Patents by Inventor Eiji Shiohara

Eiji Shiohara 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: 11952764
    Abstract: A flush toilet according to embodiments includes: a toilet body, a function unit, a panel member, and a holding part. The function unit is arranged in a rear part of the toilet body. The panel member covers a side surface of the function unit. The holding part causes the toilet body and a side surface of the panel member to attract and hold to each other by using magnetic force. In a state where being attached to the toilet body, the panel member is formed to be curved toward the toilet body. The holding part is formed such that an attraction surface of a panel-side magnetic material that is provided to the panel member and an attraction surface of a body-side magnetic material that is provided to the toilet body are formed in plane-shaped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Eiji Shiohara
  • Patent number: 11946239
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes: a toilet body; a function unit arranged in a rear part of the toilet body; a panel member covering a side surface of the function unit and including a protruding part protruding toward the toilet body; and a holding part causing the toilet body and the panel member to hold to each other by magnetic force. The toilet body includes: a reception part arranged under the protruding part and receiving the protruding part in a state where the panel member is attached to the toilet body; and a protrusion part extending upward from the reception part. When the panel member is attached to the toilet body, the protrusion part is in a position where at least a part of the protrusion part is overlapped with the protruding part in a rear view when the toilet body is viewed from behind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Eiji Shiohara
  • Patent number: 11739518
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes a toilet body that includes a bowl part that receives waste, a functional part that is provided on a back side of the toilet body, a panel member that covers a side surface of the functional part, a first holding part that adsorbs and holds the toilet body and a side surface of the panel member by magnetic force, and a second holding part that adsorbs and holds the functional part and a side surface of the panel member by magnetic force. The panel member is capable of being slid frontward, backward, upward, and downward in a state where the panel member is adsorbed and held by the first holding part and the second holding part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Kazuya Esaki, Masaki Mori
  • Publication number: 20230061790
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes: a toilet body; a function unit arranged in a rear part of the toilet body; a panel member covering a side surface of the function unit and including a protruding part protruding toward the toilet body; and a holding part causing the toilet body and the panel member to hold to each other by magnetic force. The toilet body includes: a reception part arranged under the protruding part and receiving the protruding part in a state where the panel member is attached to the toilet body; and a protrusion part extending upward from the reception part. When the panel member is attached to the toilet body, the protrusion part is in a position where at least a part of the protrusion part is overlapped with the protruding part in a rear view when the toilet body is viewed from behind.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Eiji Shiohara
  • Publication number: 20230064176
    Abstract: A flush toilet according to embodiments includes: a toilet body, a function unit, a panel member, and a holding part. The function unit is arranged in a rear part of the toilet body. The panel member covers a side surface of the function unit. The holding part causes the toilet body and a side surface of the panel member to attract and hold to each other by using magnetic force. In a state where being attached to the toilet body, the panel member is formed to be curved toward the toilet body. The holding part is formed such that an attraction surface of a panel-side magnetic material that is provided to the panel member and an attraction surface of a body-side magnetic material that is provided to the toilet body are formed in plane-shaped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Eiji Shiohara
  • Patent number: 11549252
    Abstract: There are included a toilet body including a bowl part that receives waste; a function unit that is arranged in a rear portion of the toilet body; a panel member that covers a side surface of the function unit; a magnet that is provided to the panel member; and a magnetic material that is provided to an attachment part of the toilet body, wherein the magnetic material is elastically deformable, and is attached to the attachment part to put the attachment part therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Kazuya Esaki, Masaki Mori
  • Publication number: 20220316199
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes a toilet body that includes a bowl part that receives waste, a functional part that is provided on a back side of the toilet body, a panel member that covers a side surface of the functional part, a magnet that is provided on one of the panel member and the toilet body, and a magnetic body that is provided on another of the panel member and the toilet body, where at least one of the panel member and the toilet body includes an attachment part that includes a recessed part for attaching the magnet or the magnetic body to the attachment part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Kazuya Esaki, Masaki Mori
