Patents by Inventor Koji Kitani

Koji Kitani 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: 20240100736
    Abstract: A shaping method includes irradiating a powder containing silicon carbide and metal boride with an energy beam based on shape data of an object of shaping to perform shaping, in which the metal boride has a melting point lower than the sublimation point of the silicon carbide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Motoki Okinaka, Tsutomu Miki
  • Publication number: 20240051297
    Abstract: A technique capable of ensuring a sealing property between channels even with downsizing is to be provided. A method for manufacturing a liquid ejection chip equipped with an ejection unit which is configured to be capable of ejecting a plurality of liquids, and a plurality of channels which are configured to separately store the plurality of liquids to be supplied to the ejection unit, includes: filling a molten resin into a mold into which a substrate in which the ejection unit is installed on one surface and a groove and a protrusion for forming the channels are formed on the other surface is loaded, and curing the molten resin, thereby forming a resin member on the protrusion with the molten resin, the resin member forming a partition separating a space within the channels adjacent to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventor: Koji Kitani
  • Patent number: 11511351
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a powder layer forming portion, an energy beam source, and a contact detection sensor including a plate-like probe. The powder layer forming portion is configured to form a powder layer in a predetermined region. The energy beam source is configured to radiate an energy beam to the powder layer formed by the powder layer forming portion to fuse or sinter the powder layer so that a solidified layer is formed. Presence or absence of a projection portion on a surface of the solidified layer is detected by using the contact detection sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Naoki Takizawa
  • Publication number: 20220324019
    Abstract: Provided is an article that includes silicon carbide as a main component and that has sufficient mechanical strength while manufactured by a three-dimensional shaping technology. The article that includes silicon carbide as a main component includes: silicon carbide; a metal boride having a melting point lower than a sublimation point of silicon carbide; and metal silicon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Motoki Okinaka, Tsutomu Miki
  • Publication number: 20220111553
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a powder-layer forming portion, an energy beam source, a shielding portion, and/or a removal portion. The powder-layer forming portion is configured to form a powder layer by moving between a waiting position and a forming area and supplying powder to the forming area. The energy beam source is configured to irradiate the powder layer with an energy beam. The shielding portion is disposed outside the forming area and between the forming area and the waiting position and configured to reduce powder reaching the powder-layer forming portion, the powder being scattered from the powder layer when the powder layer is irradiated with the energy beam by the energy beam source. The removal portion is configured to remove the powder scattered from the powder layer and having adhered to the powder-layer forming portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Tsutomu Miki
  • Patent number: 10882137
    Abstract: Three-dimensional manufacturing method and apparatus which easily adjust individually a heating amount per unit area for each of solidified and unsolidified regions is provided. Light source and scanning unit heat with a laser beam a layer formed by a layer forming unit. In a layer forming step, a controlling unit causes the layer forming unit to form a layer of material powder. In a laser heating step, the controlling unit controls the light source and the scanning unit to alternately heat with the laser beam the solidified region obtained by fusing and solidifying the layer and the unsolidified region adjacent to the solidified region, thereby integrally fusing and solidifying the solidified region and the unsolidified region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Tomoyasu Mizuno
  • Publication number: 20200198007
    Abstract: Provided is an article that includes silicon carbide as a main component and that has sufficient mechanical strength while manufactured by a three-dimensional shaping technology. The article that includes silicon carbide as a main component includes: silicon carbide; a metal boride having a melting point lower than a sublimation point of silicon carbide; and metal silicon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Motoki Okinaka, Tsutomu Miki
  • Publication number: 20200047250
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a powder layer forming portion, an energy beam source, and a contact detection sensor including a plate-like probe. The powder layer forming portion is configured to form a powder layer in a predetermined region. The energy beam source is configured to radiate an energy beam to the powder layer formed by the powder layer forming portion to fuse or sinter the powder layer so that a solidified layer is formed. Presence or absence of a projection portion on a surface of the solidified layer is detected by using the contact detection sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Naoki Takizawa
  • Publication number: 20200001399
    Abstract: A method for treating a raw-material powder includes forming a layer of the raw-material powder and removing oxide film formed on a surface of the raw-material powder from which the layer has been formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Koh Kamachi, Koji Kitani
  • Patent number: 10421156
    Abstract: A method for treating a raw-material powder includes forming a layer of the raw-material powder and removing oxide film formed on a surface of the raw-material powder from which the layer has been formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koh Kamachi, Koji Kitani
  • Publication number: 20190099914
    Abstract: A shaping method includes irradiating a powder containing silicon carbide and metal boride with an energy beam based on shape data of an object of shaping to perform shaping, in which the metal boride has a melting point lower than the sublimation point of the silicon carbide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Motoki Okinaka, Tsutomu Miki
  • Patent number: 9796180
