Patents by Inventor Yoichi Kato

Yoichi Kato 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: 20170217440
    Abstract: Provided are a vehicle approach detection device and a vehicle approach detection method that are capable of detecting an approach of another vehicle without installing a dedicated device on a road. At least one of a vehicle surrounding video for showing an observed area (for example, road surface) used to observe irradiation light (for example, headlight beam emitted from a headlight of another vehicle) from another vehicle and a vehicle surrounding environmental sound is detected as vehicle external information, and it is determined based on the detected vehicle external information whether or not another vehicle is approaching an own vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi KATO, Takahisa AOYAGI
  • Publication number: 20170213649
    Abstract: A method of producing a multi-layer ceramic electronic component includes: preparing a multi-layer sheet including laminated ceramic sheets, and internal electrodes disposed between the ceramic sheets; cutting the multi-layer sheet to produce multi-layer chips each having side surfaces from which the internal electrodes are exposed; smoothing the side surfaces of the multi-layer chips; and providing side margins to the smoothed side surfaces of the multi-layer chips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Inventors: Yoichi Kato, Kotaro Mizuno, Yukihiro Konishi
  • Patent number: 9697678
    Abstract: Provided is a gaming machine that is able to offer a variety of gaming patterns with avoidance of monotony during a free game that is a game played in a bonus game. A gaming machine, when a free game trigger is established, performs a control of shifting a game from a base game to a free game. In the free game, symbols are displayed in rotation and stopped in a symbol display region 4 in accordance with a result of a symbol lottery. In the display of the symbols in rotation, the symbols are scrolled in a direction reverse to a rotation direction employed in the base game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Takehisa Itagaki, Yoichi Kato
  • Publication number: 20170169952
    Abstract: A multi-layer ceramic capacitor includes a multi-layer unit, side margins, and bonding units. The multi-layer unit includes ceramic layers laminated in a first direction and internal electrodes disposed between the ceramic layers. The side margins cover the multi-layer unit from a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The bonding units are each disposed between the multi-layer unit and each of the side margins and have higher silicon content than the ceramic layers and the side margins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Yoichi Kato, Kotaro Mizuno, Yukihiro Konishi
  • Patent number: 9681240
    Abstract: A sound quality adjustment apparatus of an approaching vehicle audible system that generates a signal of a notification sound, which is emitted from a sounding device provided in an electric vehicle that generates at least part of driving force by use of a motor to the outside of the electric vehicle, is provided with a sound element storage unit that stores sound element data forming an element of the notification sound; a sound-source sound quality extraction unit that analyzes the sound element data so as to extract a characteristic value related to the sound quality of a sound element; a parameter setting unit that obtains a parameter for converting the sound element data in accordance with vehicle information, by use of the characteristic value extracted by the sound-source sound quality extraction unit; and a parameter storage unit that stores the parameter obtained by the parameter setting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takahisa Aoyagi, Asako Omote, Yoichi Kato
  • Publication number: 20170092048
    Abstract: A gaming machine which makes it possible to improve monotonous game play is provided. A gaming machine includes: a display device configured to display a game result by rearranging symbols arranged on video reels; a storage device configured to store a normal mode video reel on which the symbols including a predetermined symbol are arranged and a chance mode video reel on which the number of the predetermined symbol is larger than the number of the predetermined symbol on the normal mode video reel; and a controller configured to perform switching between a game in a normal mode using the normal mode video reel and a game in a chance mode using the chance mode video reel, when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventors: Masumi FUJISAWA, Yukinori INAMURA, Yoichi KATO, Hiromoto YAMAUCHI, Yukihiro KAWAKAMI, Masahiro YOSHIDA
  • Patent number: 9589425
    Abstract: Provided is a slot machine capable of reducing unfairness which may result between a player who has made an investment and a player who has not made an investment and allowing a player to proceed with a game by making an investment in expectation of a jackpot at ease. Each money amount which is constant is accumulated independently of a number of bets each time betting is conducted, and upon winning a jackpot, a money amount calculated by multiplying a money amount accumulated until then by a multiplying factor based on the number of bets is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoichi Kato, Hiroaki Kashima, Naoya Shirai, Masumi Fujisawa, Hiroki Nakamura, Takeshi Aoki, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9576439
