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 statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 06/17/2024 have been considered by the examiner.
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 11 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. Specifically, Claim 11 recites the limitation " a sealing member that has a third through hole and seals the first opening.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Specifically, there is no mention of a second through hole until claim 9, upon which claim 11 does not depend. For examination purposes, claim 11 will be examined as if it depends on claim 9, in which case there are first and second through holes in the limitations that precede the claimed third through hole of claim 11.
Claim Interpretation
Examiner has rejected the claims in two ways, shown below. Claims 1-7, 9, 11, and 12 are rejected via Satoh, either alone or in combination with other art, and claims 1-7, 9-12 are rejected via Sekiya in combination with other art. This is because Satoh anticipates all features of claims 1-5, 12 alone, and forms strong obviousness rejections for claims 6-7, 9, and 11, but Sekiya in combination with other art has a stronger rejection of claim 10 than Satoh, despite not fully anticipating claims 1-5 or 12 alone. Therefore, both rejections are made and illustrated below. Claims 8 and 13 are not found in any other the discovered art, and are therefore considered to contain allowable subject matter.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-5 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Satoh (US 20060204841 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Satoh teaches the following elements:
A current collector plate for a power storage device that is welded to an end face of a columnar power storage element included in the power storage device, (“To assemble the above-described conventional battery, first, the positive electrode current collector plate 152a, to which one end of the lead 155 is welded, and the negative electrode current collector plate 152b are welded to the respective ends of the electrode assembly 154. Then, the electrode assembly 154 is inserted into the battery can 151.” Satoh [0007]. The battery can is the columnar power storage element within a power storage device, containing a current collector plate.)
the current collector plate comprising: a center region; (See Satoh figure 11 below for how the center and outer peripheral portion are analogous to the instant figure. They are separated by slit shaped through holes 44.)
and a bridge portion that connects the center region and the outer peripheral region, (See comparison of Satoh figure 11 and instant figure 4 for how both contain bridge portions that connect a center region and outer peripheral region, which are separated by slit shaped through holes.)
wherein the outer peripheral region includes a plurality of first weld portions that are arranged along a radial direction of the end face of the power storage element and welded to the end face of the power storage element, (“Electrically-conductive leads (45), (46) connect the positive electrode current collector plate (4) and the sealing plate (5) together … In a surface of the sealing plate (5) facing the spirally-wound electrode assembly (3), one or more electrically-conductive connecting protrusions (53), (54), to which the leads (45), (46) are welded, are provided protruding toward the spirally-wound electrode assembly (3).” Satoh abstract. In this case, leads 45 and 46 function as the first welds which are welded to an end face of the power storage element.)
the center region includes a second weld portion that is welded to a conductive member different from the power storage element, (“Subsequently, a welding electrode (not shown) is inserted into a center port 44 of the positive electrode current collector plate 4 and a space 11 at the center of the spirally-wound electrode assembly 3” Satoh [0091]. In this case, the second weld portion is within the center port 44 and connects the current collector to the electrode assembly.)
and a plurality of first through holes in a slit shape are formed to surround the center region such that each of the plurality of first through holes is located between a corresponding one of the plurality of first weld portions and the second weld portion. (filling ports 43 function as the plurality of slit shaped first through holes, which surround the center region and separate the first weld portions [45 and 46] from the second weld portion [44].)
PNG
media_image1.png
526
527
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
682
728
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, Satoh teaches the following elements:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first weld portions have a convex shape that is convex toward the power storage element. (See Satoh figure 6 for an example of the plurality of first weld portions having a convex shape that is convex toward the power storage element—in this case, the winding electrode body.)
PNG
media_image3.png
447
512
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 3, Satoh teaches all of the following elements.
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the current collector plate is made using a material that contains copper, (“and a negative electrode mixture 36 containing a carbon material and a binder agent is coated on both sides of a sheet-shaped current collector made of copper foil, to thus prepare a negative electrode 33.” Satoh [0089])
and the bridge portion between the plurality of first through holes that are adjacently arranged has a minimum cross-sectional area of 0.044 mm2 or more. (Satoh figure 4 depicts L3, the width of the lead 45 of being 3mm. “The length L1 of the leads 45 and 46 [the distance between fore-ends of the leads and a surface 4a of the positive electrode current collector plate 4 that opposes the sealing plate 5, as illustrated in FIG. 4] is 15 mm, the thickness L2 thereof is 0.4 mm, and the width L3 thereof is 3 mm.” Satoh [0083]. As can be seen in figure 4 and more clearly in figure 11, the smallest cross-section of the bridge section is at least a quarter of the width of the first weld portion. Even if this were overexaggerated and the smallest cross section were only one fifth the width, it would still be 0.6mm wide, which would easily anticipate the claimed range in terms of cross-sectional area—since the thickness is 0.4 mm, the cross sectional area of the bridge section would be 0.24mm2, anticipating the claimed range.)
PNG
media_image4.png
422
424
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 4, Satoh teaches all of the following elements.
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the current collector plate is made using a material that contains aluminum, (“First, a positive electrode mixture 34 composed of a lithium-containing composite oxide, a conductive agent, and a binder agent is coated on both sides of a sheet-shaped current collector made of aluminum foil,” Satoh [0089])
and the bridge portion between the plurality of first through holes that are adjacently arranged has a minimum cross-sectional area of 0.117 mm2 or more. (Satoh figure 4 depicts L3, the width of the lead 45 of being 3mm. “The length L1 of the leads 45 and 46 [the distance between fore-ends of the leads and a surface 4a of the positive electrode current collector plate 4 that opposes the sealing plate 5, as illustrated in FIG. 4] is 15 mm, the thickness L2 thereof is 0.4 mm, and the width L3 thereof is 3 mm.” Satoh [0083]. As can be seen in figure 4 and more clearly in figure 11, the smallest cross-section of the bridge section is at least a quarter of the width of the first weld portion. Even if this were overexaggerated and the smallest cross section were only one fifth the width, it would still be 0.6mm wide, which would easily anticipate the claimed range in terms of cross-sectional area—since the thickness is 0.4 mm, the cross sectional area of the bridge section would be 0.24mm2, anticipating the claimed range.)
