Patents by Inventor Hidetoshi Kaku
Hidetoshi Kaku 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: 8905168Abstract: A utility vehicle comprises a driver seat; a passenger seat positioned such that the passenger seat and the driver seat are arranged side by side in a rightward and leftward direction; a console box provided between the driver seat and the passenger seat; a shift lever operated by a driver to perform a shifting operation; and a grab member provided in the vicinity of the passenger seat and secured to the vehicle body frame; wherein the shift lever is provided between the driver seat and the passenger seat and is positioned closer to the driver seat than a center of the console box in the rightward and leftward direction; and the grab member is provided between the driver seat and the passenger seat and is positioned closer to the passenger seat than the center of the console box in the rightward and leftward direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2011Date of Patent: December 9, 2014Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Chad Enger, Brian Butler, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Jun Takagi
-
Patent number: 8864208Abstract: A utility vehicle according to the invention includes a cargo bed having a panel locking mechanism. The panel locking mechanism includes a locking lever pivotably supported on a gate-type panel, a substantially U-shaped movable hook made of a spring steel and coupled to a middle of the locking lever, and a stationary hook provided on a panel adjacent to the gate-type panel and with which the movable hook is engageable. When seen from above, the middle portion of the movable hook is pressed onto a surface of the gate-type panel so as to press the gate-type panel inward of the cargo bed by a resilient force upon locking. For example, the movable hook can be formed with a straight portion.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2012Date of Patent: October 21, 2014Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Tyler Furman
-
Patent number: 8833837Abstract: A utility vehicle according to the present invention includes a chassis, one or more seat rows arranged on the chassis, a cargo bed arranged behind the seat row(s), the cargo bed turnably supported at a pivot of the chassis so as to be changeable between a normal position in which a front portion of the cargo bed is not raised and a dumping position in which the front portion of the cargo bed is raised, and cargo bed locking mechanisms capable of locking the cargo bed in the normal position to the chassis, the cargo bed locking mechanisms each having a grip of a locking operating lever arranged at a front of the cargo bed.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2012Date of Patent: September 16, 2014Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Tyler Furman, Takashi Hisamura
-
Patent number: 8827357Abstract: In a utility vehicle according to the present invention, a ROPS (rollover protective structure) surrounding a riding space includes right and left side frame units, and a plurality of cross members. Each of the side frame units includes a front pipe portion extending upward from near a dashboard, an upper pipe portion extending rearward from the upper end of the front pipe portion, a rear pipe portion extending downward from the rear end of the upper pipe portion, and an intermediate pipe portion extending downward from the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the upper pipe portion. The front pipe portion, the upper pipe portion, and the rear pipe portion are integrally formed by bending.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2012Date of Patent: September 9, 2014Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Tyler Furman, Takashi Hisamura
-
Publication number: 20140183882Abstract: A utility vehicle according to the invention includes a cargo bed having a panel locking mechanism. The panel locking mechanism includes a locking lever pivotably supported on a gate-type panel, a substantially U-shaped movable hook made of a spring steel and coupled to a middle of the locking lever, and a stationary hook provided on a panel adjacent to the gate-type panel and with which the movable hook is engageable. When seen from above, the middle portion of the movable hook is pressed onto a surface of the gate-type panel so as to press the gate-type panel inward of the cargo bed by a resilient force upon locking. For example, the movable hook can be formed with a straight portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2012Publication date: July 3, 2014Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hidetoshi KAKU, Yoshinori TSUMIYAMA, Tyler FURMAN
-
Publication number: 20140183906Abstract: In a utility vehicle according to the present invention, a ROPS (rollover protective structure) surrounding a riding space includes right and left side frame units, and a plurality of cross members. Each of the side frame units includes a front pipe portion extending upward from near a dashboard, an upper pipe portion extending rearward from the upper end of the front pipe portion, a rear pipe portion extending downward from the rear end of the upper pipe portion, and an intermediate pipe portion extending downward from the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the upper pipe portion. The front pipe portion, the upper pipe portion, and the rear pipe portion are integrally formed by bending.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2012Publication date: July 3, 2014Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hidetoshi KAKU, Yoshinori TSUMIYAMA, Tyler FURMAN, Takashi HISAMURA
-
