Patents by Inventor Akio Harao

Akio Harao 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: 9221194
    Abstract: An ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer alcohol solution comprising an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and an alcohol having a carbon number of not greater than 4 is brought into contact with an aqueous solution of at least one additive selected from a carboxylic compound, a boron compound and a phosphoric compound to replace a part or all of the alcohol with water, whereby an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer composition containing the additive is prepared. This preparation process makes it possible to efficiently replace the alcohol in the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer alcohol solution with water, and homogeneously incorporate the thermal stabilizer in the composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: THE NIPPON SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keisuke Fujimura, Yasufumi Beniya, Akio Harao, Yoshiharu Nagao, Shinji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8765037
    Abstract: An ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) composition preparation process is provided, which comprises the steps of: feeding an EVOH alcohol solution into a tower type apparatus, the EVOH alcohol solution comprising 100 parts by weight of an EVOH and not less than 300 parts by weight of an alcohol having a carbon number of not greater than 4; bringing the EVOH alcohol solution into contact with water, and feeding out a part of the alcohol together with water from the apparatus to provide an EVOH water/alcohol mixture solution comprising 100 parts by weight of the EVOH, 10 to 200 parts by weight of the alcohol and 50 to 200 parts by weight of water; bringing the EVOH water/alcohol mixture solution into contact with water in an agitator container with stirring, and feeding out a part or all of the alcohol together with water from the container to provide an EVOH composition comprising 100 parts by weight of the EVOH, less than 10 parts by weight of the alcohol and 20 to 100 parts by weight of water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: The Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keisuke Fujimura, Yasufumi Beniya, Akio Harao, Yoshiharu Nagao, Shinji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8283416
    Abstract: Processes for manufacturing a composition of a solvolysis product of an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer, which comprises: conducting solvolysis of an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (A?) and a modified ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (B?) comprising a unit derived from a compound represented by the general formula (2) in one system to manufacture the composition of a solvolysis product of an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer comprising a solvolysis product (A) of the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer and a solvolysis product (B) of the modified ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer comprising a unit represented by the general formula (1), wherein a ratio of an ethylene content (B?)/(A?) of copolymer (A?) and copolymer (B?) in conducting solvolysis is 1 or more, and a blending ratio (B?)/(A?) of the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (A?) and the modified ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (B?) is from 50/50 to 1/99 by weight:
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: The Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasufumi Beniya, Keisuke Fujimura, Akio Harao
  • Publication number: 20120022217
    Abstract: Processes for manufacturing a composition of a solvolysis product of an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer, which comprises: conducting solvolysis of an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (A?) and a modified ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (B?) comprising a unit derived from a compound represented by the general formula (2) in one system to manufacture the composition of a solvolysis product of an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer comprising a solvolysis product (A) of the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer and a solvolysis product (B) of the modified ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer comprising a unit represented by the general formula (1), wherein a ratio of an ethylene content (B?)/(A?) of copolymer (A?) and copolymer (B?) in conducting solvolysis is 1 or more, and a blending ratio (B?)/(A?) of the ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (A?) and the modified ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer (B?) is from 50/50 to 1/99 by weight:
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: THE NIPPON SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasufumi BENIYA, Keisuke FUJIMURA, Akio HARAO
  • Publication number: 20110166292
    Abstract: The present invention provides a composition of a solvolysis product of an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer excellent in productivity and formability, which has a small absolute value of melting peak, even in the case where two or more kinds of solvolysis products of ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers are blended.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2008
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: THE NIPPON SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasufumi Beniya, Keisuke Fujimura, Akio Harao
  • Publication number: 20100314791
    Abstract: An ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) composition preparation process is provided, which comprises the steps of: feeding an EVOH alcohol solution into a tower type apparatus, the EVOH alcohol solution comprising 100 parts by weight of an EVOH and not less than 300 parts by weight of an alcohol having a carbon number of not greater than 4; bringing the EVOH alcohol solution into contact with water, and feeding out a part of the alcohol together with water from the apparatus to provide an EVOH water/alcohol mixture solution comprising 100 parts by weight of the EVOH, 10 to 200 parts by weight of the alcohol and 50 to 200 parts by weight of water; bringing the EVOH water/alcohol mixture solution into contact with water in an agitator container with stirring, and feeding out a part or all of the alcohol together with water from the container to provide an EVOH composition comprising 100 parts by weight of the EVOH, less than 10 parts by weight of the alcohol and 20 to 100 parts by weight of water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: THE NIPPON SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keisuke Fujimura, Yasufumi Beniya, Akio Harao, Yoshiharu Nagao, Shinji Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20100289172
    Abstract: An ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer alcohol solution comprising an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and an alcohol having a carbon number of not greater than 4 is brought into contact with an aqueous solution of at least one additive selected from a carboxylic compound, a boron compound and a phosphoric compound to replace a part or all of the alcohol with water, whereby an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer composition containing the additive is prepared. This preparation process makes it possible to efficiently replace the alcohol in the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer alcohol solution with water, and homogeneously incorporate the thermal stabilizer in the composition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Inventors: Keisuke Fujimura, Yasufumi Beniya, Akio Harao, Yoshiharu Nagao, Shinji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 6559254
    Abstract: The invention provides a process for producing a saponified vinyl acetate polymer (a saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer in particular) which features a minimum of coloration of molding pellets, a well-inhibited emanation of an odor in melt-molding, a high transparency of the product film and a low incidence of fish-eyes in the film, and a process for producing a vinyl acetate polymer (particularly an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer) for use as the starting material for said saponified vinyl acetate polymer having said favorable properties. In accordance with the invention, either vinyl acetate alone or vinyl acetate and one or more other monomers are polymerized in the presence of a hydroxylactone compound and a polymerization catalyst. The resulting vinyl acetate polymer (particularly the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer) is then saponified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Nippon Gohsei Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Ninomiya, Yoshiharu Nagao, Akio Harao, Kenji Kato
  • Publication number: 20010056160
    Abstract: The invention provides a process for producing a saponified vinyl acetate polymer (a saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer in particular) which features a minimum of coloration of molding pellets, a well-inhibited emanation of an odor in melt-molding, a high transparency of the product film and a low incidence of fish-eyes in the film, and a process for producing a vinyl acetate polymer (particularly an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer) for use as the starting material for said saponified vinyl acetate polymer having said favorable properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Publication date: December 27, 2001
    Inventors: Kenji Ninomiya, Yoshiharu Nagao, Akio Harao, Kenji Kato