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 .
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 recites the limitation "the first electrode plate assembly" in line 1 and “the second electrode plate assembly” in line 5. 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-12, and 15-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tanaka et al. (JP 6472025 B2, hereinafter Tanaka).
Re Claim 1. Tanaka teaches an electrode assembly (Fig. 1-6, item 10), comprising:
an electrode plate assembly, wherein the electrode plate assembly comprising:
an electrode plate (items 3 & 4), wherein a first through-hole (items 3h & 4h) is provided on the electrode plate, and the first through-hole penetrates the electrode plate along a thickness direction of the electrode plate (Fig. 5);
a tab (items 32 & 42), wherein the tab comprises a main body (items 32s & 42s), a connecting portion (items 32h & 42h), and a constraining portion (items 32d & 42d); and, along the thickness direction, the main body and the constraining portion are located on two opposite sides of the electrode plate respectively (Fig. 5), and the connecting portion runs through the first through-hole and connects the main body and the constraining portion (Fig. 5), wherein
the electrode plate comprises a current collector (items 30 & 40) and a first active material layer (top items 31 & 41); along the thickness direction, the first active material layer is disposed on a first side of the current collector; the current collector and the first active material layer are located between the main body and the constraining portion (Fig. 5); and the tab is electrically connected to the current collector (Fig. 5).
Re Claim 2. Tanaka teaches wherein the electrode plate further comprises a second active material layer (bottom items 31 & 41); along the thickness direction, the second active material layer is disposed on a second side of the current collector, the second side of the current collector being oriented away from the first active material layer (Fig. 5); the current collector, the first active material layer, and the second active material layer are all located between the main body and the constraining portion (Fig. 5); and along the thickness direction, the main body and the constraining portion are in contact with the first active material layer and the second active material layer, respectively (Fig. 5).
Re Claim 3. Tanaka teaches wherein, along the thickness direction, one of the main body or the constraining portion presses against the current collector, and the other of the main body or the constraining portion presses against the first active material layer (Fig. 5).
Re Claim 5. Tanaka teaches wherein, a conductive layer (items 33 & 43) is disposed between the connecting portion and a hole wall surrounding the first through-hole (Fig. 5).
Re Claim 6. Tanaka teaches wherein, the conductive layer is bonded to the connecting portion and the hole wall (Fig. 5).
Re Claim 7. Tanaka teaches wherein, the constraining portion is a flange structure disposed at one end of the connecting portion, the one end of the connecting portion being away from the main body (Fig. 5).
Re Claims 8-11. Tanaka teaches wherein, a second through-hole is provided on the main body, and the second through-hole penetrates the connecting portion along the thickness direction (Fig. 4-6).
Re Claims 12. Tanaka teaches wherein, a shape of the connecting portion matches a shape of the first through-hole, and an outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion snugly fits a hole wall surrounding the first through-hole (Fig. 5).
Re Claim 15. Tanaka teaches wherein, a plurality of connecting portions are disposed on the main body, and a plurality of constraining portions and a plurality of first through-holes are provided in one to one correspondence to the plurality of connecting portions (Fig. 4-6).
Re Claim 16. Tanaka teaches wherein, the first electrode plate assembly (Fig. 2 & 3, item 3) comprises N layers of first electrode plates, and tabs of the first electrode plate assembly are disposed on the first electrode plates on a 2nd layer to an (N–1)th layer respectively, wherein N is an integer and N ≥ 2; and/or the second electrode plate assembly (item 4) comprises P layers of second electrode plates, the second electrode plates are of an opposite polarity to the first electrode plates, and tabs of the second electrode plate assembly are disposed on the second electrode plates on a 2nd layer to an (P–1)th layer respectively, wherein P is an integer and P ≥ 2.
Re Claim 17. Tanaka teaches an electrochemical device (Fig. 1, item 1), comprising:
a housing (item 2); and
the electrode assembly (item 10) according to claim 1 (see rejection of Claim 1), wherein the electrode assembly is accommodated in the housing (Fig. 1).
Re Claim 18. Tanaka teaches an electrical device (P6), comprising the electrochemical device according to claim 17 (see rejection of Claim 17).
Re Claim 19. Tanaka teaches a method for manufacturing the electrode plate assembly of claim 1, the method comprising:
applying the first active material layer onto the current collector continuously to form an electrode plate web (P6);
cutting the electrode plate web to obtain electrode plates of the electrode plate assembly (implied, Fig. 4 & 6 show plates with limited length);
forming a first through-hole on each of the electrode plates, wherein the first through-hole penetrates the electrode plate along a thickness direction of the electrode plate (P4);
stacking a tab and the electrode plate, and stamping the tab to form a main body and a riveting portion of the tab, wherein the riveting portion extends into the first through-hole (P4); and
flanging one end, away from the main body, of the riveting portion, so that the riveting portion forms a connecting portion and a constraining portion (P4), wherein
along the thickness direction, the connecting portion runs through the first through-hole and connects the main body and the constraining portion, and the current collector and the first active material layer are located between the main body and the constraining portion (Fig. 5).
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.
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) 13 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka as applied to claims 9 and 10 above, and further in view of Park et al. (EP 4170815 A1, hereinafter Park, cited by applicant).
The teachings of Tanaka have been discussed above.
Tanaka fails to specifically teach that: (re Claim 13) the first through-hole is a square shaped hole, and that (re Claim 14) a side length of the first through-hole is L, and 0.8 mm ≤ L ≤ 2 mm.
The invention of Park encompasses electrode for secondary battery. Park teaches that first through-hole is a square shaped hole (Fig. 1) and a side length of the first through-hole can be various (para. 53).
In view of Park, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the invention of Tanaka to employ a square shaped hole, since using a well-known shape is within purview of one skill in the art, and to have a side length of the first through-hole is L, and 0.8 mm ≤ L ≤ 2 mm, to achieve desired effect (para. 53).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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, taken alone or in combination, fails to specifically teach that one of the main body or the constraining portion presses against the first active material layer; in combination with other claimed elements as set forth in claim 4.
Tanaka further teaches wherein, the electrode plate further comprises a second active material layer (Fig. 1-6, bottom items 31 & 41); along the thickness direction, the second active material layer is disposed on a second side of the current collector (Fig. 5), the second side of the current collector being oriented away from the first active material layer (Fig. 5). Yan (CN 115332737 A, cited by applicant) teaches that the second active material layer (Fig. 7, bottom item 220) comprises a hollowed region (item 221) exposing the current collector, and the constraining portion (item 2421) is located in the hollowed region and presses against the current collector (item 210).
However, Yan teaches that the first active material layer (top item 220) also has a hollowed region (item 221). Therefore, the main body also presses against the current collector (item 210), not the first active material layer (top item 220) as claimed.
Conclusion
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood from the texts. Only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out to emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, however, each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN E YOON whose telephone number is (571)270-5932. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 AM- 5 PM.
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/KEVIN E YOON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735
9/23/2026
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