Patents by Inventor Kiyoaki Maeda

Kiyoaki Maeda 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: 8328261
    Abstract: A pick-up style utility vehicle having a front seat and a rear seat. The pick-up style utility vehicle includes a cargo bed movement mechanism for supporting a cargo bed movably within a predetermined movement range in a back and forth direction. Also, a seat movement mechanism is provided for supporting the rear seat movably between a use position set to be within the movement range and a shunting position set to be out of or beyond the movement range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiro Kanazawa, Hideyuki Takahashi, Yoichi Jinja, Takao Hamano, Masashi Sakata, Kazuhiro Morita, Yasushi Ishibashi, Kiyoaki Maeda, Tyler Furman, Yoshihiro Masuda, Trey Govier
  • Patent number: 8267454
    Abstract: A pick-up style utility vehicle with an expandable cargo bed, including a stationary cargo bed part serving as a bottom face and a side face of the cargo bed, a movable cargo bed part serving as the bottom face and the side face of the expanded cargo bed, and a cargo bed support mechanism for supporting the movable cargo bed part at a normal position and an expansion position set on the rear side of the normal position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyohito Takano, Satoshi Takaya, Kiyoaki Maeda, Kousei Hokari, Geoffrey Ewing, Junhei Asahi, Naoki Tamai, Kenji Oda
  • Publication number: 20110156419
    Abstract: The present invention is a pick-up style utility vehicle with an expandable cargo bed, including a stationary cargo bed part serving as a bottom face and a side face of the cargo bed, a movable cargo bed part serving as the bottom face and the side face of the expanded cargo bed, and a cargo bed support mechanism for supporting the movable cargo bed part at a normal position and an expansion position set on the rear side of the normal position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Inventors: KIYOHITO TAKANO, SATOSHI TAKAYA, KIYOAKI MAEDA, KOUSEI HOKARI, GEOFFREY EWING, JUNHEI ASAHI, NAOKI TAMAI, KENJI ODA
  • Publication number: 20110148135
    Abstract: The present invention is a pick-up style utility vehicle having a front seat and a rear seat, the pick-up style utility vehicle including a cargo bed movement mechanism for supporting a cargo bed movably within a predetermined movement range in the back and forth direction, and a seat movement mechanism for supporting the rear seat movably between a use position set to be within the movement range and a shunting position set to be out of the movement range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Inventors: Tomohiro KANAZAWA, Hideyuki Takahashi, Yoichi Jinja, Takao Hamano, Masashi Sakata, Kazuhiro Morita, Yasushi Ishibashi, Kiyoaki Maeda, Tyler Furman, Yoshihiro Masuda, Trey Govier
  • Patent number: 6883455
    Abstract: In a personal watercraft and a buffer member of the present invention, a gunnel or the buffer member (bumper) functions as a sponson. An elongate-plate shaped sponson portion is protruded in a lower portion of a corner bumper provided on a side portion of a body along the longitudinal direction of the body. The sponson portion extends such that its longitudinal direction substantially corresponds with the longitudinal direction of the body. A rear end portion of the sponson portion has a width larger than that of a front end portion thereof. The corner bumper functions as the sponson as well as the conventional buffer member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Kanji Kiyohara, Takeru Oshima, Yukio Asakura
  • Patent number: 6848383
    Abstract: A substantially U-shaped front bumper as seen in a plan view is mounted on a gunnel at a front end of the watercraft so as to partially cover the gunnel. The front bumper has a base portion attached to the gunnel, and an extending portion extending upwardly from the base portion so as to partially cover a streamlined surface of a deck. The base portion is provided with right and left concave portions extending in the lateral direction of the body. The extending portion is provided with a concave portion extending from one end to the other end in the lateral direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Kanji Kiyohara, Takeru Oshima, Yukio Asakura
  • Publication number: 20040031427
    Abstract: A substantially U-shaped front bumper as seen in a plan view is mounted on a gunnel at a front end of the watercraft so as to partially cover the gunnel. The front bumper has a base portion attached to the gunnel, and an extending portion extending upwardly from the base portion so as to partially cover a streamlined surface of a deck. The base portion is provided with right and left concave portions extending in the lateral direction of the body. The extending portion is provided with a concave portion extending from one end to the other end in the lateral direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2003
    Publication date: February 19, 2004
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Kanji Kiyohara, Takeru Oshima, Yukio Asakura
  • Publication number: 20040014374
    Abstract: In a personal watercraft and a buffer member of the present invention, a gunnel or the buffer member (bumper) functions as a sponson. An elongate-plate shaped sponson portion is protruded in a lower portion of a corner bumper provided on a side portion of a body along the longitudinal direction of the body. The sponson portion extends such that its longitudinal direction substantially corresponds with the longitudinal direction of the body. A rear end portion of the sponson portion has a width larger than that of a front end portion thereof. The corner bumper functions as the sponson as well as the conventional buffer member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2003
    Publication date: January 22, 2004
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Kanji Kiyohara, Takeru Oshima, Yukio Asakura
  • Patent number: 6589085
