Patents by Inventor Akihiro Fujimoto

Akihiro Fujimoto 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: 8479547
    Abstract: A vehicle portable device that locks and unlocks a door of a vehicle by remote control has a case that accommodates a mechanical key operable to lock and unlock the door of the vehicle therein, and having an accommodation part in which the mechanical key is inserted in a predetermined insertion direction, a first engagement part that engages with a second engagement part of the mechanical key, and a retaining member in which the first engagement part is formed. The retaining member is supported in the case while being rotatable about a first support point. An external force is provided on the retaining member so as to rotate the retaining member in a first rotating direction. When the mechanical key is accommodated in the accommodation part, an exposed portion of the mechanical key is partially exposed from the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norihisa Kataya, Takayuki Suzuki, Akihiro Fujimoto, Hirofumi Ohata
  • Patent number: 8469285
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a chemical liquid supply nozzle capable of suppressing the drying process of chemical liquid with a low cost. The chemical liquid supply nozzle is provided with a cutoff valve and a suction unit that sucks chemical liquid to a suction flow path at a nozzle main body connected to a front end of flow path member. Accordingly, the chemical liquid remaining at the downstream side of the cutoff valve after the chemical liquid is discharged, is sucked toward the upstream side of the cutoff valve and removed, to thereby suppress the drying and solidifying process of the chemical liquid at the chemical liquid flow path. Also, there is no need to block the chemical liquid flow path by sucking thinner at the downstream side of chemical liquid flow path, and the number of dummy dispense may be reduced, thereby reducing an overall operation cost of the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Shinichi Hayashi, Akihiro Fujimoto, Takahiro Ookubo
  • Publication number: 20130145803
    Abstract: A vehicle portable device that locks and unlocks a door of a vehicle by remote control has a case that accommodates a mechanical key operable to lock and unlock the door of the vehicle therein, and having an accommodation part in which the mechanical key is inserted in a predetermined insertion direction, a first engagement part that engages with a second engagement part of the mechanical key, and a retaining member in which the first engagement part is formed. The retaining member is supported in the case while being rotatable about a first support point. An external force is provided on the retaining member so as to rotate the retaining member in a first rotating direction. When the mechanical key is accommodated in the accommodation part, an exposed portion of the mechanical key is partially exposed from the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Inventors: Norihisa Kataya, Takayuki Suzuki, Akihiro Fujimoto, Hirofumi Ohata
  • Publication number: 20130118533
    Abstract: To provide a liquid processing apparatus capable of processing substrates with a high throughput with the lesser number of nozzles for chemical-liquid, when the substrates that are horizontally held in cup bodies are liquid-processed by supplying a chemical liquid to the substrates. Taking a developing process as an example of a liquid process, two-types of developing nozzles are prepared for two types of developing methods. The developing nozzle, which is used in the method in which the nozzle is engaged with the process for a longer period of time, is individually disposed on each of a first processing module 1 and a second processing module 2. On the other hand, the developing nozzle, which is used in the method in which the nozzle is engaged with the process for a shorter period of time, is used in common in the first liquid processing module 1 and the second liquid processing module 2. The common developing nozzle is configured to wait on an intermediate position between the modules 1 and 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasushi Takiguchi, Taro Yamamoto, Tsutomu Yamahata, Akihiro Fujimoto, Kouji Fujimura
  • Patent number: 8359891
    Abstract: A mechanical key is to be prevented from coming apart, a head portion of the mechanical key is to be attached to a main body for use and the main body is to be prevented from being disassembled unintentionally when using the mechanical key. In a key lock structure of a mechanical key of a portable device in which a mechanical key is storable in a main body, the main body is configured in a two-piece structure including a first case and a second case, the first case includes a first storage section for storing the mechanical key and a second storage section for storing a key lock mechanism of the mechanical key, the lock mechanism locks the mechanical key stored in the first storage section to prevent the mechanical key from coming off and unlocks in response to a predetermined operation to allow the mechanical key to be pulled out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20120183693
    Abstract: A coating film forming apparatus that holds a substrate upon a spin chuck and forms a coating film by supplying a chemical liquid upon a top surface of said substrate comprises: an outer cup provided detachably to surround the spin chuck; an inner cup provided detachably to surround a region underneath the substrate held upon the chuck; a cleaning nozzle configured to supply a cleaning liquid for cleaning a peripheral edge part of the substrate, such that the cleaning liquid is supplied to a peripheral part of a bottom surface of the substrate; a cutout part for nozzle mounting, the cutout part being provided to the inner cup to engage with the cleaning nozzle; and a cleaning liquid supply tube connected to the cleaning nozzle, the cleaning nozzle being detachable to the cutout part in a state in which the cleaning liquid supply tube is connected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Ogata, Hiroichi Inada, Taro Yamamoto, Akihiro Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20120153516
