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.
Claims 11-20 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.
Claims 11-19 depend from cancelled claim 10. The scope of claims 11-19 are indefinite and cannot be determined. For the purpose of examination, it will be assumed claims 11, 15 and 16 depend from claim 1.
Claims 15-19 include numerous instances of lack of antecedent basis due to now cancelled claim 10 previously providing the antecedent basis. In addition to resolving the claim dependency, antecedent basis needs to be provided for at least the following terms: “the second roller gap,” “the first dry electrode film,” “the second dry electrode film,” “the multi-roller calender.”
Claim 20, line 2 recites “the roller gap,” and it is unclear if “the roller gap” is referring to a roller gap of claim 1, line 6, or a roller gap of claim 20, line 2. Further clarification is required.
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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ozaki [JP3811122, of record, previously cited] in view Mitsuta [JP2013-26081, newly cited, machine translation provided].
Ozaki discloses a method for coating an electrically conductive film web (2) with an electrically conductive adhesive (3), comprising: providing an electrically conductive film web (2) and coating the film web (2) with an electrically conductive adhesive (3) (Figure 2; paragraph 0028, 0030).
Ozaki discloses after coating the conductive film web (2) with the adhesive (3) a sheet-like electrode (5) is bonded to the web (2) (paragraph 0028). Ozaki discloses a sheet-like electrode (5) is bonded twice to each side of the web (2), which implies the adhesive (3) is on each side of the web (paragraph 0028). Ozaki discloses the adhesive (3) is transferred to the web (2) by an application roll/gravure roll (4) where electrically conductive adhesive is transferred from the surface of a first roller to a first side of the web (paragraph 0035). Ozaki does not disclose a roller gap between first and second rollers, and transferring the electrically conductive adhesive from the surface of the second roller to a second side of the web opposite the first side.
Mitsuta discloses a method for coating a continuous film web with an adhesive. Mitsuta discloses a double-sided gravure coating process (23) wherein a web (11) is guided though a roller gap between a first roller and a second roller, and transferring adhesive from a surface of a first roller to a first side of the web (11) and from a surface of the second roller to a second side of the web opposite the first side (Figure 5 and corresponding portion of machine translation). Mitsuta shows the simultaneous coating of both sides of a web by a single coating process.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the method of Ozaki by coating both sides of the of the web with a double-sided gravure coating process as taught by Mitsuta in order to improve the efficiency of the coating process by coating both sides in a single pass rather than two separate passes.
With respect to claim 2, Ozaki discloses the adhesive is provided as a liquid adhesive with a solvent which is volatile under normal conditions (paragraph 0029).
With respect to claim 3, Ozaki discloses drying the conductive adhesive after coating (paragraph 0019, 0029).
With respect to claim 4, Ozaki discloses coating carried out using gravure printing process (paragraph 0009).
With respect to claim 5, Ozaki discloses during coating the electrically conductive film web (2) to be coated is passed through a roller gap between a printing plate cylinder (4) and a counter-pressure cylinder (16) (Figure 2, paragraph 0035).
With respect to claim 6, Ozaki discloses the electrically conductive adhesive coated on the electrically conductive film web is cured, preferably dried and/or tempered and/or crosslinked after coating (paragraph 0019, 0029).
With respect to claim 7, Ozaki discloses the film web is supplied directly to a calendaring unit (Figure 2; paragraph 0024).
With respect to claim 8, Ozaki discloses tempering the electrically conductive adhesive (paragraph 0022).
With respect to claim 9, Ozaki discloses the electrically conductive adhesive for coating is introduced into a plurality of cells of a printing plate cylinder (paragraph 0009).
Claims 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ozaki, Mitsuta and further in view of Bogenstahl et al. [US2020/0227722, of record, previously cited].
Ozaki as modified discloses a method for coating. Applicant is referred to paragraph 5 for a detailed discussion of Ozaki as modified. Ozaki discloses an electrode sheet is bonded to both sides of a foil web (paragraphs 0018, 0028). Ozaki discloses an electrode supply (6), a first roller gap between rollers (12, 13), and bonding the electrode (5) to the web (2) in the gap between rollers (12, 13) (Figure 2). Ozaki does not disclose a dry electrode material.
Bogenstahl discloses a method of manufacturing dry electrode. Bogenstahl discloses an electrically conductive film web (610) can be coated with an adhesive (paragraph 0030) and is then supplied to a first roller gap (between rollers 605 and 606) of a multi-roller calendar, the first roller gap receiving the film web (610) and laminating it onto a first dry electrode film (620) and a second dry electrode film (621) to form a double-sided dry electrode (Figure 6; paragraph 0038). Bogenstahl discloses providing a first dry electrode material (from hopper 602) with a first supply system (602) for dry electrode material, b. forming a first roller gap between a first and a second calender roller (604, 605); c. calendering a first dry electrode film (620) made of the first dry electrode material in the first roller gap (Figure 6, paragraph 0038).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the method of Ozaki by providing the electrode material as a dry electrode material as taught by Bogenstahl in order to conveniently and efficiently form a doubled sided dry electrode.
With respect to claim 12, Bogenstahl discloses forming a second roller gap between a third calender roller (606) and a further calender roller (605), wherein the first dry electrode film (620) is transferred into the second roller gap after leaving the first roller gap, wherein the further calender roller (605) is preferably the second calender roller (605) (Figure 6; paragraph 0038).
