Invented by BYUN; Inseop, LEE; Jeawoan

Patents can be hard to read, but they often hide new ideas that can change entire industries. One recent patent application describes a new type of battery with a special case design, promising better energy storage and safety. Let’s break it down so you can see why it matters.

Background and Market Context

Batteries are everywhere. They power your phone, your laptop, your car, and even your home if you use solar panels. As our world moves toward clean energy and electric vehicles, batteries have become more important than ever. The push is on for batteries that can last longer, stay safe, and pack more power into a small space.

Rechargeable batteries, called secondary batteries, are used in lots of devices, from small gadgets like cameras and smartwatches to big things like cars and home power storage systems. For electric cars and home batteries, it is especially important to squeeze as much energy as possible into every cell. This is called “energy density.” Higher energy density means you can drive farther on a charge, or your phone lasts longer between charges.

But there’s a problem. As batteries get used over and over, they sometimes start to swell or puff up. This can be dangerous and can damage the device they are in. Battery makers have tried many ways to stop or control this swelling, but it is still a big challenge, especially as energy density keeps climbing.

Right now, battery cases are often made from metals like aluminum or steel. Some have simple shapes, and others are more complex. A common design uses a “cup” shape, with a bottom, sides, and an open top, which is then sealed with a cover. This is true for many types of batteries, from small cells in electronics to big cells in electric cars.

As battery design has improved, manufacturers have focused on making cases thinner and lighter while still holding everything tightly inside. They also want to keep the battery safe if it swells. Most older designs put the extra space for swelling in places that don’t really help, like the sides, instead of where swelling really happens — usually in the thickness direction of the battery.

This new patent application looks at these problems head-on. It aims to use the extra space outside the battery in a smarter way, so when the battery swells, it doesn’t break the case or cause leaks. The goal is to use the space more wisely, which helps make batteries safer and lets them store more energy without getting bigger on the outside.

If this idea works, it could mean better batteries for everything from electric cars to portable electronics. It could help companies build products that last longer, are safer, and use energy more efficiently — all things that customers want and that help the planet, too.

Scientific Rationale and Prior Art

To understand why this patent is special, we need to look at how batteries are built and what problems exist with current designs.

A basic rechargeable battery has three main parts: the electrodes (where energy is stored), a separator (to keep things from touching that shouldn’t), and a case (to hold it all together and keep things safe). The electrodes are usually stacked or wound together, then put inside a metal case. The case is sealed up, sometimes with welding, to keep the chemicals inside.

Over time, as batteries charge and discharge, tiny chemical changes can make the battery swell a little. In some designs, this swelling pushes out on the case. If the case is not strong, or if there isn’t enough room for this swelling, the case can crack or the seals can fail. That’s why some batteries leave a little “surplus space” — extra room inside or just outside the case to soak up this swelling.

Most traditional battery cases are made by joining a body (the main cup) with a cover (a lid that closes the open end). Sometimes, a “flange” is formed at the joint — basically a ridge or lip where the two parts meet. In many old designs, this flange sticks out sideways, making the battery a little wider but not really helping with swelling in the direction where it actually occurs.

Prior battery patents have tried to address this, but most put surplus space in the width direction. So when swelling happens in the thickness direction, there’s not enough extra room where it’s needed. This can lower the energy density, as you have to make the overall battery bigger just to give the swelling somewhere to go. In other words, you waste space, and the battery isn’t as efficient.

Other designs have tried to use flexible or expandable cases. Some use polymers or other materials that can stretch, but these can be less safe, less durable, or more expensive than metal cases. Metal cases are still popular, especially for large batteries in cars or home storage, because they are strong and long-lasting.

Some recent patents have looked into special shapes for the flange or the way the case is joined, trying to better manage swelling. But many still don’t align the surplus space with the real direction of swelling. That means there’s still room for improvement.

What this new patent does differently is to take the surplus space and put it exactly where it’s needed — in the thickness direction. By doing so, it lets the battery swell into this space, instead of pushing outwards where there’s no room. This reduces stress on the case and helps keep the battery safe and working longer. It also means you don’t have to make the whole battery bigger just to handle swelling, so energy density stays high.

The idea builds on the strengths of current metal cup/can designs but arranges the parts in a new way. The patent also talks about how the electrodes are stacked or wound, so the swelling matches up with the surplus space, making everything work better together.

In summary, the scientific idea here is to match the direction of swelling with the location of the surplus space, using a smart flange design. This is a clever twist on how battery cases have been built before and could make a big difference in real-world use.

Invention Description and Key Innovations

Now, let’s look in detail at what the patent is claiming. The battery uses two main parts: a body cup and a cover cup. Each has a “reference wall” (the bottom of the cup) and a sidewall. The body cup holds the electrodes, and the cover cup fits inside the body cup to close it up.

When the cover cup goes into the body cup, the sidewalls overlap. A special joint is made where they meet — this is called the flange. But unlike old designs, this flange goes in the same direction as the sidewalls: perpendicular to the bottom walls of the cups. In simple words, if you think of the battery lying flat, the flange sticks up in the thickness direction, not out to the sides.

Here’s why that matters: when the battery swells as it ages, it swells in the thickness direction. Because the flange and the surplus space are in this same direction, the battery can safely swell into this extra space. The cover cup’s wall can flex or move a little, shrinking the surplus space, so the battery doesn’t burst or leak. This means you don’t have to make the battery wider or taller just to give the swelling somewhere to go. You can keep the outside size small, but still handle swelling safely.

The invention also covers different ways to build the electrodes inside. They can be stacked up in layers, or they can be wound up like a jelly roll. Both methods work with this case design, as long as the swelling matches the direction of the surplus space. The design is flexible, so it can be used for many shapes and sizes of batteries.

Another important point is the materials. The patent says you can use strong metals like stainless steel for the cups. This keeps the battery tough and safe, which is important for cars and home storage where batteries have to last for years and may face rough use.

The way the case is joined is also special. The patent talks about welding, soldering, or other joining methods to make the flange. This joint is strong and can handle the swelling while keeping the battery sealed up tight.

The patent also describes how to make the battery. You put the electrodes in the body cup, insert the cover cup, join the sidewalls to make the flange, and then trim the joint if needed. This is not too different from current manufacturing, so it should be easy for battery makers to adopt.

Finally, the patent claims that this design leads to higher energy density. Because you don’t waste space in the wrong direction, you can put more active material (the stuff that stores energy) in the same outside size. This means longer battery life, more power, and better performance for the same size and weight.

In summary, the key innovation is using a flange and surplus space in the thickness direction, matching where swelling actually happens. The design is strong, safe, and easy to make, and it can be used for many types of batteries. This could help make better batteries for everything from phones to electric cars.

Conclusion

This patent application introduces a new way to build safer, longer-lasting, and more powerful batteries. By putting the surplus space for swelling in the right place — the thickness direction — it lets the battery swell safely without wasting space. This design uses strong metal cases and proven building methods, so it can be used in many settings, from tiny electronics to big electric vehicles.

If this idea makes it to the market, we could see batteries that are smaller, safer, and last longer, helping drive the future of clean energy and electric transportation. For makers of batteries, this invention offers a smart and actionable path to boost energy density and safety without huge changes to their factories. For everyone who uses batteries, it means better devices and a greener planet.

Click here https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/ and search 20250337003.