Patents by Inventor Hirokazu Yamamoto

Hirokazu Yamamoto 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).

  • Publication number: 20170320020
    Abstract: A hollow fiber carbon membrane is produced by preparing a membrane-forming dope for carbon membranes by dissolving polyphenylene oxide in an amount giving a concentration of 15 to 40 wt. % in the membrane-forming dope, and sulfur in an amount giving a ratio of 0.2 to 3.0 wt. % based on the polyphenylene oxide, in a solvent capable of dissolving these components; preparing the membrane-forming dope for carbon membranes into a hollow shape by means of a spinning method in accordance with a non-solvent induced separation method using a double annular nozzle; performing a crosslinking treatment at 200 to 240° C. in the air; then performing an infusibilization treatment by heating at 250 to 350° C.; and further performing a carbonization treatment by heating at 450 to 850° C. in an inert atmosphere or under vacuum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventors: Kensuke WATANABE, Hirokazu YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170308336
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with a communication portion that is connected to an external device via a network and communicates with the external device and a control portion that controls communication by the communication portion and executes a restart process for restarting the image forming apparatus. When a preset restart target error has occurred, the control portion executes the restart process in a state where a network port used for communication with the external device is disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hirokazu YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170296978
    Abstract: A membrane-forming dope for carbon membranes, comprising polyphenylene oxide in an amount giving a concentration of 15 to 40 wt. % in the membrane-forming dope, and sulfur in an amount giving a ratio of 0.1 to 5.0 wt. %, preferably 0.2 to 3.0 wt. %, of the total weight of the polyphenylene oxide and the sulfur, both of which are dissolved in a solvent that can dissolve these components. A hollow fiber carbon membrane is produced by molding the membrane-forming dope for carbon membranes in a hollow shape by means of a wet or dry-wet spinning method using a double tubular nozzle, subjecting the molded product to an infusibilization treatment by heating at 150 to 350° C. in the air, and then subjecting it to a carbonization treatment by heating at 600 to 800° C. in an inert atmosphere or under vacuum. When the product molded in a hollow shape by means of a wet or dry-wet spinning method is subjected to an infusibilization treatment by heating in the air while stretching the product with a stress of 0.002 to 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Masataka KONDO, Kensuke WATANABE, Hirokazu YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 9731250
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing a hollow fiber carbon membrane using a hollow fiber carbon membrane-forming material by means of a dry method or dry-wet method comprising a spinning step, a drying step, an infusibilization step, and a carbonization step as basic steps; wherein in the infusibilization step, heat treatment is performed at least two times at different temperatures, with the second temperature being higher than the first temperature. It is preferable that the second heat treatment is performed directly after the first treatment is performed, without once cooling to room temperature. The obtained hollow fiber carbon membrane has improved permeability, without reducing its separation coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: NOK Corporation
    Inventors: Hirokazu Yamamoto, Yusuke Ikawa, Yutaka Koda
  • Publication number: 20170216664
    Abstract: A blowout includes: a stretchable body having a tube shape and changeable in shape; a wire body having elasticity and arranged along the longitudinal directions of the stretchable body; a pipe body having a cylinder shape, one end part of the pipe body being connected to one end part of the stretchable body; and a mouthpiece body having a cylinder shape and connected to the other end part of the pipe body, the mouthpiece body being held by a user in the mouth such that air is blown by the user, in which the stretchable body is stretched by blowing air from the mouthpiece body while the stretchable body is curled into a spiral by the elastic force of the wire body when air is not blown from the mouthpiece body. In the blowout, the one end part of the stretchable body and the one end part of the pipe body are connected by a tightening band so that the stretchable body can be attached to and detached from the pipe body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Yoshio FUJIMURA, Hirokazu YAMAMOTO, Akemi KARIYA
  • Patent number: 9713322
    Abstract: One object of the present invention is to provide a fishing rod wherein a fitting can be stably and securely fixed on a rod body with a mounting thread and cracking in a resin layer is less visible to a user. A fishing rod according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a rod body, a fitting mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the rod body via a mounting portion of the fitting, and a thread-like part-fixing member wound around the mounting portion and the rod body across a predetermined width in an axial direction of the rod body. On the surface of the part-fixing member is provided a cover member which may be opaque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: GLOBERIDE, INC.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Yamamoto, Takuji Kawamura
  • Patent number: 9616356
    Abstract: A blowout in which the required exhaling force of for stretching thereof may be precisely set to a suitable level. The blowout may include: a stretchable body having a generally tubular shape; a wire body having elasticity and arranged along the longitudinal direction of the stretchable body; and a mouthpiece connected to an end of the stretchable body. In use, the mouthpiece may be held in the mouth such that air is blown therethrough, whereby the stretchable body is stretched. The stretchable body remains curled into a spiral shape by the wire body when air is not blown thereinto. The elastic force of the wire body may be set to a predetermined value, the mouthpiece may include an air regulator for regulating the quantity of airflow, and the stretchable body may not stretch unless the force of air blown is equal to or more than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignees: LUPINUS CO., LTD., FUKIMODOSHINOSATO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akemi Kariya, Hirokazu Yamamoto, Yoshio Fujimura, Yoshikatsu Kimura
