DETAILED ACTION
Summary
This is the initial Office Action based on the Nozzle Opening and Closing Device for Electrolyte Injection filed February 14, 2024.
Claims 1-15 are currently pending.
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 13 is 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 13 recites the limitation "the diameter of the outer circumference surface of the nozzle" on line 3-4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Amending “the diameter of the outer circumference surface of the nozzle” to “a diameter of an outer circumference surface of the nozzle” would overcome the rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-9 and 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (KR 101999053 B1 included in Applicant submitted IDS filed January 29, 2025).
With regard to claim 1, Kim discloses a nozzle opening and closing device for electrolyte injection comprising:
a nozzle (20, Fig. 1-5) having
a discharge outlet for receiving an electrolyte and injecting the received electrolyte into a battery assembly (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the cited nozzle 20 has a discharge outlet 21 cited to read on the claimed “for receiving an electrolyte and injecting the received electrolyte into a battery assembly” because the cited discharge outlet 21 is structurally capable of receiving an electrolyte and injecting the received electrolyte into a battery assembly as it functions as a fluid outlet for the cited nozzle 20);
an opening and closing plate rotatably mounted on the nozzle and configured to open or close the discharge outlet of the nozzle (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, an opening and closing plate 100 rotatably mounted on the nozzle 20 via shaft 111 and configured to open or close the discharge outlet 21 of the nozzle 20); and
an opening and closing control part configured to control whether the opening and closing plate is opened or closed based on a weight of the electrolyte applied to the opening and closing plate (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, an opening and closing control part 200 configured to control whether the opening and closing plate 100 is opened or closed based on a weight of the scale S applied to the opening and closing plate 100; see [0024]), wherein:
the opening and closing control part includes a weight member provided so that a first rotational moment acts in a closing direction of the opening and closing plate (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the opening and closing control part 200 includes a weight member, such as the combination of 230 and 240, provided so that a first rotational moment acts in a closing direction of the opening and closing plate 100; see [0035-0036]), and
the weight member is configured to be capable of adjusting a distance from the opening and closing plate (see [0035] teaching cited weight member 240/230 can be added or removed off rod 220 which would provide for adjusting a distance from the opening and closing plate 100).
With regard to claim 2, Kim discloses wherein:
the opening and closing control part is configured to extend from an end of the opening and closing plate (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the opening and closing control part 200 is configured to extend from a left end of the opening and closing plate 100), and comprises
a rod where a position of the weight member is movably mounted (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, a rod 220 where a position of the weight member 230/240 is movably mounted; see [0035]),
the opening and closing plate and the rod have a same rotation center (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the opening and closing plate 100 and the rod 220 have a same rotation center at 111),
when the weight of the electrolyte is applied to the opening and closing plate, a second rotational moment acts to the opening and closing plate in an opening direction, and the first rotational moment acts to the weight member in the closing direction of the opening and closing plate (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, when the weight of the scale S is applied to the opening and closing plate 100, a second rotational moment acts to the opening and closing plate 100 in an opening direction, and the first rotational moment acts to the weight member 230/240 in the closing direction of the opening and closing plate; see [0024] and [0035]).
With regard to claim 3, Kim discloses wherein:
when the weight member on the rod is moved in a direction away from the opening and closing plate, the first rotational moment is increased in the closing direction of the opening and closing plate (as depicted in Fig. 1-5 and described in [0024] and [0035], when the weight member 230/240 on the rod 220 is moved in a direction away from the opening and closing plate 100, the first rotational moment is increased in the closing direction of the opening and closing plate 100).
With regard to claim 4, Kim discloses wherein:
when the weight member on the rod is moved in a direction approaching the opening and closing plate, the first rotational moment is reduced in the closing direction of the opening and closing plate (as depicted in Fig. 1-5 and described in [0024] and [0035], when the weight member 230/240 on the rod 220 is moved in a direction approaching the opening and closing plate 100, the first rotational moment is reduced in the closing direction of the opening and closing plate 100).
With regard to claim 5, Kim discloses wherein:
the rod is formed to extend in different directions from the opening and closing plate based on a rotation center (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the rod 220 is formed to extend in different directions, directions extending from rod sections 221, 222, 223, and 224, from the opening and closing plate 100 based on a rotation center about 111).
