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 without traverse of group I, claims 1-10, in the reply filed on 19 June 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 11-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention(s), there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 19 June 2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING ELECTRODE SHEETS
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)(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, 4-6, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mimura et al. (US 11,909,027 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Mimura discloses an apparatus for manufacturing electrode including rollers (title/abstract) equated with the claimed electronic device comprising:
a transfer roll 12, equated with the claimed first roller;
a supply roll 11, equated with the claimed second roller, arranged to face the first roller (FIG. 1); and
a drive unit that rotates the first roller at a first speed and rotates the second roller at a second speed different from the first speed so that a mixture fed between the first roller and the second roller is formed into a film (4:64-5:5, 6:14+).
Regarding claim 4, Mimura discloses partition walls 15, equated with a mixture input unit, configured to feed the mixture 22; and
a backup roll 13, equated with the current collector input unit, configured to feed a current collector 21 after the mixture has been input (FIG. 1; 6:14+, 7:65+).
Regarding claim 5, Mimura discloses a sensor 33 configured to measure a thickness of material adhered to the transfer roll 12, equated with sensing a degree to which the filmed mixture surrounds an outer circumferential surface of the first roller (FIG. 1; 7:49+).
Regarding claim 6, Mimura discloses the sensor is capable of sensing that the filmed mixture surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the first roller by a preset range or greater, the current collector input unit injects the current collector (FIG. 1; 7:49+).
Regarding claim 8, Mimura discloses the first roller and the second roller are configured to rotate in opposite directions (FIG. 1).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 2-3, 7, and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mimura et al. (US 11,909,027 B2) as applied to claim 1 or 4 above, further in view of Althues et al. (US 11,990,599 B2).
Regarding claim 2-3 and 7, Mimura does not appear to expressly disclose the ratio between the supply and transfer rolls, although said ratio is controlled (10:52+).
However, Althues discloses a similar device for forming dry films with counter rotating rollers (title/abstract) wherein the speed ratio between the first roller 2a and the second roller 2b is in the range of 10:9 to 10:1 (2:7-15), which overlaps the claimed range (MPEP § 2144.05).
At the time of invention, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the speed ratio of Mimura to include the ratios of Althues, because such ratios would produce desired shearing force and fibrillation to create a desired periodicity and/or corrugated structure to the resulting film.
Regarding claim 9-10, Althues discloses roll temperatures of 80-120°C (2:24-30) which overlaps the claimed range (MPEP § 2144.05).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
LEE; Junsub et al.
US 20260131369 A1
JI; Yeong Jun et al.
US 20250357462 A1
Isshiki; Yasuhiro et al.
US 20140342225 A1
Lee; Su-Min et al.
US 11502283 B2
Jain; Ritika et al.
US 20260200195 A1
KWON; Min Chan
US 20250303432 A1
Mimura; Tetsuya et al.
US 12218336 B2
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Benjamin A Schiffman whose telephone number is (571)270-7626. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9a-530p EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christina Johnson can be reached at (571)272-1176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BENJAMIN A SCHIFFMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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