Patents Assigned to Tokai Corporation
  • Patent number: 6939128
    Abstract: An ignition operation mechanism for slide type lighters that is capable of preventing accidental ignition or ignition due to erroneous use or the like while maintaining good operability, wherein pivots 22a, 22a for an operating cap 20 are made substantially circular in cross section and so sized as to form a vertically movable clearance as they are locked to a support section in the lighter main body, the pivots 22a, 22a for the operating cap 20 are normally urged to be positioned in the upper region of the interior of a support section by the spring force of a return spring for a piezoelectric mechanism 4, the operating cap 20 is slid until a lever member 21 strikes the lighter main body 1 and no longer moves in the slide direction, from which state (a), the operating cap is pressed downward, whereby the pivots 22a, 22a move downward (b) within the support section, whereupon pressing levers 23, 23 reach the operation stroke that overcomes the piezoelectric mechanism 4, producing a discharge voltage to enable
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Suzuki, Tetsuya Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20050175947
    Abstract: A filter structure for an ignitor is provided, in which a flame length is kept uniform by ensuring constant gas permeability and ease of assembly of the filter is achieved. When causing ejection and combustion of fuel gas, which is contained in a tank chamber (24), out of a discharge nozzle (3) via a filter (71) which serves to keep the gas passage rate flowing therethrough constant and a valve mechanism (4) for starting and stopping feeding of the gas, the filter (71) is made of a membrane film (71a), which has pores and serves to keep the passage rate of the gas flowing therethrough constant; and a permeable porous body (71b) placed on the membrane film. A filter component (7) for affixing the filter (71) to the holder (72) is assembled on the upstream side of the valve mechanism (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Applicant: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Ichikawa, Yuzo Ochiai, Hiroyuki Honma
  • Patent number: 6837703
    Abstract: A construction for an igniter is provided that enables prevention of accidental ignition without the provision of a separate lock member. An igniter includes an igniter main body (2); an expulsion nozzle for expelling gas; a gas tank (6) for storing fuel; a valve mechanism (8) for opening and closing a gas channel between the gas tank and the expulsion nozzle; an ignition device (15) for generating an ignition discharge voltage; and an operating member (20) for performing the ignition operation. At least one of the valve mechanism (8) and the ignition device (15) are provided so as to be movable in the direction that the operating member (20) is pressed, accompanying a pressing operation of the operating member (20). Ignition is enabled by blocking the movement of the movable member from among the valve mechanism (8) and the ignition device (15) during the pressing operation of the operating member (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Masaki Saito
  • Publication number: 20040231733
    Abstract: A main valve reduces an unregulated pressure of a high-pressure gas to a regulated pressure by being interlocked with a diaphragm, which receives the regulated pressure within a pressure regulating chamber and is displaced. A subsidiary valve is interlocked with the main valve through a plunger and reduces the unregulated pressure of the high-pressure gas to the regulated pressure. The subsidiary valve is located such that the force, which accompanies a pressure loss occurring at the subsidiary valve and which the subsidiary valve receives, cancels the force, which accompanies the pressure loss occurring at the main valve and acts upon the plunger. An adjustor adjusts a pressure loss value occurring at the subsidiary valve so as to be equal to the pressure loss value occurring at the main valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2004
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Applicant: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6786715
    Abstract: A gas lighter in which the lighter is locked not to be accidentally ignited by preventing rotation of the side wheel and the lock can be released by an action which can be included in a series of the igniting actions of operating the side wheel to rotate the file wheel to generate a spark and depressing the actuator lever to eject the fuel gas so that even a large-handed person can be easily operate the gas lighter. The ignition means comprises a file wheel, a pair of side wheels fixed to the opposite faces of the file wheel to be rotated integrally therewith and a flint which is in abutment against a lower portion of the file wheel. The rotary shaft of the side wheels are supported for rotation and movement in a direction in which the flint is retracted. An engagement projection formed on the periphery of the side wheels is engaged with an engagement portion on a cap to prevent rotation of the file wheel, thereby locking the lighter not to be ignited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Masaki Saito
  • Patent number: 6666677
