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 .
2. Claims 1-7 are pending in this office action.
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. Information disclosure statements (IDS), submitted May 31, 2024, and April 28, 2026, have been received and considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Morikawa et al. (US 2013/0323566 A1).
With regard to Claim 1, Morikawa et al. disclose in Figures 1 and 3, a battery cell, called a thin secondary battery (20), comprising: an electrode body, called a power-generating element (10), including a plurality of layered structures layered one on another, each including positive electrode sheets (12), negative electrode sheets (14), and a separator (5) disposed between the positive electrode sheets (12) and the negative electrode sheets (14) (paragraph 0030); and a battery cell case, including a first resin layer (6a) and a second resin layer (6b), that hermetically encloses the electrode body (10) inside the battery cell case (6a, 6b) (paragraphs 0033, 0035), wherein: each of the positive electrode sheets (12) and the negative electrode sheets (14) includes a current collector (2, 4) and a mix that includes an active material (1, 3) and that is coated on a surface of the current collector (2, 4), respectively, at least one of the current collector (2) in the positive electrode sheets (12) or the current collector (4) in the negative electrode sheets (14) has, on a peripheral portion of a surface thereof, an uncoated portion, called terminals (7, 8) at which the mix is not coated (paragraphs 0032, 0047), and a current collector (2, 4) of which a distance from a surface of the battery cell case (6a, 6b) is greatest among current collectors (2, 4) each having an uncoated portion (7, 8) has a first uncoated portion (7, 8), and the first uncoated portion (7, 8) extends to outside of the battery cell case (6a, 6b), thereby forming a first exposed portion (paragraph 0047; See Figure 3).
With regard to Claim 2, Morikawa et al. disclose in Figures 1 and 3-6, wherein a shape of an electrode face of the electrode body (10) is rectangular, and the first exposed portion (7, 8) is disposed at a side along a long side of the rectangular shape (paragraph 0047; See Figures).
With regard to Claim 3, Morikawa et al. disclose in Figures 1 and 3-6, wherein a shape of an electrode face of the electrode body (10) is rectangular, and the first exposed portion (7, 8) is provided at either a positive electrode sheets (12) or a negative electrode sheets (14) of which a length of a long side of a rectangular shape thereof is greater (paragraph 0047; See Figures).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Claims 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morikawa et al. (US 2013/0323566 A1), as applied to Claims 1-3 above.
With regard to Claim 4, Morikawa et al. disclose the battery cell in paragraph 7 above of claim 1, including wherein a current collector (2) has a first uncoated portion (7) and a current collector (4) has a second uncoated portion (8), and the second uncoated portion (8) extends to outside of the battery cell case (6a, 6b), thereby forming a second exposed portion (8) (paragraph 0047; See Figures 3-4). Morikawa et al. do not specifically disclose a current collector wherein the distance from the surface of the battery cell case is smaller than a distance of the current collector. Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to manufacture a current collector to have a distance from the surface of the battery cell case to be smaller than a distance of the current collector, since such a modification would only involve a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2144.04(IV).
With regard to Claim 5, Morikawa et al. disclose the battery cell in paragraph 7 above, including wherein the battery cell (20) has, inside the battery cell case (6a, 6b), a site at which the first uncoated portion (7, 8) and the second uncoated portion (7, 8) are joined, called outer peripheral portions (9) of the resin layers (6a, 6b) (paragraph 0047).
With regard to Claim 6, Morikawa et al. disclose the battery cell in paragraph 7 above, but do not specifically disclose wherein a thickness of the first uncoated portion is greater than a thickness of the second uncoated portion. Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to manufacture a thickness of the first uncoated portion to be greater than a thickness of the second uncoated portion, since such a modification would only involve a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2144.04(IV).
12. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morikawa et al. (US 2013/0323566 A1), as applied to Claims 1-3 above, and in further view of Kato (US 2022/0320688 A1).
With regard to Claim 7, Morikawa et al. disclose the battery cell in paragraph 7 above, but do not specifically disclose a battery module, comprising: the battery cell noted in paragraph 7 above; and at least one of a condenser or a battery module case, wherein the first exposed portion is joined to at least one of the condenser or the battery module case in an electrically insulating manner.
Kato discloses a power storage device (1) (considered a battery module), comprising a plurality of battery cells, called power storage cells (30, 31, 32) stacked in a stacking direction and a plurality of connecting members (33, 34) (paragraph 0028). Kato discloses wherein each power storage cell (30, 31, 32) includes an electrode assembly (35) housed in an exterior body (36), the electrode assembly having a positive electrode current collector plate (37), a negative electrode current collector plate (38), a plurality of positive electrode sheets (42) including an aluminum foil (45) and a positive electrode composite layer formed on each of the front and rear surfaces of the aluminum foil, and plurality of negative electrode sheets (44) including a copper foil (46) and a negative electrode composite layer formed on each of the front and rear surfaces of the copper foil, and a separator (43) disposed between the positive electrode sheet (42) and the negative electrode sheet (44) (paragraphs 0030-0035). The power storage device (1) includes an accommodation case (2) having a positive electrode terminal (3) and a negative electrode terminal (4) (paragraph 0025). Kato discloses wherein the positive electrode current collector plate (37) and negative electrode current collector plate (38) of the battery cells (30, 31, 32) are joined to the electrode terminals (3, 4) of the power storage device (1) through connecting plates 65, 75) (paragraphs 0070-0073). Before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the battery cell of Morikawa et al. to include a battery module, comprising: the battery cell of Morikawa et al. above; and at least one of a condenser or a battery module case, wherein the first exposed portion is joined to at least one of the condenser or the battery module case in an electrically insulating manner, because Kato teaches that this configuration allows for a degree of freedom in its design (paragraph 0091).
Conclusion
13. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KARIE O APICELLA whose telephone number is (571)272-8614. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST.
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, Nicole Buie-Hatcher can be reached at 571-270-3879. 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.
/KARIE O'NEILL APICELLA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
Prosecution Insights