Patents by Inventor Kimio Inoue
Kimio Inoue 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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Patent number: 8926166Abstract: Provided is a kneading rotor, a batch kneader and a method of kneading materials capable of obtaining kneaded materials with higher quality in comparison to conventional kneaded materials when the materials to be kneaded are kneaded in a high temperature state. The kneading rotor comprises a rotor portion which is disposed in a kneading chamber of a chamber of a batch kneader, and applies shear force, by using a plurality of kneading blades, to materials to be kneaded which pass through a tip clearance. A first long blade of the plurality of kneading blades has an apex for forming, with the inner surface of the chamber forming the kneading chamber, three-staged tip clearances of different sizes configured from a combination of a large tip clearance, a mid tip clearance that is smaller than the large tip clearance, and a small tip clearance that is smaller than the mid tip clearance so as to be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first long blade.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2010Date of Patent: January 6, 2015Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Norifumi Yoshida, Masaaki Uemura, Hiromi Nakano, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Kimio Inoue, Mika Nishida, Kazuhisa Fukutani
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Patent number: 8882337Abstract: A kneading rotor, in which the length L4 of a long blade in the direction of rotation of a rotor section is greater than one half of the total length L5 of a rotor section main body in the direction of rotation, and the long blades are arranged in such a manner that, in a case where a pair of the rotor sections are arranged mutually in parallel inside the chamber of the closed kneading machine and are rotated in mutually opposite directions, an end section on the rearward side in the direction of rotation of the rotor section, of the long blade of one of the rotor sections, and an end section on the forward side in the direction of rotation of the rotor section, of the long blade of the other one of the rotor sections, alternately repeat mutually an approaching action and a separating action, and in the state of approach, the end section on the forward side and the end section on the rearward side oppose each other in the direction of rotation of the rotor sections on a line which links the respective centralType: GrantFiled: March 12, 2010Date of Patent: November 11, 2014Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Norifumi Yoshida, Masaaki Uemura, Hiromi Nakano, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Kimio Inoue, Mika Nishida, Kazuhisa Fukutani
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Patent number: 8177412Abstract: A kneading apparatus includes a barrel having a cylindrical chamber; a screw assembly rotating in the chamber so that a material to be kneaded is extruded in the axial direction by the rotation, the screw assembly including a screw section having helical blades and a kneading blade section in order to allow the material to flow into the clearance between the inner wall of the chamber and the kneading blade section, and to apply shearing forces to the material; a metering feeder for feeding the material at a substantially constant volumetric or gravimetric rate into the chamber; an injecting device for injecting a heat-removing medium into the chamber; and a discharging device for separating the heat-removing medium from the material and discharging the heat-removing medium from the chamber. A kneading method using the kneading apparatus is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2011Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura, Kimio Inoue
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Publication number: 20120014206Abstract: A kneading rotor, in which the length L4 of a long blade in the direction of rotation of a rotor section is greater than one half of the total length L5 of a rotor section main body in the direction of rotation, and the long blades are arranged in such a manner that, in a case where a pair of the rotor sections are arranged mutually in parallel inside the chamber of the closed kneading machine and are rotated in mutually opposite directions, an end section on the rearward side in the direction of rotation of the rotor section, of the long blade of one of the rotor sections, and an end section on the forward side in the direction of rotation of the rotor section, of the long blade of the other one of the rotor sections, alternately repeat mutually an approaching action and a separating action, and in the state of approach, the end section on the forward side and the end section on the rearward side oppose each other in the direction of rotation of the rotor sections on a line which links the respective centralType: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2010Publication date: January 19, 2012Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Norifumi Yoshida, Masaaki Uemura, Hiromi Nakano, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Kimio Inoue, Mika Nishida, Kazuhisa Fukutani
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Publication number: 20110292755Abstract: A kneading apparatus includes a barrel having a cylindrical chamber; a screw assembly rotating in the chamber so that a material to be kneaded is extruded in the axial direction by the rotation, the screw assembly including a screw section having helical blades and a kneading blade section in order to allow the material to flow into the clearance between the inner wall of the chamber and the kneading blade section, and to apply shearing forces to the material; a metering feeder for feeding the material at a substantially constant volumetric or gravimetric rate into the chamber; an injecting device for injecting a heat-removing medium into the chamber; and a discharging device for separating the heat-removing medium from the material and discharging the heat-removing medium from the chamber. A kneading method using the kneading apparatus is also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2011Publication date: December 1, 2011Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura, Kimio Inoue
