Secondary battery with top sealed portion of improved structure

1. A secondary battery manufactured by mounting an electrode assembly having a cathode/separator/anode structure into a pouch-shaped battery case and thermally welding the electrode assembly to the battery case, wherein a pair of insulative films are attached to opposite major surfaces of each electrode lead, to which electrode taps of the electrode assembly are electrically connected, at regions contacting an upper thermally-welded portion (upper sealed portion) of the pouch-shaped battery case, the first insulative film among the pair of insulative films extends such that the lower end of the first insulative film supports a coupled region where the electrode taps are coupled to the electrode lead, and the overlapping length between the pair of insulative films is equal to or slightly greater than the height of the upper sealed portion; and

a protection circuit module electrically connected to the outside end of the electrode leads, protruding from the upper sealed portion of the battery case, the electrode lead being bent toward the upper sealed portion, while the protection circuit module is connected to the electrode lead, such that the protection circuit module is mounted on the upper sealed portion,

wherein the region where the electrode lead is bent is located above the upper sealed portion, and wherein only one of the pair of insulative films is attached to the region located above the upper sealed portion, corresponding to the bent region, in an asymmetrical fashion.

2. The secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode assembly is constructed in a stacking or stacking/folding type structure.

3. The secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the battery case is constructed in a pouch-shaped structure made of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer.

4. The secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the upper sealed portion is 2 to 2.5 mm.

5. The secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the bending of the electrode lead at the region located above the upper sealed portion is performed toward the upper sealed portion where the insulative film is attached.

6. A secondary battery manufactured by mounting an electrode assembly having a cathode/separator/anode structure into a pouch-shaped battery case and thermally welding the electrode assembly to the battery case, wherein a pair of insulative films are attached to opposite major surfaces of each electrode lead, to which electrode taps of the electrode assembly are electrically connected, at regions contacting an upper thermally-welded portion (upper sealed portion) of the pouch-shaped battery case, the first insulative film among the pair of insulative films extends such that the lower end of the first insulative film supports a coupled region where the electrode taps are coupled to the electrode lead, and the overlapping length between the pair of insulative films is equal to or slightly greater than the height of the upper sealed portion, wherein at least one of the pair of insulative films has a plurality of through-holes formed therein.

7. The secondary battery according to claim 6 , wherein the through-holes are formed in the insulative film placed at the region located above the upper sealed portion, corresponding to the bent region, when the electrode lead is bent to mount the protection circuit module.

8. The secondary battery according to claim 7 , wherein at least one of the pair of insulative films, having the plurality of through-holes formed at the position corresponding to the bent region, is attached to the electrode lead.