Patents by Inventor Akihiro Matoge

Akihiro Matoge 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: 7102963
    Abstract: To provide a radio-wave watch, which can have an excellent appearance and can minimize the drop of the sensitivity of receiving radio waves, while suppressing the size enlargement and the cost for the contour. A radio-wave watch comprises a metallic dial having an opening, and a receiving antenna for receiving the standard radio waves containing the time data. The receiving antenna is arranged on the back of the opening of the dial and in a case at a position to confront the opening. The receiving antenna is arranged in the case at a spacing from the dial. Time lapse indicating means substantially formed of a non-metal is arranged in the case between the dial and the receiving antenna for indicating the time lapse within the range of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Akihiro Matoge, Yoshifumi Maehara
  • Publication number: 20060187133
    Abstract: An antenna structure for wave timepiece that can be easily and securely tuned even in a narrow, planar layout space and a wave timepiece having the antenna structure are provided. In an antenna structure of a wave timepiece, a condenser that performs tuning in cooperation with a coil of an antenna body is mounted on both of a surface and a back of a lead board disposed near a terminal of the antenna body. A condenser for coarse adjustment is mounted at a side of back of the lead board, and a condenser for fine adjustment is mounted at a side of surface. The lead board comprises a thick and rigid board, and condensers at the sides of the surface and the back are disposed in positions that are overlapped in a thickness direction of the board. An antenna frame for receiving the antenna body has a recess in an end, and the condenser at the side of the back is received in the recess.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventor: Akihiro Matoge
  • Publication number: 20060153009
    Abstract: To provide a radio-wave watch, which can have an excellent appearance and can minimize the drop of the sensitivity of receiving radio waves, while suppressing the size enlargement and the cost for the contour. A radio-wave watch comprises a metallic dial having an opening, and a receiving antenna for receiving the standard radio waves containing the time data. The receiving antenna is arranged on the back of the opening of the dial and in a case at a position to confront the opening. The receiving antenna is arranged in the case at a spacing from the dial. Time lapse indicating means substantially formed of a non-metal is arranged in the case between the dial and the receiving antenna for indicating the time lapse within the range of the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Publication date: July 13, 2006
    Inventors: Akihiro Matoge, Yoshifumi Maehara
  • Patent number: 6804172
    Abstract: An analog electronic timepiece has a rotor mounted to undergo rotation. A first indicator wheel has a first cylindrical portion and undergoes rotation in accordance with rotation of the rotor. A second indicator wheel is coaxial with the first indicator wheel and undergoes rotation in accordance with rotation of the first indicator wheel. The second indicator wheel has a second cylindrical portion extending through the first cylindrical portion of the first indicator wheel. A third indicator wheel is coaxial with the first and second indicator wheels and undergoes rotation in accordance with rotation of the second indicator wheel. The third indicator wheel having a shaft portion extending through the second cylindrical portion the second indicator wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Akihiro Matoge, Koichiro Jujo
  • Patent number: 6688765
    Abstract: A clutch wheel for a timepiece includes a cylindrical portion having an inner peripheral surface for slidably receiving an indicator hand setting stem of the timepiece, an outer peripheral surface, and a flanged base surface. A plurality of teeth are formed on an upper surface of the flanged base surface surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. The teeth may be in contact with or spaced from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, and the clutch wheel may be forged of metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Akihiro Matoge
  • Publication number: 20030169643
    Abstract: To improve poor operability of attaching and detaching an hour hand when an hour hand having large moment of inertia is attached to a cylindrical portion of an hour wheel, an analog electronic timepiece of the invention is provided with a rotor, a second wheel & pinion decelerated to rotate based on rotation of the rotor, a center wheel & pinion decelerated to rotate based on rotation of the second wheel & pinion and an hour wheel decelerated to rotate based on rotation of the center wheel & pinion. The second wheel & pinion includes a cylindrical portion, the center wheel & pinion includes a cylindrical portion and the hour wheel includes a shaft portion. The second wheel & pinion, the center wheel & pinion and the hour wheel are coaxially rotated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2002
    Publication date: September 11, 2003
    Inventors: Akihiro Matoge, Koichiro Jujo
  • Patent number: 6407965
    Abstract: A timepiece has a case back made of a thermally conductive material, an upper case body made of a thermally conductive material and disposed opposite to the case back, and a lower case body made of a thermally insulating material and disposed between the upper case body and the case back. A thermoelectric generator unit generates an electromotive force in accordance with heat conducted from the case back. At least one step-up circuit steps up an electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric generator unit. A storage member stores power and an electromotive force stepped up by the step-up circuit. A timepiece driving circuit is driven by power stored in the storage member or by electromotive force stepped up by the step-up circuit. A power supply operating control circuit controls power flow from the step-up circuit to the storage member and controls whether the electromotive force stepped up by the step-up circuit or the power stored in the storage member is supplied to the timepiece driving circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Akihiro Matoge, Susumu Kotanagi, Yoshifumi Yoshida, Fumiyasu Utsunomiya, Matsuo Kishi
  • Patent number: 6359841
    Abstract: A portable electronic device has a casing has an upper case body and a rear case cover both made of a thermally conductive material. A heat insulating member thermally insulates the rear case cover from the upper case body of the casing. A thermoelectric generator unit is disposed in the casing for generating an electromotive force based on the Seebeck effect. The thermoelectric generator unit has a heat radiating plate for transferring heat to the upper case body and a heat absorbing plate. A heat conductive spacer is made of a thermally conductive and elastically deformable sheet of material and has opposed main surfaces. One of the main surface is disposed in contact with the heat absorbing plate of the thermoelectric generator unit and the other main surface is disposed in contact with an inner side surface of the rear case cover for conducting heat from the rear case cover to the thermoelectric generator unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Susumu Kotanagi, Akihiro Matoge, Yoshifumi Yoshida, Fumiyasu Utsunomiya, Matsuo Kishi
  • Patent number: 6316714
    Abstract: A power generating block is provided with a thermoelectric generator unit 180 containing one or more of electrothermic elements 140, further, including a 1st thermally conductive plate 120 constituting a heat absorbing plate and including a 2nd thermally conductive plate constituting a heat radiating plate. A thermal conductive body 244 made of a thermally conductive material is arranged to be brought into contact with the 2nd thermally conductive plate 170. The power generating block with a thermoelectric generator unit is provided with a step-up circuit block 240 including a step-up circuit 410 for boosting electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric generator unit 180 and a power supply operation control circuit 416 for controlling operation of storing the electromotive force generated by the thermoelectric generator unit 180 and controlling operation of the step-up circuit 410.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Susumu Kotanagi, Akihiro Matoge, Yoshifumi Yoshida, Fumiyasu Utsunomiya, Matsuo Kishi
  • Publication number: 20010026501
    Abstract: A clutch wheel for a timepiece is formed by a metal. This comprises a cylindrical portion in which a hand setting stem penetrates slidably and relatively non-rotatable, a flange portion integrally formed with a base end of this cylindrical portion, and a plurality of teeth integrally formed on a side surface of this flange portion and radially formed in a manner surrounding the cylindrical portion from an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2001
    Publication date: October 4, 2001
    Inventor: Akihiro Matoge