PNG
media_image4.png
422
424
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 5, Satoh teaches all of the following elements.
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the current collector plate satisfies A/B > 0.8, where A represents a width of the bridge portion [mm], and B represents a thickness of the current collector plate [mm]. (As can be seen in the above claims, the width of the bridge portion is considered to be at least 0.6mm wide even at a generous underestimation, whereas the thickness is 0.4mm. This would anticipate the limitation of claim 5 as the ratio of A/B would be 1.5.)
Regarding claim 12, Satoh teaches the following elements:
A method for producing a power storage device, the method comprising the steps of: (“A method of manufacturing a battery according to the invention comprises the steps of:” Satoh [0061])
preparing a bottomed tubular case; (“inserting the electrode assembly to which the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate have been joined, into an electrically-conductive battery can from an open end of the battery can and joining the second current collector plate to a bottom portion of the battery can;” Satoh [0061]. In order to insert the power storage element into the can it is implied that the can must be prepared in advance, thus meeting this limitation.)
preparing a columnar power storage element including: a first electrode that includes a first current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a first active material layer supported on the first current collector; a second electrode that includes a second current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a second active material layer supported on the second current collector; and a separator interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, (“preparing an electrode assembly including electrodes that project from respective opposing ends of the electrode assembly and have different polarities; after preparing the electrode assembly, joining the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate to the respective projecting edges of the electrodes;” Satoh [0061] and “As illustrated in FIG. 3, the spirally-wound electrode assembly 3 is constructed by spirally winding a positive electrode 31 and a negative electrode 33, both of which are in a sheet shape, with respective sheet-shaped separators 32 interposed therebetween.” Satoh [0081].)
wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator constitute a columnar wound body, (See Satoh [0081], the spirally wound electrode assembly is constituted by these three elements and is columnar.)
and the first current collector is exposed on one end face of the power storage element; and preparing the current collector plate for a power storage device in accordance with claim 1 that is welded to the one end face of the power storage element, (“joining the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate to the respective projecting edges of the electrodes;” Satoh [0061]. In this case, the negative electrode current collecting plate is the one in accordance with claim 1.)
wherein the method further comprises:
a first step of welding the plurality of first weld portions of the current collector plate to the first current collector exposed on the one end face of the power storage element; (“the protruding portions 42 of the two current collector plates 2 and 4 jam into the current collector's edges 38 and 39, which are formed at the respective ends of the spirally-wound electrode assembly 3. Joint surfaces that form cylindrical surfaces are formed between the protruding portions 42 and the current collector's edges 38, 39, and the joint surfaces are fixed by laser welding.” Satoh [0084] and “joining the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate to the respective projecting edges of the electrodes;” Satoh [0061])
a second step of housing the power storage element and the current collector plate in the case; (“inserting the electrode assembly to which the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate have been joined, into an electrically-conductive battery can from an open end of the battery can” Satoh [0061])
and a third step of welding the second weld portion of the current collector plate to an inner bottom face of the case. (“and joining the second current collector plate to a bottom portion of the battery can; welding the lead to the connecting protrusion formed in the sealing plate; and fastening the sealing plate to the open end of the battery can so that the sealing plate is insulated from the battery can.” Satoh [0061])
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Satoh (US 20060204841 A1) in view of Sakai (JP 2001256954A).
Regarding claim 6, Satoh teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Satoh is silent on the following elements of claim 6:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first through holes have a shape that is curved along a circumferential direction of the current collector plate.
However, Sakai teaches all of the elements of claim 6 that are not found in Satoh. Specifically, Sakai teaches a number of different embodiments of a current collecting plate with different configurations of through holes, some of which meet the limitations of claim 6 and additionally claim 7:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first through holes have a shape that is curved along a circumferential direction of the current collector plate. (Sakai figures 8 and 9 depict a number of different embodiments with holes of different shapes and sizes in a current collecting plate. “8A, B, C and D and FIGS. 9A, B, C and D show other embodiments of the negative electrode current collector.” Sakai [0057]. Examples 8B, 9A, and 9C all have a plurality of through holes that had a shape curved along the circumferential direction of the current collector plate, and thus if the through holes of Satoh were modified by the teachings of Sakai, would meet the limitations of claim 6.)
PNG
media_image5.png
448
635
media_image5.png
Greyscale
Satoh and Sakai are considered to be analogous because they are both within the same field of current collecting plates for power storage devices which contain through holes. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Satoh to include the through holes design of Sakai in order to provide effective means of allowing the electrolytic solution to pass between the upper and lower surfaces (“Further, the current collector body 24 a is provided with a plurality of through holes 42 so as to surround the elastic piece 40. These through holes 42 are for allowing the electrolytic solution to pass between the upper and lower surfaces of the current collector body 24a.” Sakai [0039]). Additionally, the teachings of Sakai would render obvious the modification of the through holes to have different shapes and sizes in order to optimize the results, and one of ordinary skill in the art would be capable of modifying the size and shape of a current collector plate through hole, such as those taught by Satoh, via the teachings of Sakai.
