Patents by Inventor Atsushi Hiro

Atsushi Hiro 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: 9504966
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite semi-permeable membrane exhibiting excellent chemical resistance and having practical water permeability and salt-blocking property, and a method for producing the same. The present invention relates to a composite semi-permeable membrane, including a porous support and a skin layer formed on a surface of the porous support, wherein the porous support contains a thermosetting resin porous sheet having a three-dimensional network structure and pores communicating with each other and wherein the thermosetting resin porous sheet has an average pore diameter of 0.01 to 0.4 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihide Kawaguchi, Atsushi Hiro, Noriaki Harada, Osamu Hayashi, Atsuko Mizuike, Katsumi Ishii
  • Patent number: 9186633
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for easily producing a long porous thermosetting resin sheet which has no resin coating film on the surface. Also disclosed are a porous thermosetting resin sheet produced by the method, and a composite semipermeable membrane having excellent chemical resistance and practical water permeability and salt-blocking property. The porous thermosetting resin sheet can be produced by forming a cylindrical or columnar resin block which is composed of a cured product of a thermosetting resin composition containing a thermosetting resin, a curing agent and a porogen; then forming a long thermosetting resin sheet by cutting the surface of the resin block at a certain thickness; and then removing the porogen from the thermosetting resin sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noriaki Harada, Atsushi Hiro, Katsumi Ishii, Yoshihide Kawaguchi, Atsuko Mizuike, Osamu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8608964
    Abstract: A spiral reverse osmosis membrane element that improves impregnation property of a sealing resin at edges of a membrane leaf and can effectively prevent micro-leaks. The spiral reverse osmosis membrane element comprises a cylindrically wound body comprising a perforated core tube and, spirally wound therearound, a separation membrane, a feed-side passage material and a permeation-side passage material in a laminated state, and a sealing portion for preventing a feed-side liquid and a permeation-side liquid from being mixed together, wherein the separation membrane facing the permeation-side passage material has a structure that a porous support and a skin layer are successively laminated on a non-woven fabric layer, and the sealing portion sealed with a sealing resin is provided at the edges of the separation membrane, wherein the separation membrane is impregnated with the sealing resin at least up to the vicinity of the skin layer through the porous support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Hiro, Hiroki Fujioka, Atsuhito Koumoto
  • Patent number: 8591684
    Abstract: A spiral reverse osmosis membrane element that improves impregnation property of a sealing resin at edges of a membrane leaf and can effectively prevent micro-leaks, by using, for example, a porous support having a structure capable of sufficiently impregnating therein a sealing resin, a method for manufacturing the same, and a use method of the same are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Hiro, Hiroki Fujioka, Atsuhito Koumoto
  • Publication number: 20130248442
    Abstract: Provided is a porous epoxy resin sheet produced by cutting a cured epoxy resin body to a predetermined thickness, the porous epoxy resin sheet having a large surface area and a uniform in-plane pore size distribution. A method for producing a porous epoxy resin sheet, comprising forming a cylindrical or columnar cured resin body from a resin mixture containing an epoxy resin, a curing agent, and a porogen, cutting the surface of the cured resin body at a predetermined thickness to make an epoxy resin sheet, and then removing the porogen from the sheet to render the sheet porous, wherein when the cured resin body is formed from the resin mixture, curing is performed in a state where the viscosity of the mixture is at least 1,000 mPa·s.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noriaki Harada, Yoshihide Kawaguchi, Atsushi Hiro, Atsuko Mizuike, Osamu Hayashi, Katsumi Ishii, Chiaki Harada
  • Publication number: 20130177817
    Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a method for producing a separator for nonaqueous electrolyte electricity storage devices, the method allowing avoidance of use of a solvent that places a large load on the environment, and also allowing relatively easy control of parameters such as the porosity and the pore diameter. The present invention relates to a method for producing a separator for nonaqueous electrolyte electricity storage devices that has a thickness ranging from 10 to 50 ?m, the method including the steps of: producing an epoxy resin composition containing an epoxy resin, a curing agent, and a porogen; forming a cured product of the epoxy resin composition into a sheet shape or curing a sheet-shaped formed body of the epoxy resin composition, so as to obtain an epoxy resin sheet; and removing the porogen from the epoxy resin sheet by means of a halogen-free solvent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunsuke Noumi, Atsushi Hiro, Noriaki Harada, Yoshihide Kawaguchi
  • Publication number: 20130098830
    Abstract: In the step of extracting and removing a porogen from a thermosetting resin sheet 1 containing the porogen, the porogen is extracted and removed by bringing the thermosetting resin sheet 1 into contact with a first liquid that has a relatively low temperature, and subsequently bringing the thermosetting resin sheet 1 into contact with a second liquid that has a relatively high temperature. Preferably, the temperatures of the first liquid and the second liquid are lower than or equal to the glass-transition temperature of the thermosetting resin sheet 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuuzou Muraki, Atsushi Hiro, Noriaki Harada