    Abstract: The aim is to regulate thickness on the optical axis in the production of wafer lenses. Disclosed is a wafer lens production method that is equipped with a dispensing process for dropping resin onto a molding die (64), an imprinting process for pressing either the molding die (64) or a glass substrate (2) toward the other, and a releasing process for releasing the glass substrate (2) from the molding die (64), and that repeats the processing from the dispensing process to the releasing process as a single cycle and successively forms resin lenses (4) on the glass substrate 2); wherein the height (A) of the non-lens area (6) surrounding the lenses (4) and the heights (B and C) of the glass substrate (2) are measured between the releasing process of a first cycle and the dispensing process of a second cycle, and the position of the molding die (64) is corrected for imprinting processes of the second cycle, on the basis of the heights (A-C).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2010
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Inventors: Yuiti Fuji, Shigeru Hosoe, Toshiya Takitani, Akihiro Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 8186298
    Abstract: A coating film forming apparatus that holds a substrate upon a spin chuck and forms a coating film by supplying a chemical liquid upon a top surface of said substrate comprises: an outer cup provided detachably to surround the spin chuck; an inner cup provided detachably to surround a region underneath the substrate held upon the chuck; a cleaning nozzle configured to supply a cleaning liquid for cleaning a peripheral edge part of the substrate, such that the cleaning liquid is supplied to a peripheral part of a bottom surface of the substrate; a cutout part for nozzle mounting, the cutout part being provided to the inner cup to engage with the cleaning nozzle; and a cleaning liquid supply tube connected to the cleaning nozzle, the cleaning nozzle being detachable to the cutout part in a state in which the cleaning liquid supply tube is connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Ogata, Hiroichi Inada, Taro Yamamoto, Akihiro Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20120017455
    Abstract: A shape measuring device to measure a shape of a workpiece, wherein the shape measuring device includes: the probe; a probe support shaft to pivotally support the probe; and a probe drive device to which the probe support shaft is attached to contact the probe with a measuring position of the workpiece and to move relatively the workpiece and the probe; wherein the probe is a sphere pivotally supported by the probe support shaft and has a cut face which is a shape cut so as to be nearly vertical to the probe support shaft and a shape measurement of a workpiece surface is carried out in such a manner that the cut face of the probe is faced with a face intersecting a face containing the measuring position of the workpiece surface, and a surface of the sphere is contacted with the measuring position of the workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2010
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA OPTO, INC.
    Inventor: Akihiro Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20110159701
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a chemical liquid supply nozzle capable of suppressing the drying process of chemical liquid with a low cost. The chemical liquid supply nozzle is provided with a cutoff valve and a suction unit that sucks chemical liquid to a suction flow path at a nozzle main body connected to a front end of flow path member. Accordingly, the chemical liquid remaining at the downstream side of the cutoff valve after the chemical liquid is discharged, is sucked toward the upstream side of the cutoff valve and removed, to thereby suppress the drying and solidifying process of the chemical liquid at the chemical liquid flow path. Also, there is no need to block the chemical liquid flow path by sucking thinner at the downstream side of chemical liquid flow path, and the number of dummy dispense may be reduced, thereby reducing an overall operation cost of the process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tsunenaga NAKASHIMA, Shinichi HAYASHI, Akihiro FUJIMOTO, Takahiro OOKUBO
  • Patent number: 7959988
    Abstract: A coating film forming apparatus includes a process section including one or more coating units and one or more thermally processing units; a pre-coating cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning on a back surface and an edge portion of a substrate; and a pre-coating check unit configured to check a state of a back surface and an edge portion of the substrate. A control section is configured to realize a sequence of cleaning the substrate by the pre-coating cleaning unit, checking the substrate by the pre-coating check unit, making a judgment based on a check result thus obtained of whether or not a state of particles on a back surface and an edge portion of the substrate is within an acceptable range, and permitting transfer of the substrate into the process section where the state of particles is within the acceptable range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Taro Yamamoto, Yasushi Takiguchi, Akihiro Fujimoto, Hideharu Kyouda, Junichi Kitano, Osamu Miyahara, Kenji Tsutsumi
  • Publication number: 20110083703
    Abstract: Disclosed are a nozzle cleaning apparatus and a nozzle cleaning method, which are capable of effectively cleaning a nozzle for discharging a process liquid to a substrate, with a simple structure and a low cost. A nozzle 30 is accommodated in a cleaning container 2 having a funnel-shaped portion 2b. A solvent T as a cleaning liquid is supplied along an inner surface of the funnel-shaped portion 2b. The solvent T forms a vortex flow whirling around the nozzle 30. By exposing the nozzle 30 to the vortex flow, the nozzle 30 can be effectively, thoroughly cleaned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Takeshi HIRAO, Akihiro FUJIMOTO, Yasutaka SOUMA
  • Publication number: 20110083702
