Patents by Inventor Akira Horigane

Akira Horigane has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11400456
    Abstract: A surface-worked granular product is produced by supplying raw granular material to a cylindrical retainer having apertures and retaining sites, floating the granular material by suctioning air from the cylindrical retainer, rotating a rotary working device installed in the cylindrical retainer, and contacting working protrusion protruding from the working device with the granular material to remove foreign substances and to perform surface-working of the granular material so as to form a rough surface without causing degeneration, denaturation or substantial removal of useful ingredients, wherein the surface-worked granular product has surface characteristics different from raw granular material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignees: YAMATO SANGYO Co., Ltd., TSUKUBA FOOD SCIENCE, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi Osakada, Toru Hoshino, Sumiyo Yamada, Akira Horigane
  • Publication number: 20190083984
    Abstract: A surface-worked granular product is produced by supplying raw granular material to a cylindrical retainer having apertures and retaining sites, floating the granular material by suctioning air from the cylindrical retainer, rotating a rotary working device installed in the cylindrical retainer, and contacting working protrusion protruding from the working device with the granular material to remove foreign substances and to perform surface-working of the granular material so as to form a rough surface without causing degeneration, denaturation or substantial removal of useful ingredients, wherein the surface-worked granular product has surface characteristics different from raw granular material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Inventors: Satoshi Osakada, Toru Hoshino, Sumiyo Yamada, Akira Horigane
  • Patent number: 8151701
    Abstract: A feedstock granular substance (7) is fed into a cylindrical retention tube (3) provided with a multiplicity of retention parts (8) for retaining a granular substance (7) moving along the inner circumference thereof. In the state of having the feedstock granular substance (7) retained by the retention parts (8) of the retention tube (3), a grinding device (4) having multiple flexible long grinding materials (6) radially extending from the rotational axis extending along the axial center of the retention tube (3) is rotated to thereby realize rotation with the distal ends of the long grinding materials (6) brought into contact with the surface of the granular substance (7) and surface treats the granular substance (7). Thus, production of a surface-treated granular substance is attained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Tsukuba Food Science, Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Horigane, Masaaki Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 7886996
    Abstract: A raw material is fed through a raw material supply channel into a raw material introduction part between a fixed grinding disc and a moving grinding disc. The moving grinding disc is provided on a drive shaft and the gap between the same and the fixed grinding disc is adjusted by means of a gap adjusting mechanism. Heat transfer from the drive unit is prevented while power is transmitted to the drive shaft to rotate the moving grinding disc. The raw material while being transferred through the coarse grinding distributing channel is coarsely ground and any raw material of low grindability is crushed by the crushing part, distributed to the microgrinding part and microground to thereby attain the production of ground matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Tsukuba Food Science, Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Horigane, Masaaki Horiguchi
  • Publication number: 20100178852
    Abstract: It is intended to produce a high-quality purified surface-treated granular substance and processed substance through, without application of excessive pressure or temperature, efficient grinding of a surface layer region of feedstock granular substance by means of simple apparatus and operation to thereby remove unwanted portions, such as surface nonedible portion, oxidizing coating layer and attachment, without denaturation, decomposition or elimination or useful matter. Feedstock granular substance (7) is fed into cylindrical retention tube (3) provided with a multiplicity of retention parts (8) for retaining of granular substance (7) moving along the inner circumference thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Inventors: Akira Horigane, Masaaki Horiguchi
  • Publication number: 20090140084
    Abstract: A nondenatured ground matter with high quality is produced through efficient grinding while preventing overheating by, even in the case of grinding a material to be ground having a flexible thin film, such as cereal grain, efficiently crushing the thin film of low grindability to thereby obtain a ground matter of fine grains with uniform size by the use of simple apparatus and operation. A raw material is fed through raw material supply channel (55,56) into raw material introduction part (11) between fixed grinding disc (4) and moving grinding disc (5). The moving grinding disc (5) is hung down by means of drive shaft (21), and the gap between the same and the fixed grinding disc (4) is adjusted by means of gap adjusting means (7). While preventing any heat transfer from drive unit (8), power is transmitted to the drive shaft (21) so as to rotate the moving grinding disc (5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Patent number: 7384010
