Patents by Inventor Minoru Kouda

Minoru Kouda 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: 6983576
    Abstract: To retain the virginity of cylindrical articles packed in a cylindrical article package, the present invention provides a package of a novel structure and a fabrication method for the same. More specifically, the present specification discloses a package wherein a film has a slit at least either one of an upper end face and a lower end face of the package in a portion thereof corresponding to a boundary between the adjacent cylindrical articles, and more specifically, a package wherein the film has a slit along the boundary between the adjacent cylindrical articles, and is curved in such a manner as to conform to the outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical articles located adjacent to the boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Ono, Katsuhiko Kumakura, Minoru Kouda, Tomotaka Kawano, Shoji Katori
  • Publication number: 20050050857
    Abstract: To retain the virginity of cylindrical articles packed in a cylindrical article package, the present invention provides a package of a novel structure and a fabrication method for the same. More specifically, the present specification discloses a package wherein a film has a slit at least either one of an upper end face and a lower end face of the package in a portion thereof corresponding to a boundary between the adjacent cylindrical articles, and more specifically, a package wherein the film has a slit along the boundary between the adjacent cylindrical articles, and is curved in such a manner as to conform to the outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical articles located adjacent to the boundary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2004
    Publication date: March 10, 2005
    Inventors: Tadashi Ono, Katsuhiko Kumakura, Minoru Kouda, Tomotaka Kawano, Shoji Katori
  • Patent number: 6827567
    Abstract: Powder mixture is supplied into a die under a state that a center pin is located lower than the top surface of the die, after which the center pin is lifted up to a given molding position where an annular molding space is defined between the center pin and the die. The powder mixture is then compressed from upper and lower sides with an upper plunger and a lower plunger to form a pellet. The center pin and the lower plunger are simultaneously lifted up to remove the pellet out of the die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Kouda, Shigeharu Hattori, Saburo Nakatsuka, Hiroshi Takebayashi, Toshio Sanukiya
  • Patent number: 6820745
    Abstract: To retain the virginity of cylindrical articles packed in a cylindrical article package, the present invention provides a package of a novel structure and a fabrication method for the same. More specifically, the present specification discloses a package wherein a film has a slit at least either one of an upper end face and a lower end face of the package in a portion thereof corresponding to a boundary between the adjacent cylindrical articles, and more specifically, a package wherein the film has a slit along the boundary between the adjacent cylindrical articles, and is curved in such a manner as to conform to the outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical articles located adjacent to the boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Ono, Katsuhiko Kumakura, Minoru Kouda, Tomotaka Kawano, Shoji Katori
  • Patent number: 6645662
    Abstract: In order to provide a battery comprising an old-or-new identification seal which is applicable to both the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal and is simple in terms of attaching operation, this specification discloses an old-or-new identification seal made of an insulating base material having a heat sensitive adhesive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Ono, Katsuhiko Kumakura, Minoru Kouda, Tomotaka Kawano
  • Patent number: 6561341
    Abstract: An apparatus whereby cylindrical cans formed of a ferromagnetic material and transported at high speed along a carrying conveyor in such a contiguous way as having no gaps between adjoining cylindrical cans are separated so as to provide a spacing therebetween to eliminate interference between the adjoining cylindrical cans, thereby supplying a plurality of cylindrical cans with reliability to a main index wheel of an automatic machine for producing cylindrical cans. The apparatus includes a carrying conveyor, star index wheel, supply index wheel and main index wheel. The supply index wheel has permanent magnets, each holding an individual cylindrical can by suction. The transport speed of a plurality of cylindrical cans transported along a conveyor at high speed is reduced for a moment by the star index wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Kouda, Tomotaka Kawano, Ryuichiro Ebi
  • Patent number: 6558594
