Patents by Inventor Hironobu Imanaka

Hironobu Imanaka 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: 11635144
    Abstract: A multi-layered metal sheet is disclosed formed of a laminate of a plurality of metal sheets fixed to each other by a clinch formed in a concave shape from one main surface toward another main surface, the clinch has an schematic pillar shape, the clinch being defined by an open top, a pair of cut surfaces which are respectively formed from the open top toward a bottom, a pair of inclined surfaces respectively inclined from the open top toward the bottom, transitional surfaces which connect the cut surfaces and the inclined surfaces to each other, and the bottom having overlapping parts which extend over the main surface of the multi-layered metal sheet on a lower side immediately below the cut surfaces, and lengthwise end portions of a cut formed in each of upper edge portions of the cut surfaces are disposed on upper edge portions of the transitional surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: NICHIAS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata, Shinya Wasada, Futoshi Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20210010596
    Abstract: A multi-layered metal sheet is disclosed formed of a laminate of a plurality of metal sheets fixed to each other by a clinch formed in a concave shape from one main surface toward another main surface, the clinch has an schematic pillar shape, the clinch being defined by an open top, a pair of cut surfaces which are respectively formed from the open top toward a bottom, a pair of inclined surfaces respectively inclined from the open top toward the bottom, transitional surfaces which connect the cut surfaces and the inclined surfaces to each other, and the bottom having overlapping parts which extend over the main surface of the multi-layered metal sheet on a lower side immediately below the cut surfaces, and lengthwise end portions of a cut formed in each of upper edge portions of the cut surfaces are disposed on upper edge portions of the transitional surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Applicant: NICHIAS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata, Shinya Wasada, Futoshi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9261192
    Abstract: A cylinder head gasket includes two main members on two sides, and middle members sandwiched therebetween. The middle members are composed of a first middle member and a second middle member that is separated and distinct therefrom. The first middle member is a metal plate that has cylinder hole rim portions encircling cylinder holes to a particular width, with beads surrounding the cylinder holes being formed in the cylinder hole rim portions. The metal plate either forms separated items, one at each cylinder hole, or else forms an integrated item connected between the cylinder holes. The second middle member is a metal plate that is disposed on the outside of the first middle member and has oil holes and bolt holes. The thickness of the first middle member is greater than that of the second middle member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: NICHIAS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Niwa, Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata, Shinya Wasada
  • Patent number: 9068654
    Abstract: A gasket held between opposite flange joint surfaces with a bolt includes a combination of a complex material with a rubber material formed on one or both sides of a steel plate, the complex material having a convex or waveform bead, and a circular metal plate arranged at a bolt portion with a through-hole where a shank of the bolt penetrates and a bearing corresponding portion that corresponds to a bearing of the bolt around the through-hole. The gasket is configured to have the thickness (H3) of the bead provided to the complex material greater than the thickness (H2) of the circular metal plate that is equal to or greater than the thickness (H1) of the complex material. This structure provides a gasket indicating good sealing properties under such circumstances that a flange has low stiffness, a tightening load is reduced, and the distance between bolts is expanded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: NICHIAS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Niwa, Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata, Manabu Yasuda
  • Publication number: 20140217682
    Abstract: A gasket held between opposite flange joint surfaces with a bolt includes a combination of a complex material with a rubber material formed on one or both sides of a steel plate, the complex material having a convex or waveform bead, and a circular metal plate arranged at a bolt portion with a through-hole where a shank of the bolt penetrates and a bearing corresponding portion that corresponds to a bearing of the bolt around the through-hole. The gasket is configured to have the thickness (H3) of the bead provided to the complex material greater than the thickness (H2) of the circular metal plate that is equal to or greater than the thickness (H1) of the complex material. This structure provides a gasket indicating good sealing properties under such circumstances that a flange has low stiffness, a tightening load is reduced, and the distance between bolts is expanded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: NICHIAS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Niwa, Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata, Manabu Yasuda
  • Publication number: 20140123849
