Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status1
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This action is in response to the documents received on September 29, 2025.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The following guidelines illustrate the preferred layout for the specification of a utility application. These guidelines are suggested for the applicant’s use.
Content of Specification
TITLE OF THE INVENTION: See 37 CFR 1.72(a) and MPEP § 606. The title of the invention should be placed at the top of the first page of the specification unless the title is provided in an application data sheet. The title of the invention should be brief but technically accurate and descriptive, preferably from two to seven words. It may not contain more than 500 characters.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS: See 37 CFR 1.78 and MPEP § 211 et seq.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT: See MPEP § 310.
THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT. See 37 CFR 1.71(g).
(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM: The specification is required to include an incorporation-by-reference of electronic documents that are to become part of the permanent United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the file of a patent application. See 37 CFR 1.77(b)(5) and MPEP § 608.05. See also the Legal Framework for Patent Electronic System posted on the USPTO website (https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2019LegalFrameworkPES.pdf) and MPEP § 502.05
(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR. See 35 U.S.C. 102(b) and 37 CFR 1.77.
(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(c). The specification should set forth the Background of the Invention in two parts:
(1) Field of the Invention: A statement of the field of art to which the invention pertains. This statement may include a paraphrasing of the applicable U.S. patent classification definitions of the subject matter of the claimed invention. This item may also be titled “Technical Field.”
(2) Description of the Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98: A description of the related art known to the applicant and including, if applicable, references to specific related art and problems involved in the prior art which are solved by the applicant’s invention. This item may also be titled “Background Art.”
(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(d). A brief summary or general statement of the invention as set forth in 37 CFR 1.73. The summary is separate and distinct from the abstract and is directed toward the invention rather than the disclosure as a whole. The summary may point out the advantages of the invention or how it solves problems previously existent in the prior art (and preferably indicated in the Background of the Invention). In chemical cases it should point out in general terms the utility of the invention. If possible, the nature and gist of the invention or the inventive concept should be set forth. Objects of the invention should be treated briefly and only to the extent that they contribute to an understanding of the invention.
(i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S): See MPEP § 608.01(f). A reference to and brief description of the drawing(s) as set forth in 37 CFR 1.74.
(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(g). A description of the preferred embodiment(s) of the invention as required in 37 CFR 1.71. The description should be as short and specific as is necessary to describe the invention adequately and accurately. Where elements or groups of elements, compounds, and processes, which are conventional and generally widely known in the field of the invention described, and their exact nature or type is not necessary for an understanding and use of the invention by a person skilled in the art, they should not be described in detail. However, where particularly complicated subject matter is involved or where the elements, compounds, or processes may not be commonly or widely known in the field, the specification should refer to another patent or readily available publication which adequately describes the subject matter.
(k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS: See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP § 608.01(m). The claim or claims must commence on a separate sheet or electronic page (37 CFR 1.52(b)(3)). Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements or steps, each element or step of the claim should be separated by a line indentation. There may be plural indentations to further segregate subcombinations or related steps. See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP 608.01(i) - (p).
(l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE: See 37 CFR 1.72 (b) and MPEP § 608.01(b). The abstract is a brief narrative of the disclosure as a whole, as concise as the disclosure permits, in a single paragraph preferably not exceeding 150 words, commencing on a separate sheet following the claims. In an international application which has entered the national stage (37 CFR 1.491(b)), the applicant need not submit an abstract commencing on a separate sheet if an abstract was published with the international application under PCT Article 21. The abstract that appears on the cover page of the pamphlet published by the International Bureau (IB) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the abstract that will be used by the USPTO. See MPEP § 1893.03(e).
(m) SEQUENCE LISTING: See 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825 and MPEP §§ 2421 - 2431. The requirement for a sequence listing applies to all sequences disclosed in a given application, whether the sequences are claimed or not. See MPEP § 2422.01.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: there is no “BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 8-14, 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JOYCREAT Technology (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHknHMj0hxU).
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Diagram I
In reference to claim 1, JOYCREAT discloses an apparatus comprising: a reel support (see Diagram I above) for a material web; a material web feed device (see Diagram I above); a movable (from 0:07-0:13) stacking table (see Diagram I above) configured such that a stack can be formed thereon; a wrapping apparatus (see Diagram II below) configured to move the stack at a wrapping position to wrap the stack with the material web; and a separating device (see Diagram II below).
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Diagram II
Regarding claim 8, as show in the 0:41 still frame of JOYCREAT, the apparatus further discloses a fixing device (see Diagram III below) configured to fix the material web trailer wrapped around the stack.
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Diagram III
With respect to claims 9-12 and 19, the method and apparatus of JOYCREAT further discloses a conveyor carriage/trailer holding apparatus (see Diagram II above) movable to the stacking position to mesh with the stacking table (from 0:14-0:18) and clamp the stack and material web, and further movable from the stacking position to the wrapping position to transfer the clamped stack and movable web from the stacking table and web feed device to the wrapping apparatus.
