Patents by Inventor Kenji HATAMA
Kenji HATAMA 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: 20250243652Abstract: The present invention provides a flush toilet apparatus (1) including a flush toilet main body (2), and a flush water tank device (4), in which the flush water tank device includes a flush water tank main body (26), a discharge port (30e), an annular seat surface (26d), a discharge valve (28) seated on the seat surface, an exhaust passage (28b) that communicates between a space below the seat surface and a space above a water surface in the flush water tank main body in a state in which the discharge valve is seated on the seat surface, and a guide part provided in the discharge valve or in a bottom portion of the flush water tank main body to suppress contraction and merging of flows of flush water toward a center from a periphery of the seat surface when the flush water is discharged.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2025Publication date: July 31, 2025Inventors: Yuta KONDO, Kenji HATAMA, Hiroshi HASHIMOTO, Ryoka MORIMOTO, Daiki OKABE, Makoto ABE
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Patent number: 12258744Abstract: The present invention is a flush water tank device including a flush water tank main body, a water supply valve, and a discharge valve, in which during a flush of the flush toilet, the discharge valve is opened until a water level in the flush water tank main body is lowered from a predetermined full water level to a predetermined dead water level, a lowering speed of the water level in the flush water tank main body changes at a predetermined inflection water level between the full water level and the dead water level, and the lowering speed of the water level between the inflection water level and the dead water level is faster than the lowering speed of the water level between the full water level and the inflection water level.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2023Date of Patent: March 25, 2025Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Yuta Kondo, Koichiro Hiwa, Yuki Shimokawa, Kenji Hatama, Haruki Matsuda
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Publication number: 20250043561Abstract: A siphon jet flush toilet comprises: a bowl; a rim spout port suppling flush water to the bowl; a discharge trap conduit; a jet spout port spouting flush water toward an inlet of the discharge trap conduit; a reservoir tank including a jet spouting discharge valve and storing flush water; a jet water conduit configured to guide the flush water in the reservoir tank to the jet spout port; and a controller being configured to control a rim spouting in which the flush water is spouted from the rim spout port and a jet spouting in which the flush water is spouted from the jet spout port, wherein the jet spouting discharge valve includes a valve body, the valve body being arranged at a position that is lower than an upper surface of the bowl and higher than a seal water level, and before opening the jet spouting discharge valve, the flush water is supplied to the jet water conduit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 22, 2024Publication date: February 6, 2025Inventors: Koichiro MATSUMURA, Takumi TSUCHITANI, Kenichi NAKAMURA, Hiroshi HASHIMOTO, Chisato SONE, Shinichi URATA, Daisuke YAMAMOTO, Koichi MOTOOKA, Kenji HATAMA
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Publication number: 20250043556Abstract: The present invention provides a flush toilet apparatus that includes a flush toilet main body, and a flush water tank that is fixed via at least two fixing points and causes flush water to flow into a water inlet of the flush toilet main body, in which the water inlet is provided at a position eccentric to one side with respect to a lengthwise center line of the flush toilet main body, two of fixing points are each disposed on both sides of the discharge port, and are disposed so that a straight line connecting the two fixing points passes through the discharge port in a top view, and the fixing point located on a rear side among the two fixing points is located closer to the lengthwise center line of the flush toilet main body than a center point of the discharge port.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 22, 2024Publication date: February 6, 2025Inventors: Ryohei OKABE, Kenji HATAMA, Kenji WATANABE, Hiroshi HASHIMOTO
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Patent number: 12037779Abstract: A flush water tank apparatus has a reservoir tank, a discharge valve, a discharge valve hydraulic drive portion configured to drive the discharge valve, and a discharge/vacuum break valve device configured to supply the water supplied from the upstream side to the discharge valve hydraulic drive portion on a downstream side. The discharge valve hydraulic drive portion includes a cylinder, and a piston configured to be moved by a pressure of the water flowing into the cylinder to move the discharge valve. The discharge/vacuum break valve device includes a valve body that operates to discharge the water flowing backward from the discharge valve hydraulic drive portion while opening the upstream side to an atmosphere when the supply of the water from the upstream side is stopped.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2021Date of Patent: July 16, 2024Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Akihiro Shimuta, Hidekazu Kitaura, Nobuhiro Hayashi, Masahiro Kuroishi, Hiroshi Hashimoto, Koki Shinohara, Kenji Hatama, Takashi Yoshioka
