Application No. 17/441,235
`Reply to Office Action of March 26, 2024
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`Docket No.: 0837 10-3607
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`Introduction
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`REMARKS
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`After entry of the foregoing amendments, claims 1-19 are pending in this application, of
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`which claims 1 and 9 are independent. By this response, claims 1 and 3 are amended and claims
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`9-19 are newly added. These amendments are made without prejudice or disclaimer of subject
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`matter and without conceding the correctness of any rejections, and Applicant respectfully reserves
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`the right to pursue the original, previously presented, or cancelled subject matter in this application
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`or continuing applications. All amendments made to the claims are fully supported by the
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`specification as originally filed. Hence, no new matter has been introduced.
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`Entry of various comments regarding the claims and/orthe art, in the Office Action, should
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`not be construed as any acquiescence or agreement by Applicant with the stated reasoning,
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`regardless of whether or not these remarks specifically address any particular commentfrom the
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`Office Action.
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`Reconsideration of this application for allowance of all pending claims is hereby
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`respectfully requested in view of the amendmentsto the claims and following remarks.
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`Claim Rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 102
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`1. Claims 1 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102 as being anticipated by US.
`Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0207125 (“Kishimoto”).
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`2. Claims 2-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over
`Kishimoto,
`in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0104694
`(“Okuda”).
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`At a minimum,noneofthe cited references disclose or suggest that an end portion of the
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`belt-shaped current collecting tab close to the electrode assembly extendsin the first direction, as
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`recited by claim 1.
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`In the rejection of original claim 3, the Examinerasserted that Kishimoto discloses the use
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`of spacers 400 and 500 to control the swaying of the current collector.
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`However, the spacers 400 and 500 disclosed in Kishimoto regulate the current collector,
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`not the current collector tabs extending from the electrode body (assembly).
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`In addition, the
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`direction to be restricted in Kishimotois the direction in which the electrode body (assembly) and
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`current collector overlap (Y direction, orthogonal to the first direction), and 1s not the first direction
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`Application No. 17/441,235
`Reply to Office Action of March 26, 2024
`
`Docket No.: 0837 10-3607
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`(X direction) as in the claim 1 of this application. More specifically, in Fig. 12 of Kishimoto, the
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`spacer 400 is closest to the current collector in the Y direction, overlapping the currentcollector.
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`Assuch, Kishimotofails to disclose the aforementioned features of claim 1.
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`In addition, there is no mention in any of the above examplesthat the current collector tabs
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`are subjected to physical stress due to shaking in the first direction. The shape of the current-
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`collecting structure and electrode body of the battery of Okuda and the shape of the current-
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`collecting structure and electrode body of the battery of Kishimoto are very different. Therefore,
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`it would be very difficult to combine Kishimoto's battery with Okuda's battery.
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`In light of the above, even a person skilled in the art has no motivation to regulate the
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`swinging of the electrode body in the first direction based on the contents of the cited references,
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`because the issue is the generation of stress to the current collecting tab whose end extends on the
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`electrode assembly in the first direction due to the swinging of the electrode assembly in thefirst
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`direction. Even if there were, it is thought that it would be regulation of swaying in thefirst
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`direction and anotherdirection.
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`Based on the foregoing, the applied combination of the cited references, alone or in
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`combination, fails to disclose or suggest each and every feature of amended independent claim 1,
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`which is believed to be in condition for allowance. The dependent claims depend from their
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`respective base claims and addfurtherlimitations thereto. Reconsideration and withdrawal of the
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`rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 102 and 35 U.S.C. § 103 are therefore respectfully requested.
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`New Claims
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`Applicant submits that, at a minimum, none of the cited references disclose that the
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`electrode assembly holderincludesa first holder unit comprising: a first plate part that has contact
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`with one of the pair of first surfaces; and a secondplate part that is disposed integrally with the
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`first plate part, is interposed between the terminal arrangement part and the electrode assembly,
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`and is fixed to the terminal arrangementpart, as recited by claim 9.
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`In the rejection of claim 2, the Examinerasserted that item 31 of Okuda correspondsto the
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`claimed secondholderpart.
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`However, the item 31 of Okuda is disposed between two output terminals and there is no
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`reason to connect (integrally disposed) with the alleged first holder part of Kishimoto. Even if
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`Application No. 17/441,235
`Reply to Office Action of March 26, 2024
`
`Docket No.: 0837 10-3607
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`Okuda was combined with Kishimoto, the resultant holder would have three separate parts, and
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`thus different from the claimed structure.
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`Thus, claim 9 is patentably distinguishable over the applied references.
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`Favorable
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`consideration of new claims 9-19 is respectfully solicited.
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`Conclusion
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`In view of the above amendments and remarks, Applicant submits that this application
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`should be allowed and the case passed to issue.
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`If there are any questions regarding this
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`Amendmentor the application in general, a telephonecall to the undersigned would be appreciated
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`to expedite the prosecution of the application.
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`To the extent necessary, a petition for an extension of time under 37 C.F.R. § 1.136 is
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`hereby made. Please charge any shortage in fees due in connection with the filing of this paper,
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`including extension of time fees, to Deposit Account 505992 and please credit any excess fees to
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`such deposit account.
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`RIMON,P.C.
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`/Takashi Saito/
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`Takashi Saito
`Registration No. 69,536
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`8300 Greensboro Dr., Suite 500
`McLean, VA 22102
`Phone: (571) 765-7717
`Date: July 17, 2024
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`Please recognize our Customer No. 53080 as
`our correspondence address.
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