Patents by Inventor Masami Hirooka

Masami Hirooka 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: 6530741
    Abstract: A self-propelled vehicle with a loader comprises a vehicle body extending in a fore and aft direction of the vehicle; support bases extending laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the vehicle body; main frames erected on the support bases, respectively, each main frame being in form of a box opening forward and upward and including right and left side walls and a rear wall, the box containing an engageable element; side frames each mounted in the box, each side frame having an engaging element disposed in a lower region thereof for rotatably fitting from above on the engageable element; booms pivotably connected to upper end regions of the side frames, respectively; boom cylinders for swinging the booms relative to the side frames, respectively; and reinforcing members each disposed between the right and left side walls of one of the main frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Isao Kourogi, Masami Hirooka, Koichi Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 6142724
    Abstract: Each of right and left attaching units of a front loader of a working vehicle has a pair of side plates extending vertically, and a connecting member interconnecting the side plates in positions intermediate in a fore and aft direction, As a result, each of the right and left attaching units has an H-shaped cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Masami Hirooka, Koichi Kawaguchi, Naoya Muramoto
  • Patent number: 6035941
    Abstract: A tractor for use with a front loader connected thereto has a pair of mast mounts for detachably attaching right and left masts of the front loader, a pair of braces for coupling the mast mounts to the tractor, and a weight mount for carrying a plurality of weights. The braces have distal ends thereof connected to the weight mount. A spacing L1 between the distal ends of the braces is smaller than a spacing L2 between proximal ends thereof. Consequently, the braces are arranged to avoid their interference with front wheel steering. With the weight mount acting also as a brace support, the weight mount has an increased supporting strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Masami Hirooka, Isao Kourogi
  • Patent number: 5540289
    Abstract: A stand apparatus for a front loader having masts attachable to mast mounts of a tractor through pivotal supports and mast fixing members, booms connected to the masts, boom cylinders and braces. The stand apparatus includes stand members each defining a slot for receiving a pivotal support disposed in a lower position on each mast, and a stand locking bore formed adjacent thereto. Each stand member is pivotable between an operative position in which a ground engaging end thereof contacts the ground to stand the front loader, and a contained position in which the ground engaging end is supported by the front loader. The pivotal support of each mast is movable in the slot to limit an amount of upward projection of the stand member in the confined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Masami Hirooka, Kazuhiko Ikeuchi, Toshihiko Waka
  • Patent number: 5536134
    Abstract: A front loader coupling apparatus for a front loader having masts attachable to mast mounts of a tractor, and booms, boom cylinders and braces. The front loader coupling apparatus includes a first coupling device provided on the masts and mast mounts, a second coupling device disposed above the first coupling device, a stand device connected to the masts, and a brace connecting device. The brace connecting device includes a receiver for receiving a cross rod of the braces. The receiver has a fixing device for fitting on the cross rod from above when the masts are attached to the mast mounts, and a support for supporting the cross rod from below when the cross rod is uncoupled from the fixing device. The fixing device and the support define a space therebetween for enabling forward parallel movement of the cross rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventor: Masami Hirooka
  • Patent number: 5240367
    Abstract: A loader having a working implement is removed from a tractor by placing the implement and a stand into contact with the ground as spaced apart from each other in the direction of advance of the tractor, disconnecting each of masts from a mount, subsequently advancing the tractor to raise the mast off the mount with the ground contact portion of the stand serving as a fulcrum and cause the implement and the stand to support the loader in a standing state, and thereafter retracting the tractor. The loader is attached to the tractor by advancing the tractor toward the loader in the standing state to set the mount in position in the rear of the mast, further advancing the tractor to incline the stand downwardly rearward and fit the mast into the mount from above, thereafter connecting the mast to the mount and removing the stand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Kentaro Nakamura, Masami Hirooka
  • Patent number: 4966518
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the posture of a front loader has booms attachable to a vehicle body which are pivotally movably upward and downward and has a work implement attached to the forward ends of the booms and pivotally movable in a scooping direction and a dumping direction. Each of the booms and the implement are pivotally movable by a single control lever independently of each other or movable simultaneously. The apparatus includes an actuating member for shifting the control lever from a boom raising position to a boom raising and dumping position when the booms are not positioned lower than a specified level. This eliminates the likelihood of the implement tilting rearwardly downward even if the booms are raised, precluding the implement from spilling the earth or sand scooped up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1990
    Assignee: Kubota Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Kourogi, Masami Hirooka
  • Patent number: 4802814
    Abstract: A device for attaching a front loader to a tractor by removably mounting each of a pair of boom supporting masts on a mast support fixed to the tractor body and removably fixing the front end of each brace extending forward from the mast to a brace fixing member secured to the front end of the tractor body. One of the lower end of each mast and the upper side of the mast support has a projection, and the other of these parts has a recessed portion for receiving the projection. The mast is pivotably supported by means of the projection and the recessed portion from below while being thereby restrained from moving longitudinally of the tractor body. A guide on the brace end and the fixing member coact to hold the brace end in position. The mast and the brace are fixed in position by a lockpin. The loader can be removably attached to the tractor with ease and high rigidity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1989
    Assignee: Kubota Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Kourogi, Keiichi Masuda, Masami Hirooka, Yoshio Tomiyama, Kazunori Yoshiuchi, Takashi Gokenya
  • Patent number: 4755101
    Abstract: The body of a vehicle is provided at a side portion thereof with a mount frame having a mount portion for a front loader. The front loader has a mast removably attachable to the mount portion, a lift arm supported by the mast, a lift cylinder connected between the mast and the lift arm, a working portion pivotably supported by the front end of the lift arm, a work cylinder connected between the lift arm and the working portion, and a brace removably connectable between the mast and a front side portion of the vehicle body. When the front loader is to be attached to or removed from the vehicle body, the brace is removably attached to the lift arm or to the working portion, and with the brace and the working portion placed on the ground, the work cylinder is extended or contracted, lowering or raising the lift arm and the mast, whereby the mast is shifted between an attached position on the mount portion and a removed position thereabove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1988
    Assignee: Kubota Ltd.
    Inventors: Akio Hamada, Masami Hirooka
  • Patent number: 4355693
    Abstract: A working vehicle according to this invention comprises right and left traveling members (1a, 1b) adapted to be driven and stopped individually or simultaneously to effect traveling and turning round of the vehicle, a traveling speed changing mechanism (8) for providing a high speed drive and a low speed drive and including an operator member (8a), and a switch mechanism (13) adapted to automatically and reversibly switch the traveling speed changing mechanism (8) from a position to provide the high speed drive to a position to provide the low speed drive when the vehicle traveling straight turns round.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1982
    Assignee: Kubota Ltd.
    Inventors: Masami Hirooka, Denzaburo Harada
  • Patent number: D273384
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 10, 1984
    Assignee: Kubota, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoo Nasu, Yoshishioro Okita, Masami Hirooka, Yoshiaki Yanoshita, Yoshio Tomiyama, Kinichi Murata