Patents by Inventor Kenji Moritani

Kenji Moritani 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: 20150357796
    Abstract: A spark plug including a ground electrode body and an electrode tip that is resistance welded to the ground electrode body and that has a discharge surface. In a specific sectional plane, a welding surface is located in the first direction from an outer surface of the ground electrode body. The welding surface includes a flat portion whose distance to the point P1 in the first direction is 0.05 mm or smaller, and when a point E1 and a point E2 are defined as ends of the flat portion and a second direction is defined as a direction from the point E2 toward the point E1, in the second direction from the point E1, a distance between the welding surface and the discharge surface in the first direction is smaller than a distance between the discharge surface and the point E1 in the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro INOUE, Kenji MORITANI
  • Patent number: 9197038
    Abstract: A spark plug including a ground electrode body and an electrode tip that is resistance welded to the ground electrode body and that has a discharge surface. In a specific sectional plane, a welding surface is located in the first direction from an outer surface of the ground electrode body. The welding surface includes a flat portion whose distance to the point P1 in the first direction is 0.05 mm or smaller, and when a point E1 and a point E2 are defined as ends of the flat portion and a second direction is defined as a direction from the point E2 toward the point E1, in the second direction from the point E1, a distance between the welding surface and the discharge surface in the first direction is smaller than a distance between the discharge surface and the point E1 in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Inoue, Kenji Moritani
  • Patent number: 8704434
    Abstract: A spark plug includes an insulator extending along an axis and a metal shell provided on the outer periphery of the insulator. The metal shell includes a thread portion for threadedly engaging with a mounting hole of an internal combustion engine and a seat portion having a tapered surface whose outer diameter decreases gradually toward a leading end side. The tapered surface contacts with a bearing surface of the internal combustion engine when the thread portion is engaged with the mounting hole. Annular protruding portions or a helical protruding portion are formed within a range on the tapered surface from an outermost peripheral portion to a part forming an outer diameter occupying 95% of the diameter of the outermost peripheral portion. The arithmetic mean roughness of a surface of the tapered surface within the range is set to 1-5 ?m on a section including the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Moritani, Hiroaki Nasu, Makoto Sugita
  • Publication number: 20130334954
    Abstract: A spark plug includes an insulator extending along an axis and a metal shell provided on the outer periphery of the insulator. The metal shell includes a thread portion for threadedly engaging with a mounting hole of an internal combustion engine and a seat portion having a tapered surface whose outer diameter decreases gradually toward a leading end side. The tapered surface contacts with a bearing surface of the internal combustion engine when the thread portion is engaged with the mounting hole. Annular protruding portions or a helical protruding portion are formed within a range on the tapered surface from an outermost peripheral portion to a part forming an outer diameter occupying 95% of the diameter of the outermost peripheral portion. The arithmetic mean roughness of a surface of the tapered surface within the range is set to 1-5 ?m on a section including the axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Inventors: Kenji Moritani, Hiroaki Nasu, Makoto Sugita
  • Patent number: 8294344
    Abstract: A spark member (70) is formed by joining a noble metal member (71) and an intermediate member (75) and is provided in a spark discharge gap between a center electrode and a ground electrode (30). A bottom surface (80) of the intermediate member (75) is resistance-welded to an inner surface (33) of the ground electrode (30), and a weld metal zone (73) is formed in the region of joint therebetween. As viewed on the section of the spark member (70) which contains a centerline (Q), the weld metal zone (73) is reliably formed within the range of the length (D) of a columnar portion (76) as measured along a direction orthogonal to the projecting direction of the spark member (70) and has a length (d) of at least 0.1 times (10% of) the length (D).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Torii, Akira Suzuki, Naomichi Miyashita, Mamoru Musasa, Kenji Moritani
  • Publication number: 20110025185
    Abstract: A spark member (70) is formed by joining a noble metal member (71) and an intermediate member (75) and is provided in a spark discharge gap between a center electrode and a ground electrode (30). A bottom surface (80) of the intermediate member (75) is resistance-welded to an inner surface (33) of the ground electrode (30), and a weld metal zone (73) is formed in the region of joint therebetween. As viewed on the section of the spark member (70) which contains a centerline (Q), the weld metal zone (73) is reliably formed within the range of the length (D) of a columnar portion (76) as measured along a direction orthogonal to the projecting direction of the spark member (70) and has a length (d) of at least 0.1 times (10% of) the length (D).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2008
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Torii, Akira Suzuki, Naomichi Miyashita, Mamoru Musasa, Kenji Moritani