In reference to claim 13, Diagram II above discloses the apparatus of JOYCREAT the conveyor carriage movable such that the material web (trailer) runs over the empty stack table
Regarding claim 14, JOYCREAT discloses a method of wrapping energy cells comprising: forming a stack of segments (0:00-0:13) at a stacking position on a stacking table (see Diagram I above); moving the stack from the stacking position to a wrapping position while extracting a material web from a material web feed device to form a material web trailer (see Diagrams I-II above); wrapping (0:18- 0:32) the stack with the material web trailer utilizing a wrapping apparatus (see Diagram II above); and separating the material web trailer from the material web engaged with the material web feed device before further wrapping the stack (0:30-0:33).
With respect to claim 16, Diagram II above further discloses holding the material web with a trailer holding apparatus.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 2-4, 17, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JOYCREAT Technology (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHknHMj0hxU) in view of HSU et al. (US 9,004,480).
Regarding claim 2 and 4 JOYCREAT discloses a trailer holding apparatus (see Diagram II above) configured to hold a free end of the material web trailer and move the free end of the material web towards the wrapping apparatus. However, the trailer holding apparatus applies a clamping force to the free end rather than a negative pressure to the free end.
HSU teaches an apparatus comprising: a stacking table 29 configured to form a stack of folded web material (figure 5A); and a holding apparatus 25 configured to hold an end of the web material by means 26 of negative pressure (figure 2; column 3 lines 7-14). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the trailer holding apparatus of JOYCREAT to include means of negative pressure since column 4 lines 38-46 of HSU suggests such a modification would provide the holding apparatus of JOYCREAT with the means for effectively guiding the material web.
With respect to claims 3. 17. 18 and 20, JOYCREAT discloses a method and apparatus comprising: a stacking table configured to hold a stack of the material web thereon, but does not disclose the stacking table to include negative pressure/suction means as claimed. HSU teaches a method and apparatus comprising: providing a stacking table 25 configured to form a stack of folded web material (figure 3), wherein the stacking table comprises a suction surface (figure 4A) configured to hold the material web thereon by means 26 of negative pressure (column 3 lines 14-24). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the trailer holding apparatus of JOYCREAT to include means of negative pressure since column 1 lines 41-46 of HSU suggests such a modification would provide the stacking table of JOYCREAT with the means for effectively guiding the material web while the separation device engages the material web (0:29-0:32).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JOYCREAT Technology (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHknHMj0hxU) in view of KALLNER (US 5,445,053).
In reference to claim 5, Diagram III above of JOYCREAT discloses a separating device, but does not definitively disclose details of a surface of the separating device by which a free end and a trailing end of the material web are separated. KALLNER teaches an apparatus comprising: a support for a roll 16 of web material 14; a conveyor carriage 50 configured to move (figures 1-2) a free end of the web material 14 away from the support; and a separating device 80 having a hot wire 84. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the separating device of JOYCREAT to include a hot wire since column 5 lines 1-23 of KALLNER suggests that a hot wire is a known means for severing a free end of web material from a roll of web material in the art of packaging.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JOYCREAT Technology (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHknHMj0hxU) in view of GUZMAN et al. (US 6,962,033)
Regarding claim 6, Diagram III above of JOYCREAT discloses a separating device, but does not definitively disclose details of a surface of the separating device by which a free end and a trailing end of the material web are separated. GUZMAN et al. teaches an apparatus comprising: a support for a roll 34 of web material 32; a web material feed device 30 configured to convey the web material 32 form the roll 34; and a separating device 517 having a hot wire 520, hot knife or an ultrasonic cutter (column 2 lines 1-10). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the invention to have modified the separating device of JOYCREAT to include an ultrasonic cutter since column 2 lines 1-10 and figure 5 of GUZMAN et al. disclose that a hot wire, hot blade and ultrasonic welder are known as equivalents in the art of packaging for the purpose of severing a free a web material.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 15 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. Refer to the attached PTO-892 for a notice of references cited and recommended for consideration based on their disclosure of limitations related to stacking and wrapping method and devices. In particular, ROTTMANN et al. (US 5,147,273) and O’CONNOR (US 6,067,775) are drawn to methods and devices for zigzag folding a web of material; and, LEE et al. (US 11,101,489 is drawn to a method and apparatus of stacking an electrode product with a web of material zigzagged between each electrode product of the stack.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GLORIA R WEEKS whose telephone number is (571)272-4473. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-2pm & 5pm-7pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shelley Self can be reached at 571-272-4524. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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//GLORIA R WEEKS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
August 21, 2026