  • Publication number: 20220316197
    Abstract: There are included a toilet body including a bowl part that receives waste; a function unit that is arranged in a rear portion of the toilet body; a panel member that covers a side surface of the function unit; a magnet that is provided to the panel member; and a magnetic material that is provided to an attachment part of the toilet body, wherein the magnetic material is elastically deformable, and is attached to the attachment part to put the attachment part therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Kazuya Esaki, Masaki Mori
  • Publication number: 20220316200
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes a toilet body that includes a bowl part that receives waste, a functional part that is provided on a back side of the toilet body, a panel member that covers a side surface of the functional part, a first holding part that adsorbs and holds the toilet body and a side surface of the panel member by magnetic force, and a second holding part that adsorbs and holds the functional part and a side surface of the panel member by magnetic force. The panel member is capable of being slid frontward, backward, upward, and downward in a state where the panel member is adsorbed and held by the first holding part and the second holding part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Kazuya Esaki, Masaki Mori
  • Publication number: 20220316198
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes a toilet body that includes a bowl part that receives waste, a functional part that is provided on a back side of the toilet body, a panel member that covers a side surface of the functional part, a magnet that is provided on one of the panel member and the toilet body, a magnetic body that is provided on another of the panel member and the toilet body, and a holding part that holds one of the magnet and the magnetic body so as to be capable of being moved or deformed toward another of the magnet and the magnetic body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Yusuke Tone, Masaaki Momoe, Kazuya Esaki, Masaki Mori
  • Patent number: 11124955
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes a first rim spout port provided in a rim on one side in a left-right direction of a bowl and a second rim spout port provided in the rim on the other side in the left-right direction of the bowl. The first rim spout port is disposed further in the front than the front end of a well portion. The second rim spout port causes the second rim spout to traverse a swirling direction of a swirling flow of the first rim spout and guide the flush water interfering with the swirling flow of the first rim spout to a rear region of the bowl further on the rear side than the well portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Satoshi Takano, Hideyuki Nakatsu, Yuki Kubota
  • Patent number: 10724222
    Abstract: A water passage in a front region of a bowl of a toilet includes an upstream side water passage and a downstream side water passage formed on the upstream side and on the downstream side, respectively, of a front end of the bowl surface. The curvature radius of the downstream side water passage in a plan view is set to be smaller than the curvature radius of the upstream side water passage in a plan view. The water passage in the front region of the bowl has a flow path vertical cross-section that is taken in the vertical direction and is formed between a shelf surface and an overhanging part. The cross-sectional area of the flow path vertical cross-section taken in the vertical direction is set to be the smallest in a front end of the water passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Satoshi Takano, Hideyuki Nakatsu, Yuki Kubota
  • Publication number: 20200095756
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes a first rim spout port provided in a rim on one side in a left-right direction of a bowl and a second rim spout port provided in the rim on the other side in the left-right direction of the bowl. The first rim spout port is disposed further in the front than the front end of a well portion. The second rim spout port causes the second rim spout to traverse a swirling direction of a swirling flow of the first rim spout and guide the flush water interfering with the swirling flow of the first rim spout to a rear region of the howl further on the rear side than the well portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji Shiohara, Satoshi Takano, Hideyuki Nakatsu, Yuki Kubota
  • Publication number: 20190301151
    Abstract: A water passage in a front region of a bowl of a toilet includes an upstream side water passage and a downstream side water passage formed on the upstream side and on the downstream side, respectively, of a front end of the bowl surface. The curvature radius of the downstream side water passage in a plan view is set to be smaller than the curvature radius of the upstream side water passage in a plan view. The water passage in the front region of the bowl has a flow path vertical cross-section that is taken in the vertical direction and is formed between a shelf surface and an overhanging part. The cross-sectional area of the flow path vertical cross-section taken in the vertical direction is set to be the smallest in a front end of the water passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji SHIOHARA, Satoshi TAKANO, Hideyuki NAKATSU, Yuki KUBOTA
  • Patent number: 10370839
