Patents by Inventor Kazuhiro Ochi
Kazuhiro Ochi 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).
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Publication number: 20110021956Abstract: An exercise assisting device comprises steps, a step driving means, and a movable range variation means. The steps are provided for bearing the user's feet, respectively. The step driving means is configured to move the steps so as to provide the exercise to the feet on the steps. The movable range variation means is configured to expand a movable range of the steps according to weight applied to the steps, whereby an additional movable range is added to the movable range, said movable range is determined by the step driving means. The movable range variation means is configured to generate resistive force when the steps are located in the additional movable range. The movable range variation means is configured to apply the resistive force to the steps such that the resistive force cancels the weight applied to the steps.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2008Publication date: January 27, 2011Inventors: Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Gotou, Kazuhiro Ochi, Naoto Shirasawa, Masaki Nagano
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Publication number: 20110015550Abstract: An exercise aiding apparatus has: a step (2) on which user's foot can be placed; a step driving means (5) for causing the step (2) to move, and causing thereby the foot placed on the step to exercise; and a motion allowable zone modifying means for expanding a motion allowable range of the steps (2) established by the step driving means in accordance with a load acting on the step (2). The motion allowable range of the step (2) is expanded when the user intentionally increases the load acting on the step (2).Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2008Publication date: January 20, 2011Applicant: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Gotou, Kazuhiro Ochi, Naoto Shirasawa, Masaki Nagano
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Publication number: 20100286575Abstract: Passive exercise equipment used in a standing position includes a left foot base and a right foot base on which left and right feet of a user in a standing position can be rested, respectively, and the left foot base and the right foot base moves on at least one plane surface through a drive unit. The left foot base, the right foot base and the drive unit are mounted on a housing. A range in which distance in a right and left direction between right and left ankle joints is smaller or larger than distance between right and left hip joints is included in moving ranges of the left foot base and the right foot base.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2008Publication date: November 11, 2010Inventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Takao Gotou, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa
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Publication number: 20100279835Abstract: An auxiliary exercise equipment comprises a footrest for supporting a foot of a user. The footrest is configured so that a part of the footrest relatively retreats from a remaining part of the footrest and thereby is made apart from the foot while the remaining part of the footrest supports the foot.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 24, 2008Publication date: November 4, 2010Inventors: Takahisa Ozawa, Youichi Shinomiya, Kazuhiro Ochi, Takao Gotou
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Publication number: 20100273618Abstract: An exercise assisting device comprises foot supports having foot support surfaces respectively, a seat, a seat height adjusting unit, and a seat driving unit. The foot support is provided for bearing foot of a user. The seat is shaped to have a contact surface for supporting buttocks of the user when the user places the feet onto the foot support surfaces. The seat height adjusting unit is configured to move the seat toward a vertical direction and also toward a front-back direction in order to position the seat at a standard position which is located at a standard height from the foot support surface in the vertical direction. Consequently, a knee of the user has a predetermined angle. The seat driving unit is configured to swing the seat about the standard position so as to vary weight of the user which acts on legs of the user. The exercise assisting device further comprises a load regulating means.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 24, 2008Publication date: October 28, 2010Inventors: Takahisa Ozawa, Youichi Shinomiya, Kazuhiro Ochi, Takao Gotou
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Publication number: 20100273619Abstract: A passive exercise assisting device comprises a left foot support, a right foot support, and a driving unit. The left foot support and the right foot support are configured to bear a left foot and a right foot of a user respectively. The driving unit is configured to move the left foot support and the right foot support so as to give motions to the left foot support and the right foot support in relation with each other. The driving unit comprises at least one of a horizontal motion applying mechanism and a rotation motion applying mechanism. The horizontal motion applying mechanism is configured move the left foot support and the right foot support laterally to the left foot support and the right foot support. The rotation motion applying mechanism is configured rotate the left foot support and the right foot support about horizontal axes to the left foot support and the right foot support.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2008Publication date: October 28, 2010Inventors: Takahisa Ozawa, Kazuhiro Ochi, Youichi Shinomiya, Takao Gotou, Izumi Mihara
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Publication number: 20100267534Abstract: The exercise assisting device includes a support unit (1) configured to bear a user's body and a drive device (2). The support unit (1) includes a pair of foot supports (4) having a bearing member (40) configured to bear the user's left foot and right foot respectively. The drive device (2) is configured to drive the support unit (1) to move the user's body so as to vary a load applied to user's lower limb. The exercise assisting device further includes a tilting device (A). The tilting device (A) includes a load detection unit (5), a tilting mechanism unit (6), and a control unit (8). The load detection unit (5) includes two load sensors (50) provided to an outer portion (40a) and an inner portion (40b) of the bearing member (40) respectively. The tilting mechanism unit (6) is configured to tilt the bearing member (40) inward or outward with regard to the user's foot.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2008Publication date: October 21, 2010Inventors: Takahisa Ozawa, Youichi Shinomiya, Kazuhiro Ochi, Takao Gotou
