Patents by Inventor Kiyoshi Minoura
Kiyoshi Minoura 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).
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Patent number: 11640084Abstract: Provided is a horizontal electric field mode reflective or transflective liquid crystal display device that achieves an increased reflectance. The liquid crystal display device sequentially includes: a first substrate; a first alignment layer; a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules horizontally aligned with no voltage applied; a second alignment layer; and a second substrate including a pixel electrode and a common electrode, the liquid crystal display device further including a reflective layer disposed in at least part of a pixel at a position closer to a back surface than the first alignment layer, the liquid crystal layer, the second alignment layer, the pixel electrode, and the common electrode, at least one alignment layer of the first alignment layer or the second alignment layer having an azimuthal anchoring energy value of less than 1×10?4 J/m2.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2021Date of Patent: May 2, 2023Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hiroaki Asagi, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Patent number: 11639427Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a prepreg, in which a matrix resin is applied to a reinforcing fiber sheet, where the sheet can continuously run without clogging due to generated fuzz, even at a high running speed, and where the sheet can be efficiently impregnated with the matrix resin. The prepreg is produced by a method which includes a step of allowing a reinforcing fiber sheet to pass horizontally or slantingly through the inside of a coating section storing a matrix resin to apply the matrix resin to the reinforcing fiber sheet, where the coating section includes a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other, where the liquid pool has a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along a running direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet, and wherein the narrowed section has a slit-like cross-section and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the largest cross-sectional area of the liquid pool.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2022Date of Patent: May 2, 2023Assignee: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Takashi Ochi, So Nishino, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Patent number: 11638423Abstract: A synthetic polymer film (34A), (34B) having a surface which has a plurality of first raised portions (34Ap), (34Bp), wherein a two-dimensional size of the plurality of first raised portions (34Ap), (34Bp) is in a range of more than 20 nm and less than 500 nm when viewed in a normal direction of the synthetic polymer film (34A), (34B); and the surface has a microbicidal effect.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2018Date of Patent: May 2, 2023Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Miho Yamada, Kiyoshi Minoura, Takahiro Nakahara, Seiji Takami
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Publication number: 20230106616Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a prepreg, in which a matrix resin is applied to a reinforcing fiber sheet, where the sheet can continuously run without clogging due to generated fuzz, even at a high running speed, and where the sheet can be efficiently impregnated with the matrix resin. The prepreg is produced by a method which includes a step of allowing a reinforcing fiber sheet to pass horizontally or slantingly through the inside of a coating section storing a matrix resin to apply the matrix resin to the reinforcing fiber sheet, where the coating section includes a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other, where the liquid pool has a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along a running direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet, and wherein the narrowed section has a slit-like cross-section and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the largest cross-sectional area of the liquid pool.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2022Publication date: April 6, 2023Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Takashi Ochi, So Nishino, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Patent number: 11604379Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device and a polarizing plate capable of improving the contrast ratio in the front direction. The polarizing plate includes a pair of polarizers including a first polarizer and a second polarizer whose transmission axes are parallel to each other; a retarder between the paired polarizers; and a diffusion layer in at least one of a region between the paired polarizers or a region on a side without the retarder of the first polarizer.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2021Date of Patent: March 14, 2023Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Akira Sakai, Yuichi Kawahira, Masahiro Hasegawa, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Publication number: 20230058120Abstract: A method of manufacturing a membrane-catalyst assembly including an electrolyte membrane and a catalyst layer bonded to the electrolyte membrane, the method including: a liquid application step of applying, in the atmosphere, a liquid to only a surface of the electrolyte membrane before bonding; and a thermocompression bonding step of bonding, to the catalyst layer, the electrolyte membrane to which the liquid is applied, by thermocompression bonding. Provided is a method of manufacturing a membrane-catalyst assembly including a polymer electrolyte membrane and a catalyst layer bonded to the polymer electrolyte membrane, in which the manufacturing method can achieve both the relaxation of thermocompression bonding conditions and the improvement of adhesion between the catalyst layer and the electrolyte membrane with high productivity.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2020Publication date: February 23, 2023Applicant: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Yuta SHINTAKU, Ryuta SAKASHITA, Daisuke IZUHARA, Kiyoshi MINOURA, Mei KUMAGAI
