Patents by Inventor Akira Kobara

Akira Kobara 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: 11619286
    Abstract: To provide a tensioner unit, a rocking lever, and a tensioner, which, prevent breakage of the tensioner in use for a prolonged period of time. A protruding part is provided to a rocking lever near an abutment surface for abutment with a plunger to make contact with a tensioner body. h and H satisfy the relationship of h<H, where h denotes a protruding amount of a lead part of the plunger, where the lead part means a part protruding from the plunger bore, from a tip end surface on an opened side of the tensioner body in a state where the plunger sits on a bottom of the plunger bore, and H denotes an interval between the abutment surface of the rocking lever and the tip end surface of the tensioner body when the protruding part is brought into contact with the tensioner body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: TSUBAKIMOTO CHAIN CO.
    Inventors: Masahiko Konno, Akira Kobara, Koichi Shimosaka
  • Publication number: 20200292034
    Abstract: To provide a tensioner unit, a rocking lever, and a tensioner, which, prevent breakage of the tensioner in use for a prolonged period of time. A protruding part is provided to a rocking lever near an abutment surface for abutment with a plunger to make contact with a tensioner body. h and H satisfy the relationship of h<H, where h denotes a protruding amount of a lead part of the plunger, where the lead part means a part protruding from the plunger bore, from a tip end surface on an opened side of the tensioner body in a state where the plunger sits on a bottom of the plunger bore, and H denotes an interval between the abutment surface of the rocking lever and the tip end surface of the tensioner body when the protruding part is brought into contact with the tensioner body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: TSUBAKIMOTO CHAIN CO.
    Inventors: Masahiko Konno, Akira Kobara, Koichi Shimosaka
  • Patent number: 10502288
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a chain drive device that guides a chain favorably with a chain guide to prevent noise generation and wear or damage of various parts with a simple structure, and to provide the chain guide. Provided is a chain drive device 10 having a guide shoe 40 that includes a shoe surface part 41 and a lip 43. The shoe surface part 41 has a larger widthwise dimension than that of the chain 20. The lip 43 has a front-side lip end 44 which has a lip front end face 44a that faces the front side in the chain running direction. The lip front end face 44a has a height that is set larger than a dimensional difference in backside height between inner plates 21 and outer plates 23.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: TSUBAKIMOTO CHAIN CO.
    Inventors: Masahiko Konno, Akira Kobara
  • Publication number: 20180038459
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a chain drive device that guides a chain favorably with a chain guide to prevent noise generation and wear or damage of various parts with a simple structure, and to provide the chain guide. Provided is a chain drive device 10 having a guide shoe 40 that includes a shoe surface part 41 and a lip 43. The shoe surface part 41 has a larger widthwise dimension than that of the chain 20. The lip 43 has a front-side lip end 44 which has a lip front end face 44a that faces the front side in the chain running direction. The lip front end face 44a has a height that is set larger than a dimensional difference in backside height between inner plates 21 and outer plates 23.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Applicant: TSUBAKIMOTO CHAIN CO.
    Inventors: Masahiko Konno, Akira Kobara
  • Patent number: 8454462
    Abstract: In a chain guide mechanism, fixed and movable guides are attached to a guide bridge by cooperation of bosses on the guides with boss-receiving holes formed in spaced-apart elements of arms of the bridge. A fixed guide is held against rotation by cooperation of a projection on its mounting boss with a notch in a boss-receiving hole in a guide bridge arm element. A base, extending from an intermediate location at which the arms come together has a pressing structure that engages bosses on a driving sprocket, and a groove for receiving teeth of the driving sprocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Co.
    Inventors: Masahiko Konno, Kaori Mori, Yuji Kurematsu, Akira Kobara, Manabu Hirayama
  • Patent number: 8092327
    Abstract: In a spring-loaded tensioner lever having a coiled torsion spring accommodated in a space inside the lever, a stopper mechanism, comprising a pin held removably in a hole in the lever, holds an arm of the torsion spring against movement in the unwinding direction while the lever, or the chain, is being mounted on a mounting surface. The pin and a bent end of the arm of the spring fit into holes in the mounting surface positioned so that a pivot shaft-receiving hole of the lever is automatically aligned with a shaft-mounting hole in the mounting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Co.
    Inventors: Akira Kobara, Atsushi Hayami
  • Publication number: 20110105258
    Abstract: In a chain guide mechanism, fixed and movable guides are attached to a guide bridge by cooperation of bosses on the guides with boss-receiving holes formed in spaced-apart elements of arms of the bridge. A fixed guide is held against rotation by cooperation of a projection on its mounting boss with a notch in a boss-receiving hole in a guide bridge arm element. A base, extending from an intermediate location at which the arms come together has a pressing structure that engages bosses on a driving sprocket, and a groove for receiving teeth of the driving sprocket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: TSUBAKIMOTO CHAIN CO.
    Inventors: Masahiko Konno, Kaori Mori, Yuji Kurematsu, Akira Kobara, Manabu Hirayama
  • Publication number: 20090111629
    Abstract: In a spring-loaded tensioner lever having a coiled torsion spring accommodated in a space inside the lever, a stopper mechanism, comprising a pin held removably in a hole in the lever, holds an arm of the torsion spring against movement in the unwinding direction while the lever, or the chain, is being mounted on a mounting surface. The pin and a bent end of the arm of the spring fit into holes in the mounting surface positioned so that a pivot shaft-receiving hole of the lever is automatically aligned with a shaft-mounting hole in the mounting surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Applicant: TSUBAKIMOTO CHAIN CO.
    Inventors: Akira Kobara, Atsushi Hayami