Patents by Inventor Chihiro Hanaoka

Chihiro Hanaoka 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).

  • Flash dryer for particulate materials
    Patent number: 8522793
    Abstract: A flash dryer of cut tobacco comprises a drying duct (16) for connecting a feeding section (14) of cut tobacco to a tangential separator (18). The drying duct (16) has an upstream-side duct portion (16a) extending straight from the feeding section (14) at an elevation angle ranging from 30° to 60° and a downstream-side duct portion (16b) curving upward in a convex shape. A dry gas that flows through the drying duct (16) may contain superheated steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Ohdaka, Chihiro Hanaoka, Nobuyasu Endo, Akihiro Sugiyama, Katsuhide Yokota, Susumu Uchida
  • Device for inspecting apparatus of a rod-like article
    Patent number: 7580055
    Abstract: An appearance inspection device for a rod-like article comprises a rotatable main drum (20) interposed as a feeding drum in a drum train that defines a feeding path in a filter cigarette manufacturing machine, upstream and downstream bypass drum trains (24, 40) located in the outside of the main drum (20) and receiving a filter cigarette (FC) from the main drum (20) to bypass the cigarette, and an inspection camera (42) situated between the bypass drum trains (24, 40) in a circumferential direction of the main drum (20). The inspection camera (42) directly or indirectly images exposed circumferential surfaces of filter cigarettes (FC), that are different from one another, when the filter cigarettes (FC) are conveyed on the main drum (20) and each of the bypass drum trains (24, 40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Chihiro Hanaoka, Yasuhiro Otaka, Shinzo Kida
  • Flash dryer for particulate materials
    Publication number: 20040205978
    Abstract: A flash dryer of cut tobacco comprises a drying duct (16) for connecting a feeding section (14) of cut tobacco to a tangential separator (18). The drying duct (16) has an upstream-side duct portion (16a) extending straight from the feeding section (14) at an elevation angle ranging from 30° to 60° and a downstream-side duct portion (16b) curving upward in a convex shape. A dry gas that flows through the drying duct (16) may contain superheated steam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2004
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Ohdaka, Chihiro Hanaoka, Nobuyasu Endo, Akihiro Sugiyama, Katsuhide Yokota, Susumu Uchida
  • Device for inspecting apparatus of a rod-like article
    Publication number: 20040173226
    Abstract: An appearance inspection device for a rod-like article comprises a rotatable main drum (20) interposed as a feeding drum in a drum train that defines a feeding path in a filter cigarette manufacturing machine, upstream and downstream bypass drum trains (24, 40) located in the outside of the main drum (20) and receiving a filter cigarette (FC) from the main drum (20) to bypass the cigarette, and an inspection camera (42) situated between the bypass drum trains (24, 40) in a circumferential direction of the main drum (20). The inspection camera (42) directly or indirectly images exposed circumferential surfaces of filter cigarettes (FC), that are different from one another, when the filter cigarettes (FC) are conveyed on the main drum (20) and each of the bypass drum trains (24, 40).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Inventors: Chihiro Hanaoka, Yasuhiro Otaka, Shinzo Kida