    Abstract: A process for producing an oxygen-free, non-denaturable, cooled and dried crushed product of superior quality by effecting efficient crushing by a simple apparatus in an easy operation while preventing a decrease in qualities such as flavor, taste and masticating feel; an apparatus therefor; and a crushed product obtained thereby are provided. The apparatus for producing crushed product contains a pair of crusher discs arranged so as to define a crushing space in between confronting crushing faces thereof, a driver for rotating one of the pair of crusher discs, a cooling section adjoining the other crusher disc for cooling it, a raw material supply site for supplying one or more raw materials to the crushing space through the cooling section, a crushed product delivery site for bringing the resulting crushed product thereto from the crushing space and an inert gas supply for supplying a cooled inert gas to the crushing space via the raw material supply site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Tsukuba Food Science
    Inventors: Akira Horigane, Masaaki Horiguchi
  • Publication number: 20060138256
    Abstract: A process for producing an oxygen-free, non-denaturable, cooled and dried crushed product of superior quality by effecting efficient crushing by a simple apparatus in easy operation under prevention of decrease in the quality, such as flavour, taste and masticating feel; an apparatus therefor; and a crushed product obtained thereby are provided. The apparatus for producing crushed product comprises a pair of crusher discs arranged so as to define a crushing space in between confronting crushing faces thereof, a driving means for rotating one of the pair of crusher discs, a cooling section adjoining the other crusher disc for cooling it, a raw material supply site for supplying one or more raw materials to the crushing space through the cooling section, a crushed product delivery site for bringing out the resulting crushed product thereto from the crushing space and an inert gas supply means for supplying a cooled inert gas to the crushing space fia the raw material supply site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2005
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Inventors: Akira Horigane, Masaaki Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 7067834
    Abstract: An apparatus for securing, analyzing and sorting materials, which allows such procedures as analysis and sorting of materials present as independent pieces at a high efficiency and a high accuracy, by securing individual pieces 5 of materials in receptacles 4 of a holder 1 at a definite posture using a light-hardenable adhesive at a uniform hardening strength and a uniform but brief hardening time by cold hardening under identical hardening conditions without causing denaturation of the material, wherein the receptacles 4 are arranged on the holder 1 in a definite arrangement and a definite posture, whereby it is able to process each individual material piece after the hardening of the adhesive, by, for example, cutting and so on, to uniformly form on each material piece an analyzing surface for which the analysis is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Tsukuba Food Science, Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Horigane, Masaaki Horiguchi
  • Publication number: 20040074822
    Abstract: Apparatuses for settling, analyzing and sorting materials, which can afford to realize such procedures as analysis and sorting of materials present as independent pieces at a high efficiency in a high accuracy, by settling individual pieces 5 of materials in receptacles 4 of a holder 1 at a definite posture using a light-hardenable adhesive at uniform hardening strength in a uniform but brief hardening time by cold hardening under identical hardening condition without causing denaturation of the material, wherein the receptacles 4 are arranged on the holder 1 in a definite arrangement at a definite posture, whereby it is able to process each individual material piece after the hardening of the adhesive, by, for example, cutting and so on, to form uniformly on each material piece an analyzing surface for which the analysis is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2003
    Publication date: April 22, 2004
    Inventors: Akira Horigane, Masaaki Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 6653123
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for producing a processed organic product containing organic matters having a superior nutrient balance and exhibiting high performances in water retention and gas permeation. The process involves supplying the raw material 26 containing organic fibrous substance to a reactor 1 provided therein with a plurality of main screws 6, 7 arranged side by side so as to confront the peripheral edges of the screw threads of neighboring screws with each other such that each acts to forward the reaction mixture in substantially the same direction at a velocity different from each other, effecting a biological or biochemical reaction therein while subjecting the organic fibrous substance to axial splitting and breaking by the main screws 6, 7 and taking out a processed organic product via a processed product exit port 31, which is then dewatered in a dewatering means 35 before being dried in a dryer 38 to obtain the processed product in a dried solid form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignees: Tsukuba Food Science, Inc., National Agricultural Research Organization
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Patent number: 6635295
    Abstract: A process for producing a freeze-dried product in a bonded or stratified state by a simple apparatus and by simple operations, without suffering from denaturation by oxygen, enzymes, heat and so on, while maintaining the original quality, properties and so on, by bonding or stratifying materials to be treated before being subjected to freeze-drying; an apparatus therefor; and a freeze-dried product obtained therefrom are provided. The freeze-dried product is obtained by stratifying materials 7a, 7b and 7c of the same or a different kind to be treated into a multilayer under interposition of dry ice 6b, 6c partly in between the layers; pressing the multilayer from both sides by pressurizing elements 13 and 16 under intermediation by dry ice 6a and 6d to effect bonding of the materials to be treated with each other, while, at the same time, freezing the multilayer; and subjecting the frozen product to vacuum drying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignees: National Agricultural Research Organization, Tsukuba Food Science, Inc.
