Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Niwayama

Hiroaki Niwayama 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).

  • Cap opening system and method for opening cap
    Patent number: 6871566
    Abstract: A cap opening system which can handle various containers having caps and container bodies of different sizes is disclosed. In this system, when a cap of a container is to be opened, a container body of the container is gripped by a container body holding apparatus to raise the container body upward. A top surface of the cap is detected as a reference surface when the cap interrupts an optical beam. Based on the height of the reference surface, the cap is positioned with respect to the cap handling apparatus. Alternatively, a cap receiving member is provided underneath the cap handling apparatus to perform positioning of the cap with respect to the cap handling apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignees: Aloka Co., Ltd., Ueda Japan Radio Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Niwayama, Yasumichi Ida, Yoshiyuki Kojo, Kenichi Miyazaki, Hiroyuki Takizawa
  • Cap opening system and method for opening cap
    Publication number: 20030061911
    Abstract: A cap opening system which can handle various containers having caps and container bodies of different sizes is disclosed. In this system, when a cap of a container is to be opened, a container body of the container is gripped by a container body holding apparatus to raise the container body upward. A top surface of the cap is detected as a reference surface when the cap interrupts an optical beam. Based on the height of the reference surface, the cap is positioned with respect to the cap handling apparatus. Alternatively, a cap receiving member is provided underneath the cap handling apparatus to perform positioning of the cap with respect to the cap handling apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: ALOKA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Niwayama, Yasumichi Ida, Yoshiyuki Kojo, Kenichi Miyazaki, Hiroyuki Takizawa