Publication number: 20140183903Abstract: A utility vehicle according to the present invention includes a chassis, one or more seat rows arranged on the chassis, a cargo bed arranged behind the seat row(s), the cargo bed turnably supported at a pivot of the chassis so as to be changeable between a normal position in which a front portion of the cargo bed is not raised and a dumping position in which the front portion of the cargo bed is raised, and cargo bed locking mechanisms capable of locking the cargo bed in the normal position to the chassis, the cargo bed locking mechanisms each having a grip of a locking operating lever arranged at a front of the cargo bed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2012Publication date: July 3, 2014Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hidetoshi KAKU, Yoshinori TSUMIYAMA, Tyler FURMAN, Takashi HISAMURA
-
Patent number: 8672387Abstract: A utility vehicle according to the present invention includes a chassis, a ROPS surrounding a space on the chassis, a seat or a seat row arranged in the space, a cargo bed provided in a rear part of the chassis, and one or more resin storage boxes provided between the seat or the seat row and the cargo bed in the front and rear direction in the space, the storage boxes being integrated with parts of vehicle-side covers covering side parts of the space.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2012Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Tyler Furman
-
Patent number: 8651525Abstract: A utility vehicle includes a vehicle body, a seat mounted onto the vehicle body, a seat belt configured to be fastened by a person seated on the seat, a retractor for winding in the seat belt, and a retractor mounting device mounted to the vehicle body. The retractor mounting device includes a retractor bracket, and a cover disposed outward relative to the retractor bracket to cover the retractor bracket from an outward direction, and the retractor is mounted to an inner surface of the retractor bracket in the vehicle width direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2011Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Tyler Furman, Brian Butler, Yoshinori Tsumiyama
-
Patent number: 8585088Abstract: A utility vehicle includes a mainframe located between one pair of left and right front wheels and at least one pair of left and right rear wheels and forming a framework of a chassis. A ROPS (Roll-Over Protective Structure) is provided in a middle part in the vehicle-body front-rear directions in the mainframe, and thereby surrounds a cabin. Front under guards are provided in spaces on rear sides of the front wheels so as to cover mud guard walls provided for separating the cabin from the spaces on the rear sides of the front wheels.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2012Date of Patent: November 19, 2013Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Yoshinori Tsumiyama
-
Patent number: 8556331Abstract: A utility vehicle includes a vehicle body; a seat provided on the vehicle body; a pair of right and left entrances through which a user to be seated on the seat gets into and out of the vehicle, the entrances being provided at both sides of the vehicle body in a vehicle width direction; and a pair of right and left doors for opening and closing the pair of right and left entrances, respectively; each of the pair of right and left doors including a door body closing at least a portion of a corresponding entrance and a hinge for coupling the door body to the vehicle body such that the door body is rotatable around the hinge; and the door body including a door component which is substantially symmetric in shape in a rightward and leftward direction.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2010Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Hidetoshi Kaku, Chad Enger, Kazuhiro Maeda, Naoki Hashimoto
-
Patent number: 8544582Abstract: A utility vehicle includes an engine accommodated in an engine room below a seat; an engine room side wall defining the engine room and covering the engine from rightward or from leftward; and a cooling fan disposed at one of right and left sides of the engine or and configured to supply cooling air to an interior of the engine room via the engine room side wall.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2011Date of Patent: October 1, 2013Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Tyler Furman, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Kazuhiro Maeda
-
Patent number: 8499882Abstract: A utility vehicle comprises a vehicle body frame including a main frame including a floor member and a pair of right and left side members and a sub-frame for reinforcing the main frame, each of the side members includes a side pipe element, a first pillar pipe element, a second pillar pipe element and a third pillar pipe element, the sub-frame includes a first cross member provided between and coupled to second pillar pipe elements, one end portion of the first cross member is detachably coupled to one of the second pillar pipe elements and an opposite end portion of the first cross member is detachably attached to the other second pillar pipe element.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2010Date of Patent: August 6, 2013Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Hidetoshi Kaku, Tyler Furman, Kazuhiro Maeda
-
