Patents Assigned to Tokai Corporation
  • Patent number: 5437549
    Abstract: A gas lighter with a safety device for locking an actuating lever which causes the emission of fuel, wherein the safety device automatically returns to the locking state after the ignition of the lighter, thereby preventing the lighter from being left in the released state, preventing inadvertent ignition of the lighter, and improving the reliability of the safety device. A path is defined on the upper surface of a lighter body, and a locking member slidably engages the path, wherein the locking member is provided with, at one end thereof, an engaging recess and, at the other end thereof, a blocking end. An actuating lever is provided with a skirt, a recess, and a leg. A holding member including a cantilever arm is integrally formed on the wall surface which faces the path, wherein an angled engaging part and a protuberance are formed on the end of the cantilever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Masaki Saito
  • Patent number: 5408987
    Abstract: A portable heater is made up of a cylindrical outer case 2 with at least one end thereof opened; a container to be heated 6 fixedly housed in the outer case 2 with a gap between the container and said outer case for the updraft of a combustion gas, the container being made of a cylindrical heat resisting container body 6c having a top 6b provided with an opening tab 6a; a burner 3 which is equipped with an ignition means 8, and is fixedly housed in the outer case 2 at a lower inside thereof so as to heat the container 6; and a fuel tank 4 fixed in a lower inside of the outer case 2 for supplying fuel to the burner 3. The container 6 holds contents to be heated when the heater is in use, and the outer case 2 has vent holes for supplying air from the outside to the burner 3. Thereby, contents of the container can be heated at any desired time and place without drawing the contents of the container by opening the top of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1995
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Mifune, Tomio Nitta, Masato Seki, Shinichi Okawa, Yosimitu Kaga, Noriyuki Serizawa, Tatsuya Tashiro, Tsutomu Inada
  • Patent number: 5409372
    Abstract: A gas lighter with a safety device has a lock member pivotal between a locked position, where it prevents depression of an ignition, and a released position, where it allows depression of an actuating lever. The lock member is constantly urged to the locked position by means of a spring. The lock member has also a finger board extending outside a lighter body and being positioned where it can be depressed with the same finger as is used in depressing the actuating lever, and a stopper being movable between the locked position, in response to movement of the lock member in one direction, and the released position, in response to movement of the lock member in the other direction. When the lighter is not in use, the lock member is urged to the locked position to make an abutment against an abutment portion on the lighter body, thereby preventing depression of the actuating lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1995
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Yamazaki Nobuo
  • Patent number: 5401163
    Abstract: A gas lighter with a child-proof safety device which can reduce wasteful evolution of gas. The lighter is provided with a flick-up type cap which closes and opens the upper part of a lighter body, an operating grip which obliquely projects out of a lateral surface of the lighter body in response to the opening action of the cap, and a linkage means for causing gas to be evolved in connection with a depression of the operating grip. Ignition of the lighter can be carried out by igniting operations of the operating grip while the cap is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuo Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 5373836
    Abstract: A portable water heater for use in outdoor activities improved in thermal efficiency. The heater has a double-layered structure, i.e., is constituted of an outer housing, an inner heated vessel, and a gas burner at the bottom thereof. A thermal insulation layer is formed between the housing and the heated vessel sufficient to permit therebetween an upward flow of a combustion gas from the burner to an air outlet located at the top of the heater, thereby heating the vessel. Instead of the thermal insulation layer, a thermal insulation plate in a crimped shape may be interposed between the housing and the heated vessel, so that the thermal efficiency in heating the vessel is further enhanced. The internal heated vessel may be integrally fabricated with the outer housing, or may be arranged to be removable from the housing or the internally disposed crimped plate. The crimped insulation plate may also be shaped either triangularly or sinusoidally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Mifune, Serizawa Noriyuki, Shike Tsutomu
  • Patent number: 5368473
    Abstract: A gas lighter with a safety device which is composed of a lock lever and a resilient leaf. The resilient leaf is defined, on the upper portion of a lighter body and on the path of a depressible actuating means, by a pair of slits formed parallel to each other and longitudinally. The resilient leaf, which is slidably surrounded with the lock lever, is at the upper end thereof incurved towards the lighter body. When the lock lever is positioned at the lowermost end of the slits, i.e., a locked position, the incurved portion of the resilient leaf is engaged with a recess at the lowermost end of the actuating means, thereby preventing the depression of the actuating means. When the lock lever is thrust uppermost along the slits, i.e., up to an unlocked position, the incurved end of the resilient leaf is forcibly straightened, whereby the disengaged actuating means can be depressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Uematsu Kenjiro, Kaga Yosimitu, Saito Masaki
