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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 5/30/2024 and 8/27/2026 has/have been received and complies with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, 1.98 and MPEP § 609. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner, and a copy with initials is attached herewith.
Drawings
3. The drawings were received on 5/30/2024. These drawings are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Claim(s) 1, 3-12 and 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Urushihara (US 20180205044 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Urushihara discloses a hard shell battery (1) comprising a housing (2) and an electrode assembly, wherein the housing (2) is provided with an accommodating cavity, and the electrode assembly is accommodated in the accommodating cavity [Fig. 1; paragraph 0025]. The hard shell battery (1) further comprises an insulative first gasket (50a) disposed on an outer surface of the housing (2) and an insulative second gasket (50b) disposed on an inner surface of the housing (2). Urushihara teaches a conductive member (30) comprising a shaft portion (32) and a restraint portion (31), wherein the shaft portion (32) passes through the first gasket (50a), a wall portion of the housing, and the second gasket (50b) in sequence and extends into the accommodating cavity, the housing (2) is provided with a through hole for passage of the shaft portion, an end of the shaft portion facing away from the accommodating cavity extends outward to form the restraint portion (31), the restraint portion abuts on a side of the first gasket (50a) facing away from the accommodating cavity, and the conductive member (30) is electrically connected to the electrode assembly; and a fastening member (40) disposed on a side of the second gasket (50b) facing away from the first gasket (50a), wherein the fastening member (40) is provided with a mounting hole (41), the shaft portion (32) is in an interference fit with the mounting hole (41), and the conductive member and the fastening member jointly press against the second gasket and the conductive member and the housing jointly press against the first gasket, to seal the through hole [Fig. 1-4; paragraph 0025-0034].
Although, the nomenclatures are different, the claimed elements are similar.
Regarding claim 3, Urushihara teaches that a cross-sectional area of the shaft portion in a direction perpendicular to a first direction is S1, and a cross-sectional area of the fastening member in a direction perpendicular to the first direction is S2; and S2> S1 [Fig. 4].
Regarding claim 4, Urushihara teaches that the shaft portion is cylindrical, and the fastening member is ring-shaped; and a diameter of the shaft portion is D1, a diameter of an outer contour of the fastening member is D2, and D2/D1 >√2 [Fig. 4].
Regarding claim 5, Urushihara remains silent about the tensile strength. However, based on the common general knowledge that the tensile strength of the mating part (or connector) in the shaft hole mating element is not less than the tensile strength of the shaft part (or connected part) such that the residual deformation is small, the skilled person is motivated to provide that the tensile strength of the fixing part is greater than the tensile strength of the shaft part and that the technical effect can be expected.
Regarding claim 6, Urushihara teaches that a projection of a peripheral contour of the restraint portion in a first direction falls on the first gasket, and/or a projection of a peripheral contour of the fastening member in the first direction falls on the second gasket, wherein the first direction is an extension direction of the shaft portion [Fig. 4].
Regarding claims 7-9, Urushihara teaches that an insulating sleeve (20), wherein the insulating sleeve fits on the shaft portion (32) and is between the first gasket (50a) and the second gasket (50b), wherein the insulating sleeve is in an interference fit with the through hole. The insulating sleeve and the first gasket are integrally formed; and/or the insulating sleeve and the second gasket are integrally formed [Fig. 2-4; paragraph 0025-0037].
Regarding claim 10, Urushihara teaches that the fastening member (40) is a conductor; and the hard shell battery further comprises a first conductive sheet (8), one end of the first conductive sheet is electrically connected to the electrode assembly, and at least one of the shaft portion or the fastening member is electrically connected to the other end of the first conductive sheet [Fig. 1-2; paragraph 0025-0026].
Regarding claim 11, Urushihara teaches that the electrode assembly comprises a first electrode plate (4), a second electrode plate (3), and a separator (5) that are stacked, and the separator (5) is disposed between the first electrode plate (4) and the second electrode plate (3); the first conductive sheet (8) is electrically connected to the first electrode plate (4); and the housing is a conductor, the hard shell battery further comprises a second conductive sheet (7), and the second conductive sheet (7) is electrically connected to both the second electrode plate (3) and the housing (2) [Fig. 1; paragraph 0025].
