Patents by Inventor Kiyoshi Hirai

Kiyoshi Hirai 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: 11933537
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a cooling/heating chamber capable of cooling and heating foods. The cooling/heating chamber is divided into a heating zone that is a space where foods to be heated are placed, and a non-heating zone that is a space continuous with the heating zone where foods not to be heated are placed. The refrigerator further includes an oscillation electrode and a counter electrode that are arranged so as to face each other with the heating zone in between, and an oscillating unit that applies an AC voltage to between the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Mori, Kei Nambu, Tsuyoki Hirai
  • Patent number: 9314737
    Abstract: Provided is a dehumidifier including an adsorption column allowing a to-be-treated gas produced by electrolysis of water to circulate therethrough so as to allow moisture in the to-be-treated gas to be adsorbed therein, wherein the adsorption column includes an adsorbent capable of adsorbing moisture, a column body having a housing region containing the adsorbent, and a heating unit arranged within the column body and capable of heating the adsorbent so as to cause desorption of the adsorbed moisture from the adsorbent, and the column body is a tube having a bent portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Kobelco Eco-Solutions Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Hirai, Shinji Miyazawa, Shinichi Yasui, Akiko Miyake
  • Publication number: 20150290577
    Abstract: Provided is a dehumidifier including an adsorption column allowing a to-be-treated gas produced by electrolysis of water to circulate therethrough so as to allow moisture in the to-be-treated gas to be adsorbed therein, wherein the adsorption column includes an adsorbent capable of adsorbing moisture, a column body having a housing region containing the adsorbent, and a heating unit arranged within the column body and capable of heating the adsorbent so as to cause desorption of the adsorbed moisture from the adsorbent, and the column body is a tube having a bent portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: KOBELCO ECO-SOLUTIONS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Hirai, Shinji Miyazawa, Shinichi Yasui, Akiko Miyake
  • Publication number: 20050126966
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a membrane separation apparatus and a membrane separation process that are unlikely to cause membrane fouling and plugging, capable of achieving membrane separation even with relatively low flow rate of water, have an excellent membrane packing density, and are unlikely to cause deposition of foreign components in the apparatus. In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, vessel-type inner casings are disposed in a pressure vessel along the longitudinal axis thereof, in which the pressure vessel has a water inlet at a first end and a concentrate outlet at a second end. A flow-regulating plate is disposed on the side of the water inlet of the pressure vessel. Stacks of membrane separation units are respectively disposed in the inner casings, and spacers are disposed between the adjacent membrane separation elements. The spacers also serve as sealing members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2003
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Tanida, Shinichi Nonaka, Mitsushige Shimada, Tsutomu Matsuda, Kiyoshi Hirai, Masahiro Uemura, Kazutaka Takata, Yutaka Ito, Susumu Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 6852205
    Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided an electrode plate for a water electrolysis device, which is formed from a metal plate having such a thickness as to be capable of being press-formed, and which comprises a flat plate portion, and a peripheral edge portion positioned on the outer side of the flat plate portion and bent so that recesses and protrusions are alternately arrayed along an outer peripheral edge thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Shinko-Pantec Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Toyoshima, Masaru Yonezawa, Kiyoshi Hirai, Akiko Miyake, Yutaka Ishii, Tsutomu Oi, Shingo Toriu
  • Patent number: 5888361
    Abstract: A simply configured cooling mechanism for an apparatus for producing hydrogen and oxygen is disclosed. The configuration makes it possible to freely select the type of heat exchanger, without any restrictions, in order to improve cooling efficiency. In particular, a heat exchanger for cooling deionized water in a deionized water tank, which contains an electrolytic cell, is installed outside the tank. An inlet to the heat exchanger is connected to a deionized water flow outlet from the tank that is below the level of the deionized water the tank by a pipe, and an outlet from the heat exchanger to tank is connected to a deionized water flow inlet that is positioned in the tank below the deionized water flow outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: Shinko Pantec Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Hirai, Shinichi Yasui, Hiroko Kobayashi, Teruyuki Morioka, Akiko Miyake, Hiroyuki Harada
  • Patent number: 5796799
