Patents by Inventor Makoto Kaburaki

Makoto Kaburaki 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: 11674341
    Abstract: A vehicle door latch apparatus has a latch that is engaged with a striker; a ratchet member rotatably supported by a ratchet shaft and that has a pawl portion, wherein the pawl portion is movable between a latch engaging position, where the pawl portion can face a full latch engaging portion of the latch, and a latch releasing position, where the pawl portion is not in contact with the full latch engaging portion, wherein release component force is generated in a latch releasing direction when latch return force is applied in a releasing direction at the latch engaging position, and the ratchet member is pushed out from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position by the release component force; a ratchet restraint that is arranged on a side of the ratchet member and that can be moved about a pin between a block position and a release position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Hirotaka Nishijima, Takuya Kakumae, Shintaro Okawa, Makoto Kaburaki
  • Publication number: 20230116133
    Abstract: An opening/closing device for a vehicle sliding-window panel, includes a sliding-window panel opening and closing an opening part provided in a vehicle body, a guide rail fixed to the vehicle body to support the sliding-window panel to slide, a carrier plate coupled with the sliding-window panel and fitted to the guide rail to slide, and a slide driving mechanism that operates the sliding-window panel coupled with the carrier plate to open and close by driving a motor. The carrier plate has a fitting groove which is open upward and extended in an opening/closing direction of the sliding-window panel and to which a lower portion of the sliding-window panel is fitted, and an engaging portion that engages with an engaged portion provided on the lower portion of the sliding-window panel fitted to the fitting groove to fix the lower portion of the sliding-window panel to the fitting groove.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2022
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Inventors: Mohammad Numan ALAM, Kyle ELLSWORTH, Makoto KABURAKI
  • Publication number: 20230113049
    Abstract: An opening/closing device for a vehicle sliding-window panel, includes a sliding-window panel opening and closing an opening part provided in a vehicle body, upper and lower guide rails to support the sliding-window panel to slide, and a slide driving mechanism fixed to one guide rail either the upper or lower guide rail. The slide driving mechanism includes a motor, a lead screw rotated by driving the motor, and a screw nut which is screwed with the lead screw to linearly move in a longitudinal direction of the one guide rail by rotation of the lead screw and is coupled with the sliding-window panel to operate the sliding-window panel to open and close by the linear movement. The one guide rail is integrally formed with a first and second supporting portions which rotatably support both end portions of the lead screw respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2022
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Inventors: Mohammad Numan ALAM, Kyle ELLSWORTH, Makoto KABURAKI
  • Patent number: 11142937
    Abstract: An opening and closing device includes an upper arm and a lower arm spaced apart in an up-and-down direction and extend between a vehicle door and a vehicle body, a connecting member configured to connect a first end portion of the upper arm and a first end portion of the lower arm, a body-side upper hinge and a body-side lower hinge attached to the vehicle body so as to be spaced apart in the up-and-down direction and support the connecting member rotatably, a door-side upper hinge attached to an inner panel of the vehicle door to support a second end portion of the upper arm rotatably, and a door-side lower hinge attached to the inner panel of the vehicle door to support a second end portion of the lower arm rotatably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Kaburaki, Naoya Seto
  • Publication number: 20210180372
    Abstract: A vehicle door latch apparatus has a latch that is engaged with a striker; a ratchet member rotatably supported by a ratchet shaft and that has a pawl portion, wherein the pawl portion is movable between a latch engaging position, where the pawl portion can face a full latch engaging portion of the latch, and a latch releasing position, where the pawl portion is not in contact with the full latch engaging portion, wherein release component force is generated in a latch releasing direction when latch return force is applied in a releasing direction at the latch engaging position, and the ratchet member is pushed out from the latch engaging position to the latch releasing position by the release component force; a ratchet restraint that is arranged on a side of the ratchet member and that can be moved about a pin between a block position and a release position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Hirotaka Nishijima, Takuya Kakumae, Shintaro Okawa, Makoto Kaburaki
  • Publication number: 20190301226
    Abstract: An opening and closing device includes an upper arm and a lower arm spaced apart in an up-and-down direction and extend between a vehicle door and a vehicle body, a connecting member configured to connect a first end portion of the upper arm and a first end portion of the lower arm, a body-side upper hinge and a body-side lower hinge attached to the vehicle body so as to be spaced apart in the up-and-down direction and support the connecting member rotatably, a door-side upper hinge attached to an inner panel of the vehicle door to support a second end portion of the upper arm rotatably, and a door-side lower hinge attached to the inner panel of the vehicle door to support a second end portion of the lower arm rotatably.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Applicant: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto KABURAKI, Naoya SETO
  • Patent number: 8366176
    Abstract: In order to avoid a vehicle door hitting the ceiling or wall when the door opens, it is necessary to provide an open-limiting device for holding the door at any open angle. The door is opened with a gear in the open-limiting device. In the open-limiting device for a vehicle door, a ratchet engages with or disengage from the gear by an electric actuator, so that the door is held at any open angle. When the ratchet engages with the gear, the ratchet is capable of disengaging from the gear only if the door is closed, but the ratchet remains in engagement with the gear if the door is opened. So the door can be closed manually by a small force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kaburaki
  • Publication number: 20110314739
    Abstract: In order to avoid a vehicle door hitting the ceiling or wall when the door opens, it is necessary to provide an open-limiting device for holding the door at any open angle. The door is opened with a gear in the open-limiting device. In the open-limiting device for a vehicle door, a ratchet engages with or disengage from the gear by an electric actuator, so that the door is held at any open angle. When the ratchet engages with the gear, the ratchet is capable of disengaging from the gear only if the door is closed, but the ratchet remains in engagement with the gear if the door is opened. So the door can be closed manually by a small force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventor: Makoto KABURAKI