Patents by Inventor Akitoshi Sometani

Akitoshi Sometani 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: 5630641
    Abstract: A sunroof device includes a guide rail for a roof panel of a vehicle, a movable panel for opening and closing an opening in the roof panel, the movable panel being mounted on the guide rail through a link mechanism, a driving shoe slidably disposed between the guide rail and the link mechanism, a driven shoe slidably disposed between the guide rail and the movable panel, and a check mechanism for engaging and disengaging the guide rail and the driven shoe including a striker connected with the driving shoe, a check member for engaging and disengaging the guide rail connected with the driven shoe, and a latch member which is engaged by the striker so that the latch member disengages the check member from the guide rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1997
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiji Mori, Hironori Ochiai, Akitoshi Sometani
  • Patent number: 5558394
    Abstract: A sunroof for a vehicle includes a guide rail fixed on a roof panel of the vehicle, a movable panel slidably supported on the guide rail for opening and closing an opening in the roof and a slidable sunshade panel which becomes interlocked with the movable panel through an interlock mechanism, wherein the interlock mechanism and the sunshade panel are slidingly moved according to the slide operation of the movable panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiji Mori, Katsutoshi Kato, Naofumi Fujie, Akitoshi Sometani
  • Patent number: 5527085
    Abstract: A sunroof device for a vehicle includes a guide rail fixed on a roof panel of the vehicle, a movable panel for opening and closing an opening disposed on the roof panel and which is mounted on the guide rail through a link mechanism, wherein the link mechanism includes a lift link connected with one of the guide rail and the movable panel and a guide link connected with the other one of the guide rail and the movable panel, and wherein the guide link includes a first guide groove and a second guide groove both of which are disposed on a side thereof which is opposite to the lift links and the first guide groove and the second guide groove are at different depths from each other in the guide link, and wherein the lift link includes a first guide pin and a second guide pin both of which are projected on a side thereof which is opposite to the guide link, and each of the first guide pin and the second guide pin is engaged with the first guide groove and the second guide groove respectively and the first guide pi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1996
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hironori Ochiai, Akitoshi Sometani
  • Patent number: 5527086
    Abstract: A sun-roof device for use in a vehicle having a roof includes an opening portion formed in the roof and having a pair of parallel spaced side peripheries each of which extends in a lengthwise direction of the vehicle and a front periphery extending in a width direction of the vehicle, a pair of parallel spaced guide rails extending along the pair of side peripheries of the opening portion, respectively, a front frame extending along the front periphery of the opening portion, a movable panel for opening and closing the opening portion, a pair of sliding members for moving the movable panel which are located in the pair of guide rails, respectively, a guide plate fixed to a lower face of the front frame and forming a pair of passages connected to front ends of the pair of guide rails together with the lower face of the front frame, a pair of cables in the pair of passages, respectively and connected to the pair of sliding members, respectively, and a driving member for driving the cables in opposite directions
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1996
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiji Mori, Hironori Ochiai, Akitoshi Sometani