By modifying the size and shape of the current collector plate through holes of Satoh with the teachings of Sakai, the additional limitations of claim 7 would be met without requiring and further modification or motivation.
Regarding claim 7, Satoh teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Satoh is silent on the following elements of claim 7:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first through holes have a dimension longer than a dimension of the plurality of first weld portions in the circumferential direction of the current collector plate.
However, Sakai teaches all of the elements of claim 7 that are not found in Satoh. Specifically, Sakai teaches a number of different embodiments of a current collecting plate with different configurations of through holes, some of which meet the limitations of claim 7:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first through holes have a dimension longer than a dimension of the plurality of first weld portions in the circumferential direction of the current collector plate. (As can be seen in Sakai figures 8 and 9, there are a number of embodiments in which the plurality of through holes have a dimension longer than a dimension of the first weld portions in the circumferential direction of the current collector plate. “8A, B, C and D and FIGS. 9A, B, C and D show other embodiments of the negative electrode current collector.” Sakai [0057]. Specifically, examples 8B, 9A, and 9C would meet this limitation if combined with the first weld portions of Satoh.)
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Satoh (US 20060204841 A1) in view of Sekiya (US 20160343997 A1)
Regarding claim 9, Satoh teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Satoh is silent on the following elements of claim 9:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a second through hole that is formed between the plurality of first weld portions and different from the plurality of first through holes.
However, Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 9 that are not found in Satoh:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a second through hole that is formed between the plurality of first weld portions and different from the plurality of first through holes. (Sekiya figures 3A and 4A depict a current collecting plate with both a center though hole ad well as second through holes that are formed between a plurality of first weld portions and which look the same as those in the instant figures “Circular gas discharge holes 59 are formed in the negative current collecting member body 53 at positions between the adjacent grooves 51.” Sekiya [0033]. Thus, by modifying Satoh to include the second through holes of Sekiya, the limitations of claim 9 would be met. See below for comparison of Sekiya and instant figure 3.)
PNG
media_image6.png
368
538
media_image6.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image7.png
631
653
media_image7.png
Greyscale
Satoh and Sekiya are considered to be analogous because they are both within the same field of current collecting plates for power storage devices containing through holes. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the current collecting plate of Satoh to include the additional, circular, second through holes of Sekiya as gas discharge holes in order to allow gas generated from the power storage device to be vented and to allow for a smooth pouring of electrolyte (“Preferably, a plurality of through holes for gas discharge are formed in the second current collecting member, and the plate-like portion of the insulating ring member is sized not to block the plurality of through holes. With this configuration, gas discharge can be facilitated, thereby enabling smooth pouring of an electrolyte.” Sekiya [0009]).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Satoh (US 20060204841 A1) in view of Kawate (US 20190044121 A1)
Regarding claim 11, Satoh teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Satoh teaches the following elements of claim 11:
A power storage device comprising: a case that has a first opening; a power storage element that is housed in the case; (“As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, within a battery can 1 in a closed-end cylindrical shape, a negative electrode current collector plate 2, a spirally-wound electrode assembly 3, a positive electrode current collector plate 4, and a sealing plate 5 are disposed in that order from the bottom up.” Satoh [0080] and “In order to accomplish the foregoing and other objects, the present invention also provides a battery comprising: an electrically-conductive cylindrical battery can having an open end and a closed end;” Satoh [0015])
a sealing member that has a third through hole and seals the first opening; (Satoh sealing plate 5, figure 2. As can also be seen in figure 2, there is vent closure 51a in the sealing plate 5 of Satoh, which functions as the third through hole.)
wherein the power storage element includes: a first electrode that includes a first current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a first active material layer supported on the first current collector; a second electrode that includes a second current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a second active material layer supported on the second current collector; and a separator interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator constitute a columnar wound body, (“As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, within a battery can 1 in a closed-end cylindrical shape, a negative electrode current collector plate 2, a spirally-wound electrode assembly 3, a positive electrode current collector plate 4, and a sealing plate 5 are disposed in that order from the bottom up.” Satoh [0080])
the second current collector is exposed on an end face of the power storage element on the first opening side, (Satoh teaches a current collector on either end face of the power storage element, thus meeting this limitation.)
the plurality of first weld portions are welded to the second current collector exposed on the end face of the power storage element on the first opening side, (“Joint surfaces that form cylindrical surfaces are formed between the protruding portions 42 and the current collector's edges 38, 39, and the joint surfaces are fixed by laser welding.” Satoh [0084])
and the current collector plate for a power storage device in accordance with claim 1 that is housed in the case, (Satoh meets all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above.)
Satoh is silent on the following elements of claim 11:
a rivet that is a conductive member that is inserted through the third through hole;
and the second weld portion is welded to the rivet.
However, Kawate teaches all of the elements of claim 11 that are not found in Sekiya. Specifically, Kawate teaches a power storage device comprising a columnar wound electrode body with a current collector plate on an end, where the collector plate is joined to the top portion of the case via a rivet.
a rivet that is a conductive member that is inserted through the third through hole; (The rivet 210 of Kawate would be used within the conductive case of Sekiya, and therefore one of ordinary skill in the art would also consider to use a rivet that is made via a conductive material.)
and the second weld portion is welded to the rivet. (By replacing the portion of the case that the second weld is welded to with a rivet, this limitation would inherently be met. Kawate teaches that its rivet and collector/terminal may be attached via welding “The fastening unit 210 may be formed integrally with the positive electrode terminal 200, or the fastening unit 210 that is prepared separately from the positive electrode terminal 200 may be fixed to the positive electrode terminal 200 by a technique such as caulking and welding. The same holds true for a relationship between the fastening unit 310 and the negative electrode terminal 300.” Kawate [0084])
PNG
media_image8.png
790
594
media_image8.png
Greyscale
Kawate is considered to be analogous to Satoh because they are both within the same field of power storage devices where there is a wound electrode body sandwiched by current collecting plates within a can/container unit. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the container of Satoh to use the container structure of Kawate, which secures the collecting plate to the casing via a rivet and a weld. It would be obvious to make this modification as Kawate teaches that the use of a rivet is a known method in the art to secure an electrode assembly capped with collecting plates to a containment unit, and therefore it would be within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art to use a rivet, sealing member, and through hole as taught by Kawate.