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Patent number: 11581642Abstract: The sealing material composition of the disclosure includes an unsaturated carbonyl compound having at least two unsaturated carbonyl groups and a curing agent that is thermally reactive with the unsaturated carbonyl compound and contains a compound having at least two of one or more kinds of functional groups selected from the group consisting of a mercaptan group, a hydroxyl group, and a secondary amine group.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2018Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masanobu Mizusaki, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Publication number: 20230043701Abstract: An optical stack for a display device includes multiple layers that are incorporated into a display device that further includes a display panel. The optical stack includes a resin layer, an alignment film, an optical compensation layer, a polarizer, and a hard coat layer that are stacked in this order from a panel side. The optical stack is formed by preparing and coating a solution for each layer, and then curing and otherwise treating each layer as warranted for a particular layer, in turn to form the optical stack.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2022Publication date: February 9, 2023Inventors: Akira Sakai, Masahiro Hasegawa, Miho Yamada, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Publication number: 20230027116Abstract: A method of manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane and a catalyst layer-formed gas diffusion layer bonded to the electrolyte membrane, the method including: a liquid application step of applying, in the atmosphere, a liquid to only a surface of the catalyst layer before bonding; and a thermocompression bonding step of bonding, to the electrolyte membrane, the catalyst layer-formed gas diffusion layer to which the liquid is applied, by thermocompression bonding. Provided is a method of manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly including a polymer electrolyte membrane and a catalyst layer-formed gas diffusion layer bonded to the polymer electrolyte membrane, in which the manufacturing method can achieve both the relaxation of thermocompression bonding conditions and the improvement of adhesion between the catalyst layer-formed gas diffusion layer and the electrolyte membrane with high productivity.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2020Publication date: January 26, 2023Applicant: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Yuta SHINTAKU, Ryuta SAKASHITA, Daisuke IZUHARA, Kiyoshi MINOURA, Mei KUMAGAI
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Publication number: 20220397711Abstract: A polarizer for use with a display device having a viewing area and a non-viewing area includes a patterned hydrophobic layer, a patterned lyotropic liquid crystal (LC) polarizer layer, a lyotropic LC polarizer alignment layer, a reactive mesogen (RM) quarter wave plate (QWP) layer, an RM QWP alignment layer, a substrate, and an adhesive. The patterned hydrophobic layer surrounds the patterned lyotropic LC polarizer layer. The patterned hydrophobic layer is wholly contained within the non-viewing area of the display device. The substrate is adjacent to the RM QWP alignment layer, and the adhesive is disposed between the substrate and the display device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2021Publication date: December 15, 2022Inventors: Nathan James SMITH, JIYUN YU, ANDREW ACREMAN, KIYOSHI MINOURA, AKIRA SAKAI, MASAHIRO HASEGAWA, MIHO YAMADA
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Publication number: 20220382098Abstract: An in-cell touch panel device includes a first substrate, a plurality of color filters formed on a layer on an opposite side of a touch surface with respect to the first substrate, a transmitter electrode formed on a layer on an opposite side of the touch surface with respect to the plurality of color filters, a receiver electrode formed on a layer closer to the touch surface side with respect to the plurality of color filters, and a second substrate, a pixel electrode being disposed on the second substrate. The transmitter electrode includes a gap portion formed in a portion overlapping a space between adjacent ones of the plurality of color filters in a plan view.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2022Publication date: December 1, 2022Inventors: Kazutoshi KIDA, Kiyoshi MINOURA, Takashi SATOH, Shunsuke NOICHI, Yasuhiro SUGITA, Chiaki MINARI
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Publication number: 20220382099Abstract: An in-cell touch panel device includes a first substrate, a plurality of color filters formed on an upper layer with respect to the first substrate and including a green color filter, a transmitter electrode formed on an upper layer with respect to the plurality of color filters, a receiver electrode formed on a lower layer with respect to the plurality of color filters, and a second substrate including a pixel electrode disposed on the second substrate. The transmitter electrode includes a gap portion formed in a portion overlapping the receiver electrode in a plan view and in a portion overlapping the green color filter in a plan view.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2022Publication date: December 1, 2022Inventors: Kazutoshi KIDA, Kiyoshi MINOURA, Takashi SATOH, Shunsuke NOICHI, Yasuhiro SUGITA, Chiaki MINARI
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Patent number: 11499025Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for producing a prepreg, for applying a coating liquid to a reinforcing fiber sheet, the apparatus including: a coating section including: a liquid pool storing the coating liquid and having a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously and vertically downward, and a narrowed section having a slit-like outlet in communication with the lower end of the liquid pool; a running mechanism for allowing the reinforcing fiber sheet to run vertically downward and be introduced into the coating section; a take-up mechanism for taking up the reinforcing fiber sheet downward from the coating section; wall constituent members opposed to each other in the thickness direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet to form the narrowed section; and an external force application mechanism for applying an external force to the wall constituent members in the thickness direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2019Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: So Nishino, Yoshikazu Kono, Takashi Ochi, Junichi Aoki, Yoshiyuki Kitamura, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Patent number: 11491685Abstract: A method is described for producing a prepreg formed by applying a matrix resin to a reinforcing fiber sheet, wherein the method can effect continuous running without clogging due to generated fuzz even at a high running speed and effect efficient impregnation of the reinforcing fiber sheet with a matrix resin. A method of producing a prepreg includes allowing a reinforcing fiber sheet to pass substantially vertically downward through the inside of a coating section storing a matrix resin to obtain a matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet in which the matrix resin is applied to the reinforcing fiber sheet and at least heating the matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet, wherein the coating section includes a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other, wherein the liquid pool has a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along a running direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2019Date of Patent: November 8, 2022Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Takashi Ochi, Yoshikazu Kono, So Nishino, Junichi Aoki, Kiyoshi Minoura, Tamotsu Suzuki
