Patents by Inventor Hiromichi Fukumoto

Hiromichi Fukumoto 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).

  • Method and system for making ice by underwater supercooling release and low temperature water supply system comprising it
    Patent number: 6915643
    Abstract: The ice making system by supercooling release comprises an ice thermal storage tank, a residual supercooled water generating section, and a complete releasing section. The complete releasing section and ice thermal storage tank are connected with an ice water line. Further, the ice thermal storage tank and residual supercooled water generating section are connected with a water line. The residual supercooled water generating section is supplied with water from the ice thermal storage tank to generate supercooled water, which is released from the supercooled state, ice and residual supercooled water being produced thereby. The residual supercooled water is completely released from supercooled state in the complete releasing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignees: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Mayekawa Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromichi Fukumoto, Shinji Fukamura, Hideki Shudai, Akito Machida
  • Method and system for making ice by underwater supercooling release and low temperature water supply system comprising it
    Publication number: 20040231343
    Abstract: The ice making system by supercooling release comprises an ice thermal storage tank, a residual supercooled water generating section, and a complete releasing section. The complete releasing section and ice thermal storage tank are connected with an ice water line. Further, the ice thermal storage tank and residual supercooled water generating section are connected with a water line. The residual supercooled water generating section is supplied with water from the ice thermal storage tank to generate supercooled water, which is released from the supercooled state, ice and residual supercooled water being produced thereby. The residual supercooled water is completely released from supercooled state in the complete releasing section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Inventors: Hiromichi Fukumoto, Shinji Fukamura, Hideki Shudai, Akito Machida
  • Method and apparatus for surface processing using ice slurry
    Patent number: 6328631
    Abstract: Ice grains of uniform grain size are produced through the change of state of supercooled water and the ice grains are mixed into cold water for obtaining an ice slurry of proper concentration. The ice slurry is injected from an injection means to the surface of a workpiece. As the ice grains are fine and uniform and they are injected with water in the state of ice slurry of stable concentration, a surface processing of a soft workpiece susceptible to damage can be performed without causing damage, and the cleaning of the processed surface is performed concurrently with the surface processing, eliminating the necessity of after cleaning. The apparatus is compact and the initial cost is low. The energy needed for preparing the ice slurry is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignees: Mayekawa Mfg. Co., Ltd., Fuji Seiki Machine Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuji Fukano, Hiromichi Fukumoto, Hisashi Kitagawa, Akira Haishima, Naokatsu Kojima