Alternatively, the limitations of claim 11 could be met by using the entire power storage device of Kawate, except for substituting the current collecting plates 140 and 150 with the collecting plates of Satoh, which meet the limitations of claim 1. This would only require the simple substitution of one current collecting plate for another, and the simple substitution of one known element for another is likely to be obvious when predictable results are achieved. (see MPEP § 2143, B.).
Claim(s) 1-2, 6-7, 9, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sekiya (US 20160343997 A1) in view of Sakai (JP 2001256954A).
Regarding claim 1, Sekiya teaches the following elements:
A current collector plate for a power storage device that is welded to an end face of a columnar power storage element included in the power storage device, (“As illustrated in FIG. 4, the negative current collecting member 9 has a disk shape, and includes a protruded portion 49 protruded at the center portion in a direction away from the axial core 11 and fitted with the other end portion 47 of the axial core 11, and a negative current collecting member body 53 located on the outer side of the protruded portion 49 to be welded to the welded portion 6 of the negative electrode.” Sekiya [0028]. In this case, the negative electrode is the power storage element that the collector plate is welded to.)
the current collector plate comprising: a center region; (See comparison between Sekiya figure 4A and instant figure 4, which depicts both having a center region.)
wherein the outer peripheral region includes a plurality of first weld portions that are arranged along a radial direction of the end face of the power storage element and welded to the end face of the power storage element, (Sekiya figure 4A depicts an outer peripheral region that contains a plurality of first weld portions that are arranged along a radial direction of the end face of the power storage element and are welded thereupon. “For laser welding, the negative current collecting member 9 is provided with eight grooves 51a to 51h that project toward the wound electrode group 5 and that open in the direction away from the wound electrode group 5. In the embodiment, the grooves 51a to 51h constitute an elongated projecting portion for welding.” Sekiya [0029])
the center region includes a second weld portion that is welded to a conductive member different from the power storage element, (“With the electrode group unit 2 contained in the container 3, the protruded portion 49 of the negative current collecting member 9 and the bottom portion (protruded portion 23) of the container 3 are welded by spot welding using an electrode for welding inserted into the axial core 11 for electrical connection between the negative current collecting member 9 and the container 3.” Sekiya [0039]. In this case, the protruded portion 49 functions as the second weld which is welded to a conductive member different than the power storage element, in this case, the bottom portion of the battery case.)
PNG
media_image9.png
682
728
media_image9.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image10.png
516
577
media_image10.png
Greyscale
Sekiya is not explicitly clear on the following elements of claim 1. Specifically, Sekiya lacks the presence of slit shaped through holes that simultaneously separate the first and second weld portions as well as form bridge portions in between the center and outer peripheral regions. Sekiya does have a single slit-shaped through hole in its figures and teaches that there could be more than one (“The negative current collecting member 9 has one slit 57 formed therein to extend across the protruded portion 49 and the negative current collecting member body 53 (welding portion) and to penetrate the protruded portion 49 and the negative current collecting member body 53 in the thickness direction.” Sekiya [0031] and “The number of slits 57 is arbitrary.” Sekiya [0032]). If there were three slit-shaped through holes, then this would meet both the remaining limitations.
and a bridge portion that connects the center region and the outer peripheral region,
and a plurality of first through holes in a slit shape are formed to surround the center region such that each of the plurality of first through holes is located between a corresponding one of the plurality of first weld portions and the second weld portion.
However, an even stronger argument is made if Sekiya is modified with the teachings of Sakai. Specifically, Sakai teaches a plurality of through holes that, if included in the current collecting plate of Sekiya, would meet all of the limitations of claim 1:
and a bridge portion that connects the center region and the outer peripheral region,
and a plurality of first through holes in a slit shape are formed to surround the center region such that each of the plurality of first through holes is located between a corresponding one of the plurality of first weld portions and the second weld portion. (Sakai figures 8 and 9 both depicts embodiments of a current collecting plate which contains a plurality of slit shaped through holes that surround a center region and create bridge portions. If these were included onto the current collecting plate of Sekiya, then all the remaining limitations would be met. See below for comparison. Options 8B, 8D, 9A, 9B, and 9C, if included on the current collecting plate of Sekiya, would all provide a plurality of slit-shaped through holes which would meet the above limitations and form bridge portions between the center and outer peripheral regions. )
PNG
media_image5.png
448
635
media_image5.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image9.png
682
728
media_image9.png
Greyscale
Sekiya and Sakai are considered to be analogous because they are both within the same field of current collecting plates for power storage devices which contain through holes. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Sekiya, which already include a singular slit-shaped through-hole, to include the through holes design of Sakai in order to provide effective means of allowing the electrolytic solution to pass between the upper and lower surfaces (“Further, the current collector body 24 a is provided with a plurality of through holes 42 so as to surround the elastic piece 40. These through holes 42 are for allowing the electrolytic solution to pass between the upper and lower surfaces of the current collector body 24a.” Sakai [0039]). Additionally, the teachings of Sakai would render obvious the modification of the through holes to have different shapes and sizes in order to optimize the results, and one of ordinary skill in the art would be capable of modifying the size and shape of a current collector plate through hole, such as those taught by Sekiya, via the teachings of Sakai.
