Patents Represented by Attorney Kimble Intellectual Property Law, PLLC
  • Patent number: 8250680
    Abstract: A urinal includes: a urinal body; a high-frequency sensor which radiates a radio beam obliquely passing through an upper surface of the urinal body toward a bowl and receives a reflected wave from an object so as to generate a detection signal; and a valve which discharges or stops flushing water to the urinal body in response to the detection signal. An angle formed between a first plane including the upper surface of the urinal body and a second plane including a radiation surface of an antenna of the high-frequency sensor is in a range of more than 0 degree to less than 90 degree. A cross line where the first plane and the second plane intersect with each other is substantially parallel to a horizontal direction of the urinal body. The radio beam is a linearly-polarized wave. An excitation direction of the radio beam intersects with the cross line. An intensity of the radio beam passing through the urinal body is larger than that of the radio beam reflected by the upper surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Kensuke Murata, Masayuki Nagaishi, Tomoyuki Abe, Hiroshi Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 8171578
    Abstract: There is provided a water discharge system. A water discharge system includes a water discharge portion; a sensor unit which acquires movement information about an object based on a radiated electric wave, and outputs a detecting signal; and a control unit which controls water discharge of the water discharge portion based on the detecting signal. When it is detected that the object is decelerated to a first threshold velocity or less, the control unit controls the water discharge portion to start the water discharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Masami Tsujita, Tomoyuki Abe, Naoki Kabe, Hiroshi Tsuboi, Masayuki Nagaishi, Katsuhisa Tsuchiya, Shoichi Tsuiki, Kensuke Murata
  • Patent number: 8169511
    Abstract: After an end of exposure, a data level of OB signals that are imaging signals output from OB portion 400 are sampled by a CDS circuit 6 twice, to artificially generate two OB signals from each OB signal. Thereby, assuming that the total number of OB signals required to stabilize the black level in the clamp circuit 9 is n, the black level can be stabilized before it is started to output effective signals that are imaging signals from effective pixel portion 200 even if the number of OB signals output from the OB portion 400 is 1/n (in the case where pixel mixing or pixel thinning is performed, or in the case where the number of photoelectric conversion elements in the OB portion 400 is less than n). Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the image degradation by suppressing a wrong black level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Oshima
  • Patent number: 8084901
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power tool including: a housing having a suction port formed thereon to introduce an cooling air from an outside of the housing; and a brushless motor that is housed in the housing and has an electric circuit, the electric circuit having a heat radiating surface, wherein the heat radiating surface is disposed in a neighborhood of the suction port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Oomori, Yoshihiro Komuro, Kenichirou Yoshida, Kazutaka Iwata
  • Patent number: 7994461
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: an effective pixel region where photoelectric converting portions for obtaining an imaging signal corresponding to light from an object are disposed; an OB pixel region having an element region for obtaining a reference signal of an optical black level; a first light blocking layer which is disposed on the effective pixel region, and in which openings are provided above the photoelectric converting portions; and a second light blocking layer which is disposed on the OB pixel region, the first light blocking layer and the second light blocking layer are electrically isolated from each other by an isolating region, and the imaging device further includes a light blocking section for blocking light from entering the isolating region is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Masaaki Koshiba
  • Patent number: 7980439
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nailing machine including: a housing; an ejection section in the housing; an activation lever provided in the ejection section to be movable inside a traveling course; a magazine holding nails; a feeder urging the nails to feed the nails; and an engagement member engaged with the feeder so that, when an amount of remaining nails becomes to a predetermined number, the engagement member is moved toward a first direction to protrude into the traveling course; wherein one of the activation lever and the engagement member includes a slope portion so that the engagement member is further moved toward the first direction through the sliding contact therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Akiba, Yoshimitsu Iijima
  • Patent number: 7961439
    Abstract: A high-frequency oscillation element has a ferromagnetic material which exhibits thermal fluctuation of magnetization and generates spin fluctuations in conduction electrons, a nonmagnetic conductive material which is laminated on the first magnetic material and transfers the conduction electrons, a magnetic material which is laminated on the nonmagnetic conductive material, generates magnetic resonance upon injection of the conduction electrons, and imparts magnetic dipole interaction to magnetization of a neighboring magnetic area by means of magnetic vibration stemming from the magnetic resonance, a first electrode electrically coupled with the first magnetic material, and a second electrode electrically coupled with the second magnetic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Rie Sato, Koichi Mizushima
  • Patent number: 7956480
    Abstract: A faucet generator includes a case having water inflow and outflow ports and in which a water supply channel is formed, a rotor vane disposed inside the water supply channel, a magnet which is rotatable integrally with the rotor vane, a bearing which supports a force that the rotor vane receives from a water flow, a coil which produces an electromotive force by a rotation of the magnet, and a yoke having a base part surrounding the coil and a plurality of inductors spaced apart from each other and extending from the base part. The coil is spaced apart from the magnet in an axial direction of a rotation center axis of the magnet and is disposed to face the magnet, the magnet is magnetized on an outer circumferential face which intersects with a plane perpendicular to the rotation center axis, and the inductors are disposed outside the case to face the outer circumferential face of the magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoyuki Onodera, Tomoko Sato, Masahiro Kuroishi, Takeshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7919877