With respect to claim 13, Bogenstahl discloses the third calender roller (606) is operated at a rotational speed which is greater than a rotational speed of the further calender roller (605) (paragraph 0038).
With respect to claim 14, Bogenstahl discloses forming a third roller gap between a fourth calender roller (607) and yet another calender roller (606), b. receiving the second dry electrode material (622) from a second dry electrode material supply system (603) in the third roller gap, and c. forming a second dry electrode film (621) in the third roller gap (Figure 6; paragraph 0038).
With respect to claim 15, Bogenstahl discloses introducing the coated conductive film web (610) into the second roller gap, wherein the coated conductive film web (610) is laminated with the first dry electrode film (620) and the second dry electrode film (621), thereby obtaining a double-sided dry electrode (110) (paragraph 0038).
With respect to claim 16, Ozaki discloses laminating directly after coating (Figure 2), and Bogenstahl discloses the coated conductive film web (610) is introduced into the second roller gap (611) immediately after coating (precoated adhesive), wherein the film web (610) is introduced into the second roller gap (611) either after complete drying and/or curing or at least before complete drying and/or curing (Figure 6).
With respect to claim 17, Bogenstahl discloses the coating of the film web (610) is carried out in-situ with supplying of the electrically conductive film web (610) to the second roller gap of the multi-roller calender (paragraph 0030).
With respect to claim 18, Ozaki discloses the coated conductive film web dried after being introduced into the second roller gap (Figure 2; paragraph 0019, 0029).
With respect to claim 19, Ozaki discloses the film web is heated for drying (Figure 2; paragraph 0019, 0029).
With respect to claim 20, Ozaki discloses an electrode sheet is bonded to both sides of a foil web (paragraphs 0018, 0028). Ozaki discloses an electrode supply (6), a first roller gap between rollers (12, 13), and bonding the electrode (5) to the web (2) in the gap between rollers (12, 13) (Figure 2). Ozaki does not disclose first and second dry electrode films applied in a roller gap of a multi-roller calender. Bogenstahl discloses a method of manufacturing dry electrode. Bogenstahl discloses an electrically conductive film web (610) can be coated with an adhesive (paragraph 0030) and is then supplied to a first roller gap (between rollers 605 and 606) of a multi-roller calendar, the first roller gap receiving the film web (610) and laminating it onto a first dry electrode film (620) and a second dry electrode film (621) to form a double-sided dry electrode (Figure 6; paragraph 0038). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the method of Ozaki by providing the electrode material as a dry electrode material as taught by Bogenstahl in order to conveniently and efficiently form a doubled sided dry electrode.
Claims 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ozaki, Mitsuta and further in view of Chen [US2004/0099388, newly cited].
Ozaki as modified discloses a method for coating. Applicant is referred to paragraph 5 for a detailed discussion of Ozaki as modified. Ozaki discloses the first roller comprises a first printing roller. Ozaki does not disclose the roller configuration including a first applicator roller wherein the first applicator roller receives adhesive from a doctor blade, the adhesive is provided to the first doctor blade via a first supply line, and the excess adhesive is removed from the applicator roller via the doctor blade.
Chen discloses a method of coating a continuous web using a printing roller (24), applicator roller (29), doctor blades (72’) and adhesive supply (70’). Chen discloses providing the adhesive (30) to the first printing roller (24) via a first applicator roller (29), wherein the first applicator roller receives the adhesive from a first doctor blade (leading 72’), wherein the adhesive is provided to the first doctor blade via a first supply line (70’), and wherein excess adhesive is removed from the first applicator roller via the first doctor blade (trailing 72’) (Figure 3; paragraphs 0118-0121).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the method of Ozaki by using the coating roller and supply arrangement as taught by Chen in order to efficiently place a particular thickness and viscosity of adhesive to the web, and as Chen discloses various embodiments that are substitutable alternatives and it is within the ability of one of ordinary skill to substitute known alternatives to achieve a predictable result.
With respect to claim 22, Mitsuta and Chen each disclose dual coating arrangements where symmetrical coating arrangements are provided on each side of the web. As discussed above, Chen discloses the arrangement includes a printing roller (24), applicator roller (29), doctor blades (72’) and adhesive supply (70’) in the configuration disclosed in the claim.
With respect to claim 23, Chen discloses the first applicator roller and second applicator roller comprise an anilox roller (paragraph 0109).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 8/25/2026, with respect to the rejections under 35 USC 112 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, the amendments to the claims raise new issues that require new grounds of rejection under 35 USC 112.
Applicant’s arguments, filed 8/25/205, with respect to the rejections under 35 USC 102 and 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of newly cited prior art to address the newly added claim features.
Applicant asserts the previously cited prior art does not disclose the coating step as amended. Previously cited Ozaki disclosed adhesive could be applied to both sides of a web, the Figures showed a single side coating arrangement, and Ozaki implied the process was repeated to coat the second side of the web. Newly cited Mitsuta discloses a process with a dual coating arrangement that allows for the simultaneous coating of both sides of a web. Mitsuta discloses the coating step with the arrangement of the roller gap, and rollers as required by the claim.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL MCNALLY whose telephone number is (571)272-2685. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/DANIEL MCNALLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1746
DPM
October 9, 2026