By modifying the size and shape of the current collector plate through holes of Sekiya with the teachings of Sakai, the additional limitations of claim 6 and 7 would be met without requiring and further modification or motivation.
Regarding claim 2, modified Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya teaches the additional elements of claim 2:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first weld portions have a convex shape that is convex toward the power storage element. (See Sekiya figure 4C for an example of the plurality of first weld portions [51] having a convex shape that is convex toward the power storage element—in this case, the winding electrode body.)
Regarding claim 6, modified Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya is silent on the following elements of claim 6:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first through holes have a shape that is curved along a circumferential direction of the current collector plate.
However, Sakai teaches all of the elements of claim 6 that are not found in Sekiya. Specifically, Sakai teaches a number of different embodiments of a current collecting plate with different configurations of through holes, some of which meet the limitations of claim 6 and additionally claim 7:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first through holes have a shape that is curved along a circumferential direction of the current collector plate. (Sakai figures 8 and 9 depict a number of different embodiments with holes of different shapes and sizes in a current collecting plate. “8A, B, C and D and FIGS. 9A, B, C and D show other embodiments of the negative electrode current collector.” Sakai [0057]. Examples 8B, 9A, and 9C all have a plurality of through holes that had a shape curved along the circumferential direction of the current collector plate, and thus if the through holes of Satoh were modified by the teachings of Sakai, would meet the limitations of claim 6.)
PNG
media_image5.png
448
635
media_image5.png
Greyscale
By modifying the size and shape of the current collector plate through holes of Sekiya with the teachings of Sakai, as described above for claim 1, the additional limitations of claim 6 and 7 would be met without requiring and further modification or motivation.
Regarding claim 7, modified Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya is silent on the following elements of claim 7:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first through holes have a dimension longer than a dimension of the plurality of first weld portions in the circumferential direction of the current collector plate.
However, Sakai teaches all of the elements of claim 7 that are not found in Sekiya. Specifically, Sakai teaches a number of different embodiments of a current collecting plate with different configurations of through holes, some of which meet the limitations of claim 7:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of first through holes have a dimension longer than a dimension of the plurality of first weld portions in the circumferential direction of the current collector plate. (As can be seen in Sakai figures 8 and 9, there are a number of embodiments in which the plurality of through holes have a dimension longer than a dimension of the first weld portions in the circumferential direction of the current collector plate. “8A, B, C and D and FIGS. 9A, B, C and D show other embodiments of the negative electrode current collector.” Sakai [0057]. Specifically, examples 8B, 9A, and 9C would meet this limitation if combined with the first weld portions of Satoh.)
Regarding claim 9, modified Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya teaches the additional elements of claim 9:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a second through hole that is formed between the plurality of first weld portions and different from the plurality of first through holes. (Sekiya figures 3A and 4A depict a current collecting plate with both a center though hole ad well as second through holes that are formed between a plurality of first weld portions and which look the same as those in the instant figures “Circular gas discharge holes 59 are formed in the negative current collecting member body 53 at positions between the adjacent grooves 51.” Sekiya [0033].)
PNG
media_image6.png
368
538
media_image6.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image7.png
631
653
media_image7.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 10, modified Sekiya teaches all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya teaches all of the additional elements of claim 10:
A power storage device comprising: (“In the embodiment described above, the present invention is applied to a cylindrical lithium ion capacitor. However, it is a matter of course that the present invention may also be applied to other non-aqueous electrolyte electrical storage devices such as lithium ion batteries.” Sekiya [0045])
a bottomed tubular case that is a conductive member; (“In one aspect of the present invention, the electrical storage device is provided and includes a wound electrode group, an electrically conductive bottomed cylindrical container, an electrically conductive lid member,” Sekiya [0006]. In this case, the conductive bottomed cylindrical container and electrically conductive lid member meet the above limitation.)
a power storage element that is housed in the case; (“In one aspect of the present invention, the electrical storage device is provided and includes a wound electrode group, an electrically conductive bottomed cylindrical container, an electrically conductive lid member,” Sekiya [0006]. In this case, the electrical storage device is housed in a conductive cylindrical container.)
and the current collector plate for a power storage device in accordance with claim 1 that is housed in the case, wherein the power storage element includes: (By modifying Sekiya with Sakai to meet the limitations of claim 1, this current collecting plate of Sekiya would meet this limitation, as it is housed in the case including a power storage element.)
a first electrode that includes a first current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a first active material layer supported on the first current collector; (“Similarly, the negative electrode is formed of an elongated current collector having a negative active material layer formed thereon such that a welded portion is left on the one width-direction end of the electrode.” Sekiya [0020])
a second electrode that includes a second current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a second active material layer supported on the second current collector; (“The positive electrode of the wound electrode group 5 is formed of an elongated current collector having a positive active material layer formed thereon such that a welded portion is left on one width-direction end of the electrode.” Sekiya [0020])
and a separator interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator constitute a columnar wound body, (“The wound electrode group 5 is constituted by winding an elongated positive electrode and an elongated negative electrode around the hollow cylindrical axial core 11, which is made of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), via a separator.” Sekiya [0019])
the first current collector is exposed on an end face of the power storage element on a bottom side of the case, (Sekiya figure 9 depicts current collector 9 being exposed on an end face of the tubular power storage element on the bottom side of the case.)
