Patent ID: 8889286

Claim:
An electrode assembly of a secondary battery, the electrode assembly comprising: a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator between the first and second electrode plates, the first electrode plate including a first electrode collector and a first electrode tab coupled thereto, and the second electrode plate including a second electrode collector and a second electrode tab coupled thereto; and a protective member covering an end of at least one of the first and second electrode tabs, the end overlapping a non-coating portion of a respective one of the first and second electrode plates, wherein a portion of the at least one of the first and second electrode tabs covered by the protective member and facing the electrode collector of the respective one of the first and second electrode plates is exposed from the protective member and is coupled to the non-coating portion of the respective one of the first and second electrode plates, and a portion of the at least one of the first and second electrode tabs overlapping the non-coating portion of the respective one of the first and second electrode plates and facing the electrode collector of the other one of the first and second electrode dates is exposed from the protective member, and wherein, at the end of the at least one of the first and second electrode tabs, the protective member surrounds an edge of a surface of the at least one of the first and second electrode tabs that is facing the electrode collector of the respective one of the first and second electrode plates.