Patents by Inventor Kenji Kubota

Kenji Kubota 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: 20220081738
    Abstract: A copper alloy plate including 0.3 mass % or more and 1.2 mass % or less of Mg, 0.001 mass % or more and 0.2 mass % or less of P, and the balance Cu with inevitable impurities in a thickness center portion in a plate thickness direction; Mg concentration on a plate surface is 30% or less of bulk Mg concentration at the thickness center portion; a surface layer part having a depth from the plate surface to where it is 90% of the bulk Mg concentration is provided; and in the surface layer part, the Mg concentration increases from the plate surface toward the thickness center portion with a concentration gradient 1.8 mass %/?m or more and 50 mass %/?m or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Miyashima, Kazunari Maki, Shinichi Funaki, Kenji Kubota
  • Publication number: 20220085526
    Abstract: Providing an anti-corrosion terminal material having high corrosion resistance effect and good adhesiveness of a film. A first film is formed on at least a part of a base material in which at least a surface is made of copper or copper alloy; in the first film, a zinc layer made of zinc or zinc alloy is formed on a mixed layer in which a copper-tin alloy region made of copper tin alloy and a tin region made of tin or tin alloy other than copper tin alloy are mixed; the zinc layer is in contact with both the copper-tin alloy region and the tin region of the mixed layer; a ratio R1/R2 is 0.05 or more and 2.5 or less where a length in contact with the copper-tin alloy region in a cross section along a thickness direction is R1 (?m) and a length in contact with the tin layer is R2 (?m).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Takashi Tamagawa, Toru Nishimura, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 11264750
    Abstract: Provided is a tin-plated copper terminal material, a terminal formed from the terminal material, and an electric-wire terminal structure using the terminal: the terminal material has a substrate of copper or a copper alloy; an intermediate zinc layer of a zinc alloy that is formed on the substrate and has a thickness of 0.10 ?m to 5.00 ?m; and a tin layer of tin or a tin alloy that is formed on the intermediate zinc layer and in which the length proportion occupied by low-angle grain boundaries is 2% to 30% with respect to the total length of all crystal grain boundaries; wherein galvanic corrosion is effectively suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 11211729
    Abstract: A terminal material for a connector terminal, using a copper or copper alloy substrate is crimped to an end of wire formed from an aluminum wire material; and a terminal using this terminal material: a zinc layer 4 that is formed of zinc or a zinc alloy and a tin layer 5 that is formed of tin or a tin alloy are sequentially laminated in this order on a substrate 2 that is formed of copper or a copper alloy: with respect to the zinc layer and the tin layer, the adhesion amount of tin contained in the whole layers is from 0.5 mg/cm2 to 7.0 mg/cm2 (inclusive) and the adhesion amount of zinc contained in the whole layers is from 0.07 mg/cm2 to 2.0 mg/cm2 (inclusive), and the content percentage of zinc in the vicinity of the surface is from 0.2% by mass to 10.0% by mass (inclusive).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 11088472
    Abstract: On a base member made of copper or a copper alloy, a zinc-nickel alloy layer including zinc and nickel, and a tin layer made of tin alloy are laminated in this order: the zinc-nickel alloy layer has a thickness of 0.1-5 ?m inclusive and has a nickel content of 5-50 mass % inclusive, the tin layer has a zinc concentration of 0.6-15 mass % inclusive, and, under an oxide layer which is the outermost layer, a metal zinc layer, having a zinc concentration of 5-40 at % inclusive and a thickness of 1-10 nm inclusive in SiO2 conversion, is formed on the tin layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Publication number: 20210184380
    Abstract: An anti-corrosion terminal material including a base material made of copper or copper alloy and a coating film laminated on the base material: the coating film includes: a first coating film, provided with a zinc layer made of zinc alloy and a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy which are laminated in this order, and formed at a planned core contact part; and a second coating film including the tin layer but not comprising the zinc layer, which is provided at a planned contact part being a contact part when the terminal is formed: and the zinc layer has a thickness not less than 0.1 ?m and not more than 5.0 ?m and zinc concentration not less than 30% by mass and not more than 95% by mass, and has any one or more of nickel, iron, manganese, molybdenum, cobalt, cadmium, lead and tin as a balance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Takashi Tamagawa, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Publication number: 20210158990
