Patent ID: 7527892

Claim:
A nonaqueous electrolyte battery comprising: a battery can having a top end and a bottom end; a battery cover; an insulating plate disposed in said battery can adjacent said bottom end; and a spiral coil formed by, through a separator, winding a positive electrode which incorporates an elongated positive-electrode collector having two sides on each of which an active material for the positive electrode has been formed and a negative electrode which incorporates an elongated negative-electrode collector having two sides on each of which an active material for the negative electrode has been formed, wherein, the negative electrode of the spiral coil is positioned outer than the positive electrode, said positive electrode has a lengthwise directional end and each side of the two sides of the positive-electrode collector adjacent the lengthwise directional end of the positive electrode is exposed forming a positive-electrode-collector exposed portion, a length of the positive-electrode-collector exposed portion is greater than or equal to πd, where d is an outer diameter of said spiral coil, said negative electrode has a lengthwise directional end and each side of the two sides of the negative-electrode collector adjacent the lengthwise directional end of the negative electrode is exposed forming a negative-electrode-collector exposed portion, the negative-electrode-collector exposed portion covers the positive-electrode-collector exposed portion, a length of the negative-electrode-collector exposed portion is greater than or equal to πd, said positive-electrode-collector exposed portion and said negative-electrode-collector exposed portion cover said coil one or more times through said separator, an outermost portion of the spiral coil including the positive-electrode-collector exposed portion and the negative-electrode-collector exposed portion is formed into the separator, and said battery cover is coupled to said top end of said battery can; and wherein the positive-electrode-collector exposed portion does not engage with the positive-electrode-collector anywhere along an entire length of the positive-electrode-collector exposed portion and the negative-electrode-collector exposed portion.