the plurality of first weld portions are welded to the first current collector exposed on the end face of the power storage element on the bottom side of the case, (“For laser welding, the negative current collecting member 9 is provided with eight grooves 51a to 51h that project toward the wound electrode group 5 and that open in the direction away from the wound electrode group 5. In the embodiment, the grooves 51a to 51h constitute an elongated projecting portion for welding.” Sekiya [0029]. In this case, the grooves of Sekiya function as the first welds and are welded toward the electrode group—which in this case is the power storage element.)
and the second weld portion is welded to an inner bottom face of the case. (“With the electrode group unit 2 contained in the container 3, the protruded portion 49 of the negative current collecting member 9 and the bottom portion (protruded portion 23) of the container 3 are welded by spot welding using an electrode for welding inserted into the axial core 11 for electrical connection between the negative current collecting member 9 and the container 3.” Sekiya [0039]. In this case, the protruded portion 49 functions as the second weld and is welded to an inner bottom face of the case.)
Claim(s) 3-5, 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sekiya (US 20160343997 A1) in view of Sakai (JP 2001256954A) and further in view of Satoh (US 20060204841 A1)
Regarding claim 3, modified Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya teaches the following elements of claim 3:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the current collector plate is made using a material that contains copper, (“In the figures, the negative current collecting member 9 is made of either nickel or a metal material obtained by plating copper with nickel. In the embodiment, the negative current collecting member 9 is made of a metal material obtained by plating copper with nickel.” Sekiya [0028])
Sekiya is silent on the following elements of claim 3:
and the bridge portion between the plurality of first through holes that are adjacently arranged has a minimum cross-sectional area of 0.044 mm2 or more.
However, Satoh teaches all of the elements of claim 3 that are not found in Sekiya or Sakai. Specifically, Satoh teaches the dimensions of the current collecting plate, which, if used, would meet the additional limitations:
and the bridge portion between the plurality of first through holes that are adjacently arranged has a minimum cross-sectional area of 0.044 mm2 or more. (Satoh figure 4 depicts L3, the width of the lead 45 of being 3mm. “The length L1 of the leads 45 and 46 [the distance between fore-ends of the leads and a surface 4a of the positive electrode current collector plate 4 that opposes the sealing plate 5, as illustrated in FIG. 4] is 15 mm, the thickness L2 thereof is 0.4 mm, and the width L3 thereof is 3 mm.” Satoh [0083]. As can be seen in figure 4 and more clearly in figure 11, the smallest cross-section of the bridge section is at least a quarter of the width of the first weld portion. Even if this were overexaggerated and the smallest cross section were only one fifth the width, it would still be 0.6mm wide, which would easily anticipate the claimed range in terms of cross-sectional area—since the thickness is 0.4 mm, the cross sectional area of the bridge section would be 0.24mm2, anticipating the claimed range. Essentially, if the overall circumference and thickness of the collecting plate of Satoh were used with the collecting plate of Sekiya, then all of the limitations of claim 3 would be met—the sizing is considered analogous because they bridge portions of modified Sekiya would be formed between 8 evenly distributed through holes, as is seen in the below figure of Satoh.)
PNG
media_image4.png
422
424
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Sekiya and Satoh are considered to be analogous because they are both related to current collecting plates used in power storage devices. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the current collecting plate of Sekiya to have the dimensions and thickness of that of Satoh as these sizes are known in the art, and therefore would be within the ambit of one of ordinary skill to use. Satoh additionally discussed using different dimensions in its comparative examples, demonstrating that the optimization of these dimensions is routine in terms of variables used to achieve optimal results in battery characteristics (“The length, width, and thickness of the lead were different from those of Comparative Example X for the first embodiment because of the difference in the battery capacities.” Satoh [0118]).
No further modification or motivation would be required to meet the additional limitations of claims 4 and 5.
Regarding claim 4, modified Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya teaches the following elements of claim 4:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the current collector plate is made using a material that contains aluminum, (“The positive current collecting member 7 is formed by pressing an aluminum (including an aluminum alloy) plate,” Sekiya [0023])
Sekiya is silent on the following elements of claim 4:
and the bridge portion between the plurality of first through holes that are adjacently arranged has a minimum cross-sectional area of 0.117 mm2 or more.
However, Satoh teaches all of the elements of claim 4 that are not found in Sekiya or Sakai. Specifically, Satoh teaches the dimensions of the current collecting plate, which, if used, would meet the additional limitations:
and the bridge portion between the plurality of first through holes that are adjacently arranged has a minimum cross-sectional area of 0.117 mm2 or more. (Satoh figure 4 depicts L3, the width of the lead 45 of being 3mm. “The length L1 of the leads 45 and 46 [the distance between fore-ends of the leads and a surface 4a of the positive electrode current collector plate 4 that opposes the sealing plate 5, as illustrated in FIG. 4] is 15 mm, the thickness L2 thereof is 0.4 mm, and the width L3 thereof is 3 mm.” Satoh [0083]. As can be seen in figure 4 and more clearly in figure 11, the smallest cross-section of the bridge section is at least a quarter of the width of the first weld portion. Even if this were overexaggerated and the smallest cross section were only one fifth the width, it would still be 0.6mm wide, which would easily anticipate the claimed range in terms of cross-sectional area—since the thickness is 0.4 mm, the cross sectional area of the bridge section would be 0.24mm2, anticipating the claimed range. Essentially, if the overall circumference and thickness of the collecting plate of Satoh were used with the collecting plate of Sekiya, then all of the limitations of claim 3 would be met. The sizing is considered analogous because they bridge portions of modified Sekiya would be formed between 8 evenly distributed through holes, as is seen in the below figure of Satoh.)
