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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, claims 1-13, in the reply filed on November 4, 2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the groups are similar and “that searching Invention I will cover most of Invention II.” This is not found persuasive because Inventions II and I are related as process and apparatus for its practice. The inventions are distinct if it can be shown that either: (1) the process as claimed can be practiced by another and materially different apparatus or by hand, or (2) the apparatus as claimed can be used to practice another and materially different process. (MPEP § 806.05(e)). In this case the apparatus as shown can be used to practice another and materially different process, such as manufacturing an electrode film that contains conductive material other than carbon and/or non-polymeric binders. Restriction for examination purposes as indicated is proper because all the inventions listed in this action are independent or distinct for the reasons given above and there would be a serious search and/or examination burden if restriction were not required because one or more of the following reasons apply:
the inventions have acquired a separate status in the art in view of their different classification;
the inventions have acquired a separate status in the art due to their recognized divergent subject matter;
the inventions require a different field of search (e.g., searching different classes/subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search strategies or search queries).
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Williams (5,030,312) in view of Gordon (US 11,462,724).
Claim 1: Williams discloses a method for manufacturing an electrode (abstract). The method includes feeding an electrode mixture film to a first conveyor belt wherein the mixture includes electrode active materials, conductive carbons and polymeric binders and the belt moves the electrode mixture along a first belt-moving direction (hopper 11 receives a mixture including Nickel Hydroxide, Graphite and PTFE and passes from hopper 11 between steel rolls 12; col. 2, lines 44-55; fig. 1); transferring the electrode mixture film from the first conveyor belt to a second conveyor belt wherein the second conveyor belt moves the electrode mixture along a second belt-moving direction, the first belt-moving direction is oblique angled relative to the second belt-moving direction (cut sheets 16 pass from conveyor 14 through cutter 15 and conveyor 17 to second conveyor 24 and conveyor 24 and laminating conveyor 25 are substantially perpendicular to conveyors 14 and 17); and hot pressing the electrode mixture using at least one hot roller to fiberize the polymeric binder along the second belt-moving direction (steel rolls 26, maintained at 30-50C, roll the laminated/stacked sheets in the second direction (col. 5, lines 25-30).
Williams is silent as to a pair of side rollers on the second conveyor fold the electrode mixture at predetermined oblique angle with the electrode mixture film is transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt, with the support of a pair of guide rollers, and a distance between the pair of side rollers on the second conveyor belt, a diameter of each of the pair of guide rollers, and a position of the pair of guide rollers control a width of folded electrode mixture film. However, in the same field of endeavor, Gordon discloses a method for manufacturing an electrode including folding discrete plaques using an oscillating conveyor belt 196 and then rotating the folded plaques, and multiple calendar rollers (194, 200, 208, 216, 222) sequentially calendaring the folded plaques, and the use of guide rollers 170 for handling materials during winding/unwinding, and paddles 176 spaced to control the folding width of active material sheets. Gordon also teaches a folder 172 including a conveyor 174 and paddles 176, where the paddles are spaced such that portion of the active material sheet fold over opposite edges. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have substituted Williams’ cut-and-re-orient method of changing the material direction with Gordon’s oscillating conveyor belt folding mechanism with angular rotation, because Gordon teaches this as an effective alternative means to reorient electrode material for subsequent calendaring in a different direction (col. 4, line 66 – col. 5, line22). The substitution of one known means of reorienting electrode material with another would have yielded the predictable result of providing electrode material oriented in a different direction for subsequent processing.
Claim 2: Williams discloses the electrode mixture having no NMP (col. 2, lines 44-48).
Claim 3: Williams discloses the polymeric binder includes PTFE (col. 2, lines 44-48).
Claim 4: Williams discloses feeding the electrode mixture into hopper 11 before feeding the electrode mixture to the first conveyor belt (col. 2, lines 44-48).
Claim 5: Williams discloses calendaring the electrode mixture to mixture film after feeding the electrode mixture to the hopper and before feeding the electrode mixture to the first conveyor belt (col. 2, lines 50-54; from hopper 11 to between a first pair of steel rolls 12).
