Patents by Inventor Hideo Watanabe

Hideo Watanabe 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: 11391414
    Abstract: A high pressure tank is equipped with a liner, a reinforcing layer laminated on an outer surface of the liner, and a cap joined to the liner and having a flow path through which a gas is capable of flowing. The liner and the cap are joined to each other by screw-engagement, and a connecting member (plate-shaped members, annular member) is disposed so as to straddle over the liner and the cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11389701
    Abstract: A golf ball for amateur golfers is endowed with an excellent flight and a good feel at impact that is soft yet solid when hit by a golfer whose head speed is not very high. The ball, which includes a core and a cover, has a compressive deformation B when subjected to a final load of 30 kgf from an initial load state of 5 kgf that is from 0.72 to 0.97 mm and a compressive deformation C when subjected to a final load of 60 kgf from an initial load state of 5 kgf that is from 1.55 to 1.85 mm. In addition, the core has a hardness profile which satisfies specific conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11389700
    Abstract: A golf ball for amateur golfers has both an excellent flight and a good, soft feel when hit by the average golfer whose head speed is not very high. The ball has a compressive deformation B when subjected to a final load of 50 kgf from an initial load of 5 kgf that is from 1.30 to 1.80 mm and a compressive deformation C when subjected to a final load of 90 kgf from an initial load of 5 kgf that is from 2.45 to 2.90 mm. The core of the ball has a hardness profile which satisfies the conditions (1) Cs?Cc?20 and (2) Cs?Cs?3?5.0, wherein Cs is the Shore C hardness at the core surface, Cs?3 is the Shore C hardness 3 mm inside the core and Cc is the Shore C hardness at the core center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11376477
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover, the core has a specific hardness profile, the resin materials making up either or both of the envelope layer and the intermediate layer contain a high-acid ionomer, and the Shore C hardness relationships among the core center, surface of the envelope-encased layer and surface of the intermediate layer-encased sphere satisfy the following conditions: surface hardness of envelope layer-encased sphere<surface hardness of intermediate layer-encased sphere,??(1) surface hardness of intermediate layer-encased sphere?center hardness of core?40.??(2) This ball achieves a good distance on shots with utility and iron clubs, is receptive to spin in the short game, and has a soft feel at impact on all shots, making it useful to amateur golfers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11370413
    Abstract: A control system for a hybrid vehicle configured to limit a thermal damage to a starting clutch without generating a shock. The control system is applied to a vehicle in which a prime mover includes an engine, a first motor, and a second motor. In the vehicle, the first motor is connected to the engine, and a first clutch and a second clutch are disposed between the engine and drive wheels. A controller executes a transient slip control to cause the second clutch to slip while bringing the slipping first clutch into complete engagement if a temperature of the first clutch is high. If an engine speed is changed during execution of the transient slip control, the first motor generates a collection torque to suppress the change in the engine speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junya Mizuno, Hideo Watanabe, Toshiyuki Tomita, Masami Kondo
  • Patent number: 11358034
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core formed of a rubber composition, an intermediate layer formed of a polyurethane material and a cover, the ball satisfies the following condition: surface hardness of ball?surface hardness of intermediate layer-encased sphere. When the ball is struck with a driver at a head speed of 40 m/s, the sum of the time t1 required from contact initiation between the driver and ball for deformation of the ball to reach a maximum value and the time t2 required from the state of maximum ball deformation for the ball and driver clubface to separate is at least 685 microseconds, and the ratio t2/t1 is at least 1.35, and the core has a specific hardness profile. This ball has an excellent flight performance when hit by low or moderate head-speed golfers, is receptive to spin on approach shots and has a good, soft feel at impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20220176205
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover, the (core diameter)/(ball diameter) value falls within a particular range, the core has a specific hardness profile, and the Shore C hardness relationships among the core center and surface hardnesses and the surface hardnesses of the envelope layer-encased sphere, intermediate layer-encased sphere and ball satisfy the following conditions: core surface hardness<surface hardness of envelope layer-encased sphere<surface hardness of intermediate layer-encased sphere>ball surface hardness,??(1) (surface hardness of envelope layer-encased sphere)?(core center hardness)?28.??(2) Also, the envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have respective thicknesses which satisfy the condition: cover thickness<intermediate layer thickness??(3) cover thickness<envelope layer thickness??(4) envelope layer thickness?0.8 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hideo WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20220143472