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Publication number: 20110222364Abstract: Provided is a kneading rotor, a batch kneader and a method of kneading materials capable of obtaining kneaded materials with higher quality in comparison to conventional kneaded materials when the materials to be kneaded are kneaded in a high temperature state. The kneading rotor comprises a rotor portion which is disposed in a kneading chamber of a chamber of a batch kneader, and applies shear force, by using a plurality of kneading blades, to materials to be kneaded which pass through a tip clearance. A first long blade of the plurality of kneading blades has an apex for forming, with the inner surface of the chamber forming the kneading chamber, three-staged tip clearances of different sizes configured from a combination of a large tip clearance, a mid tip clearance that is smaller than the large tip clearance, and a small tip clearance that is smaller than the mid tip clearance so as to be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first long blade.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 13, 2010Publication date: September 15, 2011Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho(kobe) Steel (LTD)Inventors: Norifumi Yoshida, Masaaki Uemura, Hiromi Nakano, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Kimio Inoue, Mika Nishida, Kazuhisa Fukutani
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Patent number: 7854542Abstract: A plurality of mixing rotors that are housed in a chamber having a cocoon-shaped cross section in a tangential non-intermeshing state, where a plurality of long wings and short wings are provided on a wing portion of the mixing rotors. The long wings and the short wings severally have a plurality of different sizes of tip clearances, a twist angle of the long wings is changed in the axis direction, and makes mixing efficiency and dispersion efficiency compatible. Further, cooling medium paths are provided severally in the chamber and the mixing rotors to suppress excessive increase of the temperature of mixing materials. According to a batch mixer using the mixing rotors, it is possible to control quality reduction of the mixing materials caused by heat generation, and to improve the productivity by increasing the number of the wings without diminishing inherent processing performance of the mixer.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2005Date of Patent: December 21, 2010Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Norifumi Yamada, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Hiromi Nakano
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Patent number: 7566163Abstract: A rotor segment is assembled in a screw set for use in a twin-screw extruder for mixing and dispersing a material to be kneaded into a kneaded product having a desired state of kneading. The rotor segment has a plurality of kneading blades that provide a plurality of tip clearances different from each other at least in the circumferential direction. The rotor segment also has the same sectional shape as a screw and a kneading disk, which are assembled in other screw segment and kneading disk segment of the screw set, except for crest portions of the kneading blades. A degradation in quality of a kneaded product attributable to residence of a target material of kneading for a long time can be satisfactorily prevented. A load partially imposed on the rotor segment can be reduced, thereby preventing a damage of the screw set in which the rotor segment is assembled.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2001Date of Patent: July 28, 2009Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventor: Kimio Inoue
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Patent number: 7419295Abstract: An extruder includes a barrel and a kneading screw extending through the barrel in a rotatable fashion. The kneading screw is provided with a devolatilization portion. The devolatilization portion includes a kneading flight that is twisted in a direction for transferring a material downstream. The kneading flight kneads the material while transferring the material downstream and separates a volatile component from the material. Impregnation sections, which allow the kneading chamber to be impregnated with the material, are respectively disposed adjacent to an upstream side and a downstream side of the devolatilization portion so that the air-tightness of the devolatilization portion of the extruder is maintained. Accordingly, an efficient devolatilization operation of the material is achieved.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2005Date of Patent: September 2, 2008Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Shigehiro Kasai, Hideo Funahashi, Kazuhisa Fujisawa, Hironobu Nakanishi
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Patent number: 7244060Abstract: A kneading apparatus includes a barrel having a chamber, which is a tubular hollow, a biaxial screw set for extruding a material to be kneaded downstream by rotation of the biaxial screw set inside the chamber, and kneading blade sections, mounted in the screw set, for kneading the material by shearing the material in tip clearances and a wedge-shaped space between an inside wall of the chamber and the kneading blade sections. The tip clearance becomes narrower from the upstream side to the downstream side in the direction of extrusion of the material. The kneading apparatus, which performs a continuous kneading operation, makes it possible to set proper kneading conditions in accordance with changes in the state of a material being continuously kneaded, and achieves high kneading efficiency.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2002Date of Patent: July 17, 2007Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada
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Patent number: 7083320Abstract: A continuous kneading apparatus and method are provided wherein discharge ports are provided at a plurality of positions of the barrel to discharge a kneaded product, and one of the plurality of the discharge ports is selected according to a desired kneading condition so as to discharge the kneaded product from only the selected discharge port. Another continuous kneading apparatus and method are provided wherein a plurality of charging ports are provided at a plurality of positions of the barrel to supply a material to be kneaded into the chamber, and one of the plurality of charging ports is selected according to a desired kneading condition. The kneading apparatuses and methods permit adjustment and control of a viscosity and a dispersion degree of a compounding agent over a wide range, and continuous kneading to achieve significant rationalization of a process for producing a kneaded product.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2005Date of Patent: August 1, 2006Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Kimio Inoue
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Publication number: 20060104154Abstract: A plurality of mixing rotors that are housed in a chamber having a cocoon-shaped cross section in a tangential non-intermeshing state, where a plurality of long wings and short wings are provided on a wing portion of the mixing rotors. The long wings and the short wings severally have a plurality of different sizes of tip clearances, a twist angle of the long wings is changed in the axis direction, and makes mixing efficiency and dispersion efficiency compatible. Further, cooling medium paths are provided severally in the chamber and the mixing rotors to suppress excessive increase of the temperature of mixing materials. According to a batch mixer using the mixing rotors, it is possible to control quality reduction of the mixing materials caused by heat generation, and to improve the productivity by increasing the number of the wings without diminishing inherent processing performance of the mixer.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2005Publication date: May 18, 2006Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd)Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Norifumi Yamada, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Hiromi Nakano
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Patent number: 7004616Abstract: A kneading apparatus includes a barrel having a cylindrical chamber; a screw assembly rotating in the chamber so that a material to be kneaded is extruded in the axial direction by the rotation, the screw assembly including a screw section having helical blades and a kneading blade section in order to allow the material to flow into the clearance between the inner wall of the chamber and the kneading blade section, and to apply shearing forces to the material; a metering feeder for feeding the material at a substantially constant volumetric or gravimetric rate into the chamber; an injecting device for injecting a heat-removing medium into the chamber; and a discharging device for separating the heat-removing medium from the material and discharging the heat-removing medium from the chamber. A kneading method using the kneading apparatus is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2002Date of Patent: February 28, 2006Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura, Kimio Inoue
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Publication number: 20060034147Abstract: A kneading apparatus includes a barrel having a cylindrical chamber; a screw assembly rotating in the chamber so that a material to be kneaded is extruded in the axial direction by the rotation, the screw assembly including a screw section having helical blades and a kneading blade section in order to allow the material to flow into the clearance between the inner wall of the chamber and the kneading blade section, and to apply shearing forces to the material; a metering feeder for feeding the material at a substantially constant volumetric or gravimetric rate into the chamber; an injecting device for injecting a heat-removing medium into the chamber; and a discharging device for separating the heat-removing medium from the material and discharging the heat-removing medium from the chamber. A kneading method using the kneading apparatus is also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2005Publication date: February 16, 2006Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho(Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura, Kimio Inoue
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Publication number: 20060003042Abstract: An extruder includes a barrel and a kneading screw extending through the barrel in a rotatable fashion. The kneading screw is provided with a devolatilization portion. The devolatilization portion includes a kneading flight that is twisted in a direction for transferring a material downstream. The kneading flight kneads the material while transferring the material downstream and separates a volatile component from the material. Impregnation sections, which allow the kneading chamber to be impregnated with the material, are respectively disposed adjacent to an upstream side and a downstream side of the devolatilization portion so that the air-tightness of the devolatilization portion of the extruder is maintained. Accordingly, an efficient devolatilization operation of the material is achieved.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2005Publication date: January 5, 2006Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Shigehiro Kasai, Hideo Funahashi, Kazuhisa Fujisawa, Hironobu Nakanishi
