Patents by Inventor Masaki SHIKANAI

Masaki SHIKANAI 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: 11414921
    Abstract: A storage device includes a shutter having a vertically divided dome shape formed by cutting a one-end-closed cylindrical shape at two planes, the one-end-closed cylindrical shape being formed by closing an upper end of a cylindrical portion whose axis line is along an up-down direction, an arc-shaped lower portion reinforcing member which has a higher rigidity than the cylindrical portion, a housing, which includes an opening portion, the opening portion being opened and closed by the shutter rotating around the axis line, a bearing portion provided in the housing, which suspends and supports the ceiling surface portion, a lower end support portion, which supports a lower surface of the lower portion reinforcing member at a plurality of locations; and an inner side support portion, which supports an inner peripheral surface of the lower portion reinforcing member at a plurality of locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Kikuchi, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Masaki Shikanai, Yuzuka Isobe
  • Publication number: 20220215396
    Abstract: An unstaffed store system includes: a store entry checker which acquires, with a first camera, a face image of a user at a time of entry to the store and permits entry of the user to the store based on the face image at the time of entry to the store; a checkout counter which acquires, with a second camera, the face image of the user at a time of payment and allows the user to make payment based on the face image at the time of payment; and a store exit checker which, with a third camera, acquires the face image of the user at a time of exit from the store and confirms exit of the user from the store based on the face image at the time of exit from the store.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro UEKI, Masaki SHIKANAI, Mamoru NOBUE, Hidehiko NAWAI, Kouhei NISHINO, Tomohiro MATSUDA
  • Publication number: 20220188796
    Abstract: A cost calculation and payment device includes: a main body provided with a placement portion on which the user places merchandise items; a first camera for capturing an image of the merchandise items placed on the placement portion; a second camera for capturing an image of a face of the user; a controller for performing a process related to cost calculation by recognizing the merchandise items in question based on a merchandise item image acquired by image capture by the first camera and to perform a process related to face authentication based on a face image acquired by image capture by the second camera; and a display for displaying a cost calculation result and a payment result acquired by the controller, wherein the display is disposed in a vicinity of the placement portion, and the second camera captures an image of the face of the user looking at the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro UEKI, Masaki SHIKANAI, Mamoru NOBUE, Kouhei NISHINO, Takashi KOYAMA, Nobuyoshi MURAKAMI, Hideyuki KUWANO
  • Publication number: 20220044221
    Abstract: A cost calculation and payment device includes: a main body provided with a placement portion on which merchandise items are placed; a first camera for capturing an image of the merchandise items placed on the placement portion; a second camera for capturing an image of a face of the user; a controller for performing a process related to cost calculation by recognizing the merchandise items in question based on a merchandise item image acquired by the first camera and to perform a process related to face authentication based on a face image acquired by the second camera; a display for displaying a cost calculation result and a payment result acquired by the controller, and a projector for projecting an image onto the placement portion, wherein the display is disposed in a vicinity of the placement portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro UEKI, Masaki SHIKANAI, Mamoru NOBUE, Kouhei NISHINO, Takashi KOYAMA, So SUZUKI, Megumi YAMAOKA
  • Patent number: 11228189
    Abstract: A loaded body housing device includes: an upper table which rotates about a rotation axis extending along a Z-axis and supports a plurality of batteries in a plurality of first storage spaces around the rotation axis; a lower table which rotates about a rotation axis extending along the Z-axis and supports a plurality of batteries in a plurality of second storage spaces around the rotation axis; and a casing having openings each of which exposes one storage space when viewed in a negative direction of the Z-axis. The upper table is positioned to have overlapping between a part of the plurality of first storage spaces and the plurality of second storage spaces and no overlapping between the plurality of first storage spaces and a second storage space when viewed in the negative direction of the Z-axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinari Matsuyama, Masaki Shikanai, Takeshi Kikuchi, Yuzuka Isobe
  • Patent number: 11215316
    Abstract: A storage device includes a storage body, which includes a bottom surface, wall surfaces surrounding a storage space, a front opening portion and an upper opening portion such that a package body is enabled to be inserted into the storage space from a plurality of directions, a front guide, which is provided on the bottom surface in proximity to the front opening portion, and includes an inclined surface descending toward a surface on a back side of the storage space among the wall surfaces, and a rear guide, which is provided on the surface on the back side in proximity to the upper opening portion, and restricts upward movement of the package body stored in the storage space along the surface on the back side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuzuka Isobe, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Masaki Shikanai, Takeshi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 11114872
    Abstract: A charging device includes: a connector that protrudes from a placement surface; a protective plate; a wall surface intersecting with the placement surface; a support member capable of moving to be in a first orientation in which the protective plate is supported and a second orientation in which the protective plate is not supported; and a lock mechanism that locks the support member in the first orientation. The lock mechanism includes a first protruding part that, when the support member is locked, releases the locking of the support member by being pushed. The support member (i) includes a second protruding part, and (ii) moves from the first orientation to the second orientation by the second protruding part being pushed toward the wall surface in a state where the locking is released. When the support member has moved, the protective plate is capable of moving to the placement stand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD
    Inventors: Masaki Shikanai, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Takeshi Kikuchi, Yuzuka Isobe
  • Patent number: 10960945
    Abstract: A wall surface suction-type travel device includes a main body, a cushion, a plurality of support wheels, a crawler, and a drive source. The main body includes a wall-surface facing section and a draw-in port. The cushion is disposed on the wall-surface facing section of the main body and surrounding an edge of the draw-in port. The cushion is elastically deformable and has a slide surface sliding on the wall surface when the wall surface suction-type travel device travels on the wall surface. The plurality of support wheels are disposed on the main body. The crawler is an endless belt suspended on the plurality of the support wheels. The crawler has a grip surface put into contact with the wall surface when the wall surface suction-type travel device travels on the wall surface. The drive source is to rotate the crawler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Sekiguchi, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Tomomi Nishikata, Masaki Shikanai, Takeshi Kikuchi, Shogo Mikami
  • Patent number: 10965052
    Abstract: A connector holding mechanism includes a biasing member provided in a through hole formed in a bottom plate of a storage body, a cover having a connector insertion hole and an inclined surface which is fixed to the through hole, a connector, in which a terminal is loosely inserted into the connector insertion hole, and a flange portion protruding from an outer periphery of the housing biased by the biasing member. When the connector is waiting to be fitted to a stored object, the connector is held in a posture where the terminal is inclined due to abutment between the inclined surface and the flange with respect to a virtual line perpendicular to the bottom surface, and when the connector is fitted to the stored object, the connector is held in a posture where the terminal is vertical along the virtual line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Shikanai, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Takeshi Kikuchi, Yuzuka Isobe, Takeru Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20200366022
    Abstract: A connector holding mechanism includes a biasing member provided in a through hole formed in a bottom plate of a storage body, a cover having a connector insertion hole and an inclined surface which is fixed to the through hole, a connector, in which a terminal is loosely inserted into the connector insertion hole, and a flange portion protruding from an outer periphery of the housing biased by the biasing member. When the connector is waiting to be fitted to a stored object, the connector is held in a posture where the terminal is inclined due to abutment between the inclined surface and the flange with respect to a virtual line perpendicular to the bottom surface, and when the connector is fitted to the stored object, the connector is held in a posture where the terminal is vertical along the virtual line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Masaki SHIKANAI, Yoshinari MATSUYAMA, Takeshi KIKUCHI, Yuzuka ISOBE, Takeru SAKAMOTO
  • Patent number: 10836446
    Abstract: A wall surface suction travel device includes a first travel unit, a second travel unit, a joint mechanism, and an elastic mechanism. The travel units are aligned along a travel direction and are each configured to travel on a wall surface while being suctioned on the wall surface. The joint mechanism couples the travel units together such that the travel units can pivot relative to each other on a pivot axis extending in a direction that is perpendicular to both a wall surface facing direction and the travel direction. The elastic mechanism includes a first end fixed to the first travel unit, a second end fixed to the second travel unit, and an elastic member configured to be elastically deformed when one of the travel units pivots relative to the other travel unit and a distance between the first end and the second end is shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Sekiguchi, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Tomomi Nishikata, Masaki Shikanai, Takeshi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20200266641
    Abstract: A charging device includes: a connector that protrudes from a placement surface; a protective plate; a wall surface intersecting with the placement surface; a support member capable of moving to be in a first orientation in which the protective plate is supported and a second orientation in which the protective plate is not supported; and a lock mechanism that locks the support member in the first orientation. The lock mechanism includes a first protruding part that, when the support member is locked, releases the locking of the support member by being pushed. The support member (i) includes a second protruding part, and (ii) moves from the first orientation to the second orientation by the second protruding part being pushed toward the wall surface in a state where the locking is released. When the support member has moved, the protective plate is capable of moving to the placement stand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Masaki SHIKANAI, Yoshinari MATSUYAMA, Takeshi KIKUCHI, Yuzuka ISOBE
  • Publication number: 20200259348
    Abstract: A loaded body housing device includes: an upper table which rotates about a rotation axis extending along the Z-axis and supports a plurality of batteries in a plurality of storage spaces around the rotation axis; a lower table which rotates about a rotation axis extending along the Z-axis and supports a plurality of batteries in a plurality of storage spaces around the rotation axis; and a casing having openings each of which exposes one storage space when viewed in the negative direction of the Z-axis. The upper table is positioned to have overlapping between a part of the plurality of storage spaces and the plurality of storage spaces and no overlapping between the plurality of storage spaces and a storage space when viewed in the negative direction of the Z-axis. A direction in which the rotation axes are arranged intersects with a direction in which the storage spaces are arranged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Yoshinari Matsuyama, Masaki Shikanai, Takeshi Kikuchi, Yuzuka Isobe