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device includes a piezoelectric transducer having a plurality of pressure chambers, a plurality of partitions dividing the plurality of pressure chambers, and a plurality of electrodes formed in the plurality of pressure chambers, respectively. The plurality of partitions each includes a first side wall and a second side wall that is positioned on a back surface side of the first side wall. The first side wall includes a first wall surface positioned at an upper portion thereof, the first wall surface being positioned so as to be set back in a normal direction from a second wall surface positioned below the first wall surface. A first electrode is formed on the second wall surface, and a second electrode is formed on the second side wall. An upper end of the second electrode is higher than an upper end of the first electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Hidehiko Fujimura, Shumpei Tatsumi
  • Publication number: 20170282244
    Abstract: A three-dimensional manufacturing apparatus and a three-dimensional manufacturing method easily adjust a heating quantity per unit area individually for a solidified region and a non-solidified region of a powder material. A layer formation unit forms a layer of a powder material. Light sources and heat scanning units heat the layer by laser beams. The laser beam heats a solidified region in which the powder material has been fused and solidified. The laser beam heats the non-solidified region of the powder material, which is adjacent to the solidified region. The controlling section controls the light sources and the heat scanning units so as to move the laser beams along a boundary between the solidified region and the non-solidified region, and to fuse and solidify a manufacturing region of the layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Tomoyasu Mizuno, Koji Kitani
  • Publication number: 20170282296
    Abstract: Three-dimensional manufacturing method and apparatus which easily adjust individually a heating amount per unit area for each of solidified and unsolidified regions is provided. Light source and scanning unit heat with a laser beam a layer formed by a layer forming unit. In a layer forming step, a controlling unit causes the layer forming unit to form a layer of material powder. In a laser heating step, the controlling unit controls the light source and the scanning unit to alternately heat with the laser beam the solidified region obtained by fusing and solidifying the layer and the unsolidified region adjacent to the solidified region, thereby integrally fusing and solidifying the solidified region and the unsolidified region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Tomoyasu Mizuno
  • Publication number: 20170217166
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejection device capable of ejecting a minute liquid droplet with stability, in which a capacity of a pressure chamber facing a second partition portion increases, and a capacity of the pressure chamber facing a first partition portion decreases, at a time when a voltage is applied so that a potential of a first electrode becomes lower than a potential of a second electrode, compared to a time when a voltage is applied so that the potential of the first electrode becomes the same as the potential of the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode being included in an electrode formed on each of both side surfaces of partitions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Norihiko Ochi, Koji Kitani
  • Publication number: 20170165791
    Abstract: A method for treating a raw-material powder includes forming a layer of the raw-material powder and removing oxide film formed on a surface of the raw-material powder from which the layer has been formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Koh Kamachi, Koji Kitani
  • Publication number: 20170165748
    Abstract: A method for producing a powder includes forming a layer of a raw material powder, and performing one of an operation of nitriding the raw material powder of the layer in an atmosphere containing nitrogen or an operation of carbonizing the raw material powder of the layer in an atmosphere containing carbon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Koh Kamachi, Koji Kitani
  • Publication number: 20170100931
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device, including a piezoelectric transducer including a plurality of pressure chambers; a plurality of partitions dividing the plurality of pressure chambers; and a plurality of electrodes formed in the plurality of pressure chambers, respectively, wherein the plurality of partitions each include a first side wall and a second side wall that is positioned on a back surface side of the first side wall, wherein the first side wall includes a first wall surface positioned in an upper portion thereof, the first side wall being positioned so as to be set back from a second wall surface positioned below the first wall surface, a first electrode is formed on the second wall surface, a second electrode is formed on the second side wall, and a height of an upper end of the second electrode is larger than a height of an upper end of the first electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: Koji Kitani, Hidehiko Fujimura, Shumpei Tatsumi
  • Patent number: 7695111
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a substrate, on which are formed energy generating members for generating energy to be used for the discharge of a liquid through a discharge port, and a precious metal protective layer for protecting the energy generating members, an inorganic adhesive layer formed of at least one material selected from titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride and chromium nitride, the inorganic adhesive layer being closely adhered to the precious metal protective layer, an organic adhesive layer made of an organic material, and a flow path formation member, serving as a wall of a flow path communicating with the discharge port. The substrate, the inorganic adhesive layer, the adhesive layer and the flow path formation member are bonded to the substrate in this order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Kitani
  • Patent number: 7677696
    Abstract: In order to suppress peeling of a film formed on a base, and improve the durability and reliability of the film, an overhang is provided on a side surface of a sacrifice layer, whereby a film is formed, which has an edge portion having a thickness distribution, in which a thickness is gradually decreased to substantially zero at an edge of a formed film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Kitani