Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Masunaga

Hiroshi Masunaga 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).

  • Publication number: 20130169017
    Abstract: Provided is a chair in which the rear section of the seat can be raised with good lateral balance, in which the seat is stable, and that has a simple structure and a good appearance. The disclosed chair includes a seat (6) that is pivotally attached by means of a laterally-oriented pivot shaft (9) to a support base (5) supported by (a) leg(s), the rear section of the seat (6) being pivotable in the vertical direction. In said chair, an urging means (12) that urges the seat (6) upward is constructed so as to include: an elastic expanding-and-contracting component (13) that connects a portion of the support base (5) located below the pivot shaft (9) and a portion of the seat (6) located to the rear of the pivot shaft (9); and a pair of leaf-spring-like elastic warping components (14) provided on the right and left sides of the elastic expanding-and-contracting component (13).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Applicant: OKAMURA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Masunaga, Yoichiro Oda, Hisato Fujita, Shoichi Izawa, Ryo Igarashi
  • Publication number: 20120313419
    Abstract: Disclosed is a stretching structure of a chair upholstery material, in which an upholstery material can be easily installed in a frame body, enough deflection allowance of the upholstery material can be ensured, and further the material cost and production cost can be reduced without decreasing the strength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: OKAMURA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Masunaga, Sayaka Morio, Ryou Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8191970
    Abstract: A backrest device for a chair, in which a backboard is easily flexible without a reduction in its strength, thus making the chair comfortable to sit on. The lower ends of both right and left sides of the back frame are supported at both sides at the back of a leg body, and the flexible back board is formed on the inside of rear frames. A large number of openings are formed in the backboard so as to be close to each other in the top-bottom and left-right directions. Between openings adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, there is formed a connection section continuing in the top-bottom direction, and the dimension in the front-back direction of the connection section is made larger than the dimension in the left-right direction of the connection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Okamura Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Igarashi, Hiroaki Tsukiji, Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Patent number: 8172332
    Abstract: A backrest device for a chair, capable of, without a reduction in its strength and rigidity, effectively bending backward so as to follow the shape of the back of a person seated on the chair, providing the person with excellent sitting comfort. In the backrest device, a back board is supported by a backrest frame, and the back board has a flexible back stopper on the inner side of a back frame. The thickness of a vertical intermediate section of the back stopper is gradually increased from both left and right sections of the intermediate section toward the center such that the thickness is less in both left and right sections and is maximum at the center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Okamura Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Masunaga, Ryo Igarashi, Yoichiro Oda
  • Patent number: 8172323
    Abstract: An easily operable lock device for a movable member of a chair, the lock device being adapted such that a person sitting on the chair can select lock or unlock position by operating operation means with a load, such as the weight of the person, acting on the movable member and, when the load is removed after the selection of the lock or unlock position, lock or unlock operation is executed. A lock pin provided at a spring receiving member functioning as a movable member, is selectively engaged with and disengaged from engagement holes formed in a reinforcement plate functioning as a support member. The lock device has biasing means for biasing the lock pin toward the lock position when an operation member moved by the operation means is set at a lock reservation position and biasing the lock pin toward the unlock position when the operation member is set at an unlock reservation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Okamura Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Publication number: 20110198907
    Abstract: A chair configured such that a backrest support rod does not make contact with an object when the chair is swiveled and is thus reliably prevented from damaging the object or from being damaged by the object and that the chair uses a reduced number of parts, has a simple structure, and can be easily assembled. A chair, wherein front portions of front facing sections (9b) of a backrest support rod (9) are mounted to a support base (5) supported by a leg body (3) and supporting a seat (7). The backrest support rod (9) is formed in an L-shape in a side view and comprises upwardly facing raised sections (9a) and the forwardly facing front facing sections (9b). The upwardly facing raised sections (9a) and the forwardly facing front facing sections (9b) are connected together through a curved section (9c), and the raised sections (9a) support a backrest (6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Inventors: Hiroshi Masunaga, Hisato Fujita