Claim 6: Williams discloses the at least one hot roller is a first hot roller (second pair of steel rolls 26), and using at least a second roller to calender the mixture (first pair of steel rolls 12).
Claim 7: Gordon discloses trimming the electrode mixture exiting the hopper (col. 4, lines 9-23).
Claim 8: Williams discloses a method for manufacturing an electrode (abstract). The method includes feeding an electrode mixture film to a first conveyor belt wherein the mixture includes electrode active materials, conductive carbons and polymeric binders and the belt moves the electrode mixture along a first belt-moving direction, and the mixture of free of NMP, and the polymeric binders includes PTFE (hopper 11 receives a mixture including Nickel Hydroxide, Graphite and PTFE and passes from hopper 11 between steel rolls 12; col. 2, lines 44-55; fig. 1); transferring the electrode mixture film from the first conveyor belt to a second conveyor belt wherein the second conveyor belt moves the electrode mixture along a second belt-moving direction, the first belt-moving direction is oblique angled relative to the second belt-moving direction (cut sheets 16 pass from conveyor 14 through cutter 15 and conveyor 17 to second conveyor 24 and conveyor 24 and laminating conveyor 25 are substantially perpendicular to conveyors 14 and 17); and hot pressing the electrode mixture using at least one hot roller to fiberize the polymeric binder along the second belt-moving direction (steel rolls 26, maintained at 30-50C, roll the laminated/stacked sheets in the second direction; col. 5, lines 25-30).
Williams is silent as to a pair of side rollers on the second conveyor fold the electrode mixture at predetermined oblique angle with the electrode mixture film is transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt, with the support of a pair of guide rollers, and a distance between the pair of side rollers on the second conveyor belt, a diameter of each of the pair of guide rollers, and a position of the pair of guide rollers control a width of folded electrode mixture film. However, in the same field of endeavor, Gordon discloses a method for manufacturing an electrode including folding discrete plaques using an oscillating conveyor belt 196 and then rotating the folded plaques, and multiple calendar rollers (194, 200, 208, 216, 222) sequentially calendaring the folded plaques, and the use of guide rollers 170 for handling materials during winding/unwinding, and paddles 176 spaced to control the folding width of active material sheets. Gordon also teaches a folder 172 including a conveyor 174 and paddles 176, where the paddles are spaced such that portion of the active material sheet fold over opposite edges. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have substituted Williams’ cut-and-re-orient method of changing the material direction with Gordon’s oscillating conveyor belt folding mechanism with angular rotation, because Gordon teaches this as an effective alternative means to reorient electrode material for subsequent calendaring in a different direction (col. 4, line 66 – col. 5, line22). The substitution of one known means of reorienting electrode material with another would have yielded the predictable result of providing electrode material oriented in a different direction for subsequent processing.
Claim 9: Williams discloses using a hot roller to hot press the mixture (steel rolls 26, maintained at 30-50C, roll the laminated/stacked sheets in the second direction; col. 5, lines 25-30).
Claim 10: Williams discloses feeding the electrode mixture into hopper 11 before feeding the electrode mixture to the first conveyor belt (col. 2, lines 44-48).
Claim 11: Williams discloses calendaring the electrode mixture to mixture film after feeding the electrode mixture to the hopper and before feeding the electrode mixture to the first conveyor belt (col. 2, lines 50-54; from hopper 11 to between a first pair of steel rolls 12).
Claim 12: Williams discloses the at least one hot roller is a first hot roller (second pair of steel rolls 26), and using at least a second roller to calender the mixture (first pair of steel rolls 12).
Claim 13: Gordon discloses trimming the electrode mixture exiting the hopper (col. 4, lines 9-23).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY THROWER whose telephone number is (571)270-5517. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm MT M-F.
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, Susan Leong can be reached at 571-270-1487. 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.
/LARRY W THROWER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754