Patents by Inventor Katsuya Shirai

Katsuya Shirai 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: 7988834
    Abstract: Conductive catalytic particles which are composed of a conductive powder and a catalytic material adhering to the surface thereof are provided. The catalytic material is an alloy of a noble metal material with an additive material which is thermally solid-insoluble in the noble metal material, or an alloy of MI and MII, where MI denotes at least one species selected from noble metal elements, and MII denotes at least one specifies selected from Fe, Co, Ni, Cr, Al, Cu, Hf, Zr, Ti, V, Nb, Ta, W, Ga, Sn, Ge, Si, Re, Os, Pb, Bi, Sb, Mo, Mn, O, N, C, Zn, In, and rare earth elements. The conductive catalytic particles are produced by causing the noble metal material and the additive material or MI and MII to adhere at the same time to the surface of a conductive powder by physical vapor deposition. The conductive catalytic particles are not susceptible to sintering and are used for a gas-diffusing catalytic electrode and an electrochemical device provided therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Katori, Toshiaki Kanemitsu, Katsuya Shirai
  • Patent number: 7952013
    Abstract: Content is selected on the basis of changes of a walking tempo. The walking tempo is detected (S5). In a state determination process (S7), it is determined whether the walking tempo tends to increase, be constant, or decrease. A walking tempo corrective coefficient is calculated on the basis of the determined result and a corrective walking tempo is calculated with the walking tempo corrective coefficient (S9). It is determined whether or not music is changed on the basis of the corrective walking tempo rather than the actually detected walking tempo (S11). When music is changed, relevant music content is searched. Controls are performed in such a manner that when the walking tempo is decreasing, the foregoing state is kept for a while, when the walking tempo is increasing, music is quickly selected according to the increase of the walking tempo, and when the walking tempo is stable, music is not selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Komori, Susumu Takatsuka, Toru Sasaki, Yuichi Sakai, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Hirofumi Tamori, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Motoyuki Takai, Kenichi Makino, Takatoshi Nakamura, Akane Sano
  • Patent number: 7900161
    Abstract: A data display apparatus includes: an extraction condition setting section that sets, based on an original data row where a plurality of data are arranged in a predetermined order, an extraction condition of extraction data that is to be displayed on a predetermined display section; and an extraction data display section that displays, out of an extraction data row where the extraction data extracted from the original data row based on the extraction condition are arranged in the predetermined order, the extraction data that are within a predetermined range in a predetermined display size on the display section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takatoshi Nakamura, Yuichi Abe, Yoichiro Sako, Toru Sasaki, Toshiro Terauchi, Katsuya Shirai, Mitsuru Takehara, Masamichi Asukai
  • Publication number: 20110022594
    Abstract: Music content are reproduced in the order of the newest time information that has been registered. A music content database 7 has stored a plurality of music content. Each music content has been stored in the music content database 7 along with a time stamp that is time information that represents a time at which the music content was registered in the music content database 7. A CPU 3 creates play lists corresponding to, for example, tempos. The created play lists are stored in a play list database 8. The CPU 3 selects a play list corresponding to a moving tempo obtained from a tempo detection section 9 and selects music content in the order of the newest time information registered from the music content corresponding to the selected play list. The selected music content are supplied to a decoder and amplification section 12 and reproduced by a head phone 14.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2007
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Inventors: Susumu Takatsuka, Yoichiro Sako, Makoto Inoue, Motoyuki Takai, Toshiro Terauchi, Hirofumi Tamori, Katsuya Shirai, Kenichi Makino, Takatosshi Nakamura, Akihiro Komori, Akane Sano, Toru Sasaki, Yuichi Sakai
  • Patent number: 7864640
    Abstract: Location information obtained from a positioning system 4 and environmental information such as time, temperature, air pressure and the like measured by an environmental information sensor 6 are associated with the reproduction history of music and are recorded in a history storage RAM 14, and music reproduced in the past at the same location as the present location is automatically selected and the music suitable for the location is automatically selected and reproduced based on the location information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Makino, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Yasushi Miyajima, Motoyuki Takai, Akiko Inoue
  • Patent number: 7841965
    Abstract: An audio-signal generation device includes a generation circuit which generates track data and an input unit which receives information input by a user. The generation circuit generates the track data on the basis of information about the user's body, information about an exercise to be done, and information about a characteristic of a track to which the user listens during the exercise that are input via the input unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuya Shirai, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Makoto Inoue, Yasushi Miyajima, Motoyuki Takai, Kenichi Makino, Masamichi Asukai, Kosei Yamashita
  • Patent number: 7840182
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an information processing apparatus including, a wireless communication block configured to execute wireless communication with a mate terminal device, an information exchange generation condition storage block configured to record a condition of information exchange with the mate terminal device, an information exchange log storage block configured to record a log of information exchange with the mate terminal device, and an information exchange generation determination block configured to determine whether to execute information exchange with the mate terminal device by referencing the information exchange condition recorded in the information exchange generation condition storage block and the log of information exchange recorded in the information exchange log storage block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Takehara, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Makoto Inoue, Toru Sasaki, Yuichi Sakai, Masafumi Matsuda, Motoyuki Takai, Katsuya Shirai, Masamichi Asukai, Takatoshi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20100257484