    Abstract: Powder mixture is supplied into a die under a state that a center pin is located lower than the top surface of the die, after which the center pin is lifted up to a given molding position where an annular molding space is defined between the center pin and the die. The powder mixture is then compressed from upper and lower sides with an upper plunger and a lower plunger to form a pellet. The center pin and the lower plunger are simultaneously lifted up to remove the pellet out of the die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Kouda, Shigeharu Hattori, Saburo Nakatsuka, Hiroshi Takebayashi, Toshio Sanukiya
  • Publication number: 20010006265
    Abstract: Powder mixture is supplied into a die under a state that a center pin is located lower than the top surface of the die, after which the center pin is lifted up to a given molding position where an annular molding space is defined between the center pin and the die. The powder mixture is then compressed from upper and lower sides with an upper plunger and a lower plunger to form a pellet. The center pin and the lower plunger are simultaneously lifted up to remove the pellet out of the die.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2001
    Publication date: July 5, 2001
    Inventors: Minoru Kouda, Shigeharu Hattori, Saburo Nakatsuka, Hiroshi Takebayashi, Toshio Sanukiya
  • Publication number: 20010004137
    Abstract: Powder mixture is supplied into a die under a state that a center pin is located lower than the top surface of the die, after which the center pin is lifted up to a given molding position where an annular molding space is defined between the center pin and the die. The powder mixture is then compressed from upper and lower sides with an upper plunger and a lower plunger to form a pellet. The center pin and the lower plunger are simultaneously lifted up to remove the pellet out of the die.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2001
    Publication date: June 21, 2001
    Inventors: Minoru Kouda, Shigeharu Hattori, Saburo Nakatsuka, Hiroshi Takebayashi, Toshio Sanukiya
  • Patent number: 5904804
    Abstract: A method of wrapping labels about batteries comprising the steps of peeling off individual labels provisionally glued on a band-shaped base paper, holding the individual labels on the surface of a continuously rotating label drum using suction forces applied trough holes or passages on the surface of the label suction drum, and wrapping the labels on the label suction drum on the outer circumference of rotating batteries continuously supplied by a battery conveying table. The apparatus of the invention comprises a battery conveying table for rotatably conveying batteries to a predetermined position for receiving the label, a label drum for holding the labels by suction forces and conveying the labels to the predetermined position, and a battery rotation belt for rotating the batteries while pressing the label to the outer circumference of the battery after the label is positioned by the suction drum, and wrapping the label to the outer circumference of the battery by rotating the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Kouda, Hiroshi Suyama, Ichiro Murata
  • Patent number: 5799934
    Abstract: The invention is intended to realize a battery convey jig capable of efficiently conveying and sorting in conveying step, in a manufacturing process of a variety of batteries. The jig is cylindrical, having a hole for accommodating a battery in the center, and an iron ring of a great specific gravity is buried as a weight in the lower part of the jig. Hence, stable supporting and conveying may be realized without increasing the bottom size of the jig.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Kouda, Hiroyuki Usui, Masatoshi Hoshi
  • Patent number: 5695041
    Abstract: A star index wheel with a plurality of semi-circular notches furnishes round or cylindrical articles to a supply index wheel of the automatic machine at an rate coinciding with the spacing of the semi-circular notches in the supply index wheel. The star index wheel is disposed on the side of a carrying conveyor on which the round or cylindrical articles are transported without any gaps between them. The star index wheel rotates at a speed whereby the semi-circular notches move at a speed slightly less than that of the linear speed of the carrying conveyor, so that the movement of the articles on the carrying conveyor is constrained by the protrusions provided between the semi-circular notches in the star index wheel. The rotational speed of the star index wheel also separates the articles to synchronize the rate at which they are supplied to the supply index wheel with the rotational speed of the supply index wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Kouda, Hideki Itou
  • Patent number: 5673540
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for putting small, slender, cylindrical cells in a box in an aligned row. By using the force of a magnet, multiple cells are suspended from the lower side of a conveyor belt, and are aligned and held in this position. By releasing the magnetic force, the cells drop, so that large numbers of cells, in a suspended and aligned state, can be simultaneously put into a cell container waiting below.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Sanukiya, Minoru Kouda, Ichiro Murata