Patents by Inventor Akira Shirakura

Akira Shirakura 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: 8289598
    Abstract: Recording an image of a holographic stereogram includes providing an optical deflecting device in proximity to a hologram recording medium that is exposed with a stripe-shaped elemental hologram. Either an object beam or a reference beam is deflected, in a long side direction thereof, through the optical deflecting device to expose the hologram recording medium. The hologram recording medium is multiply exposed, at least twice, with different deflection angles of the optical deflecting device to cause the stripe-shaped elemental hologram to have a plurality of parallaxes in a long side direction of the stripe-shaped elemental hologram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Shirakura, Yuji Nakagawa, Nobuhiro Kihara
  • Publication number: 20120212789
    Abstract: A hologram-mounted medium includes: visually readable identification information that is holographically formed to be visible within a predetermined angular range when illuminated at a predetermined angle; and mechanically readable identification information that is holographically formed to be visible within a predetermined angular range when illuminated at a predetermined angle. The visually readable identification information and the mechanically readable identification information are associated with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicants: SONY DADC CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Shirakura, Takashi Matsubara
  • Publication number: 20120206781
    Abstract: An image recording medium in which a refractive index modulation is recorded in a material in a layer such that, when the hologram recording medium is illuminated from a predetermined angle and a viewpoint is moved horizontally with respect to a normal line, a hologram image having continuous parallax in at least the horizontal direction is reproduced and that, when the viewpoint is moved in a direction with respect to the normal line different from the horizontal direction, another image that is different from and thus is not continuous with the hologram image is reproduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kihara, Akira Shirakura
  • Publication number: 20120205279
    Abstract: In an apparatus for forming a film on the inner surface of a container, a thermal catalyst is supported on a source gas supply pipe, and the source gas supply pipe is inserted into the port of the container, followed by film formation. In an apparatus for forming a film on the outer surface of a container, a thermal catalyst is arranged on the periphery of the plastic, and a source gas is blown out through the source gas supply pipe while bringing the source gas into contact with the thermal catalyst for film formation. Cooling is carried out to avoid the thermal deformation of the container by heat radiated from the thermal catalyst.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: KIRIN BEER KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio MISHIMA, Masaki NAKAYA, Akira SHIRAKURA
  • Publication number: 20120176655
    Abstract: An optical reader module includes a first illumination light source that emits reproducing illumination light to an image-capture target containing a hologram in which information reproduced in a predetermined angle area when illuminated from a predetermined angle is recorded, thereby reproducing the information recorded in the hologram; an image-capturing device that captures an image of the information reproduced from the hologram; and a first light-projecting unit that projects first-optical-guide-forming light on the image-capture target. A first optical guide projected on the image-capture target takes a predetermined shape when the emission angle of the reproducing illumination light to the hologram is equal to the predetermined angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicants: SONY DADC CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Shirakura
  • Publication number: 20120139229
    Abstract: An identification label includes: at least one piece of identification information; and a label characteristic value used to designate a characteristic of a shape or a state. At least one piece of identification information and the label characteristic value are associated with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicants: SONY DADC CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Matsubara, Akira Shirakura, Teruaki Higashihara
  • Patent number: 8186301
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a gas barrier plastic container which simultaneously satisfies the condition that the same vacuum chamber can be used even when the container shapes are different, the condition that a high-frequency power source is unnecessary, and the condition that film formation can be carried out for a plurality of containers inside one vacuum chamber in order to make the apparatus low cost. In an apparatus for forming a film on the inner surface of a container, a thermal catalyst is supported on a source gas supply pipe, and the source gas supply pipe is inserted into the port of the container, followed by film formation. In an apparatus for forming a film on the outer surface of a container, a thermal catalyst is arranged on the periphery of the plastic, and a source gas is blown out through the source gas supply pipe while bringing the source gas into contact with the thermal catalyst for film formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Kirin Beer Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Mishima, Masaki Nakaya, Akira Shirakura
  • Publication number: 20120127546
    Abstract: A hologram laminate is provided with a hologram recording layer in which holograms are recorded, a first bonding layer, a pattern layer having a first region and a second region, and a second bonding layer. The hologram recording layer, the first bonding layer, the pattern layer, and the second bonding layer are laminated in this order. Detaching strength of the first bonding layer is larger than detaching strength of the second bonding layer. The detaching strength of the second bonding layer with respect to the first region and the detaching strength of the second bonding layer with respect to the second region are different.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicants: SONY DADC CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Sugiura, Akira Shirakura
  • Publication number: 20120044552
    Abstract: An image recording medium in which a refractive index modulation is recorded in a material in a layer such that, when the hologram recording medium is illuminated from a predetermined angle and a viewpoint is moved horizontally with respect to a normal line, a hologram image having continuous parallax in at least the horizontal direction is reproduced and that, when the viewpoint is moved in a direction with respect to the normal line different from the horizontal direction, another image that is different from and thus is not continuous with the hologram image is reproduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kihara, Akira Shirakura
  • Publication number: 20120008822
    Abstract: A multi-viewpoint image recording medium includes at least one main image recorded on the multi-viewpoint image recording medium and a plurality of sub-images, each having a display area smaller than a display area of the main image, recorded on the multi-viewpoint image recording medium. The main image and the plurality of sub-images are simultaneously displayed when the main image and the plurality of sub-images are reproduced. At least one of the plurality of sub-images changes in accordance with movement of a viewpoint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Shirakura, Takashi Matsubara