    Abstract: A gaming machine that is capable of achieving respectively different game patterns at a time of a bonus game is provided. A main CPU displays a selection screen in a case where a feature game trigger is established, and causes a player to select either one of a free game and a roulette game. In a case where the free game is selected, a total of values that correspond to BONUS symbols that correspond to the feature game trigger is determined as the number of free games. The main CPU conducts lottery processing for determination of symbols and lottery processing for determination of BONUS symbol values. The values that correspond to the BONUS symbols are added on one by one basis, and a progress of obtaining the number of free games is displayed as effect on a video display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Kenta Kitamura, Susumu Mio, Yoichi Kato, Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9576432
    Abstract: A game is executed in a normal round, in a first-type free round, and in a second-type free round. The normal round is executed with a first symbol set including a plurality of symbols. The first-type free round is executed with a second symbol set that includes at least one first symbol in addition to the symbols in the first symbol set. The second-type free round is executed with a third symbol set that includes at least one second symbol in addition to the symbols in the first symbol set, the at least one second symbol being different from the at least one first symbol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZA GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoichi Kato, Hiroki Nakamura, Masumi Fujisawa, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 9520019
    Abstract: When a trigger condition is established in a normal game, the following processes are executed: a process of shifting to a bonus game in which a re-trigger condition which is less stringent than the trigger condition may be established; and when the re-trigger condition is established in the bonus game, a process of adding another bonus game having a smaller benefit than the bonus game and executing the another bonus game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Takehisa Itagaki, Yoichi Kato, Toshitaka Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20160351335
    Abstract: A multi-layer ceramic capacitor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a multi-layer, side margins and offset sections. The multi-layer includes internal electrodes and dielectric layers alternately laminated. The side margins are configured of a dielectric and disposed to cover side faces of the multi-layer. The offset sections are made with amorphous areas or gap areas. The offset sections are formed between the internal electrodes and the side margins such that ends at side faces of the internal electrodes are offset from the side faces to an inward direction of the multi-layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Yoichi Kato, Kotaro Mizuno, Yukihiro Konishi, Yasunari Kato, Yosuke Sato, Hidenori Wakayanagi, Joji Kobayashi, Toshimitsu Kogure
  • Patent number: 9495843
    Abstract: When a trigger condition is established in a normal game, a gaming machine 300 executes a process of shifting to a bonus game in which a re-trigger condition which is less stringent than the trigger condition may be established, a process of executing a free game at least once in the bonus game, and a process of increasing the payout rate of the free game in the bonus game when the re-trigger condition is established in the bonus game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Takehisa Itagaki, Hiromoto Yamauchi, Yoichi Kato, Yukihiro Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20160293332
    Abstract: A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes an element body which is constituted by dielectric layers stacked alternately with internal electrode layers having different polarities and whose shape is roughly a rectangular solid having a pair of principle faces, a pair of end faces, and a pair of side faces, wherein the multilayer ceramic capacitor is such that the pair of side faces of the element body has a pair of side margins whose thickness is 30 ?m or less, and external electrodes are formed on the pair of end faces, and at least one of the pair of principle faces, of the element body. Despite the multilayer ceramic capacitor whose side margins are as thin as 30 ?m or less, leak current can be suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Yoichi KATO, Kotaro MIZUNO, Yukihiro KONISHI, Yoshinori TANAKA, Yusuke KOWASE, Shohei KITAMURA, Toru MAKINO
  • Publication number: 20160293331
    Abstract: A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes an element body of roughly rectangular solid shape which is constituted by dielectric layers alternately stacked with internal electrode layers having different polarities, with a pair of cover layers formed on it to cover the top and bottom faces in the direction of lamination of the foregoing, and which has a pair of principal faces, a pair of end faces, and a pair of side faces, wherein external electrodes are formed on the pair of end faces and at least one of the pair of principal faces of the element body, and Tt representing the thickness of the external electrode and Tc representing the thickness of the cover layer satisfy the relationship of Tt?Tc. The multilayer ceramic capacitor has large capacitance and also exhibits excellent thermal shock resistance while sufficiently suppressing generation of cracks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Shohei KITAMURA, Yukihiro KONISHI, Kotaro MIZUNO, Yoichi KATO, Yusuke KOWASE, Toru MAKINO, Yoshinori TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20160284471
