DETAILED ACTION
Summary
This is the initial Office Action based on the Rechargeable Battery filed July 22, 2024.
Claims 1-15 are currently pending.
Claim Objections
Claims 7-12 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 7-12 recite the limitations “the one surface”. Appropriate correction is required.
Amending “the one surface” to “the surface” or “the at least one surface” would overcome the objections.
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.
Claims 5, 6, 9, 10, and 12 are 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 5 recites the limitation "the opposite side where an electrode tab is drawn out" on line 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
As there can be more than one “opposite side where an electrode tab is drawn out”, it is unclear as to what “the opposite side where an electrode tab is drawn out” recited on line 2-3 of claim 5 is referring to. Dependent claim is rejected for dependency.
Amending “the opposite side where an electrode tab is drawn out” to “an opposite side where an electrode tab is drawn out” would overcome the rejections.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the direction that intersects the direction in which the electrode tab is dawn out" on line 3-4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Amending "the direction that intersects the direction in which the electrode tab is dawn out" to "a direction that intersects the direction in which the electrode tab is dawn out" would overcome the rejection.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the end of the thickness direction" on line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Amending "the end of the thickness direction" to "an end of the thickness direction" would overcome the rejection.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the length direction " on line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Amending “the length direction” to “a length direction” would overcome the rejection.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the thickness direction " on line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Amending “the thickness direction” to “a thickness direction” would overcome the rejection.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the end of the thickness direction" on line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the opposite direction to the length direction" on line 7-8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the thickness direction" on line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the opposite length direction" on line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 6, and 8-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Heo et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2020/0161617 A1).
With regard to claim 1, Heo et al. discloses a rechargeable battery comprising:
an electrode assembly (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 5-6) having
a repeating structure in which a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate are placed on both surfaces of a separator (as depicted in Fig. 5-6, a repeating structure in which a first electrode plate 10 and a second electrode plate 20 are placed on both surfaces of a separator 30); and
a case that accommodates the electrode assembly (see [0094] teaching “inserted into a can-shaped case”), wherein
the electrode assembly includes a bonding part formed by adhesively bonding the separator that protrudes to an outside of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate on at least one surface facing the case (as depicted in Fig. 5-6, the electrode assembly includes a bonding part 201 formed by adhesively bonding the separator 30 that protrudes to an outside of the first electrode plate 10 and the second electrode plate 20 on at least one surface facing the case; see [0094]).
With regard to claim 2, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the case is formed as a pouch or a square can, and the electrode assembly is formed of a plate shape corresponding to an inner shape of the case (see Fig. 5-6 and see [0094] teaching “inserted into a can-shaped case”).
With regard to claim 3, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the electrode assembly has a stacked configuration (see Fig. 5-6 teaching stacked configuration).
With regard to claim 5, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the bonding part is formed on a first side toward a bottom of the case on the opposite side where an electrode tab is drawn out among four directions of exterior sides of the electrode assembly (as depicted in Fig. 1, the bonding part 200/201 is formed on a first left side toward a bottom of the case on the opposite right side where an electrode tab 3 is drawn out among four directions of exterior sides of the electrode assembly).
With regard to claim 6, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the bonding part is formed on a second side and a third side toward the side of the case on both sides in the direction that intersects the direction in which the electrode tab is drawn out among the exterior sides of the four directions of the electrode assembly (as depicted in Fig. 1, the bonding part 200/201 is formed on a second upper side and a third lower side toward the side of the case on both sides in the vertical direction that intersects the horizontal direction in which the electrode tab 3 is drawn out among the exterior sides of the four directions of the electrode assembly).
With regard to claim 8, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the bonding part is formed by applying an adhesive in a plurality of dots to an entire area of the one surface (as depicted in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5-6, the bonding part 200/201 is formed by applying an adhesive in a plurality of dots 200/201 to an entire area of the one surface; see [0018]).
With regard to claim 9, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the bonding part is formed by repeatedly performing processes of being formed in a length direction on the one surface formed in a thickness direction and at one end of the length direction, formed again in the length direction at the end of the thickness direction, and formed again in the thickness direction at one end in the length direction (the generally recited product-by-process limitations “is formed by repeatedly performing processes of being formed in a length direction on the one surface formed in a thickness direction and at one end of the length direction, formed again in the length direction at the end of the thickness direction, and formed again in the thickness direction at one end in the length direction” requires the structure of a bonding part having dimensions in the length and a thickness directions; the cited bonding part 201 is cited to read on the claimed product-by-process limitations because it includes a structure having dimensions in the length and a thickness directions, see Fig. 1 and Fig. 5-6).
