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 § 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 1-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) / (a)(2) as being anticipated by Mori et al. (CN 103620824).
As to claim 1, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) discloses an electrode assembly (the battery element 4 shown in Fig. 4), comprising: a body portion (100), comprising:
- a positive electrode plate (a current collector 120 on the positive side serving as a positive electrode 10A),
- a negative electrode plate (a current collector 140 on the negative side serving as a negative electrode 10B), and
- a separator (10C, isolators 56 and 58) disposed between the positive electrode plate (10A) and the negative electrode plate (10B), wherein the positive electrode plate (10A), the separator (10C), and the negative electrode plate are wound into a winding structure along a winding direction (r);
- multiple positive electrode tabs (20), separately connected to at least two positive electrode plate winding layers in the winding structure and spaced apart along the winding direction; and
- multiple negative electrode tabs (30), separately connected to at least two negative electrode plate winding layers in the winding structure and spaced apart along the winding direction (r); wherein the multiple positive electrode tabs (20) and the multiple negative electrode tabs (30) are located at a same end portion of the body portion (100) in a direction perpendicular to the winding direction (r), a length of the positive electrode tabs (20) connected to the respective positive electrode plate (10A) winding layers in the winding direction (r) increases along the winding direction (r), and a length of the negative electrode tabs connected to the respective negative electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction increases along the winding direction (direction (r) increases). (see figs. 2, 4-6, 10-16)
As to claim 2, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) discloses the winding structure is a cylindrical winding structure wound around a winding axis. A cylindrical wound element is formed by clamping the spacers 56 and 58 between the current collectors 120 and 140.
As to claim 3, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teaches an angle range of the multiple positive electrode tabs at the end portion of the body portion with respect to the winding axis does not coincide with an angle range of the multiple negative electrode tabs at the end portion of the body portion with respect to the winding axis. The end face 10 has protruding columnar current collectors 120 and 140, which are divided by a dividing line 62 at a contact angle y, for example, y = 60 degrees. Body 120, 140. Referring to Figures 2, 4-6, 10-17, it can be seen that the plurality of positive electrode tabs at the ends of the main body relative to the winding axis.
As to claim 4, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose at least one of the multiple positive electrode tabs has at least one first notch on an edge of a side away from the positive electrode plate, and the at least one first notch divides the positive electrode tab into multiple positive electrode tab segments along the winding direction; and/or at least one of the multiple negative electrode tabs has at least one second notch on an edge of a side away from the negative electrode plate, and the at least one second notch divides the negative electrode tab into multiple negative electrode tab segments along the winding direction.
As to claim 5, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teach widths of the positive electrode tab segments are the same in the winding direction, and the number of positive electrode tab segments in each positive electrode tab connected to the respective positive electrode plate winding layers increases along the winding direction; and widths of the negative electrode tab segments are the same in the winding direction, and the number of negative electrode tab segments in each negative electrode tab connected to the respective negative electrode plate winding layers increases along the winding direction.
As to claim 6, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose the multiple positive electrode tabs and the multiple negative electrode tabs satisfy at least one of the following: uppermost end positions of the positive electrode tabs connected to the respective positive electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction are all in a same plane; lowermost end positions of the positive electrode tabs connected to the respective positive electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction are all in a same plane; uppermost end positions of the negative electrode tabs connected to the respective negative electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction are all in a same plane; and lowermost end positions of the negative electrode tabs connected to the respective negative electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction are all in a same plane.
As to claim 7, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose the uppermost end positions and lowermost end positions of the positive electrode tabs connected to the respective positive electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction are all in a same plane; and/or the uppermost end positions and lowermost end positions of the negative electrode tabs connected to the respective negative electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction are all in a same plane.
As to claim 8, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose the uppermost end positions of the positive electrode tabs (20) connected to the respective positive electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction (r) and the uppermost end positions of the negative electrode tabs connected to the respective negative electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction are all in a same plane; and the lowermost end positions of the positive electrode tabs connected to the respective positive electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction and the lowermost end positions of the negative electrode tabs connected to the respective negative electrode plate winding layers in the winding direction are all in a same plane.
As to claim 9, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teach the winding structure is a cylindrical winding structure wound around the winding axis, and the multiple positive electrode tabs (20) and the multiple negative electrode tabs (30) are symmetric with respect to the winding axis (ax) or symmetric with respect to a plane across the winding axis (ax).