  • Patent number: 9496298
    Abstract: A first semiconductor substrate 1 and a second semiconductor substrate 2 are different in material, and therefore have sensitivities to incident light of mutually different wavelength bands. Respective photodiodes of photodiode arrays are connected to amplifiers of the first semiconductor substrate 1. According to this method, the second semiconductor substrate 2 is separated from the wafer by etching the second semiconductor substrate 2 and then dicing a deepest portion of the etched groove. The density of crystal defects in a side surface produced by etching is smaller than the density of crystal defects in a side surface produced by dicing. Because a photodiode located in an end portion of the second semiconductor substrate 2 does not need to be removed, a reduction in the number of photodiodes can be suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Ishihara, Nao Inoue, Hirokazu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20160296852
    Abstract: A blowout in which the required exhaling force of for stretching thereof may be precisely set to a suitable level. The blowout may include: a stretchable body having a generally tubular shape; a wire body having elasticity and arranged along the longitudinal direction of the stretchable body; and a mouthpiece connected to an end of the stretchable body. In use, the mouthpiece may be held in the mouth such that air is blown therethrough, whereby the stretchable body is stretched. The stretchable body remains curled into a spiral shape by the wire body when air is not blown thereinto. The elastic force of the wire body may be set to a predetermined value, the mouthpiece may include an air regulator for regulating the quantity of airflow, and the stretchable body may not stretch unless the force of air blown is equal to or more than a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Akemi KARIYA, Hirokazu YAMAMOTO, Yoshio FUJIMURA, Yoshikatsu KIMURA
  • Patent number: 9427708
    Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane module comprising a bundling tube including a body part and head parts placed at both terminals of the body part and O-rings with which the bundling tube is fitted into a housing being attached to outer circumferential surfaces of the head parts, wherein at least one of the head parts are divided into two in a place closer to a terminal of the bundling tube than places where the O-rings are attached while maintaining a cylindrical shape of the head part, and the divided parts have a slidable structure while maintaining a coupled condition therebetween that forms the cylindrical shape. The hollow fiber membrane module is capable of preventing damage effectively on a hollow fiber membrane or the bundling tube due to expansion or contraction of the hollow fiber membrane to be caused by change of an external environment such as temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: NOK Corporation
    Inventors: Tamio Inamura, Yoshihide Takahashi, Yutaka Koda, Hirokazu Yamamoto, Yusuke Ikawa
  • Publication number: 20160008770
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing a hollow fiber carbon membrane using a hollow fiber carbon membrane-forming material by means of a dry method or dry-wet method comprising a spinning step, a drying step, an infusibilization step, and a carbonization step as basic steps; wherein in the infusibilization step, heat treatment is performed at least two times at different temperatures, with the second temperature being higher than the first temperature. It is preferable that the second heat treatment is performed directly after the first treatment is performed, without once cooling to room temperature. The obtained hollow fiber carbon membrane has improved permeability, without reducing its separation coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Hirokazu Yamamoto, Yusuke Ikawa, Yutaka Koda
  • Publication number: 20150346907
    Abstract: Provided is an input state detection device capable of reliably detecting contact and pressing of an object. A state switching switch can switch a first state in which a voltage application terminal of a constant-voltage power supply is connected to a side of a first electrode and a detection terminal of a detector is connected to a side of second electrodes, and a second state in which the voltage application terminal of the constant-voltage power supply is connected to the side of the second electrodes and the detection terminal of the detector is connected to the side of the first electrode. An input detector detects whether the object is in a non-contact state or in a contact but not pressing state with respect to a surface on the side of the second electrodes based on a value detected by the detector with the state switching switch in the first state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: Sumitomo Riko Company Limited
    Inventors: Hiroyuki NAKAJIMA, Tomonori HAYAKAWA, Tetsuyoshi SHIBATA, Hirokazu YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20150272096
    Abstract: One object of the present invention is to provide a fishing rod wherein a fitting can be stably and securely fixed on a rod body with a mounting thread and cracking in a resin layer is less visible to a user. A fishing rod according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a rod body, a fitting mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the rod body via a mounting portion of the fitting, and a thread-like part-fixing member wound around the mounting portion and the rod body across a predetermined width in an axial direction of the rod body. On the surface of the part-fixing member is provided a cover member which may be opaque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Hirokazu Yamamoto, Takuji Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20150107454
    Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane module comprising a bundling tube including a body part and head parts placed at both terminals of the body part and O-rings with which the bundling tube is fitted into a housing being attached to outer circumferential surfaces of the head parts, wherein at least one of the head parts are divided into two in a place closer to a terminal of the bundling tube than places where the O-rings are attached while maintaining a cylindrical shape of the head part, and the divided parts have a slidable structure while maintaining a coupled condition therebetween that forms the cylindrical shape. The hollow fiber membrane module is capable of preventing damage effectively on a hollow fiber membrane or the bundling tube due to expansion or contraction of the hollow fiber membrane to be caused by change of an external environment such as temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: Tamio Inamura, Yoshihide Takahashi, Yutaka Koda, Hirokazu Yamamoto, Yusuke Ikawa
  • Patent number: 8994041
    Abstract: This photodiode array module includes a first semiconductor substrate 2 having a first photodiode array that is sensitive to light of a first wavelength band, a second semiconductor substrate 2? having a second photodiode array that is sensitive to light of a second wavelength band, and a third semiconductor substrate 3 which is formed with a plurality of amplifiers AMP and on which the first and second semiconductor substrates 2, 2? are placed side by side without overlapping, and which connects each photodiode to the amplifier AMP via a bump. In adjacent end portions of the first semiconductor substrate 2 and the second semiconductor substrate 2?, stepped portions are formed, which thus allows performing measurement with low noise even when respective pixels are aligned successively over both substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Ishihara, Nao Inoue, Hirokazu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20140021575
    Abstract: This photodiode array module includes a first semiconductor substrate 2 having a first photodiode array that is sensitive to light of a first wavelength band, a second semiconductor substrate 2? having a second photodiode array that is sensitive to light of a second wavelength band, and a third semiconductor substrate 3 which is formed with a plurality of amplifiers AMP and on which the first and second semiconductor substrates 2, 2? are placed side by side without overlapping, and which connects each photodiode to the amplifier AMP via a bump. In adjacent end portions of the first semiconductor substrate 2 and the second semiconductor substrate 2?, stepped portions are formed, which thus allows performing measurement with low noise even when respective pixels are aligned successively over both substrates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Ishihara, Nao Inoue, Hirokazu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20140008754
    Abstract: A first semiconductor substrate 1 and a second semiconductor substrate 2 are different in material, and therefore have sensitivities to incident light of mutually different wavelength bands. Respective photodiodes of photodiode arrays are connected to amplifiers of the first semiconductor substrate 1. According to this method, the second semiconductor substrate 2 is separated from the wafer by etching the second semiconductor substrate 2 and then dicing a deepest portion of the etched groove. The density of crystal defects in a side surface produced by etching is smaller than the density of crystal defects in a side surface produced by dicing. Because a photodiode located in an end portion of the second semiconductor substrate 2 does not need to be removed, a reduction in the number of photodiodes can be suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Ishihara, Nao Inoue, Hirokazu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20130313739
    Abstract: A membrane-forming dope solution for carbon membranes, comprising a polyphenyleneoxide polymer, ammonium nitrate, and a solvent having a boiling point of 100° C. or more and being capable of dissolving these components; the membrane-forming dope solution having a concentration of the polyphenyleneoxide polymer of 20 to 40 wt. %, and a concentration of the ammonium nitrate of 1 to 10 wt. %. The membrane-forming dope solution for carbon membranes is subjected to vacuum defoaming, and then subjected to a spinning step, thereby producing a carbon hollow fiber membrane. The use of the membrane-forming dope solution for carbon membranes can reduce yarn breakage during spinning or the formation of pinhole defects in the resulting polymer hollow fiber membranes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: NOK Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Ikawa, Yutaka Koda, Hirokazu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7797556
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a printing unit capable of printing, the printing unit being in a suspended state with power supply being cut off in power-saving mode, and being in a wait state with power being supplied thereto in normal mode; an information storage unit capable of writing and retaining setting information of the printing unit at the time of power supply, the information storage unit being in a suspended state with power supply being cut off in power-saving mode; and a signal control unit that controls power supply to the information storage unit in power-saving mode with a signal transmitted and received by an interface unit from an external terminal device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Hirokazu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7774778
    Abstract: A device control apparatus has a state processing task section 101 for determining an operation state of a device among a plurality of operation states of the device; a sequence processing task section 107 for running a processing program among a plurality of processing programs, and a task connecting section 111 for selecting the sequence processing program corresponding to the operation state of the device determined by the state processing task section to activate the sequence processing task section 107. In this arrangement, the sequence processing program can be easily written without considering an internal state transition processing, and the internal state transition processing and the sequence processing program can be freely designed without the need of modifying the sequence processing program due to change of the internal state transition processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Fujihara, Shusuke Haruna, Hirokazu Yamamoto, Takeshi Makiyori, Sumio Kurose, Takuya Nomura, Yasushi Tamakoshi