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling dissolved oxygen concentration in primary and secondary cooling water in boiling water and pressurized water atomic reactors is disclosed. The apparatus contains an electrolytic cell having an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated from one another by a diaphragm of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The diaphragm contains: (a) an ion exchange membrane and (b) a pair of multilayered electrodes chemically plated to both surfaces of the ion exchange membrane. The electrolytic cell is operatively connected to a circular route for cooling water in the reactor, and hydrogen gas generated through electrolysis of deionized water in the cathode side of the cell is introduced into the circular route for the cooling water to control the dissolved oxygen concentration of the cooling water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignees: Shinko Pantec Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroko Kobayashi, Takashi Sasaki, Kiyoshi Hirai, Shinichi Yasui, Mamoru Nagao, Hiroyuki Harada
  • Patent number: 5795450
    Abstract: A simple and efficient apparatus for producing hydrogen and oxygen is disclosed, wherein resistance to the flow of deionized water, oxygen gas, and hydrogen gas does not increase, and the amount of electric energy required for electrolysis can be reduced. A bipolar-type apparatus for producing hydrogen and oxygen, wherein a main water feeding path is formed in the approximate center of electrode plates in the axial direction, and an anode chamber and a cathode chamber are formed on opposing surfaces of the electrode plates to store porous conductors. A secondary water feeding path for the anode chamber directs water from the main water feeding path to the anode chamber. On the cathode side of the apparatus, a hydrogen gas collecting chamber is formed, a plurality of radial hydrogen gas paths are formed from the cathode chamber to the hydrogen gas collecting chamber, and a hydrogen gas discharging path are formed to axially hydrogen gas collecting chambers in each electrode plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Shinko Pantec Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Hirai, Shinichi Yasui, Hiroko Kobayashi, Mamoru Nagao, Takashi Sasaki, Hiroyuki Harada
  • Patent number: 5783051
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing hydrogen and oxygen having a pressure vessel surrounding a bipolar-type water electrolytic cell The electrolytic cell contains a plurality of joined solid electrolyte membrane units, and each solid electrolyte membrane unit contains a solid electrolyte membrane, porous conductors in contact with opposing surfaces of the solid electrolyte membrane, and bipolar-type electrode plates in contact with each porous conductor, wherein each electrode plate is capable of performing as an anode and a cathode. A gap is present between the interior of the pressure vessel and the exterior of the water electrolytic cell to form a water pressure regulating chamber, and water of a preselected pressure can be fed into the water pressure regulating chamber such that the pressure differential between the pressure inside the water electrolytic cell and the pressure inside the water pressure regulating chamber is maintained within the pressure differential tolerance range of the water electrolytic cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Shinko Pantec Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Hirai, Shinichi Yasui, Hiroko Kobayashi, Mamoru Nagao, Takashi Sasaki, Akira Asari, Hiroyuki Harada
  • Patent number: 5690797
    Abstract: A hydrogen/oxygen gas generating system includes a deionized water container and a cell for water electrolysis having anode and cathode compartments, the cell being submerged in deionized water in the container. Oxygen gas generated in the anode compartment is channeled to an oxygen gas separating chamber defined in the container at its top whereas hydrogen gas generated in the cathode compartment is channeled to a gas/liquid separator. The pressures of these gases are detected, and in accordance with the detected gas pressures, a first gas piping line for delivering oxygen gas outward from the oxygen gas separating chamber and a second gas piping line for delivering hydrogen gas outward from the separator are controlled such that the differential pressure between the gases may fall in a limited range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Corporation, Shinko Pantec Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Harada, Takashi Sasaki, Kiyoshi Hirai, Shinichi Yasui, Hiroko Kobayashi, Mamoru Nagao
  • Patent number: 4769704
    Abstract: A synchronization signal generator for NTSC, PAL or PALM system, capable of synchronizing by external signal; wherein horizontal information signal of external synchronization signal is processed through a stabilization circuit, and its output is frequency-divided by a counter, and then only such horizontal scanning information parts that makes phase relation of the horizontal synchronization signal and the color sub-carrier to a predetermined relation is extracted, and by resetting the counter based on the extracted information, to obtain SCH phase regulated signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1988
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Hirai, Takeshi Morimoto, Kunio Sekimoto
  • Patent number: 4442252
    Abstract: Adhesives prepared by dissolving polyvinyl alcohol, a filler and a water-soluble boron compound in water are described. These adhesives are "cold-set" adhesives which are liquid at a temperature of 60.degree. C. or more, but lose their fluidity to gelatinize on cooling at a temperature higher than 20.degree. C., they are very useful for a cold corrugation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 10, 1984
    Assignees: Unitika Ltd., Okayama Paper Mill Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Sumi, Junichi Suenaga, Masazo Takenaka, Itaru Murano, Mikio Tanabe, Kiyoshi Hirai