Appeal No. 1997-3624
Application 08/398,522
respective positions of the appellants and the examiner
regarding the merits of this rejection.3
The Japanese reference discloses a battery comprising a
positive electrode terminal 14, a cutting edge 14b projecting
from the underside of the terminal, a diaphragm 22, a current
breaker 24a and blade-form rings 28 having cutting edges 28a,
these elements being arranged as shown in the drawing figure.
This structure functions to prevent battery breakage caused by
undue increases in internal temperature and/or pressure. As
described in the reference,
when the gas pressure inside the battery rises, the
current breaker 24a is denatured to the positive
electrode terminal 14 side, its bulb-form outer
periphery is pushed against a cutting edge 28a and
cut off, and the continuity inside the battery is
cut off, so as to remove the cause of the
temperature rise. Furthermore, when the internal
pressure rises, the diaphragm 22 is also pushed
against the cutting edge 14a [sic, 14b] at the
positive electrode terminal 14 side to generate a
broken hole, so as to let the gas escape to the
3The inclusion of now canceled claim 17 in the statement of the rejection on
page 3 in the examiner’s answer is obviously the result of an inadvertent oversight.
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