    Abstract: In a terminal material with a silver coating film including a silver layer on a surface, a terminal and a terminal material having high reliability are easily manufactured with low cost without a heat treatment. A base material formed of copper or a copper alloy; and nickel layer, an intermediate layer, and a silver layer laminated on the base material in this order are included, the nickel layer has a thickness of 0.05 ?m to 5.00 ?m and is formed of nickel or a nickel alloy, the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.02 ?m to 1.00 ?m and is an alloy layer containing silver (Ag) and a substance X, and the substance X includes one or more kinds of tin, bismuth, gallium, indium, and germanium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Tooru Nishimura, Takashi Tamagawa, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 10910130
    Abstract: A corrosion-resistant terminal material has a substrate made of copper or a copper alloy and a film layered on the substrate. The film has a planned core wire contact part with which a core wire of an electric wire is in contact when the material is formed to a terminal and a planned contact part. The film formed in the planned core wire contact part has a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy and a metallic zinc layer formed on the tin layer; the film formed in the planned contact part has a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy but does not have a metallic zinc layer. A corrosion-resistant terminal uses the corrosion-resistant terminal material described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 10858750
    Abstract: Providing a tin-plated terminal material with high corrosion-prevention effect and low contact resistance, a terminal formed from the terminal material, and an electric wire terminal-end structure. Provided are a base material made of copper or copper alloy, a zinc layer made of zinc or zinc alloy formed on the base material, and a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy formed on the zinc layer: in a whole of the zinc layer and the tin layer, a tin amount per unit area is 0.30 mg/cm2 to 7.00 mg/cm2 inclusive, a zinc amount per unit area is 0.07 mg/cm2 to 2.00 mg/cm2 inclusive, a content percentage of zinc in a vicinity of a surface in the tin layer is 0.2% to 10% by mass inclusive, and a length proportion of low-angle grain boundaries occupied in a total length of crystal boundaries in the tin layer is 2% to 30% inclusive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Takashi Tamagawa, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 10801115
    Abstract: A terminal material in which galvanic corrosion is not occurred using a copper or copper alloy base material as a terminal crimped to an end part of an electrical wire formed from an aluminum wire material: an intermediate zinc layer 4 formed from zinc or zinc alloy and a tin layer 5 formed from tin or tin alloy are layered in this order on a base material 2 formed from copper or copper alloy; the intermediate zinc layer 4 has a thickness of 0.1 ?m to 5.0 ?m inclusive and a zinc concentration equal to or more than 5 mass %; and the tin layer 5 has a zinc concentration of 0.4 mass % to 15 mass % inclusive and a grain size of the tin layer 5 is 0.1 ?m to 3.0 ?m inclusive preferably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 10793956
    Abstract: The present invention provides an additive for high-purity copper electrolytic refining and a method of producing high-purity copper using the additive. The additive of the present invention for high-purity copper electrolytic refining can be added to a copper electrolyte in electrolytic refining for producing high-purity copper. The additive includes a main agent formed of a non-ionic surfactant which has a hydrophobic group containing an aromatic ring and a hydrophilic group containing a polyoxyalkylene group, and a stress relaxation agent formed of a polyvinyl alcohol or a derivative thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Publication number: 20200259274
    Abstract: On a base member made of copper or a copper alloy, a zinc-nickel alloy layer including zinc and nickel, and a tin layer made of tin alloy are laminated in this order: the zinc-nickel alloy layer has a thickness of 0.1-5 ?m inclusive and has a nickel content of 5-50 mass % inclusive, the tin layer has a zinc concentration of 0.6-15 mass % inclusive, and, under an oxide layer which is the outermost layer, a metal zinc layer, having a zinc concentration of 5-40 at % inclusive and a thickness of 1-10 nm inclusive in SiO2 conversion, is formed on the tin layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2016
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Publication number: 20200203868
    Abstract: Provided is a tin-plated copper terminal material, a terminal formed from the terminal material, and an electric-wire terminal structure using the terminal: the terminal material has a substrate of copper or a copper alloy; an intermediate zinc layer of a zinc alloy that is formed on the substrate and has a thickness of 0.10 ?m to 5.00 ?m; and a tin layer of tin or a tin alloy that is formed on the intermediate zinc layer and in which the length proportion occupied by low-angle grain boundaries is 2% to 30% with respect to the total length of all crystal grain boundaries; wherein galvanic corrosion is effectively suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Publication number: 20200181788