Patent number: 8485303Abstract: A utility vehicle comprises a vehicle body frame, a first pair of pivot arms provided at right and left sides, respectively, at a front end portion of the vehicle body frame such that the pivot arms extend in a rightward and leftward direction from the front end portion and are vertically pivotable, the first pair of pivot arms being attached to front wheels at tip ends thereof, respectively, and a stabilizer having one end mounted to one of the first pair of pivot arms and an opposite end mounted to the other of the first pair of pivot arms. The stabilizer extends through a front side of the vehicle body frame, outside the vehicle body frame, from the one end thereof to the opposite end thereof, and has an intermediate portion located in front of the vehicle body frame and mounted to the front end portion of the vehicle body.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2011Date of Patent: July 16, 2013Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Teruaki Yamamoto, Kazuhiro Maeda, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Hidetoshi Kaku
-
Publication number: 20130088003Abstract: A utility vehicle includes a vehicle body, a seat mounted onto the vehicle body, a seat belt configured to be fastened by a person seated on the seat, a retractor for winding in the seat belt, and a retractor mounting device mounted to the vehicle body. The retractor mounting device includes a retractor bracket, and a cover disposed outward relative to the retractor bracket to cover the retractor bracket from an outward direction, and the retractor is mounted to an inner surface of the retractor bracket in the vehicle width direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2011Publication date: April 11, 2013Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Tyler Furman, Brian Butler, Yoshinori Tsumiyama
-
Publication number: 20130087402Abstract: A utility vehicle includes an engine accommodated in an engine room below a seat; an engine room side wall defining the engine room and covering the engine from rightward or from leftward; and a cooling fan disposed at one of right and left sides of the engine or and configured to supply cooling air to an interior of the engine room via the engine room side wall.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 5, 2011Publication date: April 11, 2013Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Tyler Furman, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Kazuhiro Maeda
-
Publication number: 20130087397Abstract: A utility vehicle comprises a vehicle body frame, a first pair of pivot arms provided at right and left sides, respectively, at a front end portion of the vehicle body frame such that the pivot arms extend in a rightward and leftward direction from the front end portion and are vertically pivotable, the first pair of pivot arms being attached to front wheels at tip ends thereof, respectively, and a stabilizer having one end mounted to one of the first pair of pivot arms and an opposite end mounted to the other of the first pair of pivot arms. The stabilizer extends through a front side of the vehicle body frame, outside the vehicle body frame, from the one end thereof to the opposite end thereof, and has an intermediate portion located in front of the vehicle body frame and mounted to the front end portion of the vehicle body.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2011Publication date: April 11, 2013Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Teruaki Yamamoto, Kazuhiro Maeda, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Hidetoshi Kaku
-
Publication number: 20130087395Abstract: A utility vehicle comprises a driver seat; a passenger seat positioned such that the passenger seat and the driver seat are arranged side by side in a rightward and leftward direction; a console box provided between the driver seat and the passenger seat; a shift lever operated by a driver to perform a shifting operation; and a grab member provided in the vicinity of the passenger seat and secured to the vehicle body frame; wherein the shift lever is provided between the driver seat and the passenger seat and is positioned closer to the driver seat than a center of the console box in the rightward and leftward direction; and the grab member is provided between the driver seat and the passenger seat and is positioned closer to the passenger seat than the center of the console box in the rightward and leftward direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 6, 2011Publication date: April 11, 2013Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hidetoshi Kaku, Chad Enger, Brian Butler, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Jun Takagi
-
Patent number: 8397843Abstract: An output control unit of a vehicle, having a front riding space and a rear riding space, includes a riding detection device for detecting the presence of a passenger in the rear riding space. When the riding detection device detects the passenger, the output control unit regulates the output of the engine as compared with the output when the riding detection device does not detect a passenger in the rear riding space.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2010Date of Patent: March 19, 2013Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Hidetoshi Kaku, Tyler Furman, Kazuma Waida
-
Patent number: 8393428Abstract: A vehicle includes a front seat and a rear seat that is changeable between an installed state in which the passenger can be seated and a retracted state in which the passenger is not seated and the rear seat is retracted. The vehicle includes an output control unit controlling the output of an engine, and a detection device for detecting the installed state of the rear seat. When the detection device detects the installed state of the rear seat, the output control unit regulates the output of the engine as compared with the output when the detection device does not detect the installed state of the rear seat.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2010Date of Patent: March 12, 2013Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoji Onishi, Yoshinori Tsumiyama, Hidetoshi Kaku, Tyler Furman, Kazuma Waida, Hiroyuki Iwai, Hirokazu Morita, Kazuhiro Maeda