Patents by Inventor Kazutaka Minami

Kazutaka Minami 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: 6845836
    Abstract: An engine mounting structure for a motorcycle including a plurality of resilient members for connecting the engine to the vehicle body frame. The resilient member located at the position nearest to the rear wheel is given a resilient property being uniform in the vertical and fore-and-aft directions, and remaining resilient members are given a non-uniform resilient property being hard in the vertical direction and flexible in the fore-and-aft direction. With this configuration, even when the rear wheel moves horizontally in the lateral direction, the influence is attenuated while being transferred to the vehicle body frame. When a resilient member being hard in the vertical direction is used, the behavior of the rear wheel such as the vertical swinging motion or lateral turn can immediately be transferred to the vehicle body frame. Therefore, drivability of the motorcycle during high-speed driving is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Inaoka, Kazutaka Minami, Tetsuaki Maeda, Hirohisa Takahashi, Atsushi Ishida
  • Patent number: 6619426
    Abstract: An exhaust silencer allows for elongation of an inner cylinder relative to an outer cylinder. The exhaust silencer is assembled and constructed in such a way as to simplify the assembly process. A rear end portion of the outer cylinder is blocked with a stepped disc. A rear end portion of the inner cylinder is slidably mounted on a step portion of the stepped disc. A fuse portion is provided at the rear end portion of the inner cylinder and is welded to the step portion of the stepped disc. The fuse portion temporarily tacks the stepped disc to the inner cylinder during a temporary assembly stage. The fuse portion is so constructed that it will fracture as a result of thermal expansion of the inner cylinder, when exhaust gas flows through the exhaust silencer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazutaka Minami, Satoru Nojiri
  • Patent number: 6615945
    Abstract: A motorcycle having a housing box and storage space arranged to increase the capacity of the intake system. In a motorcycle, a crank case, an engine, including a cylinder that extends forwardly from the crank case, and a housing box are arranged under a seat. An intake passage extends rearwardly from above the cylinder. An intake port of the intake passage is connected to an air chamber, and an intake port of the air chamber is connected to an air cleaner through a communication path. The air chamber is arranged upwardly of the crank case. The housing box is arranged rearwardly of the air chamber and the air cleaner is arranged to the side of the housing box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazutaka Minami, Mitsuru Kojima, Yuichi Moriyama
  • Publication number: 20030159873
    Abstract: An engine mounting structure for a motorcycle including a plurality of resilient members for connecting the engine to the vehicle body frame. The resilient member located at the position nearest to the rear wheel is given a resilient property being uniform in the vertical and fore-and-aft directions, and remaining resilient members are given a non-uniform resilient property being hard in the vertical direction and flexible in the fore-and-aft direction. With this configuration, even when the rear wheel moves horizontally in the lateral direction, the influence is attenuated while being transferred to the vehicle body frame. When a resilient member being hard in the vertical direction is used, the behavior of the rear wheel such as the vertical swinging motion or lateral turn can immediately be transferred to the vehicle body frame. Therefore, drivability of the motorcycle during high-speed driving is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Publication date: August 28, 2003
    Inventors: Hiroshi Inaoka, Kazutaka Minami, Tetsuaki Maeda, Hirohisa Takahasi, Atsushi Ishida
  • Publication number: 20020029928
    Abstract: An exhaust silencer allows for elongation of an inner cylinder relative to an outer cylinder. The exhaust silencer is assembled and constructed in such a way as to simplify the assembly process. A rear end portion of the outer cylinder is blocked with a stepped disc. A rear end portion of the inner cylinder is slidably mounted on a step portion of the stepped disc. A fuse portion is provided at the rear end portion of the inner cylinder and is welded to the step portion of the stepped disc. The fuse portion temporarily tacks the stepped disc to the inner cylinder during a temporary assembly stage. The fuse portion is so constructed that it will fracture as a result of thermal expansion of the inner cylinder, when exhaust gas flows through the exhaust silencer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2001
    Publication date: March 14, 2002
    Inventors: Kazutaka Minami, Satoru Nojiri
  • Publication number: 20020027033
    Abstract: To increase the capacity of an engine intake system and the capacity of a housing box without raising the height of a motorcycle seat. In a motorcycle, a crank case, an engine, including a cylinder that extends forwardly from the crank case, and a housing box are arranged under a seat. An intake passage extends rearwardly from above the cylinder. An intake port of the intake passage is connected to an air chamber, and an intake port of the air chamber is connected to an air cleaner through a communication path. The air chamber is arranged upwardly of the crank case. The housing box is arranged rearwardly of the air chamber and the air cleaner is arranged to the side of the housing box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventors: Kazutaka Minami, Mitsuru Kojima, Yuichi Moriyama