    Abstract: A faucet generator includes: a cylindrical body which has a water inflow port and a water outflow port, and in which a water supply channel is formed; a rotor vane which has rotor vane blades, and which is disposed in the water supply channel; a magnet which is rotatable integrally with the rotor vane; a coil in which an electromotive force is produced by rotation of the magnet; and a plurality of nozzles which eject water toward the rotor vane blades. The axial direction of the rotor vane is substantially parallel to the water supply channel. The nozzles change a direction of a water flow which is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rotor vane, to eject water from a radially outward direction of the rotor vane blades to the rotor vane blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Shimizu, Makoto Hatakeyama, Masahiro Kuroishi, Naoyuki Onodera, Tomoko Sato
  • Patent number: 7917110
    Abstract: A cognitive radio system includes: a state detecting device that scans a frequency band allocated to another radio system than the cognitive radio system to detect a first use-state of the frequency band; a first server including a first gathering unit that receives first information relating to the first use-state and a second gathering unit; a second server that stores a second use-state of the frequency band allocated to the other radio system, the second server configured to provide second information relating to the second use-state to the second gathering unit; and a notifying unit that notifies a terminal device in the cognitive radio system of information of an available channel based on the first information and the second information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tomoya Horiguchi, Hiroshi Yoshida, Tazuko Tomioka, Katsuya Nonin, Ren Sakata
  • Patent number: 7912110
    Abstract: A frequency band FC assigned to a first wireless communication system and the frequency bands F1, . . . , Fm assigned to a second wireless communication system are set up for a base station apparatus 100. The base station apparatus 100 periodically performs a frequency detection process A to detect whether or not the frequency bands F1, . . . , Fm are usable for the communication with a mobile station 201. When the base station apparatus 100 and the mobile station 201 are communicating, the base station apparatus determines whether or not the frequency band used for the communication should be changed from FC to F1, . . . , Fm in accordance with its communication status. If it is determined that the frequency band should be changed, the frequency band used for the communication is changed to the frequency band determined as usable through the frequency detection process A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Noritaka Deguchi
  • Patent number: 7816746
    Abstract: A spin-tunnel transistor having a tunnel barrier layer formed of an antiferromagnetic material which is exchange coupled with a first or second ferromagnetic metal layer of a base B formed adjoining to the antiferromagnetic material, so as to fix magnetization of the adjoining ferromagnetic layer. The base B includes a nonmagnetic metal layer which is formed between the first and second ferromagnetic metal layers and decouple magnetization coupling between the first and second ferromagnetic metal layers. The base B is formed between a collector and an emitter to form tri-terminal device. Those spin-tunnel transistor may be used as a sensor of a magnetic reproducing head used in a hard disk drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Rie Sato, Koichi Mizushima
  • Patent number: 7809095
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a wireless receiving apparatus including: antennas; antenna branches each capable of receiving a wireless signal; a demodulating unit demodulating a reception signal; an antenna selecting unit selecting a packet waiting antenna; a packet detecting unit detecting a packet; a power supply control unit stopping power to a packet non-waiting antenna branch except for the antenna branch connected to a packet waiting antenna until the packet is detected and supplying power to the antenna branches after the packet is detected; a calculating unit calculating a gain value of VGA unit based upon the reception signal via the packet waiting antenna; and a control unit controlling a gain of the VGA unit based upon the calculated gain value after the packet non-waiting antenna branch is initiated when power to the antenna branches is supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kazumi Sato
  • Patent number: 7671805
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention, there is provide an antenna apparatus including: a conductive element including one end connected to a ground plane via a terminating resistor and the other end to which a power is supplied; and at least one branch conductive element branching from the conductive element and having a tip end which is short-circuited to the ground plane, and an element length of the branch conductive element being approximately a quarter wavelength of an operation frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Akiko Yamada, Shuichi Sekine
  • Patent number: 7663069
    Abstract: A switch structure of an automatic external defibrillator including a housing member and a flap member for covering the housing member, open and closed states of the flap member and ON and OFF of a switch of the automatic external defibrillator which are associated with each other, the switch structure includes a movable unit for turning ON the switch when the flap member is in the open state and turning OFF the switch when the flap member is in the closed state and an operator performs further operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Nihon Kohden Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Ishino, Kazunori Yoshifuku
  • Patent number: 7608936
    Abstract: A faucet generator includes; a rotor vane which is disposed in a water supply channel; an annular magnet which is rotatable integrally with the rotor vane; and a stator having: a coil which is disposed to be opposed to an end face of the magnet that is substantially perpendicular to a radial direction; a plurality of inductors which are placed separately from one another along a circumferential direction between the end face of the magnet and the coil; and a yoke which is disposed to be continuously contacted with the inductor and surround the coil. The axial direction of the rotor vane is substantially parallel to the water supply channel. In the annular magnet, the end faces which are substantially perpendicular to a radial direction are alternately magnetized with N and S poles along the circumferential direction of the magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Shimizu, Makoto Hatakeyama, Masahiro Kuroishi, Naoyuki Onodera, Tomoko Sato
  • Patent number: 7605730
    Abstract: An analog-digital converting apparatus includes: an analog-digital converting unit that performs a conversion from an analog input signal into a digital output signal; a buffer unit that temporary stores the digital output signal for a plurality of samples and outputs the samples in time-series; a clipping detecting unit that detects a first sample having a signal value corresponding to a clipping level of the analog-digital converting unit from among the samples of the digital output signal; and an interpolating unit that rewrites the signal value of the first sample stored in the buffer unit into an estimated signal value that is obtained by estimating a signal value at a time corresponding to a time of the first sample by an interpolation using at least one of (1) a set of second and third samples that are samples previous to the first sample and (2) a set of fourth and fifth samples that are samples subsequent to the first sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tazuko Tomioka, Ren Sakata