  • Publication number: 20120228213
    Abstract: A separation membrane unit is provided with two separation membranes (1) which each have a separation active layer (4) formed on one surface of a sheet-like porous base material (3) and which are superposed on each other so that the separation active layers (4) face each other. The two separation membranes (1) are folded multiple times into pleats, and as a result, folds (5) are formed alternately on one side and the other side (top side and bottom side in FIG. 4A) of the two separation membranes (1). As a result of the two separation membranes (1) being superposed on each other so that the separation active layers (4) face each other, the separation active layers (4) are not exposed, and the simple configuration can prevent the separation active layers (4) from being damaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Inventors: Katsumi Ishii, Atsushi Hiro, Yoshihide Kawaguchi, Noriaki Harada, Osamu Hayashi, Atsuko Mizuike
  • Publication number: 20110192788
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for easily producing a long porous thermosetting resin sheet which has no resin coating film on the surface. Also disclosed are a porous thermosetting resin sheet produced by the method, and a composite semipermeable membrane having excellent chemical resistance and practical water permeability and salt-blocking property. The porous thermosetting resin sheet can be produced by forming a cylindrical or columnar resin block which is composed of a cured product of a thermosetting resin composition containing a thermosetting resin, a curing agent and a porogen; then forming a long thermosetting resin sheet by cutting the surface of the resin block at a certain thickness; and then removing the porogen from the thermosetting resin sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Inventors: Noriaki Harada, Atsushi Hiro, Katsumi Ishii, Yoshihide Kawaguchi, Atsuko Mizuike, Osamu Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20110174723
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite semi-permeable membrane exhibiting excellent chemical resistance and having practical water permeability and salt-blocking property, and a method for producing the same. The present invention relates to a composite semi-permeable membrane, including a porous support and a skin layer formed on a surface of the porous support, wherein the porous support contains a thermosetting resin porous sheet having a three-dimensional network structure and pores communicating with each other and wherein the thermosetting resin porous sheet has an average pore diameter of 0.01 to 0.4 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Inventors: Yoshihide Kawaguchi, Atsushi Hiro, Noriaki Harada, Osamu Hayashi, Atsuko Mizuike, Katsumi Ishii
  • Publication number: 20080295951
    Abstract: A spiral reverse osmosis membrane element that improves impregnation property of a sealing resin at edges of a membrane leaf and can effectively prevent micro-leaks, by using, for example, a porous support having a structure capable of sufficiently impregnating therein a sealing resin, a method for manufacturing the same, and a use method of the same are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Inventors: Atsushi HIRO, Hiroki Fujioka, Atsuhito Koumoto
  • Publication number: 20060169634
    Abstract: A reverse osmosis membrane that has alkali resistance, and therefore can maintain high boron rejection performance even at high pH region, and a method for producing the membrane are disclosed. The reverse osmosis membrane has an initial performance that a rate of change Rf (%) determined by the following equation is within ±10%: Rf(%)=((F1-F0)/F0)×100 wherein F0 is a permeation flux (m3/(m2/day)) at the initiation of operation when a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution adjusted to pH 12.0 as raw water is continuously circulated at 25° C. under pressure of 0.75 MPa, and F1 is permeation flux (m3/(m2/day)) after one week operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2005
    Publication date: August 3, 2006
    Inventors: Atsushi Hiro, Masahiko Hirose, Masakatsu Takata
  • Publication number: 20060043013
    Abstract: A spiral reverse osmosis membrane element that improves impregnation property of a sealing resin at edges of a membrane leaf and can effectively prevent micro-leaks, by using, for example, a porous support having a structure capable of sufficiently impregnating therein a sealing resin, a method for manufacturing the same, and a use method of the same are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Inventors: Atsushi Hiro, Hiroki Fujioka, Atsuhito Koumoto
  • Patent number: 6805796
    Abstract: A water treatment apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of composite reverse osmosis membrane modules arranged in multi-stages, each of the modules including a porous support and a polyamide skin layer formed on the porous support. In this apparatus, the module at the final stage is supplied with some of permeated water obtained from at least one module preceding the module at the final-stage, and a rest of the permeated water is discharged from or recovered in the apparatus along with permeated water obtained from the final-stage module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignees: Nitto Denko Corporation, Hydranautics
    Inventors: Masahiko Hirose, Atsushi Hiro, Mark Wilf
  • Publication number: 20020108900
    Abstract: A water treatment apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of composite reverse osmosis membrane modules arranged in multi-stages, each of the modules including a porous support and a polyamide skin layer formed on the porous support. In this apparatus, the module at the final stage is supplied with some of permeated water obtained from at least one module preceding the module at the final-stage, and a rest of the permeated water is discharged from or recovered in the apparatus along with permeated water obtained from the final-stage module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Inventors: Masahiko Hirose, Atsushi Hiro, Mark Wilf