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Patent number: 6634577
    Abstract: A crushing apparatus for crushing, blending, homogenizing and transferring materials is made up of a first pressing element having a first pressing face with protrusions provided thereon in the form of isolated islands surrounded by depressed marginal spaces and a second pressing element to be held in engagement with the first pressing element and having a second pressing face with protrusions provided thereon in a similar pattern to the first pressing face. The protrusions of the first and second pressing faces are disposed in relation to each other such that the protrusions of the first or the second pressing element will engage with corresponding depressed marginal spaces on the second or first pressing face of the respective pressing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignees: Tsukuba Food Science, Inc., National Agricultural Research Organization
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Patent number: 6543155
    Abstract: Freeze-dried products of high quality produced from materials to be freeze-dried in a freeze-drying apparatus comprising a sealed vessel enclosing a processing chamber provided therein with a rotary cage receiving a gas-permeable container containing frozen pieces of the said material, prepared by freezing the said material with a refrigerant, and a heating device for heating the frozen material by radiant heat rays, wherein the freeze-dried product is produced by a process which can attain, even when dry ice is used as the refrigerant, efficient sublimating removal of large amount of carbon dioxide gas evolved from dry ice and of moisture included in the material, while preventing adhesion of the frozen pieces of the said material to each other and while permitting reduction of the sublimation duration, wherein the frozen material retained in the gas-permeable container placed in the rotary cage is heated uniformly by the heating device under vacuum condition while it is being maintained under rotational mov
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: National Agricultural Research Organization
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Patent number: 6543154
    Abstract: Freeze-dried products of high quality produced from materials to be freeze-dried in a freeze-drying apparatus comprising a sealed vessel enclosing a processing chamber provided therein with a rotary cage receiving a gas-permeable container containing one or more frozen products of the said material, prepared by freezing the said material with dry ice, and a heating device for heating the frozen product by radiant heat rays, wherein the freeze-dried product is produced by a process which can attain efficient sublimating removal of large amount of carbon dioxide gas evolved from dry ice and of moisture included in the material, while preventing adhesion of the frozen products to each other and while permitting reduction of the sublimation duration, wherein the frozen product retained in the gas-permeable container placed in the rotary cage is heated uniformly by the heating device under vacuum condition while holding it under rotational movement to thereby facilitate the sublimation of dry ice and of the frozen
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: National Agricultural Research Organization
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Patent number: 6537826
    Abstract: An apparatus and a process for preparing a material, such as a sample, for analysis, observation, recording or the like, at a high accuracy, by a simple construction and simple operation, which can form a cut face and/or a cut rift while preventing deformation, destruction and denaturing of the material. The process involves embedding a part of the material (11) in a filler (13) in a holder (4) of a holding unit (1) under settling with a settling means (5), holding the protruding portion (11b) of the material (11) by a protruding portion support (7) of a mount (2), freezing the material (11) instantaneously by dry ice placed in dry ice wells (6a, 6b) while effecting a gas phase replacement and cutting the material (11) by a cutter (22) to form a cut face (14) and/or a cut rift (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignees: National Agricultural Research Organization
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Publication number: 20030014879
    Abstract: Freeze-dried products of high quality produced from materials to be freeze-dried in a freeze-drying apparatus comprising a sealed vessel enclosing a processing chamber provided therein with a rotary cage receiving a gas-permeable container containing frozen pieces of the said material, prepared by freezing the said material with a refrigerant, and a heating device for heating the frozen material by radiant heat rays, wherein the freeze-dried product is produced by a process which can attain, even when dry ice is used as the refrigerant, efficient sublimating removal of large amount of carbon dioxide gas evolved from dry ice and of moisture included in the material, while preventing adhesion of the frozen pieces of the said material to each other and while permitting reduction of the sublimation duration, wherein the frozen material retained in the gas-permeable container placed in the rotary cage is heated uniformly by the heating device under vacuum condition while it is being maintained under rotational mov
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Publication date: January 23, 2003
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Publication number: 20020121029
    Abstract: Freeze-dried products of high quality produced from materials to be freeze-dried in a freeze-drying apparatus comprising a sealed vessel enclosing a processing chamber provided therein with a rotary cage receiving a gas-permeable container containing one or more frozen products of the said material, prepared by freezing the said material with dry ice, and a heating device for heating the frozen product by radiant heat rays, wherein the freeze-dried product is produced by a process which can attain efficient sublimating removal of large amount of carbon dioxide gas evolved from dry ice and of moisture included in the material, while preventing adhesion of the frozen products to each other and while permitting reduction of the sublimation duration, wherein the frozen product retained in the gas-permeable container placed in the rotary cage is heated uniformly by the heating device under vacuum condition while holding it under rotational movement to thereby facilitate the sublimation of dry ice and of the frozen
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2001
    Publication date: September 5, 2002
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Publication number: 20020074438
    Abstract: A crushing apparatus for crushing, blending, homogenizing and transferring materials is made up of a first pressing element having a first pressing face with protrusions provided thereon in the form of isolated islands surrounded by depressed marginal spaces and a second pressing element to be held in engagement with the first pressing element and having a second pressing face with protrusions provided thereon in a similar pattern to the first pressing face. The protrusions of the first and second pressing faces are disposed in relation to each other such that the protrusions of the first or the second pressing element will engage with corresponding depressed marginal spaces on the second or first pressing face of the respective pressing element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2001
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventor: Akira Horigane
  • Publication number: 20010006811
    Abstract: A process for producing a processed organic product containing organic matters superior in the nutrient balance and exhibiting high performances in retention of water and in permeation of gas using an apparatus for effecting the process, in which fibrous organic substance contained in the raw material can be loosened and be subjected to axial splitting and breaking down into short fragments, permitting thus to supply the apparatus with raw materials containing longer fibrous organic substance, such as plant bodies, directly as such, for realizing a biological or biochemical reaction while eliminating injurious microbes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Publication date: July 5, 2001
    Inventor: Akira Horigane