  • Publication number: 20200256507
    Abstract: A storage device includes a storage body, which includes a bottom surface, wall surfaces surrounding a storage space, a front opening portion and an upper opening portion such that a package body is enabled to be inserted into the storage space from a plurality of directions, a front guide, which is provided on the bottom surface in proximity to the front opening portion, and includes an inclined surface descending toward a surface on a back side of the storage space among the wall surfaces, and a rear guide, which is provided on the surface on the back side in proximity to the upper opening portion, and restricts upward movement of the package body stored in the storage space along the surface on the back side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Yuzuka ISOBE, Yoshinari MATSUYAMA, Masaki SHIKANAI, Takeshi KIKUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200256117
    Abstract: A storage device includes a shutter having a vertically divided dome shape formed by cutting a one-end-closed cylindrical shape at two planes, the one-end-closed cylindrical shape being formed by closing an upper end of a cylindrical portion whose axis line is along an up-down direction, an arc-shaped lower portion reinforcing member which has a higher rigidity than the cylindrical portion, a housing, which includes an opening portion, the opening portion being opened and closed by the shutter rotating around the axis line, a bearing portion provided in the housing, which suspends and supports the ceiling surface portion, a lower end support portion, which supports a lower surface of the lower portion reinforcing member at a plurality of locations; and an inner side support portion, which supports an inner peripheral surface of the lower portion reinforcing member at a plurality of locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Takeshi KIKUCHI, Yoshinari MATSUYAMA, Masaki SHIKANAI, Yuzuka ISOBE
  • Patent number: 10696338
    Abstract: A wall surface suction-type travel device is configured to travel on a wall surface while being suctioned on the wall surface. An intermediate chamber communicates with decompression chambers facing the wall surface. A suction device sucks in air from the intermediate chamber to decompress the intermediate chamber. Principal communicating parts allow the decompression chambers to communicate with the intermediate chamber. Secondary communicating parts allow the respective decompression chambers to communicate with the intermediate chamber. Valves face openings of the respective principal communicating parts. An area of an opening of each of the secondary communicating parts is smaller than an area of the opening of a corresponding one of the principal communicating parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshinari Matsuyama, Tomohiro Sekiguchi, Masaki Shikanai, Takeshi Kikuchi, Tomomi Nishikata
  • Patent number: 10618575
    Abstract: A wall surface suction travel device includes a first travel unit, a second travel unit, a joint mechanism, and an elastic mechanism. The travel units are aligned along a travel direction and are each configured to travel on a wall surface while being suctioned on the wall surface. The joint mechanism couples the travel units together such that the travel units can pivot relative to each other on a pivot axis extending in a direction that is perpendicular to both a wall surface facing direction and the travel direction. The elastic mechanism includes a first end fixed to the first travel unit, a second end fixed to the second travel unit, and an elastic member configured to be elastically deformed when one of the travel units pivots relative to the other travel unit and a distance between the first end and the second end is shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Sekiguchi, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Tomomi Nishikata, Masaki Shikanai, Takeshi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20200017151
    Abstract: A wall surface suction-type travel device includes a main body, a cushion, a plurality of support wheels, a crawler, and a drive source. The main body includes a wall-surface facing section and a draw-in port. The cushion is disposed on the wall-surface facing section of the main body and surrounding an edge of the draw-in port. The cushion is elastically deformable and has a slide surface sliding on the wall surface when the wall surface suction-type travel device travels on the wall surface. The plurality of support wheels are disposed on the main body. The crawler is an endless belt suspended on the plurality of the support wheels. The crawler has a grip surface put into contact with the wall surface when the wall surface suction-type travel device travels on the wall surface. The drive source is to rotate the crawler.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Inventors: Tomohiro SEKIGUCHI, Yoshinari MATSUYAMA, Tomomi NISHIKATA, Masaki SHIKANAI, Takeshi KIKUCHI, Shogo MIKAMI
  • Patent number: 10483743
    Abstract: A cable holding device for holding a cable, includes a first member, a second member and a fixing member. The first member has a first through hole through which the cable is to pass. The second member has a second through hole through which the cable is to pass. The fixing member fixes the second member to the first member in such a condition that the second through hole partially overlaps the first through hole to hold the cable by an inner periphery of the first through hole and an inner periphery of the second through hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Shikanai, Shogo Mikami, Yoshinari Matsuyama, Tomohiro Sekiguchi, Takeshi Kikuchi, Tomomi Nishikata
  • Publication number: 20190338591
    Abstract: A safety device for a wall surface suction-type travel device that is configured to travel on a wall surface while being suctioned on the wall surface includes an extending member, a support base, and a safety rope. The extending member is configured to be disposed on the wall surface and bendable by self weight. The support base supports the extending member so as to allow the extending member to move in a direction along which the extending member extends. The safety rope connects the extending member with the wall surface suction-type travel device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Yoshinari MATSUYAMA, Tomohiro SEKIGUCHI, Shogo MIKAMI, Masaki SHIKANAI, Takeshi KIKUCHI