Patents by Inventor Kouichi Hirai
Kouichi Hirai 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: 8511590Abstract: A high voltage is applied between an emitter electrode in an atomizing barrel and an opposed electrode supported to the atomizing barrel to electrostatically atomize a liquid supplied to the emitter electrode into a mist of charged minute particles. A silencer duct is attached to the front end of the atomizing barrel for reducing noises developed when generating the mist of the charged minute particles. Accordingly, the silencer duct can absorb the noises developed around the emitter electrode and the opposed electrode at immediately downstream thereof for effectively reducing the noises.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2006Date of Patent: August 20, 2013Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Hideki Watanabe, Yasushi Arikawa, Akihide Sugawa, Takeshi Yano, Hisahito Ono, Kouichi Hirai, Tomonori Tanaka
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Patent number: 8292202Abstract: An electrostatically atomizing device in this invention comprises an emitter electrode, cooling means, and a high voltage source. The emitter electrode has a rode and a discharge head which is formed at one axial end of the rod. The cooling means is coupled in a heat transfer relation to one axial end of the rod away from the discharge head in order to cool the emitter electrode for condensation of water thereon from within a surrounding air. The high voltage source is configured to apply a high voltage to the emitter electrode for electrostatically atomizing the water on the discharge head. The emitter electrode includes a flange which is provided at a juncture between the discharge head and the rod to extend radially outwardly of the discharge head and the rod over an entire circumference of the discharge head. The discharge head is tapered to have an outwardly bulged side contour.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2009Date of Patent: October 23, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventor: Kouichi Hirai
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Publication number: 20110031335Abstract: An electrostatically atomizing device in this invention comprises an emitter electrode, cooling means, and a high voltage source. The emitter electrode has a rode and a discharge head which is formed at one axial end of the rod. The cooling means is coupled in a heat transfer relation to one axial end of the rod away from the discharge head in order to cool the emitter electrode for condensation of water thereon from within a surrounding air. The high voltage source is configured to apply a high voltage to the emitter electrode for electrostatically atomizing the water on the discharge head. The emitter electrode includes a flange which is provided at a juncture between the discharge head and the rod to extend radially outwardly of the discharge head and the rod over an entire circumference of the discharge head. The discharge head is tapered to have an outwardly bulged side contour.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 16, 2009Publication date: February 10, 2011Applicant: PANASONIC ELECTRIC WORKS CO., LTD.Inventor: Kouichi Hirai
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Patent number: 7874503Abstract: An electrostatically atomizing device capable of instantly giving an electrostatically atomizing effect without requiring a water tank. The electrostatically atomizing device includes an emitter electrode, an opposed electrode opposed to the emitter electrode, a water feeder configured to give water on the emitter electrode, and a high voltage source configured to apply a high voltage across said emitter electrode and said opposed electrode to electrostatically charge the water on the emitter electrode for spraying charged minute water particles from a discharge end of the emitter electrode. The water feeder is configured to condense the water on the emitter electrode from within the surrounding air, enabling to supply the water on the emitter electrode in a short time without relying upon an additional water tank. Thus, an atomization of the charged minute water particles can be obtained immediately upon use of the device.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2005Date of Patent: January 25, 2011Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Osamu Imahori, Toshihisa Hirai, Kishiko Hirai, legal representative, Akihide Sugawa, Fumio Mihara, Shousuke Akisada, Tomoharu Watanabe, Hirokazu Yoshioka, Kentaro Kobayashi, Shinya Murase, Kouichi Hirai, Junji Imai
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Publication number: 20090289132Abstract: A high voltage is applied between an emitter electrode in an atomizing barrel and an opposed electrode supported to the atomizing barrel to electrostatically atomize a liquid supplied to the emitter electrode into a mist of charged minute particles. A silencer duct is attached to the front end of the atomizing barrel for reducing noises developed when generating the mist of the charged minute particles. Accordingly, the silencer duct can absorb the noises developed around the emitter electrode and the opposed electrode at immediately downstream thereof for effectively reducing the noises.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 14, 2006Publication date: November 26, 2009Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.Inventors: Hideki Watanabe, Yasushi Arikawa, Akihide Sugawa, Takeshi Yano, Hisahito Ono, Kouichi Hirai, Tomonori Tanaka