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes: a bowl including a rim formed on the top edge of a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface, a discharge path connected to the bottom of this bowl for discharging waste, and a rim spout portion disposed on this rim for spouting flush water within the bowl to form a circulating flow. The bowl further includes a shelf, formed in the circumferential direction from the rim spout portion between the waste receiving surface top edge and the rim bottom end, for guiding flush water spouted from the rim spout portion in the circumferential direction. The rim spout portion is disposed on either the left or right of either the side region or the front region of the bowl, and forms a rim spout port to spout flush water rearward. The width of the shelf is set to decrease from the side to the rear of the bowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Shu Kashirajima, Masaaki Momoe, Yuuki Shinohara, Eiji Shiohara, Naoto Matsuo
  • Patent number: 10337183
    Abstract: There is provided a flush toilet that cleans a bowl using a swirl flow formed by cleaning water flowing down from a slit aperture formed on a rim. The flush toilet has a discharge passage an inlet of which is connected to a lower portion of a waste receiving having a bowl shape, and an inlet of an inlet conduit of the discharge passage is formed such that on a horizontal cross-section plane a maximum width of a front portion in a left-right direction is larger than a maximum width of a rear portion in the left-right direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto Matsuo, Eiji Shiohara, Hiroyuki Hara
  • Patent number: 10053849
    Abstract: A flush toilet of the present invention is provided with a toilet main body and a storage tank supplying cleaning water to a supply opening of the toilet main body. The toilet main body includes a bowl, a rim, a rim water passage formed on an entire circumference of the rim, and an aperture formed on the entire circumference of the rim, and a water conduit formed between the supply opening and the rim water passage. The water conduit includes an upstream water conduit extending to the right side from the supply opening, and a downstream water conduit extending to the left side from the upstream water conduit, and the downstream water conduit is formed such that a downstream end of an inner wall surface on the right side is positioned in the left side to a center line of the toilet main body in the left-right direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto Matsuo, Eiji Shiohara, Hiroyuki Hara, Yoshikatsu Adachi
  • Patent number: 9995029
    Abstract: To provide a flush toilet in which: a circulating flow can be formed to uniformly circulate over a waste receiving surface while flushing; localized changes in external appearance of a toilet main body can be inhibited; and impression of a left-right symmetrical external shape can be conveyed to users so that design characteristics thereof are favorably preserved. A rim portion in a flush toilet includes a slit opening portion formed between an upper edge portion of the waste receiving surface formed to be left-right asymmetrical and a rim inside wall formed to be left-right symmetrical. The slit opening portion is formed such that a slit gap on one side, to which a connecting water conduit is directed, is smaller than a slit gap on the other side. A circulating flow is formed on the waste-receiving surface by flush water spouted from the slit opening portion having the different slit gaps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto Matsuo, Eiji Shiohara, Masaki Kitamura, Masaaki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20180087255
    Abstract: A flush toilet includes: a bowl including a rim formed on the top edge of a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface, a discharge path connected to the bottom of this bowl for discharging waste, and a rim spout portion disposed on this rim for spouting flush water within the bowl to form a circulating flow. The bowl further includes a shelf, formed in the circumferential direction from the rim spout portion between the waste receiving surface top edge and the rim bottom end, for guiding flush water spouted from the rim spout portion in the circumferential direction. The rim spout portion is disposed on either the left or right of either the side region or the front region of the bowl, and forms a rim spout port to spout flush water rearward. The width of the shelf is set to decrease from the side to the rear of the bowl.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Shu KASHIRAJIMA, Masaaki MOMOE, Yuuki SHINOHARA, Eiji SHIOHARA, Naoto MATSUO
  • Publication number: 20170241120
    Abstract: A flush toilet of the present invention is provided with a toilet main body and a storage tank supplying cleaning water to a supply opening of the toilet main body. The toilet main body includes a bowl, a rim, a rim water passage formed on an entire circumference of the rim, and an aperture formed on the entire circumference of the rim, and a water conduit formed between the supply opening and the rim water passage. The water conduit includes an upstream water conduit extending to the right side from the supply opening, and a downstream water conduit extending to the left side from the upstream water conduit, and the downstream water conduit is formed such that a downstream end of an inner wall surface on the right side is positioned in the left side to a center line of the toilet main body in the left-right direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto MATSUO, Eiji SHIOHARA, Hiroyuki HARA, Yoshikatsu ADACHI