Patent ID: 7700221

Claim:
An electrode assembly comprising: a negative electrode collector having a negative collector first surface and a negative collector second surface opposite the negative collector first surface and extending between a negative electrode collector first end and a negative electrode collector second end, the negative electrode collector including a negative electrode conductive tab adjacent to the negative electrode collector first end and a negative electrode active material coated on the negative collector first surface spaced from the negative electrode conductive tab, wherein the negative collector first surface and the negative collector second surface each have a plurality of regions and a plurality of folding lines, each of the plurality of folding lines between adjacent regions of the plurality of regions, wherein a number of the plurality of folding lines is one less than a number of the plurality of regions and wherein the negative electrode active materials are coated on all but a first two regions and a last region of the plurality of regions of the negative collector first surface and coated on all but a first region of the plurality of regions of the negative collector second surface; and a positive electrode collector having a positive collector first surface and a positive collector second surface opposite the positive collector first surface and extending between a positive electrode collector first end and a positive electrode collector second end, the positive electrode collector including a positive electrode conductive tab adjacent to the positive electrode collector first end wherein the positive electrode collector sequentially includes, in a direction from the positive electrode collector first end to the positive electrode collector second end, (1) a region in which both the positive collector first surface and the positive collector second surface are uncoated, (2) a region in which only the positive collector second surface is coated by a positive electrode active material, and (3) a region in which both the positive collector first surface and the positive collector second surface are coated by the positive electrode active material, wherein the positive electrode collector and the negative electrode collector are wound together from their respective first ends to their respective second ends.