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 .
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 of this title, 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.
1. Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamazaki et al. (US6632538).
2. Regarding 1-17, Yamazaki teaches a production method of a solid-state battery (A polymer battery packet 50 shown in FIG. 28 is fabricated by assembling the component materials of a battery 50 a (col. 48 ln 17-20)), comprising, in order, the steps of: (i) preparing a laminate (see Fig. below) including a power generating element including a positive electrode layer, a negative electrode layer, and a solid electrolyte layer disposed between the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer (The polymer battery 50 a has an electrolytic gel layer 53 containing an organic electrolyte, a positive terminal 55 overlying the electrolytic gel layer 53, a negative terminal 56 underlying the electrolytic gel layer 53…A separator 54 formed by cutting a porous film is embedded in the electrolytic gel layer 53 (col. 2 ln 38-61)), and at least one metal foil disposed on at least one principal surface of the power generating element (see Figs. below); and
(ii) breaking the power generating element at a linear division position (A polymer battery packet 50 provided with a burst-proof structure having the pressure relieving part 20 (col. 54 ln 56-57); a pressure relieving part provided with incisions (col. 48 ln 51), and cutting the at least one metal foil at the division position (According to the present invention, the term, “pressure relieving part” (burst-proof structure) designates a structure formed by melting and evaporating linear portions of some or all of the synthetic resin layers on one side of the aluminum foil layer, i.e., the intermediate layer (col. 48 ln 53-58)).
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3. Yamazaki teaches laminated sheet provided with the burst-proof structure as a wall member to a frame formed by molding a plastic material (col. 50 ln 5-8).
4. Although Yamazaki does not use the same claim language as recited in the claims, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yamazaki for the benefit of having excellent properties in strength, durability, moisture and gas impermeability, sealing and adhesion to electrodes (Disclosure of the Invention).
Conclusion
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/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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