  • Patent number: 5326256
    Abstract: A gas reservoir, a valve mechanism for controlling gas supply from the reservoir and a piezoelectric unit are incorporated into a body portion assembly. A rod portion is formed by connecting a hard gas pipe to a gas injection nozzle provided in a tip of a rod-like metal tubular member and electrically connecting the gas injection nozzle on one end of the gas pipe and a terminal member on the other end of the same by way of a wire which extends through the gas pipe. The body portion assembly and the rod portion are assembled into a unit by engaging the base portion of the rod portion with an engagement portion of the body portion assembly, thereby connecting the gas pipe in the rod portion to the valve mechanism in the body portion assembly and electrically connecting the metal tubular member in the rod portion to the piezoelectric unit in the body portion assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shike, Toshihiko Eguchi, Masaki Saito
  • Patent number: 5322433
    Abstract: An igniting device has a gas reservoir 7, a valve mechanism 8, and a gas pipe 28 for leading fuel gas to a gas injection nozzle 26. A piezoelectric unit 20 generates a discharge voltage for producing an electric spark between the gas injection nozzle 26 and a discharge electrode 32 which is disposed near the gas injection nozzle. A covered wire 33 for electrically connecting the nozzle 26 with the piezoelectric unit 20 extends through the gas pipe 28 to reduce the effective cross-sectional area of the gas passage inside the gas pipe 28 with a high reliability and ease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1994
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shike, Toshihiko Eguchi, Masaki Saito
  • Patent number: 5298207
    Abstract: A method for producing a filter for use in a fuel flow rate regulating mechanism has a first step of providing a sheet of microcellular polymer material having upper and lower surfaces, each of the surfaces being fused to prevent fuel flow through the surfaces. The sheet of microcellular polymer material also has formations of continuous air bubbles between the upper and lower surfaces. The method for producing a filter has a second step of heat pressing in the direction of thickness to rearrange certain of the air bubbles, redefining same as independent, nonconnected air bubbles. The method for producing a filter has a third step of transversely punching from the sheet a filter element of prescribed configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Mifune, Masato Seki, Tsutomu Shike
  • Patent number: 5240408
    Abstract: A gas lighter with a safety device which is composed of a lock lever and a resilient leaf. The resilient leaf is defined, on the upper portion of a lighter body and on the path of a depressible actuating means, by a pair of slits formed parallel to each other and longitudinally. The resilient leaf, which is slidably surrounded with the lock lever, is at the upper end thereof incurved towards the lighter body. When the lock lever is positioned at the lowermost end of the slits, i.e., a locked position, the incurved portion of the resilient leaf is engaged with a recess at the lowermost end of the actuating means, thereby preventing the depression of the actuating means. When the lock lever is thrust uppermost along the slits, i.e., up to an unlocked position, the incurved end of the resilient leaf is forcibly straightened, whereby the disengaged actuating means can be depressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Kenjiro Uematsu, Yosimitu Kaga, Masaki Saito
  • Patent number: 5186619
    Abstract: A flow regulating mechanism for a gas emitting device featuring a microcellular polymer filter having connected, continuous bubbles through which fuel passes and independent air bubbles which expand with increases in temperature compressing and thereby restricting the flow of fuel through the connected, continuous bubbles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Mifune, Masato Seki, Tsutomu Shike
  • Patent number: 5186618
    Abstract: A gas lighter with a safety device has a lock member which is able to linearly move between a locking position where it prevents depression of a valve lever and a releasing position where it allows depression of the valve lever and is urged to the locking position. A holding member hold the lock member in the releasing position in response to movement of the lock member to the releasing position, and a releasing member releases the lock member from the holding member in response to depression of the valve lever, thereby permitting the lock member to move away from the releasing position. A temporary holding member temporarily holds the lock member in the releasing position or the vicinity thereof until the valve lever returns to the original position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shike, Toshihiko Eguchi, Yosimitu Kaga, Kazuhiko Suganuma
  • Patent number: D334589
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1993
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shike, Isao Inoue, Kenji Yamazaki
  • Patent number: D336538
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shike, Isao Inoue
  • Patent number: D348538
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Isao Inoue
  • Patent number: D351094
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1994
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Isao Inoue
  • Patent number: D353971
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Isao Inoue
  • Patent number: D354196
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1995
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Isao Inoue
  • Patent number: D359143
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1995
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventor: Yuji Higuchi
  • Patent number: D360557
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1995
    Assignee: Tokai Corporation
    Inventors: Katsumi Ono, Yosimitu Kaga