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
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.
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 16 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 16, line 1 recites “the coupling portion”, there is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) / (a)(2) as being anticipated by Sakai (US 2019/0283175).
With respect to the limitations of claim 1, Sakai teaches a welding device (Fig 7, laser processing apparatus 50, 0051) comprising: a laser irradiation unit (laser oscillator 1, 0053) configured to irradiate a laser (laser light L, 0053); and a laser power control unit (controller 3, 0053) configured to control the laser irradiation unit to irradiate the laser with a peak power (Figs 2, 3B, 4A, first laser light LL1, 3000 W or more, 0038-0039) and the laser with a base power to a welding portion (Figs 2, 5B, 6A, irradiation based on third condition is performed, 0044-0046; third laser light LL3, 0031).
With respect to the limitations of claims 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8, Sakai teaches the laser power control unit (controller 3) is configured to control the laser irradiation unit (1) so that the welding portion remains in a liquid state (Figs 4A, 6A, liquid portion 10a, 0039, 0045);
the laser power control unit is configured to control the laser irradiation unit to alternately irradiate the laser with the peak power (Figs 2, 4A, first laser light LL1) and the laser with the base power (Figs 2, 6A, third laser light LL3) to the welding portion;
the laser with the peak power (first laser light LL1) has an output capable of forming a keyhole (Fig 3B, hold 20a, 0038) in the welding portion (weld portion 20, 0038), and the laser with the base power (third laser light LL3) has an output with which a penetration is not formed or the penetration is smaller than (Fig 5B, penetration does not change and is the same as Figs 3B, 4A) when the keyhole is formed in the welding portion;
the laser with the base power has an output capable of allowing the welding portion to remain in a liquid state (Figs 5B, 6A, liquid portion 10a, 0045);
the laser power control unit is configured to control a pulse frequency (0053, controller 3 sets the oscillation frequency and the emission energy of the pulsed laser emitted from the laser oscillator 1) of the laser with the base power;
the laser power control unit is configured to control an output of the laser (0053, controller 3 sets the oscillation frequency and the emission energy of the pulsed laser emitted from the laser oscillator 1) with the base power.
With respect to the limitations of claim 11, Sakai teaches a welding method (title, abstract) comprising: irradiating a laser (Fig 7, laser light L, 0053) with a peak power (Figs 2, 3B, 4A, first laser light LL1, 3000 W or more, 0038-0039) to a welding portion (weld portion 20, 0024); and irradiating the laser with a base power to the welding portion (Figs 2, 5B, 6A, irradiation based on third condition is performed, 0044-0046; third laser light LL3, 0031).
With respect to the limitations of claims 14, 15 and 17, Sakai teaches the irradiating of the laser with peak power (Figs 2, 4A, first laser light LL1) and the irradiating of the laser with the base power (Figs 2, 6A, third laser light LL3) are alternately performed to the welding portion;
the laser with the peak power (first laser light LL1) has an output capable of forming a keyhole (Fig 3B, hold 20a, 0038) in the welding portion (weld portion 20, 0038), and the laser with the base power (third laser light LL3) has an output with which a penetration is not formed or the penetration is smaller than (Fig 5B, penetration does not change and is the same as Figs 3B, 4A) when the keyhole is formed in the welding portion;
the peak power is greater than (Figs 2, 3B, 4A, first laser light LL1, 3000 W or more, 0038-0039) the base power (Figs 2, 6A, third laser light LL3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Sakai (US 2019/0283175) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Nishizawa (JPH06210472). An English machine translation of Nishizawa (JPH06210472) is included with the Notice of Reference Cited (PTO-892).
With respect to the limitations of claim 6, Sakai discloses the claimed invention except for the laser power control unit is configured to control a pulse width of the laser with the base power. However, Nishizawa discloses the laser power control unit (Fig 1, laser power supply circuits 20, 50, 0010) is configured to control a pulse width (pulse width, 0007, 0029) of the laser with the base power is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the welding device of Sakai having a laser power control unit that controls characteristic of the pulse base power laser silent to controlling a pulse width with the he laser power control unit is configured to control a pulse width of the laser with the base power of Nishizawa for the purpose of controlling a known laser pulse width characteristic to achieve a desired welding condition (0007, 0029).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Sakai (US 2019/0283175) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Haug (US 2019/0022793).
With respect to the limitations of claim 9, Sakai discloses the claimed invention except for further comprises an inspection unit configured to inspect a welding condition in the welding portion after completion of welding by the welding device and provide a welding condition inspection information based on the welding condition, and the laser power control unit is configured to control an output of the laser with the base power according to the welding condition inspection information provided from the inspection unit.
However, Haug discloses further comprises an inspection unit (Fig 1, measurement system 8, 0076) configured to inspect a welding condition in the welding portion after completion of welding by the welding device (welding unit 2a, 0076) and provide a welding condition inspection information based on the welding condition (0019), and the laser power control unit is configured to control an output of the laser with the base power (0057, 0058, a laser power which is modulated at a modulation frequency f and modulation amplitude…are adjusted as production parameters during the laser beam welding of the workpiece in such a manner that the probability and/or the frequency of occurrence for the appearance of hot cracks in the weld seam is/are minimized) according to the welding condition inspection information provided from the inspection unit (0078, 0102-0104) is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the welding device of Sakai silent to an inspection unit with the recited inspection unit of Haug for the purpose of providing a known inspection unit that allows a production process of a workpiece is to be optimized, the production parameters from workpiece to workpiece can be changed and, with reference to the molten bath oscillation observed during the production, it can be verified how the tendency for cracking changes (0103).
Claims 12, 13 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Sakai (US 2019/0283175) in view of Aota (US 2012/0058374).
With respect to the limitations of claim 12, Sakai teaches a manufacturing device comprising the welding device according to claim 1. Sakai discloses the claimed invention except for explicitly showing the manufacturing device is a battery manufacturing device. However, Aota discloses using a laser welding device for battery manufacturing (Figs 1-3, welding spots 34, 0070, a plurality of welding spots 34 and a plurality of welding spots 35 are respectively formed at the circumferential edges of the second swaging portion 11d and the second swaging portion 33d through spot laser welding) is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the laser welding device of Sakai silent to battery manufacturing with the use of laser welding in battery manufacturing of Aota for the purpose of adapting the laser manufacturing device to known areas where laser welding is suitable for the joining of components in quick and secure manner.
With respect to the limitations of claim 13, Sakai teaches a manufacturing device comprising the welding device according to claim 1. Sakai discloses the claimed invention except for explicitly showing the manufacturing device is a vehicle manufacturing device. However, Aota discloses using a laser welding device for vehicle (0006, power sources in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and the like) manufacturing (Figs 1-3, welding spots 34, 0070, a plurality of welding spots 34 and a plurality of welding spots 35 are respectively formed at the circumferential edges of the second swaging portion 11d and the second swaging portion 33d through spot laser welding) is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the laser welding device of Sakai silent to battery manufacturing with the use of laser welding in vehicle manufacturing of Aota for the purpose of adapting the laser manufacturing device to known areas where laser welding is suitable for the joining of components in quick and secure manner.
With respect to the limitations of claim 16, Sakai in view of Aota discloses the coupling portion (Figs 1-3, welding spots 34, 0070) is located between components (connector terminals 11, 33, external terminals 16, 32, 0071) of a battery module.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THIEN S TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7745. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday [8:00-4:00].
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/THIEN S TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 8/26/2026
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