    Abstract: A data display apparatus includes: an extraction condition setting section that sets, based on an original data row where a plurality of data are arranged in a predetermined order, an extraction condition of extraction data that is to be displayed on a predetermined display section; and an extraction data display section that displays, out of an extraction data row where the extraction data extracted from the original data row based on the extraction condition are arranged in the predetermined order, the extraction data that are within a predetermined range in a predetermined display size on the display section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takatoshi Nakamura, Yuichi Abe, Yoichiro Sako, Toru Sasaki, Toshiro Terauchi, Katsuya Shirai, Mitsuru Takehara, Masamichi Asukai
  • Patent number: 7800493
    Abstract: By providing bio-information and/or environment information between a pair of users, it becomes possible for the users to understand the situation or the feeling of each other more deeply and earlier. A communication system for exchanging the situations and the feelings of both users is provided without performing optional communication operations, such as a telephone call and an e-mail. The condition or the situation on the transmitter side is to be judged and to be notified to the receiver side by inputting bio-information such as breathing, pulse-beats and heartbeats or environment information such as weather, date and hour, ambient temperature, or alternatively, by comparing, synchronizing and/or relating the bio-information and/or the environment information at present with respect to the bio-information and/or the environment information in the past. With respect to the situation of the receiver side, it is also notified similarly to the transmitter side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiro Terauchi, Yoichiro Sako, Akiko Inoue, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Yasushi Miyajima, Kenichi Makino, Motoyuki Takai
  • Patent number: 7790976
    Abstract: A content searching method includes the steps of: detecting movements of a user as movement information; detecting a movement pattern of the user as key information from the movement information; and searching for a piece of content having a content pattern according to the key information among a plurality of pieces of content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Motoyuki Takai, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Kenichi Makino, Makoto Inoue, Yasushi Miyajima, Katsuya Shirai
  • Patent number: 7783487
    Abstract: There is provided a mobile phone that detects bio-information on the user and makes information communications reflecting the detected bio-information. The mobile phone (1) includes sensors (18) that detect bio-information data. The bio-information data detected by the sensors (18) are sent to a sensor data analyzer (19) in which psychology corresponding to the detected bio-information data is analyzed based on bio-information data stored in a psychology memory (20) and psychology of the user. The sensor data analyzer (19) extracts characteristic signal patterns from the bio-information data detected by the sensors (18) and analyzes psychology corresponding to the extracted signal patterns. The psychology includes, for example, “pleased and delightful”, “discouraged”, “excited”, etc. and these states of mind are stored in association with bio-information data in the psychology memory (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akiko Inoue, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Yasushi Miyajima, Kenichi Makino, Motoyuki Takai
  • Publication number: 20100168879
    Abstract: Music contents assigned to play lists are reproduced so as to correspond to user's preference. A music content database 7 has stored a plurality of music contents. A CPU 3 creates genre ranks such that music contents that have been more frequently, for example, reproduced are more highly ranked. In addition, the CPU 3 creates play lists corresponding, for example, to tempos and stores the created play lists in a play list database 8. The CPU 3 selects a play list corresponding to a moving tempo obtained from a tempo detection section 9 and selects music content categorized as a highly ranked genre in the genre ranks from those corresponding to the selected play list. The selected music content is supplied to a decoder and amplifier section 12 and then reproduced from a head phone 14.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2007
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Susumu Takatsuka, Toru Sasaki, Yuichi Sakai, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Hirofumi Tamori, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Kenichi Makino, Motoyuki Takai, Takatoshi Nakamura, Akihiro Komori, Akane Sano
  • Publication number: 20100159619
    Abstract: A gate insulating film (13) is formed on a substrate (1) so as to cover a gate electrode (11), and an amorphous silicon film (semiconductor thin film) (15) is further formed. A light absorption layer (19) is formed thereon through a buffer layer (17). Energy lines Lh are applied to the light absorption layer (19) from a continuous-wave laser such as a semiconductor laser. This oxidizes only a surface side of the light absorption layer Lh and produces a beautiful crystalline silicon film (15a) obtained by crystallizing the amorphous silicon film (15) using heat generated by thermal conversion of the energy lines Lh at the light absorption layer (19) and heat of the oxidation reaction. This provides a method for crystallizing a thin film with good controllability at low costs achieved with simpler process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Umezu, Koichi Tsukihara, Goh Matsunobu, Yoshio Inagaki, Koichi Tatsuki, Shin Hotta, Katsuya Shirai
  • Patent number: 7742037
    Abstract: A detection section that detects a key-tapping speed and key-tapping intensity is provided to detect a user's impatience level. An input device detects the key-tapping intensity and key-tapping speed. The input device compares the detection value of the key-tapping speed and an average key-tapping speed. When the detection value exceeds a stored normal key-tapping speed, the input device then compares the detection value of the key-tapping intensity and a reference pressure value. When the detection value exceeds a stored normal key-tapping intensity, information to be output for a user is changed over. In this case, displayed characters are enlarged and emphasized to a maximum extent. On the other hand, in the case where a detection value does not exceed the normal key-tapping speed and the detection value exceeds the normal key-tapping intensity, displayed characters are only slightly enlarged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Makoto Inoue, Masamichi Asukai, Katsuya Shirai, Yasushi Miyajima, Kenichi Makino, Motoyuki Takai
  • Patent number: 7731656
    Abstract: In an image display system that displays the condition of a person under measurement in a visible form, the person carries a PDA (10). The PDA (10) includes a bio-sensor (11) to detect bio-information on the person and an environmental information sensor (12) to acquire information on the environment around the person. The PDA (10) sends the acquired information to an image display device (20) which is connected to the PDA (10) via a network (100). The image display device (20) includes a CPU (29) that judges the condition of the person on the basis of bio-information and environmental information, generates an image representing the condition of the person and displays the image on a display unit (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasushi Miyajima, Yoichiro Sako, Toshiro Terauchi, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Motoyuki Takai, Kenichi Makino, Akiko Inoue, Masamichi Asukai
  • Patent number: 7732700
    Abstract: A playback device includes a storing unit storing a contents database in which contents including at least music and tempo information indicating the tempo of the music are correlated with each other; a playback unit for performing playback of the contents; a tempo measuring unit for measuring an exercise tempo obtained along with the body movements of a user; a searching unit for searching contents from the contents database based on the information of the measured exercise tempo by the tempo measuring unit; and a contents selecting unit for selecting the contents searched by the searching unit as contents to be played by the playback unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiro Terauchi, Toru Sasaki, Yuichi Sakai, Susumu Takatsuka, Yoichiro Sako, Hirofumi Tamori, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Motoyuki Takai, Kenichi Makino, Takatoshi Nakamura, Akihiro Komori, Akane Sano
  • Patent number: 7700867
    Abstract: An apparatus of playing back an audio signal includes storage means for dividing exercise tempos of a user into a plurality of groups and storing digital audio data concerning music pieces, the digital audio data being associated with the plurality of groups; a playback circuit that plays back the digital audio data; detecting means for detecting an exercise tempo of the user; and a control circuit that reads out the digital audio data from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit. The control circuit determines which group, among the plurality of groups, the exercise tempo detected by the detecting means belongs to, and reads out the digital audio data concerning a music piece associated with the determined group from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akane Sano, Susumu Takatsuka, Toru Sasaki, Yuichi Sakai, Toshiro Terauchi, Hirofumi Tamori, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Motoyuki Takai, Kenichi Makino, Takatoshi Nakamura, Akihiro Komori, Yoichiro Sako
  • Patent number: 7698092
    Abstract: A portable electronic apparatus includes an acceleration detection unit, an evaluation-signal generation unit, and a control unit. The acceleration detection unit is configured to detect an acceleration generated in the portable electronic apparatus. The evaluation-signal generation unit is configured to carry out a predetermined process based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit in order to generate an evaluation signal representing the amplitude and positive or negative polarity of the acceleration. The control unit is configured to produce a result of determination as to whether or not the portable electronic apparatus has been driven to make a predetermined movement on the basis of the evaluation signal and carrying out a predetermined operation on the basis of the result of determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akane Sano, Kenichi Makino, Motoyuki Takai, Hiroshi Ito, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Hirofumi Tamori
  • Publication number: 20100051838
    Abstract: A capacity control valve includes a solenoid portion; a tube placed in the solenoid portion; and a movable core which forms a slide surface that is fitted to the tube. An actuation rod has a joint portion and a valve body, the joint portion being engaged with an abutting surface of a solenoid rod portion, and the valve body opening or closing a control fluid passage. The joint surface of the solenoid rod portion or the abutting face of the actuation rod has a concave cone-shape surface while the other has a convex cone-shape portion. A bottom face of the concave cone-shape surface is formed as a wide area of either a planar surface or a circular cross section, wherein a head portion of the convex cone-shape portion is truncated to form a truncated cone surface, the truncated cone surface corresponding to the bottom face of the concave cone-shape surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: EAGLE INDUSTRY CO., LTD
    Inventors: Norio UEMURA, Toshiaki Iwa, Katsuya Shirai, Keigo Shirafuji
  • Publication number: 20100042359
    Abstract: A portable electronic apparatus includes an acceleration detection unit, an evaluation-signal generation unit, and a control unit. The acceleration detection unit is configured to detect an acceleration generated in the portable electronic apparatus. The evaluation-signal generation unit is configured to carry out a predetermined process based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit in order to generate an evaluation signal representing the amplitude and positive or negative polarity of the acceleration. The control unit is configured to produce a result of determination as to whether or not the portable electronic apparatus has been driven to make a predetermined movement on the basis of the evaluation signal and carrying out a predetermined operation on the basis of the result of determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akane SANO, Kenichi Makino, Motoyuki Takai, Hiroshi Ito, Makoto Inoue, Katsuya Shirai, Hirofumi Tamori