Regarding claim 12, Urushihara teaches an electronic apparatus, comprising the hard shell battery according to claim 1 [Fig. 1-4; paragraph 0003, 0025-0034].
Regarding claim 14, Urushihara teaches that a cross-sectional area of the shaft portion in a direction perpendicular to a first direction is S1, and a cross-sectional area of the fastening member in a direction perpendicular to the first direction is S2; and S2> S1 [Fig. 4].
Regarding claim 15, Urushihara teaches that the shaft portion is cylindrical, and the fastening member is ring-shaped; and a diameter of the shaft portion is D1, a diameter of an outer contour of the fastening member is D2, and D2/D1 >√2 [Fig. 4].
Regarding claim 16, Urushihara remains silent about the tensile strength. However, based on the common general knowledge that the tensile strength of the mating part (or connector) in the shaft hole mating element is not less than the tensile strength of the shaft part (or connected part) such that the residual deformation is small, the skilled person is motivated to provide that the tensile strength of the fixing part is greater than the tensile strength of the shaft part and that the technical effect can be expected.
Regarding claim 17, Urushihara teaches that a projection of a peripheral contour of the restraint portion in a first direction falls on the first gasket, and/or a projection of a peripheral contour of the fastening member in the first direction falls on the second gasket, wherein the first direction is an extension direction of the shaft portion [Fig. 4].
Regarding claims 18-20, Urushihara teaches that an insulating sleeve (20), wherein the insulating sleeve fits on the shaft portion (32) and is between the first gasket (50a) and the second gasket (50b), wherein the insulating sleeve is in an interference fit with the through hole. The insulating sleeve and the first gasket are integrally formed; and/or the insulating sleeve and the second gasket are integrally formed [Fig. 2-4; paragraph 0025-0037].
8. Claim(s) 2 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Urushihara (US 20180205044 A1) as applied in claim 1&12 and further in view of Guo ("Civil Engineering Construction 3rd Edition", Ed. Peigen, Nanjing: Southeast University Press, pp. 134-135, December 30, 2020)
Regarding claims 2 and 13, Urushihara remains silent about the tensile strength of the conductive member as claimed. However, the technical problem solved by considering tensile strength is how to reduce the risk of cracks generated by the pressing of the fixing element by the shaft portion during assembly. The tensile strength of the mating portion (or connector) in the shaft hole mating element is not less than the tensile strength of the shaft portion (or connector), such that the residual deformation is small, and the cross-sectional area of the mating portion (or connector) in the shaft hole mating element is larger than the cross-sectional area of the shaft portion (or connector), it is common general knowledge in the art that the tensile force resistance is greater than the tensile force resistance of the shaft (or of the connected member) as taught by Guo. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of cracks generated by pressing of the fixing member as a mating part by the shaft part during assembly, the person skilled in the art is motivated to satisfy between the conductive element and the fixing element: Rm2*S2 > Rm1*S1, wherein a tensile strength of the conductive piece is Rm1, a cross-sectional area of the shaft portion perpendicular to a first direction is S1, a tensile strength of the fixing piece is Rm2, a cross-sectional area of the fixing piece S2 perpendicular to the first direction, the first direction being an extension direction of the shaft portion.
It follows that, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art to combine common general knowledge in order to obtain the solution claimed in this claim, therefore, the subject matter claimed has no outstanding material features and significant advancements.
Therefore, the claim would have been obvious because a particular known technique was recognized as part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art (KSR v. Teleflex, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 127 S. Ct. 1727 (2007)) and an ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized such a substitution without undue experimentation and with a reasonable expectation of success.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUHAMMAD S SIDDIQUEE whose telephone number is (571)270-3719. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tong Guo can be reached at (571) 272-3066. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MUHAMMAD S SIDDIQUEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1723
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