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Publication number: 20100262048Abstract: In a signal processor 18, a calculation unit 181 calculates a center point of a load applied to a left-footrest on the basis of partial loads detected by left foot load sensors 160 and 161, and calculates a center point of a load applied to a right-footrest on the basis of partial loads detected by right foot load sensors 170 and 171. A judgment unit 183 measures a deviation between each of the center points calculated by the calculation unit 181 and the center point indicated by ideal characteristic curve stored in a storage unit 182. The judgment unit 183 determines a normal exercise when the both deviations are less than a predetermined threshold (5% of a distance from an original point to the center point indicated by the ideal characteristic curve). The judgment unit 183 determines an abnormal exercise when at least one of the deviations is not less than the predetermined threshold. A control unit 180 counts the number of times the deviation is not less than the predetermined threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2008Publication date: October 14, 2010Inventors: Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Gotou, Kazuhiro Ochi
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Publication number: 20100248922Abstract: To provide an exercise assisting apparatus that is capable of stimulating user's feet by means of an external physical approach and effortlessly and effectively training the muscles to balance and stay on the feet. The exercise assisting apparatus of the present invention, therefore, has a foot-support 2 configured to support a user's feet; and a plurality of airbags 5 disposed respectively on areas on an upper surface of the foot-support 2, which come into contact with soles of the user's feet, each of the airbags being configured to have its top vertically movable, wherein the airbags 5 are arranged to move in cooperation with each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2008Publication date: September 30, 2010Applicant: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Akihiro Michimori, Takao Gotou, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa
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Publication number: 20100248921Abstract: This invention produces an exercise assisting apparatus which is configured to vary user's weight which acts on the user's leg and the user's buttocks at a great ratio. The exercise assisting apparatus comprises a base, a pair of foot supports, and a pair of guides. A pair of the foot supports is configured to bear the user's left foot and the user's right foot respectively. Each guide comprises a guide rail for guiding each the foot support. Each the guide rail allows each the foot support to move along the front-back direction. Each the guide rail is configured to swing about one of a front-back axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis. The front-back axis extends along the front back direction of the base. The lateral axis extends along a lateral direction of the base. The vertical axis extends along a vertical direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2008Publication date: September 30, 2010Applicant: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.Inventors: Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Gotou, Kazuhiro Ochi
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Publication number: 20100242924Abstract: Disclosed is a fuel system for a traveling vehicle having an engine mounted on a vehicle body and a ROPS extending upward from the vehicle body. The fuel system includes a fuel tank accommodating an amount of fuel, a canister, an evaporating hose including a first evaporating hose portion and a second evaporating hose portion for sending fuel vapor generated inside the fuel tank to the canister. The first evaporating hose portion is connected to the fuel tank and extending upward from the fuel tank along a vertical post of the ROPS. The second evaporating hose portion extends downward along a vertical post of the ROPS and is connected to the canister.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2010Publication date: September 30, 2010Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Masahiro Yamada, Hideya Umemoto, Eiji Satou, Yusuke Shoji, Kazuaki Nogami, Takeshi Komorida, Hiroyuki Tada, Yoshikazu Togoshi, Akira Minoura, Yoshiyuki Esaki
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Publication number: 20100240507Abstract: This aims to provide passive exercise equipment capable of securing constant sense of use so as to avoid variation in depressing feel against sole-surmounted parts irrespective of body type difference among users. The equipment has a seat 2 for resting a user M on the buttocks, right and left footstools 3 for resting the right and left soles of user M sitting on seat 2 on, and a seat driver 5 for changing the position of seat 2 position to change load balance added to seat 2 and footstools 3 by user M, thereby changing the user's own weight acting on the legs. Each footstool 3 includes a sole-surmounted part 4 which a sole is placed on and meanwhile can be moved up and down, an elastic device 6 for biasing sole-surmounted part 4 upward; and a bias adjuster 7 for adjusting an elastic coefficient of elastic device 6.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2008Publication date: September 23, 2010Inventors: Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Gotou, Kazuhiro Ochi
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Publication number: 20100222191Abstract: The invention has an object of providing an exercise assisting device which allows the user's thigh to contract while having a simple structure with low manufacturing cost. The device comprising a seat member and a seat drive unit. The seat member has a bearing surface configured to support buttocks of a user with one' feet placed on a predetermined foot rest. The seat drive unit is configured to activate a driving source to displace the seat member in such a manner as to vary a user's own weight acting on legs of the user. The seat drive unit swings the seat member at least along a lateral direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2008Publication date: September 2, 2010Inventors: Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Kazuhiro Ochi
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Publication number: 20100093505Abstract: An exercise assisting apparatus has a seat with a contact surface of which position is varied within an adjustable range defined by a user's physique in order to successfully adjust the user's knee at a desired bent angle irrespective of the user's height. The seat 21 bears the buttock of the user M with the user's feet resting on a foot supporting surface on top of a foot stand 40. The seat 21 is displaced by a seat driver 50 with a motor in a direction of varying the user's weight acting on the legs of the user M. The seat 21 is driven by an elevator mechanism 60 to move up and down together with the seat driver 50. The elevator mechanism 60 moves the seat 21 in a direction which is restricted to a line inclined rearwardly and upwardly with respect to a vertical direction and deducted by a user of maximum physique and a user of minimum physique.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2008Publication date: April 15, 2010Inventors: Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Kazuhiro Ochi, Yuritsugu Toyomi, Minoru Kawamoto