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Patent number: 7567420Abstract: An electrostatically atomizing device includes an emitter electrode, an opposed electrode opposed to the emitter electrode, and a cooling means which condenses the water on the emitter electrode from within the surrounding air, and a high voltage source applying a high voltage across the emitter electrode and the opposed electrode to electrostatically charge the water for atomizing charged minute water particles from a discharge end of the emitter electrode. The device further includes a controller for discharging the charged minute water particles in a stable manner. The controller monitors a discharge current flowing between the two electrodes to control the cooling means for keeping the discharge current at a predetermined level, thereby regulating the atomizing amount of the charged minute particles from the emitter electrode.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2005Date of Patent: July 28, 2009Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.Inventors: Kentaro Kobayashi, Hirokazu Yoshioka, Tomoharu Watanabe, Akihide Sugawa, Shousuke Akisada, Kishiko Hirai, legal representative, Fumio Mihara, Kouichi Hirai, Shinya Murase, Atsushi Isaka, Osamu Imahori, Sumio Wada, Tatsuhiko Matsumoto, Toshihisa Hirai
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Publication number: 20090001200Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatically atomizing device capable of instantly giving an electrostatically atomizing effect without requiring a water tank. The electrostatically atomizing device includes an emitter electrode, an opposed electrode opposed to the emitter electrode, a water feeder configured to give water on the emitter electrode, and a high voltage source configured to apply a high voltage across said emitter electrode and said opposed electrode to electrostatically charge the water on the emitter electrode for spraying charged minute water particles from a discharge end of the emitter electrode. The water feeder is configured to condense the water on the emitter electrode from within the surrounding air, enabling to supply the water on the emitter electrode in a short time without relying upon an additional water tank. Thus, an atomization of the charged minute water particles can be obtained immediately upon use of the device.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2005Publication date: January 1, 2009Inventors: Osamu Imahori, Toshihisa Hirai, Kishiko Hirai, Akihide Sugawa, Fumio Mihara, Shousuke Akisada, Tomoharu Watanabe, Hirokazu Yoshioka, Kentaro Kobayashi, Shinya Murase, Kouichi Hirai, Junji Imai
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Publication number: 20080130189Abstract: An electrostatically atomizing device includes an emitter electrode, an opposed electrode opposed to the emitter electrode, and a cooling means which condenses the water on the emitter electrode from within the surrounding air, and a high voltage source applying a high voltage across the emitter electrode and the opposed electrode to electrostatically charge the water for atomizing charged minute water particles from a discharge end of the emitter electrode. The device further includes a controller for discharging the charged minute water particles in a stable manner. The controller monitors a discharge current flowing between the two electrodes to control the cooling means for keeping the discharge current at a predetermined level, thereby regulating the atomizing amount of the charged minute particles from the emitter electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2005Publication date: June 5, 2008Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.Inventors: Kentaro Kobayashi, Hirokazu Yoshioka, Tomoharu Watanabe, Akihide Sugawa, Shousuke Akisada, Toshihisa Hirai, Kishiko Hirai, Fumio Mihara, Kouichi Hirai, Shinya Murase, Atsushi Isaka, Osamu Imahori, Sumio Wada, Tatsuhiko Matsumoto
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Patent number: 5234904Abstract: The present invention relates to antihypertensives and food and drinks, containing as effective component polysaccharideglycopeptide complexes derived from cell wall of Gram positive bacteria (also referred to as peptidoglycan). The present invention provides extremely strong and safe antihypertensives and food and drinks, which may exert hypotensive effects if administered orally to spontaneous hypertensive rats and renal hypertensive rats at a single dose as low as 1 mg/kg.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 1990Date of Patent: August 10, 1993Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yakult HonshaInventors: Haruji Sawada, Masayoshi Furusiro, Kouichi Hirai, Mahoko Motoike, Tunekazu Watanabe, Teruo Yokokura, Masaaki Watanuki, Seizaburo Kobayashi