    Abstract: A cylinder head gasket includes two main members on two sides, and middle members sandwiched therebetween. The middle members are composed of a first middle member and a second middle member that is separated and distinct therefrom. The first middle member is a metal plate that has cylinder hole rim portions encircling cylinder holes to a particular width, with beads surrounding the cylinder holes being formed in the cylinder hole rim portions. The metal plate either forms separated items, one at each cylinder hole, or else forms an integrated item connected between the cylinder holes. The second middle member is a metal plate that is disposed on the outside of the first middle member and has oil holes and bolt holes. The thickness of the first middle member is greater than that of the second middle member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: NICHIAS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Niwa, Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata, Shinya Wasada
  • Publication number: 20050218607
    Abstract: The present invention provides a metal gasket disposed between a cylinder head and a cylinder block, which includes: a thin metal plate having first opening; first elastic metal substrate; second elastic metal substrate; and at least one foamed rubber layer, wherein each of the first and second elastic metal substrates have second opening and a bead formed on a peripheral portion of the opening, wherein the thin metal plate was disposed between the beads of the first and second elastic metal substrates, wherein the at least one foamed rubber layer is provided by a process including foaming a pre-foamed layer including a pre-foamed composition, wherein the pre-foamed layer has a thickness of 15 to 50 ?m and a foaming factor of 2 to 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Publication date: October 6, 2005
    Applicant: NICHIAS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michio Fujino, Shunichi Searashi, Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata, Katsumi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6786490
    Abstract: A metal gasket for a high performance of an engine includes two sheets of elastic metal substrates providing a bead on peripheral portion of a cylinder opening and an annular thin metal plate that is thinner than the elastic metal substrates and surrounds the cylinder opening and is arranged between the substrates. The annular thin metal plate is fixed on the substrate by inserting an engaging portion solidly projected from the outside periphery into a slit formed on the substrate and folding the plate. Due to the thin metal plate, the cylinder opening peripheral portion has a high seal contact pressure in contrast to other locations. Moreover, the contact pressure of the cylinder opening peripheral portion becomes uniform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Nichias Corporation
    Inventors: Michio Fujino, Yutaka Miyata, Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata
  • Publication number: 20020135135
    Abstract: The metal gasket, which can cope with high performance of an engine, is constituted by two sheets of elastic metal substrates providing a bead on the peripheral portion of a cylinder opening and an annular metal thin plate, which is thinner than the elastic metal substrate and surrounds the cylinder opening and is arranged between the substrates. The annular metal thin plate is fixed on the substrate by inserting an engaging portion solidly projected from the outside periphery into a slit formed on the substrate and folding it.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Inventors: Michio Fujino, Yutaka Miyata, Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Murata
  • Patent number: 6257591
    Abstract: A metal gasket comprising a least one gasket sheet, wherein a hardness lowering region having a locally lowered hardness is formed in the gasket sheet in at least either a portion to be set to have a large elongation or a portion to be lowered in a spring constant. Also disclosed is a metal gasket manufacturing process comprising: the step of forming an opening of a desired size in registration with a cylinder bore in an elastic metal sheet as a material for making a gasket sheet composing a metal gasket; the step of annealing a portion, as corresponding to the first hardness lowering region in the gasket sheet, of the elastic metal sheet; and the step of forming a folded portion by folding back the vicinity of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Kokusan Parts Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Abe, Hironobu Imanaka, Kazuhiko Ikeda, Takashi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6073938
    Abstract: A sealing structure for sealing a valve body from a separating plate in a liquid-tight fashion. A first sealing layer is printed on the mating surface of the separate plate and a second sealing layer is printed along the first sealing layer with at least a part of the second sealing layer overlapping the first sealing layer and the printing height of the second sealing layer being made larger than that of the first sealing layer whereby the valve body and the separate plate are sealed liquid-tight from each other by a sealing portion comprising the first and second sealing layers. The sealing portion provided by the sealing structure of the present invention has the advantages that it hardly comes off, has an excellent sealing property and is capable of reducing the width thereof to meet a design change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Kokusan Parts Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Abe, Hironobu Imanaka, Yukio Yoshida, Yoshinori Iwamoto, Takashi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6070882
    Abstract: A seal structure and capable of reducing a width of a seal portion as much as possible while preventing the seal portion from being broken away. The seal structure for sealing between two members in a fluid-tight or air-tight manner is structured such that the seal portion is formed in at least one of joint surfaces of the two members by continuously printing along a seal portion of the joint portions and that a recess portion or a groove is formed at a middle portion of the seal portion in a widthwise direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Kokusan Parts Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Abe, Hironobu Imanaka, Takeshi Naito, Yoshinori Iwamoto, Takashi Suzuki