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Kneading apparatus, including selectable discharge ports, for kneading rubber or rubber compositions
Publication number: 20050127560Abstract: A continuous kneading apparatus and method are provided wherein discharge ports are provided at a plurality of positions of the barrel to discharge a kneaded product, and one of the plurality of the discharge ports is selected according to a desired kneading condition so as to discharge the kneaded product from only the selected discharge port. Another continuous kneading apparatus and method are provided wherein a plurality of charging ports are provided at a plurality of positions of the barrel to supply a material to be kneaded into the chamber, and one of the plurality of charging ports is selected according to a desired kneading condition. The kneading apparatuses and methods permit adjustment and control of a viscosity and a dispersion degree of a compounding agent over a wide range, and continuous kneading to achieve significant rationalization of a process for producing a kneaded product.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2005Publication date: June 16, 2005Applicant: KAB. KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Kimio Inoue -
Kneading apparatus, including selectable discharge ports, for kneading rubber or rubber compositions
Patent number: 6890091Abstract: A continuous kneading apparatus and method are provided wherein discharge ports are provided at a plurality of positions of the barrel to discharge a kneaded product, and one of the plurality of the discharge ports is selected according to a desired kneading condition so as to discharge the kneaded product from only the selected discharge port. Another continuous kneading apparatus and method are provided wherein a plurality of charging ports are provided at a plurality of positions of the barrel to supply a material to be kneaded into the chamber, and one of the plurality of charging ports is selected according to a desired kneading condition. The kneading apparatuses and methods permit adjustment and control of a viscosity and a dispersion degree of a compounding agent over a wide range, and continuous kneading to achieve significant rationalization of a process for producing a kneaded product.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2002Date of Patent: May 10, 2005Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Kimio Inoue -
Patent number: 6811295Abstract: Each mixing rotor for a batch mixer is rotatably insertable into a mixing chamber such that tip clearances are defined between tips of mixing blades and an inner surface of a mixing chamber and is provided on its outer circumferential surface with a plurality of mixing blades for imparting shearing forces to a material to be mixed by causing the material to pass through the tip clearances. The plurality of mixing blades include a nonlinear blade which is substantially nonlinear from a start point to a terminal point in a development of the mixing rotor developed into a plane about its longitudinal axis, and other linear blades which are linear in the development and whose helix angle to the longitudinal axis of the mixing rotor is set at 15 to 35°. An appropriate mixing control capable of realizing both sufficient mixing and sufficient dispersion can be executed by mixing and dispersing the material in a well-balanced manner by means of the mixing rotor.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2001Date of Patent: November 2, 2004Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho, Sumitomo Rubber Industries LimitedInventors: Akio Koro, Yajun Zhang, Takuzo Iwata, Toru Nishikawa, Kimio Inoue, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura
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Patent number: 6682213Abstract: A twin-screw continuous kneading apparatus is provided which can stably supply an additive without reducing the production capability and greatly increase the throughput of a high-quality compound. The kneading apparatus includes a second supply unit connected to an upstream end or a midstream portion of a barrel and supplying an additive into kneading chambers, and has a kneading zone provided by a part of each of kneading screws downstream of the second supply unit for mixing the additive into a kneaded material.Type: GrantFiled: January 2, 2002Date of Patent: January 27, 2004Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko ShoInventors: Kimio Inoue, Koichi Miyake
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Publication number: 20030128624Abstract: A kneading apparatus includes a barrel having a chamber, which is a tubular hollow, a biaxial screw set for extruding a material to be kneaded downstream by rotation of the biaxial screw set inside the chamber, and kneading blade sections, mounted in the screw set, for kneading the material by shearing the material in tip clearances and a wedge-shaped space between an inside wall of the chamber and the kneading blade sections. The tip clearance becomes narrower from the upstream side to the downstream side in the direction of extrusion of the material. The kneading apparatus, which performs a continuous kneading operation, makes it possible to set proper kneading conditions in accordance with changes in the state of a material being continuously kneaded, and achieves high kneading efficiency.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2002Publication date: July 10, 2003Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho(Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada