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
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.
Claims 1, 4, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Althues et al. US 2021/0320288 (hereinafter “Althues”, cited in an IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Althues discloses, with reference to FIG. 1)a conveyer apparatus for a compound sheet, comprising:
a first roll (2b) and a second roll (2a) that convey a compound sheet obtained by molding a dry electrode compound into a sheet shape, by sandwiching the compound sheet between the first roll and the second roll and rotating,
wherein a first circumferential surface of the first roll has a first surface roughness (refer to paragraph [0015]),
wherein a second circumferential surface of the second roll has a second surface roughness greater than the first surface roughness (refer to paragraph [0015]), and
wherein the second roll is disposed further downstream in a conveying direction of the compound sheet than the first roll, and the compound sheet passing through a gap between the first roll and the second roll is supported and conveyed by the second circumferential surface (refer to FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 4, wherein the first roll rotates at a first circumferential speed, and
wherein the second roll rotates at a second circumferential speed equal to or faster than the first circumferential speed (refer to [0009]-[0012]).
Regarding claim 5, wherein the second roll has a second diameter equal to or greater than the first diameter (refer to [0013]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUIS A GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-3094. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael McCullough can be reached at 571-272-7805. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LUIS A GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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