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Patent number: 11487149Abstract: Provided is a curved display device capable of preventing or reducing local light leakage while achieving a certain contrast ratio. The curved display device includes a liquid crystal panel in a normally black mode. The liquid crystal panel includes a first polarizer, a liquid crystal cell, and a second polarizer in a stated order from a viewing surface side. The liquid crystal cell includes a first substrate including a transparent substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a second substrate including a transparent substrate in a stated order from the viewing surface side. At least one of the first substrate or the second substrate is provided with a third polarizer on a surface of the transparent substrate closer to the liquid crystal layer.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2021Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Mikihiro Noma, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Patent number: 11454838Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device including: a liquid crystal panel; and a control circuit, the liquid crystal panel sequentially including an active matrix substrate, a first alignment film, a liquid crystal layer, a second alignment film, and a counter substrate, the active matrix substrate sequentially including a first substrate, a first electrode, a first insulating layer, and a second electrode including a linear electrode portion, the counter substrate including a second substrate and a third electrode, the third electrode extending in a longitudinal direction of the sub-pixel at a right or left end of the sub-pixel, a ratio of a width of the third electrode to a width of the first electrode in a widthwise direction being 0.14 or greater and 0.25 or smaller, the control circuit being configured to switch between application of an alternating voltage and application of a constant voltage to the third electrode.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2021Date of Patent: September 27, 2022Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Koji Murata, Kazutaka Hanaoka, Shinji Shimada, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Patent number: 11437600Abstract: In the present embodiment, a sealing agent (50) sealing two substates contains a low melting-point glass material and is adhered to each of a first substrate (10) and a second substrate (20), a barrier rib (60), which is formed in such a manner as to surround the outer periphery of an electronic element (30), is disposed between the sealing agent (50) and the electronic element (30), and between the first substrate (10) and the second substrate (20), and the sealing agent (50) is spaced apart from the barrier rib (60). As a result, a deterioration of the electronic element, caused by the heat produced when sealing, may be prevented while the electronic element formed between the two substrates is protected from moisture and oxygen.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2021Date of Patent: September 6, 2022Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuhki Kobayashi, Shinichi Kawato, Kiyoshi Minoura, Shinji Shimada, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Masahiro Mitani, Kohzoh Nakamura, Katsuhiko Kishimoto, Yozo Narutaki
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Patent number: 11435509Abstract: An optical stack for a display device includes multiple layers that are incorporated into a display device that further includes a display panel. The optical stack includes a resin layer, an alignment film, an optical compensation layer, a polarizer, and a hard coat layer that are stacked in this order from a panel side. The optical stack is formed by preparing and coating a solution for each layer, and then curing and otherwise treating each layer as warranted for a particular layer, in turn to form the optical stack.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2019Date of Patent: September 6, 2022Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Akira Sakai, Masahiro Hasegawa, Miho Yamada, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Patent number: 11428991Abstract: The liquid crystal display device includes, sequentially from a viewing surface side to a back surface side: a linearly polarizing plate and a circularly polarizing plate including a first ?/4 retardation layer; a thin-film transistor substrate including a pair of electrodes disposed in a pixel region and a metal line disposed outside the pixel region; a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules aligned parallel to the thin-film transistor substrate, alignment of the liquid crystal molecules varying in response to an electric field generated by application of voltage to the pair of electrodes; a color filter substrate including a color filter layer; and a backlight, the thin-film transistor substrate including a second ?/4 retardation layer, the color filter substrate including a reflective layer disposed outside the pixel region and configured to reflect incident light from the backlight toward the back surface.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2021Date of Patent: August 30, 2022Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuichi Kawahira, Takako Koide, Masahiro Hasegawa, Akira Hirai, Akira Sakai, Kiyoshi Minoura
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Patent number: 11421091Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a prepreg, in which a matrix resin is applied to a reinforcing fiber sheet, where the sheet can continuously run without clogging due to generated fuzz, even at a high running speed, and where the sheet can be efficiently impregnated with the matrix resin. The prepreg is produced by a method which includes a step of allowing a reinforcing fiber sheet to pass horizontally or slantingly through the inside of a coating section storing a matrix resin to apply the matrix resin to the reinforcing fiber sheet, where the coating section includes a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other, where the liquid pool has a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along a running direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet, and wherein the narrowed section has a slit-like cross-section and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the largest cross-sectional area of the liquid pool.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2019Date of Patent: August 23, 2022Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Takashi Ochi, So Nishino, Kiyoshi Minoura