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, the difference between the center hardness and the surface hardness of the core is set in a specific range, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material that includes a high-acid ionomer, the Shore C hardness relationships among the core center and the surfaces of the envelope-encased layer and the intermediate layer-encased sphere satisfy specific conditions; and the ball has a deflection when compressed under a given load which is at least 2.7 mm. This ball achieves a good distance on shots with a driver, utility club or iron, is receptive to spin in the short game, and has a soft feel at impact on all shots, making it useful to amateur golfers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Masanobu Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 11298592
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, the envelope layer is formed into two layers—an inner envelope layer and an outer envelope layer. The inner envelope layer-encased sphere, outer envelope layer-encased sphere, intermediate layer-encased sphere and ball have respective surface hardness that satisfy a specific relationship. The inner envelope layer or outer envelope layer is formed primarily of one or more elastomer, and further the core has a particular hardness profile. This ball has an excellent flight when struck by golfers whose head speeds are not that fast and has a good, soft feel at impact, thus making it highly suitable for amateur golfers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11298860
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer and a cover that is formed of a resin material composed primarily of a polyurethane resin and has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.7 mm by injection molding the cover using a vertically separating two-part injection mold having specific gate and support pin configurations. This method enables a relatively soft urethane resin cover that is thin and of high quality to be formed, and has a good golf ball productivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11292451
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle in which a running mode can be appropriately shifted without making a driver feel uncomfortable or feel a sense of slowness. A hybrid vehicle includes an engine, a first motor, a second motor, and a clutch that selectively transmits power between the engine and drive wheels. A controller shifts a running mode to the parallel hybrid vehicle mode in a case of accelerating the hybrid vehicle in the electric vehicle mode, if the drive force is greater than a maximum drive force generatable in the electric vehicle mode, and also greater than a required additional drive force as a variable corresponding to a running resistance against the hybrid vehicle running on a predetermined running road at a predetermined vehicle speed by a predetermined drive force that is set in advance based on the vehicle speed and the drive force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsuhiko Yokota, Hideo Watanabe, Kazumi Hoshiya, Satoshi Yamanaka, Jonggap Kim
  • Patent number: 11291887
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer and a cover, the core is formed primarily of a base rubber and has a diameter set in a specific range, and the intermediate layer and cover are each formed of resin materials. The core has an internal hardness such that, regarding the hardness at the core center, the hardnesses at positions located at 2 mm intervals from the core center outward up to 16 mm and the core surface hardness, the hardness differences therebetween are set within a specific range. The ball surface hardness is set so as to be higher than the surface hardness of the intermediate layer-encased sphere. This ball achieves a satisfactory distance on full shots not only with a driver, but also with a long iron or a middle iron, in addition to which it has an excellent durability to repeated impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Bridgestone Snorts Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Atsushi Komatsu
  • Patent number: 11291888
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover, the (core diameter)/(ball diameter) value falls within a particular range, the core has a specific hardness profile, and the Shore C hardness relationships among the core center and surface hardnesses and the surface hardnesses of the envelope layer-encased sphere, intermediate layer-encased sphere and ball satisfy the following conditions: core surface hardness<surface hardness of envelope layer-encased sphere<surface hardness of intermediate layer-encased sphere>ball surface hardness,??(1) (surface hardness of envelope layer-encased sphere)?(core center hardness)?28.??(2) Also, the envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have respective thicknesses which satisfy the condition: cover thickness<intermediate layer thickness envelope layer thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20220062715
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer encasing the core and a cover which encases the intermediate layer and has numerous dimples on an outside surface thereof, the core is formed of a rubber composition including the specific ingredient compounding ingredients, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material, the cover is formed of a urethane resin material, the core has a diameter of at least 38.0 mm, the core has a deflection when compressed under a final load of 1,275 N (130 kgf) from an initial load of 98 N (10 kgf) of at least 3.9 mm, the sphere obtained by encasing the core with the intermediate layer (intermediate layer-encased sphere) has a surface hardness on the Shore D hardness scale of at least 69, the ball has a surface hardness on the Shore D hardness scale of 62 or less, and the (intermediate layer thickness)/(core diameter) value is from 0.025 to 0.043, the (cover thickness)/(core diameter) value is from 0.014 to 0.027.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20220062712
