Patent ID: 7875383

Claim:
A secondary battery comprising: an electrode assembly having a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator; a pouch case made of a flexible material having a metal layer of which surfaces are coated by a polymer material, the pouch case comprising a container accommodating the electrode assembly, and sealing portions formed along edges of the container and consisting of opposing layers of the polymer material, the sealing portions comprising a first sealing portion through which electrode tabs of the electrode assembly extend from the pouch case, and a second sealing portion and a third sealing portion positioned at opposite sides of the first sealing portion, the second and third sealing portions being folded only once toward the container so as to be disposed along only corresponding sides of the container; cut portions formed by cutting a corner between the first sealing portion and the second sealing portion and a corner between the first sealing portion and the third sealing portion; further comprising auxiliary cut portions at corners of the respective second and third sealing portions at a side opposite to the first sealing portion; and a protective circuit module connected to the electrode tabs and mounted on an outer surface of the first sealing portion, the protective circuit module having at least a surface onto which a circuit is printed and at least an electronic part, wherein the cut portions do not electrically contact the surface or the electronic part of the protective circuit module, wherein a minimum distance between each cut portion and the container is set such that at least one of the cut portions is a safety valve, and breaks apart the opposing layers of the polymer material, to release an internal pressure through the safety valve, when an internal pressure of the container is between about 4 and 8 atmospheres.