With regard to claim 6, Kim discloses wherein:
the weight member is provided so that an entire region is coupled to the rod (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the weight member 230/240 is provided so that an entire region is coupled to the rod 220, such as the threaded region of component 240; see [0035] teaching component 240 screwed onto rod 220).
With regard to claim 7, Kim discloses wherein:
a first tab is formed on an outer circumference surface of the rod (such as described in [0035], the cited rod 220 is connected to the cited weight member at component 240 by a screw connection wherein the threaded outer circumference surface of the rod 220 is cited to read on the claimed first tab), and
the weight member is formed in a binding hole into which the rod is inserted (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the weight member 230/240 is formed in a binding hole into which the rod 220 is inserted), and has
a second tab bound to the first tab (as depicted in Fig. 1-5 and described in [0035], the cited rod 220 is connected to the cited weight member 230/240 by a screw connection wherein the weight member at component 240 has a second tab at the threaded inner surface of component 240 bound to the cited first tab).
With regard to claim 8, Kim discloses wherein:
the first tab is bound to an entire region of the second tab (as depicted in Fig. 1-5 and described in [0035], the cited first tab is bound to an entire region of the cited second tab, such as the region of the cited second tab bound to the cited first tab).
With regard to claim 9, Kim discloses further comprising:
a fixing part mounted on the nozzle (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, a fixing part 300/400 mounted on the nozzle 20), wherein:
the fixing part has a rotating shaft on which the opening and closing plate is rotatably mounted (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the fixing part 300/400 has a rotating shaft 111 on which the opening and closing plate 100 is rotatably mounted).
With regard to claim 12, Kim discloses wherein:
the opening and closing plate has a recessed portion formed on one surface in contact with the discharge outlet of the nozzle when it is in a closed state (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, the opening and closing plate 100 has a recessed portion formed on one surface, such as the laterally recessed portion at the periphery of component 140 formed on the top surface of the opening and closing plate 100, in contact with the discharge outlet 21 of the nozzle 20 when it is in a closed state opening and closing plate 100).
With regard to claim 13, Kim discloses wherein:
a diameter of the recessed portion is formed to be larger than the diameter of the outer circumference surface of the nozzle (as depicted in Fig. 1-5, a diameter of the cited recessed portion at the laterally recessed portion at the periphery of component 140 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the outer circumference surface of the nozzle 20).
With regard to claim 14, Kim discloses wherein:
the weight member is provided so that a partial region is coupled to the rod (as depicted in Fig. 1-5 and described in [0035], the weight member 230/240 is provided so that a partial region is coupled to the rod 220, such as the region of component 240 coupled to the rod 220).
With regard to claim 15, Kim discloses wherein:
the first tab is bound to a partial region of the second tab (as depicted in Fig. 1-5 and described in [0035], the cited first tab is bound to a partial region of the cited second tab, such as the region of the cited second tab bound o the cited first tab).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10 and 11 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 10, from which claim 11 depends, requires a nozzle opening and closing device for electrolyte injection comprising an opening and closing plate, an opening and closing control part, wherein the opening and control part includes a weight member and rod, a fixing part mounted on the nozzle, the fixing part comprises a fixing member configured to surround an outer circumference surface of the nozzle, a fixing means configured to fix the fixing member to the outer circumference surface of the nozzle, and in combination with the remaining limitations of claim 10.
The prior art, including Kim of record, discloses a nozzle opening and closing device for electrolyte injection comprising an opening and closing plate 100, an opening and closing control part 200, wherein the opening and control part includes a weight member 230/240 and rod 22, a fixing part 300/400 mounted on the nozzle 20 (recall Fig. 1-5) but does not teach the fixing part comprises a fixing member configured to surround an outer circumference surface of the nozzle, a fixing means configured to fix the fixing member to the outer circumference surface of the nozzle, and in combination with the remaining limitations of claim 10 and it would not have been an obvious modification.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUSTIN Q DAM whose telephone number is (571)270-5120. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
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/DUSTIN Q DAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1721 September 10, 2026
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