    Abstract: A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes an element body of roughly rectangular solid shape which is constituted by dielectric layers alternately stacked with internal electrode layers having different polarities and which has a pair of principle faces, a pair of end faces, and a pair of side faces, wherein the multilayer ceramic capacitor is such that: external electrodes are formed on the pair of end faces and one principle face of the element body; and on a cross section taken in parallel with one end face of the multilayer ceramic capacitor near the end face, the ratio of area A constituted by the internal electrode layers connected to the external electrode on this end face side and the dielectric layers present between the internal electrode layers, and area B covering the part of the section excluding the external electrodes, A/B, is 0.75 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Kotaro MIZUNO, Yukihiro KONISHI, Shohei KITAMURA, Yoichi KATO, Yusuke KOWASE, Toru MAKINO, Yoshinori TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20160284167
    Abstract: It is an object to provide a gaming machine configured to yield a rescue award according to the number of result determination areas on which the player has placed a bet, when games without any benefit are continued. To this end, a slot machine 1 executes a process of receiving a selection of ways bet through a control Panel 30, incrementing the game play count on a counter corresponding to the ways bet selected, upon start of the normal game, determining whether the game play count on the counter has reached the threshold game play count, and awarding the benefit when the game play count is determined as to have reached the threshold game play count.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Susumu MIO, Yuji MIYAGAWA, Takehisa ITAGAKI, Yukihiro KAWAKAMI, Takeshi NARITA, Yoichi KATO, Bungo MATSUMURA
  • Patent number: 9454876
    Abstract: Provided is a gaming machine capable of enhancing entertainment characteristics of the gaming machine. On the gaming machine 1, a game outcome is that after undergoing a process in which trigger symbols whose number is one short of a number of a combination of symbols which triggers a bonus game are rearranged, the plurality of symbols are finally rearranged, an operation of cancelling predictive presentation effects is deactivated until the predictive presentation effects have been finished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Masumi Fujisawa, Takehisa Itagaki, Yoichi Kato, Daisyun Okamoto, Hiroki Munakata
  • Publication number: 20160225525
    Abstract: A multilayer capacitor has dielectric layers and multiple internal electrode layers. The laminate includes a stack of multiple dielectric layers made of dielectric material and has a first principal face and a second principal face on the opposite side of the first principal face. In an embodiment, the multiple internal electrode layers have Ni as a primary component, contain at least one metal element selected from Pt, Ru, Rh, Re, Ir, Os, and Pd, and are arranged in parallel with the first principal face and second principal face inside the laminate in such a way that they alternate from the opposing sides with the dielectric layers placed in between, wherein each of the internal electrode layer closest to the first principal face and the internal electrode layer closest to the second principal face has a distance of 30 ?m or less from the corresponding principal face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Inventors: Kotaro MIZUNO, Yoichi KATO, Yukihiro KONISHI
  • Patent number: 9373217
    Abstract: A gaming machine 10 has: a display device 12 configured to display a plurality of symbols to be continuously arranged; and a controller 30. The controller 30 executes the processing operations of: (a1) executing game processing and then according to a result of the game processing, determining whether or not to scroll at least one array of the symbols; (a2) scrolling the symbol array according to a result of the determination; and (a3) carrying out processing according to a result of the scroll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignees: UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION, ARUZE GAMING AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kenta Kitamura, Yoichi Kato, Makoto Miyawaki, Hiromoto Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9342949
    Abstract: Highly entertaining games are provided. When a trigger condition is established in a normal game, the following processes are executed: a process of shifting to a bonus game in which a re-trigger condition which is less stringent than the trigger condition may be established; a process of executing a free game at least once in the bonus game; and a process of increasing the number of times of execution of the free game in the bonus game, when the re-trigger condition is established in the bonus game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignees: Universal Entertainment Corporation, Aruze Gaming America, Inc.
    Inventors: Takehisa Itagaki, Yoichi Kato, Toshitaka Suzuki