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Publication number: 20100077713Abstract: A riding mower comprises a raising and lowering mechanism (30, 33, 100), the raising and lowering control lever (27), and a PTO mechanism (17a, 17b) operated by a clutch lever (29). When the raising and lowering mechanism (30, 33, 100) reaches a predetermined height, a operatively connecting mechanism (5) transmits, to the raising and lowering control lever (27), a return-to-neutral displacement for returning the raising and lowering control lever (27) to the neutral position, and transmits, to the clutch lever (29), a disengaging displacement for returning the clutch lever (29) to the disengage position. A first adjusting operation member (55a) adjusts a triggering displacement at which the raising and lowering displacement is transmitted to the raising and lowering control lever (27) as the return-to-neutral displacement.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2009Publication date: April 1, 2010Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuo Sameshima, Hironori Tsuchihashi, Kazuhiro Ochi, Masaji Kure
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Publication number: 20100075813Abstract: A housing 1 is provided with a left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b each of which is provided for bearing the user's foot thereon. A drive unit 3 is configured to vary an upper surface angle of each of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support relative to horizontal plane. Each of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b is driven to move within a swing range. When one of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b has its front end being located at an upper end of the swing range, the other of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b has its front end being located at a lower end of the swing range. Both of a left ankle joint and a right ankle joint are alternately dorsiflexed and plantarflexed. Consequently, it is possible to obtain an exercise assisting device being configured to bend and stretch lower legs to stimulate lower leg muscles.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2007Publication date: March 25, 2010Inventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Goto, Atsuhiro Saitou, Haruo Sugai
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Publication number: 20100035728Abstract: A sensor unit installed in a premises for detecting a user's walking behavior. Connected to the server through a communication network are a server, an information reporting unit, and an exercise machine. The server includes a diagnosis section for analyzing time series data of walking signal from the sensor unit to determine walking ability and generate walking ability data indicative thereof, and an information providing section which provides the walking ability date to the information reporting unit and the exercise machine. The information reporting unit includes reporting means for reporting the determined walking ability to the user. The exercise machine includes a control section which gives an exercise to the user depending upon the walking ability.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 30, 2007Publication date: February 11, 2010Inventors: Youichi Shinomiya, Kazuhiro Ochi, Takahisa Ozawa
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Publication number: 20100022370Abstract: A housing 1 is provided with a left foot support 2a and a right foot support 2b respectively for mounting user's left foot and right foot. The left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b are respectively driven to move along a rail which defines a travel path. The housing 1 is provided with a motor 31 having an output shaft 31a which generates a rotary motion which is distributed into two routes by a worm gear 32a and two worm wheels 32b. Rotary motions of each of the worm wheels 32b are respectively transmitted to the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b by a crank rod 38, thereby the rotary motions of each of the worm wheels 32b act as driving forces which respectively reciprocate the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b. Accordingly, this configuration makes it possible to provide an exercise assisting device being configured to stimulate leg muscles by only one driving force for generation of the driving forces.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2007Publication date: January 28, 2010Inventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Goto, Atsuhiro Saitou, Haruo Sugai
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Publication number: 20100010397Abstract: A housing is adapted to be placed on a floor and is provided on its top face with a left foot support 2a and a right foot supports 2b respectively bearing left and right feet of a user. A drive unit 3 is provided to displace the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in a mutually linked manner. The drive unit 3 is configured to reciprocate the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in a forward/rearward direction respectively along individual travel paths La, Lb, while varying a lateral distance between said left and right foot supports with regard to representative points of the left and right foot supports. The lateral distance between forward ends of the travel paths is made greater than the lateral distance between rearward ends of the travel paths.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2007Publication date: January 14, 2010Inventors: Kazuhiro Ochi, Youichi Shinomiya, Takahisa Ozawa, Takao Goto, Atsuhiro Saitou, Haruo Sugai
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Publication number: 20090241498Abstract: A dust removal system for a riding lawn mower, comprising an engine, a speed change device disposed outside of an engine compartment, and a universal coupling inserted through an opening provided to a separating wall in order to connect an output shaft of the engine and an input shaft of the speed change device. The dust removal system is composed of a perforated board which rotates integrally with the output shaft and around the axis of the output shaft in order to impede grass cuttings from flowing into the engine compartment through the opening, the perforated board having an insertion hole formed in the center to allow the universal coupling to be inserted; and a seal unit for substantially sealing the space between the universal coupling and the peripheral edge of the insertion hole. The seal unit has a radially extending flange formed on the universal coupling, and a ring member in which one end is mounted on the flange and the other end is in contact with the peripheral area around the insertion hole.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2008Publication date: October 1, 2009Applicant: Kubota CorporationInventors: Hideya Umemoto, Eiji Satou, Takeshi Komorida, Yoshihiro Ueda, Masato Asahara, Kazuhiro Ochi, Masahiro Yamada