teaches an energy storage device (corresponding to the claimed battery module), which may include bipolar batteries (corresponding to the claimed battery module being bipolar) (Chu, [0004]),
electrochemical cells which are shown to comprise laminated electrode components (corresponding to the claimed electrode laminate and plurality of bipolar electrodes) (Chu, [0041], Fig. 1) including a stacked current collector (corresponding to the claimed positive-negative electrode foil) which may include a second metal layer (corresponding to the claimed positive electrode foil side) and a first metal (corresponding to the claimed negative electrode foil side), a cathode (corresponding to the claimed positive electrode composite material layer) and an anode (corresponding to the claimed negative electrode composite material layer), wherein the second and first metals of the current collector may be selected based on the potentials of the cathode and anode respectively (corresponding to the claimed disposition of the material layers on their respective sides of the positive-negative electrode foil as one skilled in the art would recognize that this would be done so as to place the cathode on the second metal and the anode on the first metal) (Chu, [0042]-[0043]) and the cathode and anode may be separated from each other by a separator which is shown stacked between the cathode and anode (corresponding to the claimed bipolar electrodes laminated via a separator) (Chu, [0041], Fig. 1);
the peripheral ends of the sealed electrochemical cell (corresponding to the claimed peripheral edge part of the positive-negative electrode foil) may be further taped to frame the cell, where the tapes may be disposed around the outer perimeter of the metal layers (corresponding to the claimed sealing member);
a cell stack (corresponding to the claimed structure) wherein the cells may be positioned adjacent to one another as depicted in Fig. 1 (corresponding to the claimed plurality of cells stacked in a laminating direction of the bipolar electrodes and the claimed laminating direction corresponds to Chu’s Z direction) and wherein four cells (C1 – C4) are depicted (corresponding to the claimed plurality of cells) (Chu, [0041], Fig. 1);
an opening (corresponding to the claimed internal space), as depicted in Fig. 1 (see examiner annotated figure below), and an electrolyte which may be a liquid (corresponding to the claimed electrolyte solution) wherein the opening is shown closed by the seal 140 which bonds with the first and second metal layer of adjacent current collectors to prevent electrolyte leakage (corresponding to the claimed electrolyte solution accommodated between two of the positive-negative foils adjacent to each other) (Chu, [0048], Fig. 1).
The examiner notes that the recitation of a liquid injection opening for injecting the electrolytic solution into the internal space is functional language which merely imparts a structure containing an opening into which a liquid electrolyte could be added. "A claim containing a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim." See MPEP §2114(I). Chu depicts an opening bounded by the stacked current collector of two adjacent cells and extending therebetween (corresponding to the claimed liquid injection opening as well as the internal space as described above) in a part of an outer peripheral part of each of the cells and depicts the stacked current collector end pieces being deflected toward an adjacent cell side wherein Chu’s opening extends towards the adjacent cell side (Chu, Fig. 1, as depicted in the examiner annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image1.png
797
790
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, Chu depicts the opening provided at an interval of one or more cells in the plurality of cells (Chu, Fig. 1, depicted in the examiner annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image2.png
797
790
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 3, Chu depicts the outer portion of the current collector having a bent portion extending between a lower step and upper step (corresponding to the claimed stepped shape of the peripheral edge of the positive-negative electrode foil), and a portion closer to an end than the bent portion is depicted covered by the tape 145 (corresponding to the claimed sealing member) (Chu, Fig. 1, depicted in the examiner annotated figure below).
PNG
media_image3.png
797
790
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 4, Chu teaches the stack of electrochemical cells may include 4 cells (corresponding to the claimed plurality of cells is three or more cells) (Chu, [0041]) and depicts 4 cells in Fig. 1. Each of the cells depicted in claim 1 is depicted with an equivalent internal volume, and thus each, including both of the cells located outermost in the laminating direction (Chu’s Z-direction) is minimum among volumes of the internal spaces of the plurality of cells (Chu, Fig. 1); that is, no cells are depicted with a volume smaller than either of the cells located outermost in Chu’s Z-direction.
Regarding claim 5, Chu teaches a seal 140 to prevent electrolyte leakage (corresponding to the claimed state in which the electrolytic solution is accommodated in the internal space of the plurality of cells) and depicts the opening sealed by the seal 140 and the tape 145 (Chu, [0047]-[0048], Fig. 1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chu et al. (US 2018/0205118) teaches all claims. Herrmann et al. (US 2018/0233768), Tsutsumi et al. (US 2019/0027732), Kim (US 8,263,247), and Kouzu et al. (US 2022/0148821) teach claim 1 and have an outer cell with a different volume than other cells but without the deflected portion. Yang (CN 116365005 A) teaches staggered filling ports for a bipolar electrode. Nakakita et al. (WO 2022201630 A1) and Yamamoto et al. (US 2021/0242492) are relevant to claim 1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SIMRAN S SAUND whose telephone number is (571)270-0845. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Johnson can be reached at (571) 272-1177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SIMRAN S. SAUND/Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/NICHOLAS A WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1734
Prosecution Insights