With regard to claim 10, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the bonding part is formed by repeatedly performing processes of being formed in according to some embodiments of the length direction on the one surface, formed from one end of the length direction to an inside of according to some embodiments of the thickness direction, formed again at the end of the thickness direction in the opposite direction to the length direction, and formed again from one end of the length direction to an inside of the thickness direction (the generally recited product-by-process limitations “is formed by repeatedly performing processes of being formed in according to some embodiments of the length direction on the one surface, formed from one end of the length direction to an inside of according to some embodiments of the thickness direction, formed again at the end of the thickness direction in the opposite direction to the length direction, and formed again from one end of the length direction to an inside of the thickness direction” requires the structure of a bonding part having dimensions in the length and a thickness directions; the cited bonding part 201 is cited to read on the claimed product-by-process limitations because it includes a structure having dimensions in the length and a thickness directions, see Fig. 1 and Fig. 5-6).
With regard to claim 11, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the bonding part is formed on both sides of the one surface with a central part separated in a length direction (as depicted in Fig. 1, the bonding part 200/201 is formed on both upper and lower sides of the one surface, right side surface, with a central part separated in a vertical length direction).
With regard to claim 12, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the bonding part is formed by repeatedly performing processes of being formed on both sides of the one surface in the length direction by skipping a central part, spaced apart in the thickness direction, and formed on both sides in the opposite length direction by again skipping the central part (the generally recited product-by-process limitations “is formed by repeatedly performing processes of being formed on both sides of the one surface in the length direction by skipping a central part, spaced apart in the thickness direction, and formed on both sides in the opposite length direction by again skipping the central part” requires the structure of the bonding part formed on both sides of the one surface with a central part separated in a length direction; the cited bonding part 200/201 is cited to read on the claimed product-by-process limitations because it includes a structure formed on both upper and lower sides of the one surface, right side surface, with a central part separated in a vertical length direction).
With regard to claim 13, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the adhesive is a UV adhesive (see [0023]).
With regard to claim 14, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the adhesive is formed of a polyethylene-based UV adhesive (see [0052]).
With regard to claim 15, Heo et al. discloses wherein:
the bonding part is formed at aligned ends of the separator (see Fig. 5-6 depicting the bonding part 201 is formed at aligned ends of the separator 30).
Claim(s) 1 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Horiuchi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2023/0231274 A1).
With regard to claims 1 and 4, Horiuchi et al. discloses a rechargeable battery comprising:
an electrode assembly (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 4-5) having
a repeating structure in which a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate are placed on both surfaces of a separator (as depicted in Fig. 4, a repeating structure in which a first electrode plate 21 and a second electrode plate 22 are placed on both surfaces of a separator 24); and
a case that accommodates the electrode assembly (30, Fig. 1), wherein
the electrode assembly includes a bonding part formed by adhesively bonding the separator that protrudes to an outside of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate on at least one surface facing the case (as depicted in Fig. 1 and 4-5, the electrode assembly includes a bonding part 41 formed by adhesively bonding the separator 24 that protrudes by E to an outside of the first electrode plate 21 and the second electrode plate 22 on at least one surface facing the case; see [0065]), wherein:
the electrode assembly has a jelly roll configuration (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 5).
Claim(s) 1 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2023/0110500 A1).
With regard to claims 1 and 7, Choi et al. discloses a rechargeable battery comprising:
an electrode assembly (see Fig. 4) having
a repeating structure in which a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate are placed on both surfaces of a separator (as depicted in Fig. 4, a repeating structure in which a first electrode plate 110 and a second electrode plate 120 are placed on both surfaces of a separator 130); and
a case that accommodates the electrode assembly (see [0098]), wherein
the electrode assembly includes a bonding part formed by adhesively bonding the separator that protrudes to an outside of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate on at least one surface facing the case (as depicted in Fig. 4, the electrode assembly includes a bonding part 140 formed by adhesively bonding the separator 130 that protrudes to an outside of the first electrode plate 110 and the second electrode plate 120 on at least one surface facing the case; see [0047]), wherein:
the bonding part is formed by applying an adhesive to an entire area of the one surface (see [0051] teaching cited bonding part can be “formed so as to cover the whole of one lateral side of the electrode assembly”).
Conclusion
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/DUSTIN Q DAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1721 September 21, 2026
