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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: “30” and “100” (see Figure 3). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 22, and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ryu et al. (US 2014/0199581), cited in the Information Disclosure Statement dated August 17, 2026.
Regarding independent claims 1 and 23, Ryu et al. disclose a battery and an electric apparatus comprising the battery (see abstract; paragraphs [0012]-[0014], [0022]-[0028], [0034], and [0038]-[0079]; and Figures 2-4), in which the battery of the electric apparatus includes the following structural features:
a multilayer body comprising a first conductive layer (anode), a second conductive layer (cathode), and a first layer (separation film) positioned between the first conductive layer (anode) and the second conductive layer (cathode), the first layer (separation film) comprising an insulating material (see paragraph [0022]);
a first conductive portion (anode lead (130)) electrically connected to the first conductive layer, and the first conductive portion (130) extends in a first direction away from the multilayer body (see paragraphs [0022], [0034], and [0053]-[0058]; and Figures 2-4);
a second layer (lead film (170)) connected to the first conductive portion (130) and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to a position apart from the first conductive portion (130); and
a housing encompassing the multilayer body, and the housing encompasses a portion of the first conductive portion (130) and a portion of the second layer (170) – see paragraphs [0022], [0034], and [0053]-[0058]; and Figures 2-4),
wherein viewed along a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, the second layer (170) comprises a first region (covering the first conductive portion (130)) that overlaps with the first conductive portion (130) and a second region (adjacent the second layer, or lead film (170), between anode lead (130) and cathode lead (140) including a cut portion (300) – see Figures 3 and 4) apart from the first conductive portion (130), wherein in the first direction, the second region has a first recess recessed toward the housing (see paragraphs [0022], [0034], and [0053]-[0058]; and Figures 2-4).
Regarding claim 2, Ryu et al. disclose wherein in the second direction, the second layer (170) comprises the following features:
a first endpoint located in the first region at a point intersecting above a line of the lead film (170) with a first side of a triangle cut portion recess (300), and the first endpoint is apart from the housing in the first direction (see Figure 4);
a second endpoint located in the second region at a point intersecting above a line of the lead film (170) with a second side of the triangle cut portion recess (300), and the second endpoint is apart from the housing in the first direction and is the farthest point of the second region from the housing in the first direction (see Figure 4); and
a third endpoint located in the second region at a bottom point of the triangle cut portion recess (300), and the third endpoint is apart from the housing in the first direction and is the closest point of the second region to the housing in the first direction (see Figure 4), wherein
the first endpoint is located at a boundary between the first region covering the first conductive portion (130)) that overlaps with the first conductive portion (130) and the second region (adjacent the second layer, or lead film (170), between anode lead (130) and cathode lead (140) including a cut portion (300)), and in the second direction, the third endpoint is located between the first endpoint and the second endpoint (see Figure 4).
Regarding claim 22, Ryu et al. disclose that the multilayer body is a stacked structure (see paragraph [0022] and Figures 2-4).
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.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ryu et al. (US 2014/0199581).
Regarding claims 3-5, although Ryu et al. disclose the structural features of claims 1 and 2 above, Ryu et al. do not explicitly disclose that in the first direction, a first distance from the housing to the first endpoint is shorter than a second distance from the housing to the second endpoint, wherein the first distance is D1, the second distance is D2, and D2 > D1 > 1/3D2, such that the first distance (D1) ranges from 0.1 mm to 2.5 mm, and the second distance (D2) ranges from 0.2 mm to 3.0 mm.
However, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the teachings of Ryu et al. would at least suggest that first and second predetermined distances from the housing to the respective first and second endpoints would be selected to be shorter than, longer than, or equal in length to each other based on routine optimization. In this instance, selection of one of the three comparative distances would have been obvious to try in view of a finite number (three) of predictable solutions with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of firmly fixing anode and cathode leads (see paragraph [0012]). Regarding the ranges and relationships of values of the distances (D1, D2), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to choose the instantly claimed ranges through process optimization, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. See In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (1980).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-21 are 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: the prior art fails to teach or suggest a battery that includes all structural features in the combination of claims 1, 2, and 3, and further including that, wherein viewed along the third direction, the first recess comprises a first end edge connecting the first endpoint and the third endpoint in the second region and a second end edge connecting the second endpoint and the third endpoint, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction (of dependent claim 6, from which claims 7-21 further depend).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN P KERNS whose telephone number is (571)272-1178. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-430pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Walker can be reached at (571)272-3458. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEVIN P KERNS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735 September 22, 2026
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