Patents by Inventor Hirokazu Ohe

Hirokazu Ohe 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).

  • Water supply device, water supply method, and washing machine having water supply device
    Patent number: 7624601
    Abstract: A water feeding apparatus (300) has an ion eluter (100) and a shower emitter (200). The shower emitter (200) receives water via a coupling pipe (250) from the ion eluter (100), and sprays the water, in the form of a shower, onto laundry. Liquid droplets in the form of a shower are small and easy to dry, and thus produce crystals having smaller particles (with large surface areas), having more lattice defects, and easier to dissolve. With these crystals attached to the laundry, when the crystals make contact with moisture next time, the silver ion in the liquid droplets easily dissolves. Even when the laundry is made of water-repellent or hydrophobic cloth, the solution dries up on the surface of the cloth before water is repelled. Thus, even this type of laundry can benefit from the antimicrobial effect of the silver ion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mugihei Ikemizu, Hirofumi Yoshikawa, Rie Hiramoto, Minoru Tadano, Hirokazu Ohe
  • Water supply device, water supply method, and washing machine having water supply device
    Publication number: 20060186222
    Abstract: A water feeding apparatus (300) has an ion eluter (100) and a shower emitter (200). The shower emitter (200) receives water via a coupling pipe (250) from the ion eluter (100), and sprays the water, in the form of a shower, onto laundry. Liquid droplets in the form of a shower are small and easy to dry, and thus produce crystals having smaller particles (with large surface areas), having more lattice defects, and easier to dissolve. With these crystals attached to the laundry, when the crystals make contact with moisture next time, the silver ion in the liquid droplets easily dissolves. Even when the laundry is made of water-repellent or hydrophobic cloth, the solution dries up on the surface of the cloth before water is repelled. Thus, even this type of laundry can benefit from the antimicrobial effect of the silver ion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventors: Mugihei Ikemizu, Hirofumi Yoshikawa, Rie Hiramoto, Minoru Tadano, Hirokazu Ohe