    Abstract: Disclosed are a nozzle cleaning apparatus and a nozzle cleaning method, which are capable of effectively cleaning a nozzle for discharging a process liquid to a substrate, with a simple structure and a low cost. A nozzle 30 is accommodated in a cleaning container 2 having a funnel-shaped portion 2b. A solvent T as a cleaning liquid is supplied along an inner surface of the funnel-shaped portion 2b. The solvent T forms a vortex flow whirling around the nozzle 30. By exposing the nozzle 30 to the vortex flow, the nozzle 30 can be effectively, thoroughly cleaned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Takeshi Hirao, Akihiro Fujimoto, Yasutaka Souma
  • Patent number: 7891365
    Abstract: Disclosed are a nozzle cleaning apparatus and a nozzle cleaning method, which are capable of effectively cleaning a nozzle for discharging a process liquid to a substrate, with a simple structure and a low cost. A nozzle 30 is accommodated in a cleaning container 2 having a funnel-shaped portion 2b. A solvent T as a cleaning liquid is supplied along an inner surface of the funnel-shaped portion 2b. The solvent T forms a vortex flow whirling around the nozzle 30. By exposing the nozzle 30 to the vortex flow, the nozzle 30 can be effectively, thoroughly cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Takeshi Hirao, Akihiro Fujimoto, Yasutaka Souma
  • Publication number: 20100110549
    Abstract: An optical element having a phase structure on the optical surface formed of a plurality of optical function surfaces divided through a plurality of stepped portions. The sculpture height of each of the stepped portions is set lower than that of the optical function surface. Thus, precision of profile is prevented from falling due to prolongation of production time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventor: Akihiro Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20100027122
    Abstract: A mold for forming an optical element includes: a surface including a plurality of grooves arranged concentrically. Each of the grooves includes a bottom surface with a predetermined width, a side surface, and a curved surface with a predetermined curvature radius. The bottom surface extends in a radius direction of the grooves. The curved surface connects the bottom surface and the side surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Inventors: Akihiro Fujimoto, Taisuke Oyanagi
  • Publication number: 20090302763
    Abstract: In a plasma display panel wherein lattice-like ribs are formed, an impurity gas inside the panel is easily exhausted. The panel has a paired substrates facing each other. The peripheral portions of the panel are bonded to each other to be sealed. The panel is manufactured by allowing an impurity gas located between the substrates to be exhausted upon carrying out the sealing/bonding process. The panel includes a cell-defining rib and a dummy rib. The cell-defining rib has longitudinal ribs and lateral ribs, which is formed in a display area between the paired substrates. The dummy rib has the same shape as that of the cell-defining rib, which is formed in a non-display area which covers from an outer edge of the display area over to the periphery of the substrates, a ventilation passage being formed in the non-display area in which the dummy rib is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Inventors: Taiki Makino, Masahiro Sawa, Koji Ohira, Akihiro Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20090241873
    Abstract: A variable valve-operating system for an internal combustion engine, comprising a cylinder head having an intake or exhaust valve, a camshaft rotatably supported by the cylinder head, a cam body rotatably fitted around the camshaft and including a cam lobe having an outer peripheral surface for driving the valve and a boss protruding radially from the cam body, and a valve open period-varying mechanism supported on the camshaft and including an intermediate rotating member having a center of rotation offset from the camshaft, the mechanism transmits rotation of the camshaft to the boss of the cam body through the intermediate rotating member and also permits the valve open period of the valve to be varied through adjustment of the eccentric phase angle of the intermediate rotating member, wherein at least a part of the boss is so positioned as to overlap with the profile of a nose of the cam lobe when viewed in the axial direction of the cam body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Muraoka, Hirofumi Higashi, Hideo Nakai, Akihiro Fujimoto, Jun Hoshikawa, Noritsugu Ohsawa, Tetsuji Tatsumi
  • Publication number: 20090151973
    Abstract: A mobile device has a push-button type operation unit at a side surface of a body case. The body case has a dual-partitioned structure of a first case and a second case. The first case includes a main portion having a plane substantially parallel to a partitioning surface of the cases, and a side wall extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main portion from four side ends of the main portion. The side wall and the second case are separably coupled. A waterproof rubber is attached on an inner side of the main portion and the side wall of the first case. An electronic circuit substrate mounted with a switch corresponding to the operation unit is at least accommodated on an inner side of the waterproof rubber. The waterproof rubber includes a sandwiching portion inserted to a bonding site of the first case and the second case, and a side wall interposed between the operation unit and the switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Fujimoto, Norihisa Kataya
  • Publication number: 20090128288
    Abstract: A portable device has an opening formed in one case of a dual structure, a partitioning member for partitioning the opening, a projection formed on the partitioning member so as to project to a front surface side of the case, and at least two push buttons attached from a back surface side of the case to partitions partitioned by the partitioning member. The push button has a substantially flat plate-shaped push button portion, and a locking portion formed at an outer edge of the push button portion. The locking portion contacts an outer edge of the opening to prevent slip-out of the push button when the push button is attached to the partition from the back surface side of the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicant: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Fujimoto, Masahiro Yamamoto