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover, the core has a specific hardness profile, the resin materials making up either or both of the envelope layer and the intermediate layer contain a high-acid ionomer, and the Shore C hardness relationships among the core center, surface of the envelope-encased layer and surface of the intermediate layer-encased sphere satisfy the following conditions: surface hardness of envelope layer-encased sphere<surface hardness of intermediate layer-encased sphere,??(1) surface hardness of intermediate layer-encased sphere?center hardness of core?40.??(2) This ball achieves a good distance on shots with utility and iron clubs, is receptive to spin in the short game, and has a soft feel at impact on all shots, making it useful to amateur golfers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20220032129
    Abstract: A golf ball is provided that achieves a satisfactory distance on full shots with an iron, is superior in the short game, and has a good feel at impact and a good durability. The golf ball has a core formed of a rubber composition as one or more layer, an envelope layer formed of a resin material as one or more layer, an intermediate layer formed of a resin material as one layer, and a cover formed of a resin material as one layer having a thickness of not more than 1.0 mm. The layers of the ball have Shore C hardnesses at the respective surfaces thereof which together satisfy certain conditions, and the core and the ball have respective deflections which satisfy certain other conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20220032130
    Abstract: A golf ball is provided that achieves a satisfactory distance on full shots with a driver and an iron, is superior in the short game, and has a good feel at impact and a good durability. The golf ball has a core formed of a rubber composition as one or more layer, an inner envelope layer formed of a resin material as one or more layer, an outer envelope layer and intermediate layer which are each formed of a resin material as one layer, and a cover formed of a resin material as one layer having a thickness of not more than 1.0 mm. The inner envelope layer-encased sphere, outer envelope layer-encased sphere, intermediate layer-encased sphere and ball have Shore C hardnesses at the respective surfaces thereof which together satisfy certain conditions, and the ball has at least a given deflection under specific loading conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20220032128
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover, the (core diameter)/(ball diameter) value falls within a particular range, the core has a specific hardness profile, the intermediate layer is formed primarily of an ionomer resin material including a high-acid ionomer resin, and the Shore C hardness relationships among the core center and surface hardnesses and the surface hardnesses of the envelope layer-encased sphere, intermediate layer-encased sphere and ball satisfy the following conditions: (1) core surface hardness<surface hardness of envelope layer-encased sphere<surface hardness of intermediate layer-encased sphere>ball surface hardness, (2) (surface hardness of envelope layer-encased sphere)?(core center hardness)?28. Also, the intermediate layer and cover have respective thicknesses which satisfy the condition: (3) cover thickness<intermediate layer thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo WATANABE
  • Patent number: 11202939
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core, an intermediate layer encasing the core and a cover which encases the intermediate layer and has numerous dimples on an outside surface thereof, the intermediate layer is formed of a resin material, the cover is formed of a urethane resin material, the core has a diameter of at least 38.0 mm, the core has a deflection when compressed under a final load of 1,275 N (130 kgf) from an initial load of 98 N (10 kgf) of at least 3.9 mm, the core has a center and a surface such that the value obtained by subtracting the JIS-C hardness at the core center from the JIS-C hardness at the core surface is at least 15, the sphere obtained by encasing the core with the intermediate layer (intermediate layer-encased sphere) has a surface hardness on the Shore D hardness scale of at least 69, the ball has a surface hardness on the Shore D hardness scale of 62 or less, and the (intermediate layer thickness)/(core diameter) value is from 0.025 to 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11202938
    Abstract: In a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover, the core, an intermediate layer-encased sphere and the ball have surface hardnesses which satisfy a specific relationship, and the envelope layer, the intermediate layer and the cover have thicknesses which satisfy a specific relationship. Also, the core has a hardness profile in which the hardnesses at the core surface, core center, a position 5 mm from the core center, and a position midway between the surface and center of the core satisfy specific relationships. This golf ball, when used by mid- and high-level amateurs, enables the golfer to maintain an adequate distance on shots with a driver and achieve a good distance on iron shots, has a good spin performance on approach shots and has a good feel on impact. In addition, the ball has an excellent scuff resistance when struck with a grooved wedge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Watanabe, Akira Kimura, Jun Shindo