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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of specie A, claims 1-3 in the reply filed on 7/20/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: the specification does not state “wherein a radius of curvature of a side surface of the protrusion-type unit pitch pattern disposed at an outer edge of the horn pattern region is directly proportional to a number of the non-coated electrode tabs” or “in the case in which the protrusion-type unit pitch pattern comes into contact with the non-coated electrode tabs and/or an electrode lead for welding, an inscribed radius of the protrusion-type unit pitch pattern that is formed together with the non-coated electrode tabs and/or the electrode lead is directly proportional to the number of the non-coated electrode tabs”. The current specification only states “the inscribed radius (rh) of the protrusion-type unit pitch pattern that is formed together with the non- coated electrode tabs and/or the electrode lead may be increased as the divided number of the non-coated electrode tabs is increased”. This is not the same as stating that radius and the number of non-coated electrode tabs are directly proportional.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Widhalm (8,651,163)
Regarding claim 1, Widhalm discloses an apparatus, comprising a sonotrode horn, each of the tabs extending from a respective one of the electrodes having a first same polarity, the sonotrode horn comprising: a vibration-applying plate 200; and a horn pattern region 201a-c having a protrusion-type unit pitch pattern disposed on the vibration-applying plate (figure 2a).
The limitation “for welding a secondary battery electrode assembly having a plurality of negative electrodes alternatingly interleaved with a plurality of positive electrodes in a vertical stack, with separators disposed between adjacent ones of the electrodes” is intended use and does not further limit the structure of the apparatus. With that being said, Wildham does disclose welding battery cell terminals 107, 109, 111 (column 3 lines 44-50).
The limitations “the apparatus being configured to weld a plurality of non-coated electrode tabs”, “the apparatus being configured to weld a plurality of non-coated electrode tabs using”, and “wherein a radius of curvature of a side surface of the protrusion-type unit pitch pattern disposed at an outer edge of the horn pattern region is directly proportional to a number of the non-coated electrode tabs” is dependent on the material worked upon and does not further limit the structure of the apparatus itself. Wildham does disclose that the protrusions have a radius of curvature; therefore; the claim limitation is met.
Regarding claim 2, the limitation “wherein, in the case in which the protrusion-type unit pitch pattern comes into contact with the non-coated electrode tabs and/or an electrode lead for welding, an inscribed radius of the protrusion-type unit pitch pattern that is formed together with the non-coated electrode tabs and/or the electrode lead is directly proportional to the number of the non-coated electrode tabs” is conditional and also dependent on the material worked upon. The claim does not further limit the structure of the apparatus.
Regarding claim 3, Wildham discloses wherein the protrusion-type unit pitch pattern is a hemispherical protruding pattern having a curvature formed at a side wall surface thereof (figures 2c, 3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIN B SAAD whose telephone number is (571)270-3634. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30a-6p.
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/ERIN B SAAD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735
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