  • Patent number: 7837272
    Abstract: An upholstered structure including an upholstery material for a chair or a backrest of a chair is proposed, which may achieve: reduced proportion of the appearance of the rear frame of the backrest over the appearance of the whole chair; more sophisticated design; reduced weight; reduced number of parts; and improved assemble-ability. In the chair having the backrest upholstered with the upholstery material over the front surface of the rear frame, the rear frame comprises a front frame to which the peripheral edge part of the upholstery material is fixed and an upper reinforcement frame rod. The laterally facing upper reinforcement frame rod is connected at its both ends to both ends of the laterally facing upper frame rod at the top of the front frame with the center part of the upper reinforcement frame rod separated backward from the upper frame rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Okamura Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Masunaga, Tetsuya Narita, Ryo Igarashi, Akira Kiyoku, Ken Nakayama
  • Patent number: 7726740
    Abstract: A back rest tilting device in a reclining chair formed of fewer parts. A force promoting unit energizes a back rest in an upright direction. A rotating force promoting unit with rubber torsion springs includes a laterally extending pivot shaft rotated integrally with the back rest and an elastic body filled between an outer tube locked to a support body coaxially with the core and the pivot shaft so that the elastic body is elastically deformed when the pivot shaft is rotated about the center axis of the outer tube to impart a returning rotating force to the pivot shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Okamura Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Publication number: 20100109402
    Abstract: An easily operable lock device for a movable member of a chair, the lock device being adapted such that a person sitting on the chair can select lock or unlock position by operating operation means with a load, such as the weight of the person, acting on the movable member and, when the load is removed after the selection of the lock or unlock position, lock or unlock operation is executed. A lock pin provided at a spring receiving member functioning as a movable member, is selectively engaged with and disengaged from engagement holes formed in a reinforcement plate functioning as a support member. The lock device has biasing means for biasing the lock pin toward the lock position when an operation member moved by the operation means is set at a lock reservation position and biasing the lock pin toward the unlock position when the operation member is set at an unlock reservation position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventor: Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Publication number: 20100001572
    Abstract: A backrest device for a chair, capable of, without a reduction in its strength and rigidity, effectively bending backward so as to follow the shape of the back of a person seated on the chair, providing the person with excellent sitting comfort. In the backrest device, a back board is supported by a backrest frame, and the back board has a flexible back stopper on the inner side of a back frame. The thickness of a vertical intermediate section of the back stopper is gradually increased from both left and right sections of the intermediate section toward the center such that the thickness is less in both left and right sections and is maximum at the center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Inventors: Hiroshi Masunaga, Ryo Igarashi, Yoichiro Oda
  • Publication number: 20090127914
    Abstract: A backrest device for a chair, in which a backboard is easily flexible without a reduction in its strength, thus making the chair comfortable to sit on. The lower ends of both right and left sides of the back frame are supported at both sides at the back of a leg body, and the flexible back board is formed on the inside of rear frames. A large number of openings are formed in the backboard so as to be close to each other in the top-bottom and left-right directions. Between openings adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, there is formed a connection section continuing in the top-bottom direction, and the dimension in the front-back direction of the connection section is made larger than the dimension in the left-right direction of the connection section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Inventors: Ryo Igarashi, Hiroaki Tsukiji, Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Publication number: 20080284229
    Abstract: A stretching structure of a stretching material in a chair in which the ratio of the rear frame of a backrest to the outline of the chair is small, design is smart, weight is reduced, the number of parts is reduced, and assemblability is improved and the backrest of the chair. In the chair having the backrest formed by stretching the stretching material on the front surface of the rear frame, the rear frame comprises a front frame to which the peripheral edge part of the stretching material is fixed and an upper reinforcement frame rod. The laterally facing upper reinforcement frame rod is connected at its both ends to both ends of the laterally facing upper frame rod at the top of the front frame with the center part of the upper reinforcement frame rod separated backward from the upper frame rod.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Inventors: Hiroshi Masunaga, Tetsuya Narita, Ryo Igarashi, Akira Kiyoku, Ken Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20080061614