PNG
media_image4.png
422
424
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 5, modified Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 3, as shown above. Sekiya is silent on the following elements of claim 5:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the current collector plate satisfies A/B > 0.8, where A represents a width of the bridge portion [mm], and B represents a thickness of the current collector plate [mm].
However, by modifying Sekiya to include the dimensions and thickness of Satoh, as shown above for claims 3 and 4, the additional limitations of claim 5 would also be met:
The current collector plate for the power storage device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the current collector plate satisfies A/B > 0.8, where A represents a width of the bridge portion [mm], and B represents a thickness of the current collector plate [mm]. (As can be seen in the above claims, the width of the bridge portion is considered to be at least 0.6mm wide even at a generous underestimation, whereas the thickness is 0.4mm. This would anticipate the limitation of claim 5 as the ratio of A/B would be 1.5.)
Regarding claim 12, modified Sekiya meets all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya is silent on an explicit method of producing its product, and therefore the below limitations:
A method for producing a power storage device, the method comprising the steps of:
preparing a bottomed tubular case;
preparing a columnar power storage element including:
a first electrode that includes a first current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a first active material layer supported on the first current collector;
a second electrode that includes a second current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a second active material layer supported on the second current collector;
and a separator interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode,
wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator constitute a columnar wound body,
and the first current collector is exposed on one end face of the power storage element;
and preparing the current collector plate for a power storage device in accordance with claim 1 that is welded to the one end face of the power storage element,
wherein the method further comprises:
a first step of welding the plurality of first weld portions of the current collector plate to the first current collector exposed on the one end face of the power storage element;
a second step of housing the power storage element and the current collector plate in the case;
and a third step of welding the second weld portion of the current collector plate to an inner bottom face of the case.
However, Satoh teaches all of the elements of claim 12 that are not found in Sekiya of Sakai:
A method for producing a power storage device, the method comprising the steps of: (“A method of manufacturing a battery according to the invention comprises the steps of:” Satoh [0061])
preparing a bottomed tubular case; (“inserting the electrode assembly to which the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate have been joined, into an electrically-conductive battery can from an open end of the battery can and joining the second current collector plate to a bottom portion of the battery can;” Satoh [0061]. In order to insert the power storage element into the can it is implied that the can must be prepared in advance, thus meeting this limitation.)
preparing a columnar power storage element including: a first electrode that includes a first current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a first active material layer supported on the first current collector; a second electrode that includes a second current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a second active material layer supported on the second current collector; and a separator interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, (“preparing an electrode assembly including electrodes that project from respective opposing ends of the electrode assembly and have different polarities; after preparing the electrode assembly, joining the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate to the respective projecting edges of the electrodes;” Satoh [0061] and “As illustrated in FIG. 3, the spirally-wound electrode assembly 3 is constructed by spirally winding a positive electrode 31 and a negative electrode 33, both of which are in a sheet shape, with respective sheet-shaped separators 32 interposed therebetween.” Satoh [0081].)
wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator constitute a columnar wound body, (See Satoh [0081], the spirally wound electrode assembly is constituted by these three elements and is columnar.)
and the first current collector is exposed on one end face of the power storage element; and preparing the current collector plate for a power storage device in accordance with claim 1 that is welded to the one end face of the power storage element, (“joining the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate to the respective projecting edges of the electrodes;” Satoh [0061]. In this case, the negative electrode current collecting plate is the one in accordance with claim 1.)
wherein the method further comprises:
a first step of welding the plurality of first weld portions of the current collector plate to the first current collector exposed on the one end face of the power storage element; (“the protruding portions 42 of the two current collector plates 2 and 4 jam into the current collector's edges 38 and 39, which are formed at the respective ends of the spirally-wound electrode assembly 3. Joint surfaces that form cylindrical surfaces are formed between the protruding portions 42 and the current collector's edges 38, 39, and the joint surfaces are fixed by laser welding.” Satoh [0084] and “joining the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate to the respective projecting edges of the electrodes;” Satoh [0061])
a second step of housing the power storage element and the current collector plate in the case; (“inserting the electrode assembly to which the first current collector plate and the second current collector plate have been joined, into an electrically-conductive battery can from an open end of the battery can” Satoh [0061])
and a third step of welding the second weld portion of the current collector plate to an inner bottom face of the case. (“and joining the second current collector plate to a bottom portion of the battery can; welding the lead to the connecting protrusion formed in the sealing plate; and fastening the sealing plate to the open end of the battery can so that the sealing plate is insulated from the battery can.” Satoh [0061])
If the current collecting plate and power storage module of Sekiya were manufactured using the method of Satoh, which includes steps of first joining the collecting plates to the power storage element, then inserting the power storage element into the battery can, and then joining the collecting plates to the bottom surface of the can, then all of the elements of claim 12 would be met. it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the method of production of Satoh to form the collecting plate of Sekiya as this is a known method in the art, and therefore would be within the ambit of one of ordinary skill to use to produce a columnar power storage device containing a columnar power storage element with current collecting plates on both ends, housed in a conductive battery can.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sekiya (US 20160343997 A1) in view of Sakai (JP 2001256954A) and further in view of Kawate (US 20190044121 A1)
Regarding claim 11, modified Sekiya teaches all of the elements of claim 1, as shown above. Sekiya teaches the following elements of claim 11:
A power storage device comprising: a case that has a first opening; a power storage element that is housed in the case; (“The container has an opening portion at one end thereof, and is configured to house the wound electrode group therein.” Sekiya [0006])
a sealing member (“The lid member 31 is disposed on the annular projected portion 15 formed on the container 3 via an electrically insulating member 65 for electrical insulation between the lid member 31 and the container 3. … This enables tight sealing of the internal space of the capacitor 1.” Sekiya [0042]. In this case the lid member functions as the sealing member.)