    Abstract: In a method for producing high-purity electrolytic copper, a first additive (A) containing an aromatic ring of a hydrophobic group and a polyoxyalkylene group of a hydrophilic group, a second additive (B) formed of polyvinyl alcohols, and a third additive (C) formed of tetrazoles are added to a copper electrolyte, copper electrolysis is performed by controlling each concentration of the first additive (A), the second additive (B), and the third additive (C), a current density and a bath temperature, and accordingly, electrolytic copper in which a concentration of Ag is less than 0.2 mass ppm, a concentration of S is less than 0.07 mass ppm, a concentration of all impurities is less than 0.2 mass ppm, and an area ratio of crystal grains having an average crystal grain misorientation (referred to as a GOS value) exceeding 2.5° is 10% or less is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Inventors: Yoshie Tarutani, Kenji Kubota, Kiyotaka Nakaya, Isao Arai
  • Publication number: 20200173049
    Abstract: Providing a tin-plated terminal material with high corrosion-prevention effect and low contact resistance, a terminal formed from the terminal material, and an electric wire terminal-end structure. Provided are a base material made of copper or copper alloy, a zinc layer made of zinc or zinc alloy formed on the base material, and a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy formed on the zinc layer: in a whole of the zinc layer and the tin layer, a tin amount per unit area is 0.30 mg/cm2 to 7.00 mg/cm2 inclusive, a zinc amount per unit area is 0.07 mg/cm2 to 2.00 mg/cm2 inclusive, a content percentage of zinc in a vicinity of a surface in the tin layer is 0.2% to 10% by mass inclusive, and a length proportion of low-angle grain boundaries occupied in a total length of crystal boundaries in the tin layer is 2% to 30% inclusive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Takashi Tamagawa, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Publication number: 20200173048
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high-purity electrolytic copper 10 having a Cu purity excluding gas components (O, F, S, C, and Cl) is 99.9999 mass % or more, a content of S is 0.1 mass ppm or less, and an area ratio of crystals having a (101)±10° orientation is less than 40%, when crystal orientation is measured by electron backscatter diffraction in a cross section along a thickness direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Yoshie Tarutani, Kenji Kubota, Kiyotaka Nakaya, Isao Arai
  • Publication number: 20200005963
    Abstract: Providing a corrosion-resistant terminal material by using a copper or copper alloy base material as a terminal to which an end of wire having an aluminum core wire is crimped. Corrosion-resistant terminal material has a substrate made of copper or a copper alloy and a film layered on the substrate, the corrosion-terminal material is formed to have a planned core wire contact part with which a core wire of an electric wire is in contact when the material is formed to a terminal and a planned contact part to be a contact part: the film formed in the planned core wire contact part has a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy and a metallic zinc layer formed on the tin layer; the film formed in the planned contact part has a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy but does not have a metallic zinc layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Publication number: 20190386415
    Abstract: A terminal material for a connector terminal, using a copper or copper alloy substrate is crimped to an end of wire formed from an aluminum wire material; and a terminal using this terminal material: a zinc layer 4 that is formed of zinc or a zinc alloy and a tin layer 5 that is formed of tin or a tin alloy are sequentially laminated in this order on a substrate 2 that is formed of copper or a copper alloy: with respect to the zinc layer and the tin layer, the adhesion amount of tin contained in the whole layers is from 0.5 mg/cm2 to 7.0 mg/cm2 (inclusive) and the adhesion amount of zinc contained in the whole layers is from 0.07 mg/cm2 to 2.0 mg/cm2 (inclusive), and the content percentage of zinc in the vicinity of the surface is from 0.2% by mass to 10.0% by mass (inclusive).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 10428434
    Abstract: The present invention provides an additive for high-purity copper electrolytic refining, a method of producing high-purity copper, and a high-purity electrolytic copper. This additive of the present invention for high-purity copper electrolytic refining can be added to a copper electrolyte in copper electrolytic refining. The additive includes a silver and chlorine reducing agent of electrolytic copper which is formed of tetrazoles which is one of a tetrazole and a tetrazole derivative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshie Tarutani, Kenji Kubota, Kiyotaka Nakaya
  • Patent number: 10407785
    Abstract: The additive for high-purity copper electrolytic refining of the present invention is an additive which is added to a copper electrolyte in electrolytic refining for high-purity copper and is formed of a non-ionic surfactant that includes a hydrophobic group containing an aromatic ring and a hydrophilic group containing a polyoxyalkylene group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kubota, Yoshie Tarutani, Kiyotaka Nakaya