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.
Claims 1-6, 8-10 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO2022/014753 to Kim et al.
Regarding claim 1, Kim et al disclose a cell stack manufacturing device (see Fig. 4) for secondary batteries, the device comprising: a separator supply unit (20) that supplies a separator (4); a tension adjustment unit (100/110) that adjusts a tension of the separator moved from the separator supply unit (20); and a stack stacking unit (40) disposed below the tension adjustment unit (100/110), wherein the tension adjustment unit comprises: a feeder roll provided as a pair of feeder rolls (90); a feeder roll drive unit (not shown, see Par. 99) that rotates the pair of feeder rolls; and a guide roller (50) arranged between the pair of feeder rolls (100/110) and the stack stacking unit, the feeder roll drive unit rotates the feeder roll (90) at a preset speed to adjust the tension of the separator, the separator passes through between the pair of feeder rolls and moves to the guide roller, and the guide roller moves in a state of being arranged on the stack stacking unit to cover an electrode plate (2/3) arranged on the stack stacking unit (40, see Fig. 5-11).
Regarding claims 2-3, Kim et al disclose the separator supply unit comprises: a separator unwinder around which the separator is wound; a plurality of separator drive rollers (30 and one not label after roller 100, etc.) that guide a separator unwound from the separator unwinder to the tension adjustment unit; and a dancer unit (100 having dancer rolls, see Par 132) disposed between the separator unwinder and the tension adjustment unit (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claims 4-6, Kim et al disclose the first support member moves or
rotates around one side of the first support member (not label, where the dancer rolls attached to) as a central axis the second support member moves or rotates around one side of the second support member as a central axis and the first support member and the second support member are rotatable while moving (swinging as shown in Fig. 4).
Regarding claims 8-9, Kim et al disclose a pair of the guide rollers are provided to guide the separator that has passed through between the pair of feeder rolls so as to cover electrode plates sequentially stacked on the stack stacking unit and the pair of guide rollers reciprocally move from a leftmost position to a rightmost position, and from the rightmost position to the leftmost position.
Regarding claim 10, Kim et al disclose the pair of guide rollers (50) reciprocally
move a distance from the leftmost position to the rightmost position, which are divided into sections A, B, and C (see Fig. 5).
Regarding claims 15-17, Kim et al disclose the stack stacking unit (40) comprises: a cell stack in which a plurality of electrode plates (2/3) is respectively stacked with the separator interposed (4) therebetween; and a stack table on which the cell stack is disposed, and wherein the stack table moves in a downward and upward directions when one electrode plate is covered with the separator (see Figs. 5-11).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-14 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.
Claims 18-24 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: prior art fails to teach or suggest the guide rolls moves in the paths as claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior art cited for their general teachings of controlling the tension of a strip/ribbon/web and stacking/folding it at the end.
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/DN/ /DONGHAI D NGUYEN/February 21, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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