  • Publication number: 20120007946
    Abstract: A holographic reproduction image processing apparatus includes: a detecting section detecting the luminance of a plurality of pixels in an area of a holographic reproduction image extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction in which the image has luminance variation; and an image processing section correcting the luminance variation according to luminance information supplied from the detecting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicants: SONY DADC CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Baba, Akira Shirakura, Shinichi Yoshimura, Kazuki Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20120002257
    Abstract: A hologram recording medium having two or more images recorded therein, wherein when substantially collimated light is incident along a first direction on the hologram recording medium, a first image is reproduced with the intensity of light diffracted in the hologram recording medium maximized in a predetermined direction, when substantially collimated light is incident along a second direction on the hologram recording medium, a second image is reproduced with the intensity of light diffracted in the hologram recording medium maximized in the predetermined direction, and a full width at half maximum of a reproduction angle of at least either of the diffracted light intensities of the first and second images is 8° or smaller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2011
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicants: SONY DADC CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Shirakura, Teruaki Higashihara, Toshiyuki Arai, Shigeyuki Baba
  • Publication number: 20110199660
    Abstract: A hologram recording medium includes: a hologram recording layer; and a light scattering layer, wherein a material having a reflection characteristic different from that of a main material forming the light scattering layer is arranged in the light scattering layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicants: Sony Corporation, Sony DADC Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Shirakura
  • Publication number: 20110188102
    Abstract: A hologram-including medium is disclosed, which is an integrated medium on which at least two items of identification information are recorded, wherein one of the two items of identification information is holographic identification information which can be observed within a predetermined angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: August 4, 2011
    Applicants: Sony Corporation, Sony DADC Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Shirakura, Takashi Matsubara
  • Patent number: 7990467
    Abstract: A parallax image pickup apparatus for forming a parallax image train by photographing an object from a plurality of directions includes an image pickup unit in which an image pickup device and an image forming optical system are integrated in order to photograph the parallax images of the object; a rotating unit on which the image pickup unit is mounted and which rotates the image pickup unit in a parallax direction; an image pickup unit moving unit for rectilinearly moving the image pickup unit and the rotating unit synchronously with the rotation of the rotating unit; a control unit for controlling so that a virtual image pickup center portion is always located at the center of a photographed image; and a focal distance control unit for continuously changing a focal distance of the image pickup unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Shirakura
  • Publication number: 20100290098
    Abstract: A hologram judging apparatus includes a housing and first and second light sources attached to the housing and emitting reconstruction illumination light. In the hologram judging apparatus, the first and second light sources each include a wavelength component with a wavelength ? meeting the reconstruction condition of a Lippmann hologram, and any one of the first and second light sources is a light source making the reconstruction illumination light enter a hologram at an angle ?ref which is identical to another angle ?ref with respect to the normal in a plane of incidence, the other angle ?ref meeting the reconstruction condition of a Lippmann method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY DISC & DIGITAL SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Akira SHIRAKURA, Koji ASHIZAKI
  • Publication number: 20100275847
    Abstract: The present invention provides a plastic container having a inner wall surface coated with DLC film which has same level of oxygen barrier property as prior art and can prevent a coloring of the DLC film formed on a neck portion of the container, manufacturing apparatus therefor and manufacturing method thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicant: KIRIN BEER KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Teruyuki YAMASAKI, Akira SHIRAKURA, Hideyasu ANDO
  • Publication number: 20100265554
    Abstract: A hologram reproducing and imaging apparatus includes a reference light source configured to be arranged near a hologram recording material on which a hologram is recorded and has an arrangement of a plurality of light sources, a reference light source drive section configured to drive the plurality of light sources in a time-division manner, an imaging sensor configured to capture an image of a reproduction area irradiated with reference light from the reference light source and photoelectrically convert the image, and an image processing section configured to process an imaging signal from the imaging sensor. Partial captured images are obtained by enabling the imaging signal of the area irradiated when the plurality of light sources are turned on, and the partial captured images are combined to be a reproduction image by the image processing section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY DISC & DIGITAL SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Akira Shirakura, Koji Ishiwata, Fumihisa Kishibata, Yoshihiro Suigiura, Shigeyuki Baba, Shinichi Yoshimura
  • Publication number: 20100208314
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a hologram recording medium, wherein in a volume hologram, the hologram recording medium is covered with a partially patterned optical functional film on the side closer to the viewer than a hologram recording layer without the medium of air, and wherein the hologram recording medium maintains its appearance approximately unchanged irrespective of the presence or absence of the optical functional film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY DISC & DIGITAL SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Akira Shirakura, Nobuhiro Kihara
  • Patent number: 7754302
    Abstract: The present invention provides a plastic container or bottle having an inner wall surface coated with a DLC film which has the same level of oxygen barrier property as prior art DLC coated containers while at the same time preventing the coloration of the neck portion found in the containers of the prior art. The DLC film formed on the neck portion of the inventive bottle has a lower graphite mixing proportion than the DLC film formed on body portion, and the oxygen permeability of the container is less than or equal to 0.0050 ml/container (500 ml PET container)/day. The apparatus and the method of producing such a bottle are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Kirin Brewery Company, Limted
    Inventors: Teruyuki Yamasaki, Akira Shirakura, Hideyasu Ando