wherein the power storage element includes: a first electrode that includes a first current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a first active material layer supported on the first current collector; (“Similarly, the negative electrode is formed of an elongated current collector having a negative active material layer formed thereon such that a welded portion is left on the one width-direction end of the electrode.” Sekiya [0020])
a second electrode that includes a second current collector in an elongated sheet shape and a second active material layer supported on the second current collector; (“The positive electrode of the wound electrode group 5 is formed of an elongated current collector having a positive active material layer formed thereon such that a welded portion is left on one width-direction end of the electrode.” Sekiya [0020])
and a separator interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator constitute a columnar wound body, (“The wound electrode group 5 is constituted by winding an elongated positive electrode and an elongated negative electrode around the hollow cylindrical axial core 11, which is made of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), via a separator.” Sekiya [0019])
the second current collector is exposed on an end face of the power storage element on the first opening side, (In this case, the positive collector 7 of Sekiya is exposed on an end face of the power storage element on the first opening side. This is depicted in Sekiya figure 2.)
the plurality of first weld portions are welded to the second current collector exposed on the end face of the power storage element on the first opening side, (“Laser light is used to weld the welded portions of the wound electrode group 5 and the current collecting members (positive current collecting member 7 and negative current collecting member 9) to each other.” Sekiya [0037])
and the current collector plate for a power storage device in accordance with claim 1 that is housed in the case, (By modifying Sekiya with Sakai to meet the limitations of claim 1, this current collecting plate of Sekiya would meet this limitation, as it is housed in the case including a power storage element.)
Sekiya is silent on the following elements of claim 11:
a sealing member that has a third through hole and seals the first opening;
a rivet that is a conductive member that is inserted through the third through hole;
and the second weld portion is welded to the rivet.
However, Kawate teaches all of the elements of claim 11 that are not found in Sekiya. Specifically, Kawate teaches a power storage device comprising a columnar wound electrode body with a current collector plate on an end, where the collector plate is joined to the top portion of the case via a rivet.
a sealing member that has a third through hole and seals the first opening; (See below for how Kawate figure 3 depicts an embodiment that meets this limitation. By replacing the lid/upper portion of the case of Sekiya with that of Kawate, there would be a sealing member with a third through hole which seals the first opening.)
a rivet that is a conductive member that is inserted through the third through hole; (The rivet 210 of Kawate would be used within the conductive case of Sekiya, and therefore one of ordinary skill in the art would also consider to use a rivet that is made via a conductive material.)
and the second weld portion is welded to the rivet. (By replacing the portion of the case that the second weld is welded to with a rivet, this limitation would inherently be met. Kawate teaches that its rivet and collector/terminal may be attached via welding “The fastening unit 210 may be formed integrally with the positive electrode terminal 200, or the fastening unit 210 that is prepared separately from the positive electrode terminal 200 may be fixed to the positive electrode terminal 200 by a technique such as caulking and welding. The same holds true for a relationship between the fastening unit 310 and the negative electrode terminal 300.” Kawate [0084])
PNG
media_image8.png
790
594
media_image8.png
Greyscale
Kawate is considered to be analogous to Sekiya because they are both within the same field of power storage devices where there is a wound electrode body sandwiched by current collecting plates within a can/container unit. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the container of Sekiya to use the container structure of Kawate, which secures the collecting plate to the casing via a rivet and a weld. It would be obvious to make this modification as Kawate teaches that the use of a rivet is a known method in the art to secure an electrode assembly capped with collecting plates to a containment unit, and therefore it would be within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art to use a rivet, sealing member, and through hole as taught by Kawate.
Alternatively, the limitations of claim 11 could be met by using the entire power storage device of Kawate, except for substituting the current collecting plates 140 and 150 with the collecting plates of modified Sekiya, which meet the limitations of claim 1. This would only require the simple substitution of one current collecting plate for another, and the simple substitution of one known element for another is likely to be obvious when predictable results are achieved. (see MPEP § 2143, B.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8 and 13 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 8 is considered to contain allowable subject matter because there was no discovered art or combination of art that teaches or renders obvious the limitations regarding a through hole with a first portion and a second portion, where the first portion extends in a circumferential direction and a second portion that extends in a radial direction from two opposing ends of the first portion. The closest prior art is considered to be Sakai, but Sakai does not teach a through hole with the same shape as described in claim 8 or depicted in figure 4.
Claim 13 is considered to contain allowable subject matter because there was no discovered art or combination of art that teaches or renders obvious the method that comprises the steps forming the claimed power storage device as well as welding the end portions of a rivet to a current collector plate, welding plurality of weld portions to which the rivet has been welded to the second current collector exposed on the end face of the power storage element, and then injecting and sealing the opening. The closest discovered art was Kawate, which teaches the use of a rivet to connect a current collecting plate to a battery can/container, but diverges in terms of method and this is what makes claim 13 contain allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
The following references were considered to be relevant but were not used in the above rejection:
Imai (US 20100310927 A1)—teaches a current collecting plate with similar protruding/weld portions as found in the instant application
Hozumi (US 20020110729 A1)—teaches a current collecting plate with a similar structure to the instant application with a through hole in the center.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET whose telephone number is (571)272-0156. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30am-6pm except for the first Friday of bi-week.
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, NICHOLAS SMITH can be reached at (571) 272-8760. 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.
/BENJAMIN ELI KASS-MULLET/Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
Prosecution Insights