    Abstract: A back rest tilting device in a reclining chair formed of less number of parts, simple in structure, easily assembled, and well balanced in layout and energizing force. The energizing means energizing a back rest in an upright direction comprises a rotatingly energizing means with rubber torsion springs using, as a core, a laterally extending pivot shaft rotated integrally with the back rest and having an elastic body filled between an outer tube locked to a support body coaxially with the core and the pivot shaft so that the elastic body can be elastically deformed when the pivot shaft is rotated about the center axis of the outer tube to impart a returning rotating force to the pivot shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2005
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Inventor: Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Patent number: 7246859
    Abstract: A chair has a backrest and a pair of armrests. A pair of support struts for supporting the backrest is connected to a shaft of a base under a seat. The armrest is supported by an arm post. An operating lever is mounted on the upper front end of the arm post. When the backrest is tilted, it is held at a desired angle by pressing up the operating lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Okamura Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Igarashi, Naoki Numa, Ken Nakayama, Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Patent number: 7243993
    Abstract: A chair has a backrest and a pair of armrests. A pair of support struts for supporting the backrest is connected to a shaft of a base under a seat. The armrest is supported by an arm post. An operating lever is mounted on the upper front end of the arm post. When the backrest is tilted, it is held at a desired angle by pressing up the operating lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Okamura Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Igarashi, Naoki Numa, Ken Nakayama, Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Publication number: 20060244295
    Abstract: A chair has a backrest and a pair of armrests. A pair of support struts for supporting the backrest is connected to a shaft of a base under a seat. The armrest is supported by an arm post. An operating lever is mounted on the upper front end of the arm post. When the backrest is tilted, it is held at a desired angle by pressing up the operating lever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2006
    Publication date: November 2, 2006
    Applicant: OKAMURA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo IGARASHI, Naoki NUMA, Ken NAKAYAMA, Hiroshi MASUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20060238009
    Abstract: A chair has a backrest and a pair of armrests. A pair of support struts for supporting the backrest is connected to a shaft of a base under a seat. The armrest is supported by an arm post. An operating lever is mounted on the upper front end of the arm post. When the backrest is tilted, it is held at a desired angle by pressing up the operating lever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Publication date: October 26, 2006
    Applicant: OKAMURA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo IGARASHI, Naoki NUMA, Ken NAKAYAMA, Hiroshi MASUNAGA
  • Patent number: 7097249
    Abstract: A chair has a backrest and a pair of armrests. A pair of support struts for supporting the backrest is connected to a shaft of a base under a seat. The armrest is supported by an arm post. An operating lever is mounted on the upper front end of the arm post. When the backrest is tilted, it is held at a desired angle by pressing up the operating lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Okamura Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Igarashi, Naoki Numa, Ken Nakayama, Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Patent number: 6687106
    Abstract: A power module including a self arc-extinguishing type semiconductor such as an IGBT and having a function to protect the semiconductor, i.e., to protect the IGBT against a short-circuit current. Even the IGBT having a collector-emitter saturation voltage VCE (sat) set low can be protected against the short-circuit current, by charging a collector-gate junction capacitor (13) quickly, when a sense current IS to flow through a current sense exceeds a set value, to raise a collector voltage VCE quickly thereby to prevent a collector current IC from increasing, by keeping a gate voltage VGE of the IGBT (12) at a voltage rather higher than a threshold voltage, and by turning OFF the IGBT (12) after a predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Tanaka, Hiroshi Masunaga
  • Publication number: 20040017102
    Abstract: A chair has a backrest and a pair of armrests. A pair of support struts for supporting the backrest is connected to a shaft of a base under a seat. The armrest is supported by an arm post. An operating lever is mounted on the upper front end of the arm post. When the backrest is tilted, it is held at a desired angle by pressing up the operating lever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2003
    Publication date: January 29, 2004
    Applicant: Okamura Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Igarashi, Naoki Numa, Ken Nakayama, Hiroshi Masunaga