As to claim 10, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose an insulating member, disposed at the end portion of the body portion connected to the multiple positive electrode tabs (20) and the multiple negative electrode tabs (30) and located between the multiple positive electrode tabs (20) and the multiple negative electrode tabs (30).
As to claim 11, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teach the insulating member comprises an insulating plastic block.
As to claim 12, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) discloses the winding structure is a cylindrical winding structure wound around the winding axis, the cylindrical winding structure has a first central hole (110) running through along an axial direction, and the insulating member (40) has a second central hole (41) communicating with the first central hole along the winding axis.
As to claim 13, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teach the first central hole (110) and the second central hole (41) are both circular holes, and a diameter D1 of the first central hole (110) is greater than or equal to a diameter D2 of the second central hole (41).
As to claim 14, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose the positive electrode plate comprises a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active substance film layer covering surface of the positive electrode current collector, wherein the multiple positive electrode tabs are connected to a first side edge of the positive electrode current collector extending along the winding direction, and the positive electrode active substance film layer extends continuously from the surface of the positive electrode current collector to part of surface of the multiple positive electrode tabs; and the negative electrode plate comprises a negative electrode current collector, a negative electrode active substance film layer covering surface of the negative electrode current collector, wherein the multiple negative electrode tabs are connected to a second side edge of the negative electrode current collector extending along the winding direction.
As to claim 15, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose in a first direction, a foremost end of the extension part of the positive electrode active substance film layer on the multiple positive electrode tabs is located before the first side edge, the first direction being an extension direction of the multiple positive electrode tabs with respect to the positive electrode plate or an extension direction of the multiple negative electrode tabs with respect to the negative electrode plate, and the first direction being perpendicular to the winding direction.
As to claim 16, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teach in a first direction, the first side edge is located behind the second side edge, the first direction being an extension direction of the multiple positive electrode tabs with respect to the positive electrode plate or an extension direction of the multiple negative electrode tabs with respect to the negative electrode plate, and the first direction being perpendicular to the winding direction.
As to claim 17, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose at least one of the multiple positive electrode tabs has at least one first notch on an edge of a side away from the positive electrode plate, the at least one first notch divides the positive electrode tab into multiple positive electrode tab segments along the winding direction, and a root portion of the at least one first notch is located before the separator in the first direction; and at least one of the multiple negative electrode tabs has at least one second notch on an edge of a side away from the negative electrode plate, the at least one second notch divides the negative electrode tab into multiple negative electrode tab segments along the winding direction, and a root portion of the at least one second notch is located before the separator in a first direction, the first direction being an extension direction of the multiple positive electrode tabs with respect to the positive electrode plate or an extension direction of the multiple negative electrode tabs with respect to the negative electrode plate, and the first direction being perpendicular to the winding direction.
As to claim 18, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teach a positive electrode current collecting plate, located on a side of the multiple positive electrode tabs away from the body portion and fixedly connected to the flattened multiple positive electrode tabs by welding; and a negative electrode current collecting plate, located on a side of the multiple negative electrode tabs away from the body portion and fixedly connected to the flattened multiple negative electrode tabs by welding; wherein the multiple positive electrode tabs are bent and flattened at the root portion of the at least one first notch towards the center of an end portion of the body portion, the multiple negative electrode tabs are bent and flattened at the root portion of the at least one second notch towards the center of the end portion of the body portion, a first distance d1 between the root portion of the at least one first notch and the separator in the first direction is greater than or equal to 1.5 times a thickness t1 of the positive electrode current collecting plate, and a second distance d2 between the root portion of the at least one second notch and the separator in the first direction is greater than or equal to 1.5 times a thickness t2 of the negative electrode current collecting plate.
As to claim 19, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teach the root portion of the first notch between adjacent positive electrode tab segments and the root portion of the second notch between adjacent negative electrode tab segments are located in a same plane perpendicular to the first direction.
As to claim 20, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) disclose a battery cell, comprising the electrode assembly.
As to claim 21, Mori et al. (CN ‘824) teach a battery comprising the battery cell.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEYED MASOUD MALEKZADEH whose telephone number is (571)272-6215. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30AM-5:00PM.
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/SEYED MASOUD MALEKZADEH/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1754 09/24/2026
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