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).

  • Patent number: 8926166
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Norifumi Yoshida, Masaaki Uemura, Hiromi Nakano, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Kimio Inoue, Mika Nishida, Kazuhisa Fukutani
  • Patent number: 8882337
    Abstract: 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 central
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Norifumi Yoshida, Masaaki Uemura, Hiromi Nakano, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Kimio Inoue, Mika Nishida, Kazuhisa Fukutani
  • Patent number: 8177412
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura, Kimio Inoue
  • Publication number: 20120014206
    Abstract: 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 central
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Norifumi Yoshida, Masaaki Uemura, Hiromi Nakano, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Kimio Inoue, Mika Nishida, Kazuhisa Fukutani
  • Publication number: 20110292755
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura, Kimio Inoue
  • Publication number: 20110222364
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho(kobe) Steel (LTD)
    Inventors: Norifumi Yoshida, Masaaki Uemura, Hiromi Nakano, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Kimio Inoue, Mika Nishida, Kazuhisa Fukutani
  • Patent number: 7854542
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Norifumi Yamada, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Hiromi Nakano
  • Patent number: 7566163
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kimio Inoue
  • Patent number: 7419295
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Shigehiro Kasai, Hideo Funahashi, Kazuhisa Fujisawa, Hironobu Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 7244060
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada
  • Patent number: 7083320
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Kimio Inoue
  • Publication number: 20060104154
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Publication date: May 18, 2006
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd)
    Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Norifumi Yamada, Katsunobu Hagiwara, Hiromi Nakano
  • Patent number: 7004616
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura, Kimio Inoue
  • Publication number: 20060034147
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Publication date: February 16, 2006
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho(Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura, Kimio Inoue
  • Publication number: 20060003042
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Publication date: January 5, 2006
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Shigehiro Kasai, Hideo Funahashi, Kazuhisa Fujisawa, Hironobu Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20050127560
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2005
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Applicant: KAB. KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Kimio Inoue
  • Patent number: 6890091
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada, Kimio Inoue
  • Patent number: 6811295
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
    Inventors: Akio Koro, Yajun Zhang, Takuzo Iwata, Toru Nishikawa, Kimio Inoue, Norifumi Yamada, Ko Takakura
  • Patent number: 6682213
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Koichi Miyake
  • Publication number: 20030128624
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2002
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho(Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Kimio Inoue, Masao Murakami, Norifumi Yamada