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Patent number: 12031311Abstract: The present invention provides a flush water tank device (4), including: a flush water tank (10); a discharge valve (12) that causes the lower spout port to eject the flush water by switching between discharge and stopping of the flush water; a water pressure driving mechanism (14) that drives the discharge valve with a water supply pressure; a first on-off valve (19) that switches between water ejection and stopping of the flush water; a second on-off valve (18) that switches between water supply and stopping of the flush water to the water pressure driving mechanism; and a delay valve opening mechanism (21) that causes the second on-off valve to open with a delay of predetermined time after water ejection from the upper spout port is started, using a part of the flush water introduced via the first on-off valve, to supply the flush water to the water pressure driving mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2022Date of Patent: July 9, 2024Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hideki Tanimoto, Koki Shinohara, Kenji Hatama, Seika Tatsuoka
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Patent number: 11927004Abstract: The present invention provides a flush water tank device (4) that supplies flush water to an upper and lower spout port of a flush toilet (2) including; a flush water tank (10); a discharge valve (12); a first on-off valve (19) that performs switching between ejection and stopping of the flush water from the upper spout port; a first on-off valve driving mechanism (16) that is moved from a stopped position to an ejection position based on an user operation; a biasing mechanism (17) that causes the first on-off valve driving mechanism to move to the stopped position; a holding mechanism (20) that holds, at the ejection position, the first on-off valve driving mechanism at the ejection position against the bias force; and a releasing mechanism (21) that releases the holding of the first on-off valve driving mechanism, using the flush water flowing out from the first on-off valve.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2022Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hideki Tanimoto, Koki Shinohara, Kenji Hatama, Makoto Abe, Seika Tatsuoka
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Publication number: 20230313512Abstract: The present invention is a flush water tank device including a flush water tank main body, a water supply valve, and a discharge valve, in which during a flush of the flush toilet, the discharge valve is opened until a water level in the flush water tank main body is lowered from a predetermined full water level to a predetermined dead water level, a lowering speed of the water level in the flush water tank main body changes at a predetermined inflection water level between the full water level and the dead water level, and the lowering speed of the water level between the inflection water level and the dead water level is faster than the lowering speed of the water level between the full water level and the inflection water level.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2023Publication date: October 5, 2023Inventors: Yuta KONDO, Koichiro Hiwa, Yuki SHIMOKAWA, Kenji HATAMA, Haruki MATSUDA
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Publication number: 20230069634Abstract: The present invention provides a flush water tank device (4) that supplies flush water to an upper and lower spout port of a flush toilet (2) including; a flush water tank (10); a discharge valve (12); a first on-off valve (19) that performs switching between ejection and stopping of the flush water from the upper spout port; a first on-off valve driving mechanism (16) that is moved from a stopped position to an ejection position based on an user operation; a biasing mechanism (17) that causes the first on-off valve driving mechanism to move to the stopped position; a holding mechanism (20) that holds, at the ejection position, the first on-off valve driving mechanism at the ejection position against the bias force; and a releasing mechanism (21) that releases the holding of the first on-off valve driving mechanism, using the flush water flowing out from the first on-off valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 26, 2022Publication date: March 2, 2023Applicant: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hideki TANIMOTO, Koki SHINOHARA, Kenji HATAMA, Makoto ABE, Seika TATSUOKA
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Publication number: 20230065471Abstract: The present invention provides a flush water tank device (4), including: a flush water tank (10); a discharge valve (12) that causes the lower spout port to eject the flush water by switching between discharge and stopping of the flush water; a water pressure driving mechanism (14) that drives the discharge valve with a water supply pressure; a first on-off valve (19) that switches between water ejection and stopping of the flush water; a second on-off valve (18) that switches between water supply and stopping of the flush water to the water pressure driving mechanism; and a delay valve opening mechanism (21) that causes the second on-off valve to open with a delay of predetermined time after water ejection from the upper spout port is started, using a part of the flush water introduced via the first on-off valve, to supply the flush water to the water pressure driving mechanism.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 26, 2022Publication date: March 2, 2023Applicant: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hideki TANIMOTO, Koki SHINOHARA, Kenji HATAMA, Seika TATSUOKA
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Patent number: 11421410Abstract: There are provided a flush water tank apparatus capable of reducing a pressure of flush water in a pressure chamber easily, and a flush toilet apparatus provided with the same. A discharge valve hydraulic drive portion of a flush water tank apparatus includes a cylinder in which supplied the flush water flows, a piston that is slidably disposed in the cylinder, partitions inside of the cylinder into a pressure chamber and a back pressure chamber, and further is moved from a first position to a second position by a pressure of the flush water that has flowed into the pressure chamber, an outflow portion from which the flush water in the cylinder flows out, and a communication mechanism that establishes communication between the pressure chamber and the outflow portion after the clutch mechanism is disengaged.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2021Date of Patent: August 23, 2022Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu Kitaura, Nobuhiro Hayashi, Akihiro Shimuta, Masahiro Kuroishi, Hiroshi Hashimoto, Koki Shinohara, Kenji Hatama
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Patent number: 11421409Abstract: Provided are a flush water tank apparatus capable of restraining instability of an operation of a piston and restraining fluctuations in a water pressure of flush water discharged from a first discharge part provided separately from an inlet, and a flush toilet apparatus including the flush water tank apparatus. A discharge valve hydraulic drive portion of a flush water tank apparatus of the present invention includes a cylinder, a piston, and a rod extending from the piston through a through-hole portion formed in the cylinder, the cylinder including an inlet into which flush water flows, a first discharge part that is provided separately from the inlet to drain the flush water, and a second discharge part that is provided separately from the first discharge part and is formed between the rod and the through-hole portion and between the piston and the through-hole portion.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2021Date of Patent: August 23, 2022Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Nobuhiro Hayashi, Hidekazu Kitaura, Akihiro Shimuta, Masahiro Kuroishi, Hiroshi Hashimoto, Koki Shinohara, Kenji Hatama, Takashi Yoshioka
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Publication number: 20220074180Abstract: There are provided a flush water tank apparatus capable of reducing a pressure of flush water in a pressure chamber easily, and a flush toilet apparatus provided with the same. A discharge valve hydraulic drive portion of a flush water tank apparatus includes a cylinder in which supplied the flush water flows, a piston that is slidably disposed in the cylinder, partitions inside of the cylinder into a pressure chamber and a back pressure chamber, and further is moved from a first position to a second position by a pressure of the flush water that has flowed into the pressure chamber, an outflow portion from which the flush water in the cylinder flows out, and a communication mechanism that establishes communication between the pressure chamber and the outflow portion after the clutch mechanism is disengaged.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2021Publication date: March 10, 2022Applicant: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu KITAURA, Nobuhiro HAYASHI, Akihiro SHIMUTA, Masahiro KUROISHI, Hiroshi HASHIMOTO, Koki SHINOHARA, Kenji HATAMA
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Publication number: 20220074181Abstract: There is provided a flush water tank apparatus capable of returning to a state where next toilet flush operation can be started in a short time while opening a discharge valve using a water supply pressure. A flush water tank apparatus (4) includes a reservoir tank (10), a discharge valve (12), a discharge valve hydraulic drive portion (14) configured to drive the discharge valve using a water supply pressure, and a discharge/vacuum break valve device (30) provided on an upstream side of the discharge valve hydraulic drive portion and configured to supply the water supplied from the upstream side to the discharge valve hydraulic drive portion on a downstream side. The discharge valve hydraulic drive portion includes a cylinder (14a) into which the water from the discharge/vacuum break valve device flows, and a piston (14b) configured to be moved by a pressure of the water flowing into the cylinder to move the discharge valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 1, 2021Publication date: March 10, 2022Applicant: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Akihiro SHIMUTA, Hidekazu KITAURA, Nobuhiro HAYASHI, Masahiro KUROISHI, Hiroshi HASHIMOTO, Koki SHINOHARA, Kenji HATAMA, Takashi YOSHIOKA
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Publication number: 20210381214Abstract: Provided are a flush water tank apparatus capable of restraining instability of an operation of a piston and restraining fluctuations in a water pressure of flush water discharged from a first discharge part provided separately from an inlet, and a flush toilet apparatus including the flush water tank apparatus. A discharge valve hydraulic drive portion of a flush water tank apparatus of the present invention includes a cylinder, a piston, and a rod extending from the piston through a through-hole portion formed in the cylinder, the cylinder including an inlet into which flush water flows, a first discharge part that is provided separately from the inlet to drain the flush water, and a second discharge part that is provided separately from the first discharge part and is formed between the rod and the through-hole portion and between the piston and the through-hole portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2021Publication date: December 9, 2021Applicant: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Nobuhiro HAYASHI, Hidekazu KITAURA, Akihiro SHIMUTA, Masahiro KUROISHI, Hiroshi HASHIMOTO, Koki SHINOHARA, Kenji HATAMA, Takashi YOSHIOKA
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Patent number: 10480167Abstract: A float-position adjusting member is circumferentially rotatable around an axis thereof so that a relative position between an arm and a float is adjustable. A small-tank-position adjusting member is also circumferentially rotatable around an axis thereof so that a vertical position to which a small tank is supported is adjustable. These adjusting members are coaxially arranged. When the float-position adjusting member is rotated in one direction, a first contact part of the float-position adjusting member comes in contact with a first contact part of the small-tank-position adjusting member for their corotation. When the small-tank-position adjusting member is rotated in the other direction, second contact parts of the adjusting members come in contact with each other for their corotation. There is no corotation between the contact state of the first contact parts and the contact state of the second contact parts, whose rotational angle is 10 degrees or more.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2018Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hideki Tanimoto, Kenji Hatama
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Patent number: 10184237Abstract: In a discharge valve device, a protuberance penetrates a vertical channel with a raised portion engaging a channel. Thus when an attempt is made to rotate a cylindrical body in the circumferential direction with a raised portion engaging a channel, contact between the protuberance right side surface and the vertical channel restricts rotational movement of the cylindrical body in the circumferential direction.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2016Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hideki Tanimoto, Kenji Hatama
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Publication number: 20180340322Abstract: A float-position adjusting member is circumferentially rotatable around an axis thereof so that a relative position between an arm and a float is adjustable. A small-tank-position adjusting member is also circumferentially rotatable around an axis thereof so that a vertical position to which a small tank is supported is adjustable. These adjusting members are coaxially arranged. When the float-position adjusting member is rotated in one direction, a first contact part of the float-position adjusting member comes in contact with a first contact part of the small-tank-position adjusting member for their corotation. When the small-tank-position adjusting member is rotated in the other direction, second contact parts of the adjusting members come in contact with each other for their corotation. There is no corotation between the contact state of the first contact parts and the contact state of the second contact parts, whose rotational angle is 10 degrees or more.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 23, 2018Publication date: November 29, 2018Inventors: Hideki TANIMOTO, Kenji HATAMA
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Patent number: 10119260Abstract: A discharge valve apparatus attached to a reservoir tank in a reservoir tank apparatus for storing flush water. The discharge valve apparatus includes a valve body, attached to the top of a discharge opening provided in the bottom surface of a reservoir tank, for opening and closing the discharge opening by up and down movement thereof, a float, attached to the valve body, which drops in tandem with the drop in water level inside the flush water tank; and a variable drop start timing mechanism to make a drop start timing of the valve body variable.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2015Date of Patent: November 6, 2018Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Koki Shinohara, Hideki Tanimoto, Yukinori Kubozono, Kenji Hatama, Hisashi Koga
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Patent number: 9926694Abstract: An operating device for a flush water tank assembly includes: a rotary shaft, an operating handle, an operating wire, and a drive unit, wherein the drive unit includes: a rotary member, a rotary winding member, a locking unit for mutually locking the rotary member and the rotary winding member when the rotary winding member rotates in a forward rotational direction from operating position P1 and reaches operating position P3, and a lock release portion for releasing the lock between the rotary member and the rotary winding member when the rotary member and the rotary winding member rotate in a forward rotational direction from operating position P1 and reach operating position P3.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2016Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Koki Shinohara, Hideki Tanimoto, Kenji Hatama, Makoto Abe