Patents by Inventor Kumiko Kurohara

Kumiko Kurohara 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).

  • Casting apparatus
    Patent number: 6935407
    Abstract: A casting apparatus has a melting pot (4) in which pieces of metal (8) to be melted is placed. A RF induction heater coil (10) is disposed in association with the melting pot (4) to heat the metal pieces (8). An inverter (18) supplies the coil (10) with high-frequency power to melt the metal pieces (8) in the melting pot (4), and the resulting molten metal is poured into a die (6). A control unit (36), after all of the metal pieces (8) having various sizes and shapes are melted, causes the operation of the inverter (18) to continue for a first time period and, after that, to suspend the operation of the inverter (18) for a second time period so that the heating can be stopped. After that, the control unit (36) causes the inverter (18) to resume its operation to heat the melted metal (8) in the melting pot (4) until the molten metal (8) assumes a predetermined state and, a third predetermined time after that, operates a melting pot driver (9) to cause the molten metal (8) to be poured into the die (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Sansha Electric Manufacturing Company, Limited
    Inventors: Kunio Shikata, Yoshiaki Komuro, Masayuki Ono, Kumiko Kurohara, Hideo Ishii
  • Casting apparatsu
    Publication number: 20040154781
    Abstract: A casting apparatus has a melting pot (4) in which pieces of metal (8) to be melted is placed. A RF induction heater coil (10) is disposed in association with the melting pot (4) to heat the metal pieces (8). An inverter (18) supplies the coil (10) with high-frequency power to melt the metal pieces (8) in the melting pot (4), and the resulting molten metal is poured into a die (6). A control unit (36), after all of the metal pieces (8) having various sizes and shapes are melted, causes the operation of the inverter (18) to continue for a first time period and, after that, to suspend the operation of the inverter (18) for a second time period so that the heating can be stopped. After that, the control unit (36) causes the inverter (18) to resume its operation to heat the melted metal (8) in the melting pot (4) until the molten metal (8) assumes a predetermined state and, a third predetermined time after that, operates a melting pot driver (9) to cause the molten metal (8) to be poured into the die (6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Kunio Shikata, Yoshiaki Komuro, Masayuki Ono, Kumiko Kurohara, Hideo Ishii