    Abstract: The present invention provides a lightweight and simply-configured watercraft of a jet-propulsion type that can maintain steering capability according to the cruising speed of the watercraft even when a throttle-close operation is performed and the amount of water ejected from a water jet pump is thereby reduced. When a throttle-close operation and a steering handle operation are detected, steering assist mode control according to the present invention is executed to increase the engine speed. The increasing speed of the engine speed is adjustably increased to subdue the rate of change between the cruising speed at the detection of the operations and the cruising speed to be changed by the control, and the watercraft can continue to turn smoothly under the control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshimoto Matsuda, Kiyoaki Maeda
  • Patent number: 6508187
    Abstract: The present invention provides a watercraft having steering components (steering tabs or stabilizers) for maintaining steering capability even while amount of water ejected from a propulsion pump is decreased. The steering components are movably disposed on a hull of the watercraft at or below the water level on both right and left sides to be in an “Operating State” in which resistance of water is larger or to be in a “Non-operating State” in which the resistance of water is smaller in accordance with steering operation. Furthermore, a mechanism for absorbing an external force acting on the steering components in the “Operating State” is located in a system for operating the steering components. The mechanism reacts to the external force to allow the steering components to be transformed into the “Non-operating State.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Takehiro Nakashima, Kanji Kiyohara, Haruyoshi Maruyama, Masafumi Ikeyama, Haruki Okada, Kunihiko Kamio, Troy Kite, Chris Hagest, Joe Heim
  • Patent number: 6415728
    Abstract: An inner frame member, of a length that is less than the entire length of a hull, is joined to the inner surface of the hull that forms a lower portion of a body of a personal watercraft. The inner frame member has an engine mount portion that supports an engine thereon, an impeller shaft support region that supports thereon an impeller shaft of a propulsion device driven by the engine, and bulkheads extending in the lateral direction of the hull and joined to the inner surface of the hull. In accordance with the present invention, the personal watercraft is light weight, but also retains rigidity and assembling efficiency of the hull.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Kenichi Nakagawa, Takehiro Nakashima
  • Publication number: 20020016109
    Abstract: The present invention provides a lightweight and simply-configured watercraft of a jet-propulsion type that can maintain steering capability according to the cruising speed of the watercraft even when a throttle-close operation is performed and the amount of water ejected from a water jet pump is thereby reduced. When a throttle-close operation and a steering handle operation are detected, steering assist mode control according to the present invention is executed to increase the engine speed. The increasing speed of the engine speed is adjustably increased to subdue the rate of change between the cruising speed at the detection of the operations and the cruising speed to be changed by the control, and the watercraft can continue to turn smoothly under the control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Inventors: Yoshimoto Matsuda, Kiyoaki Maeda
  • Publication number: 20010018884
    Abstract: The present invention provides a watercraft having steering components (steering tabs or stabilizers) for maintaining steering capability even while amount of water ejected from a propulsion pump is decreased. The steering components are movably disposed on a hull of the watercraft at or below the water level on both right and left sides to be in an “Operating State” in which resistance of water is larger or to be in a “Non-operating State” in which the resistance of water is smaller in accordance with steering operation. Furthermore, a mechanism for absorbing an external force acting on the steering components in the “Operating State” is located in a system for operating the steering components. The mechanism reacts to the external force to allow the steering components to be transformed into the “Non-operating State.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2001
    Publication date: September 6, 2001
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Takehiro Nakashima, Kanji Kiyohara, Haruyoshi Maruyama, Masafumi Ikeyama, Haruki Okada, Kunihiko Kamio, Troy Kite, Chris Hagest, Joe Heim
  • Patent number: 6192823
    Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a personal watercraft having a rear deck floor which can house goods necessary for water-skiing or the like and is provided with a space where a water-skier or the like sits when getting into the water or a space for embarkation when coming out of the water into a watercraft. In a personal watercraft having a whole plane view almost shell-shaped comprising a riding seat S provided from an almost central portion of a body A of a watercraft to a rear portion thereof, a steering handlebar 21 provided in front of the riding seat S, an engine E for propulsion provided below the riding seat S, and a jet pump P provided behind the engine, the jet pump being provided with an outlet port rearward for being driven by the engine, a rear deck floor 1 having a space for at least one adult to sit is provided behind the riding seat S and has an openable hatch cover 1A formed on the space, and a rear storage box 1B is formed under the hatch cover 1A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Kenichi Nakagawa, Tomohiro Kanazawa, Kiyoaki Maeda, Kunihiko Kamio, Joe Heim, William Peter Engle, Jr., Gary Bozych
  • Patent number: 6112686
    Abstract: In the storage structure for a personal watercraft, a first hatch cover is installed in front of a handlebar in an openable and closable fashion with respect to a deck and a second hatch cover is installed on the first hatch cover in an openable and closable fashion with respect to the first hatch cover. A first storage area is formed inside the first hatch cover and a second storage area is formed inside the second hatch cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Kenichi Nakagawa, Kiyoaki Maeda, Kunihiko Kamio, Joe Heim, William Peter Engle, Jr., Gary Bozych
  • Patent number: D478545
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Kanji Kiyohara, Takeru Ohshima, Yukio Asakura
  • Patent number: D483316
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoaki Maeda, Kanji Kiyohara, Takeru Ohshima, Yukio Asakura