    Abstract: A piezoelectric gas lighter includes a lighter body. The fuel gas in the lighter body is supplied to a nozzle through a valve mechanism which is opened and closed by an actuator lever and a piezoelectric unit ignites the fuel gas discharged from the nozzle. A depression member actuates the actuator lever and the piezoelectric unit to open the valve mechanism and ignite the fuel gas discharged from the nozzle in response to depression of the depression controller. The depression member includes a control cap operatively connected to a piezoelectric unit, a stopper member which is movable between a locking position where the control cap is prevented from being depressed and a releasing position where the control cap is permitted to be depressed and an urging member which urges the stopper member to the locking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Ichikawa, Masaki Saito
  • Patent number: 6648629
    Abstract: The present invention intends to provides a piezoelectric ignition lighter capable of avoiding misuse by children but maintaining excellent operability for normal users without unreasonably increasing actuation load at the initial ignition operation. For this end, the piezoelectric ignition lighter has a valve mechanism, a nozzle 3 and a piezoelectric mechanism 4 at the top of a lighter body 1 and ignites by actuation of an actuation cap 6 integrally molded of polyacetal resin with torsion plates 7,7. The torsion plates 7,7 are separated from the upper end surface 1a of the lighter body 1 by a gap equal to about 60%˜90% of the actuation stroke in the non-actuated condition to provide a normal (light) actuation load at the initial actuation stage. After engagement of the torsion plates 7,7 with the upper end surface of the lighter body 1, resilient load of the torsion plates is added to normal load, thereby increasing the actuation load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Ichikawa, Naoto Adachi
  • Patent number: 6616443
    Abstract: An igniting rod which ignites by the operation of an operating member comprises a lock member for locking said operating member during a non-use state. The igniting rod automatically returns to a locked state after ignition. The invention improves operability, simplifies assembly and reduces the number of parts by eliminating an urging member. A lock portion of said lock member, which interferes with a part of said operating member, is disposed such that it is displaceable as said lock member is elastically deformed from a fixed portion where the lock member is fixed to a main body portion. The elastic force returns the lock portion to a locked position. A protruding lock release portion is provided for releasing the lock portion, the lock release portion being provided with a smooth curvature on which a finger F for operating an operating portion of the operating member can simultaneously rest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Saito, Toshihiro Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 6551096
    Abstract: A flint-type ignition mechanism comprising a freely rotatable support member; a spark wheel combined with the supporting member so as to be integrally rotatable with same; an elastic member installed around the support member; a thumb wheel having a gear-type inner face installed around the elastic member so that it can idle, the thumb wheel switching between the concentric and eccentric position; and a disk-shaped engaging member which rotates together with the supporting member and has engagement stoppers on the peripheral surface of the exterior circumference thereof for engaging the gear type inner face of the thumb wheel. When the thumb wheel is switched to the eccentric position by a deformation of the elastic member, the stoppers engage together and the spark wheel rotates together with the thumb wheel, causing it to be in the ignite-state. In the ignite-state, rotation of the thumb wheel rotates the spark wheel for ignition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Saito, Toshihiro Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 6311521
    Abstract: A raw material mixture, which has a glass composition containing a salt or an oxide of a flame reaction metal, is heated, and an intermediate base material, in which the salt of the flame reaction metal, or the like, has been thermally decomposed and which is in a temporary sintered state or a fused glass state, is thereby formed. The intermediate base material is ground, and a ground material is thereby obtained. The ground material is mixed together with a liquid and, optionally, a binder, and a viscous flame reaction material is thereby formed. The viscous flame reaction material is supported on a substrate and heated to a temperature, which is not lower than a vitrification melting temperature of the viscous flame reaction material. In this manner, the flame reaction material is fusion bonded to the substrate. Generation of a thermal decomposition gas in the baking step is thus restricted, and the carrying of the flame reaction material on the substrate is carried out appropriately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Mifune, Masato Seki
  • Patent number: D444998
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Isao Inoue
  • Patent number: D448240
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Isao Inoue
  • Patent number: D464771
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Kurokawa, Takayuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: D465065
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: D468586
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Saito, Toshihiro Ichikawa, Toshinori Morishita
  • Patent number: D469305
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Saito, Toshihiro Ichikawa, Toshinori Morishita
  • Patent number: D476442
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: D477109
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: D495823
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Tsuneaki Itajima
  • Patent number: D500386
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Yukawa, Minoru Kanno