Patents by Inventor Michihiro Okamoto

Michihiro Okamoto 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: 8149586
    Abstract: A tray keying mechanism is mounted on a backplane inside a modular chassis and has a protrusion that stands out like a post for each of several equipment bays. A modular tray can be inserted into each of the equipment bays, but it will not be allowed to be fully inserted and to engage the electrical connectors on the backplane if the corresponding post meets an obstruction on the rear apron of the tray. If the particular tray is the correct type, and is not upside down, the post will encounter no obstructions during the insertion of the tray, and the electrical connectors will be allowed to engage. In one embodiment, the keying mechanism comprises a bracket of molded plastic that fits all around the several connectors on the backplane, and could be patterned to fit an already existing and in-service backplane and chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Allen Curnalia, Kenji Hidaka, Michihiro Okamoto, Yasuhiro Yamamoto, Takeshi Wagatsuma
  • Patent number: 7843683
    Abstract: Airflow bypass dampers made from a resilient material and systems including the resilient dampers. The dampers are secured in a chassis and extend into a deployed position to obstruct airflow through a component bay of a chassis in the absence of a component, such as a sever blade, within the selected bay. The airflow bypass damper bends into a retracted position in response to installing a component into the bay. It returns to its original shape and position when the component is removed. An air moving device moves air through a component installed in the chassis. A plurality of the resilient airflow bypass dampers may be secured in a plurality of bays of a chassis, each resilient damper moving independently of the others. The resilient material bends without permanent deformation. For example, the resilient material may include, without limitation, natural polymers, synthetic polymers and metals. A preferred damper has a curved cross-sectional shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Edward S. Suffern, Takeshi Wagatsuma, Kenji Hidaka, Michihiro Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20100214733
    Abstract: Airflow bypass dampers made from a resilient material and systems including the resilient dampers. The dampers are secured in a chassis and extend into a deployed position to obstruct airflow through a component bay of a chassis in the absence of a component, such as a sever blade, within the selected bay. The airflow bypass damper bends into a retracted position in response to installing a component into the bay. It returns to its original shape and position when the component is removed. An air moving device moves air through a component installed in the chassis. A plurality of the resilient airflow bypass dampers may be secured in a plurality of bays of a chassis, each resilient damper moving independently of the others. The resilient material bends without permanent deformation. For example, the resilient material may include, without limitation, natural polymers, synthetic polymers and metals. A preferred damper has a curved cross-sectional shape.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Edward S. Suffern, Takeshi Wagatsuma, Kenji Hidaka, Michihiro Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7782603
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus comprising a latch mechanism, wherein the latch mechanism comprises a touch point, push points, pull back handles, and a latch tongue adapted to move up and down, wherein the latch tongue is adapted to being inserted into a retention hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Allen Curnalia, Kenji Hidaka, Michihiro Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20100182754
    Abstract: A tray keying mechanism is mounted on a backplane inside a modular chassis and has a protrusion that stands out like a post for each of several equipment bays. A modular tray can be inserted into each of the equipment bays, but it will not be allowed to be fully inserted and to engage the electrical connectors on the backplane if the corresponding post meets an obstruction on the rear apron of the tray. If the particular tray is the correct type, and is not upside down, the post will encounter no obstructions during the insertion of the tray, and the electrical connectors will be allowed to engage. In one embodiment, the keying mechanism comprises a bracket of molded plastic that fits all around the several connectors on the backplane, and could be patterned to fit an already existing and in-service backplane and chassis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Allen Curnalia, Kenji Hidaka, Michihiro Okamoto, Yasuhiro Yamamoto, Takeshi Wagatsuma
  • Patent number: 7684208
    Abstract: A system chassis includes multiple chassis bays configured for receiving either of a single, conventional server blade or an adapter blade. The adapter blade can selectively secure a plurality of compact blades, such as a blade PC. The adapter blade includes a blade latch for selectively releasing the adapter blade from the chassis bay, wherein the presence of a compact blade enclosure within any of the plurality of adapter bays of the adapter blade prevents the latch from being operable to release the adapter blade. The compact blade preferably includes a latch disposed along an upper or lower edge of the blade for selectively releasing the compact blade enclosure from the adapter bay. The adapter blade preferably also includes an interposer disposed for electronically communicating each compact blade with a server interface a separate node upon securing a compact blade within any of the adapter bays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michihiro Okamoto, Edward Stanley Suffern, Takeshi Wagatsuma
  • Patent number: 7675744
    Abstract: A data storage library includes a drive enclosure bay which can be adapted to work with multiple air-flow configuration requirements. This is accomplished by creating air-flow ports in the top and bottom of the drive enclosure bay, by forming drive tray slots and printed circuit board ports in associated drive trays, by creating frame ports and PCB notches in associated interface cards, and replacing traditional connectors with slimmer but longer connectors that provide additional standoff and improved air-flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Fujie, Kenji Hidaka, Shah Mohammad Rezaul Islam, Robert A. Kubo, Bret W. Lehman, Robert M. Lindsay, Gregg S. Lucas, Jason A. Matteson, Koji Nakase, Hirokazu Nishimura, Kifumi Numata, Michihiro Okamoto, Tony C. Sass, Kenneth R. Schneebeli, Tohru Sumiyoshi, Yoshihiko Terashita
  • Patent number: 7499271
    Abstract: A hard disk enclosure blade includes an enclosure insertable into a rack, a number of slots, a lever, and a flap. Each slot can receive a tray holding hard disk drives. The lever allows the enclosure to be pushed into and pulled from the rack. The lever has an open position in which the enclosure is removable from the rack, and a closed position in which the enclosure is not removable. The flap has a first flap position in which the flap is disposed across the slots and in which the lever is movable from its closed to its open position, and a second flap position in which the lever is not movable from the closed to the open position. Where the slots are all empty, the flap reverts to the first flap position. Insertion of a tray into a slot forces the flap to the second flap position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Wagatsuma, Michihiro Okamoto, Kenji Hidaka
  • Patent number: 7495906
    Abstract: A disk-drive storage assembly includes an interface card configurable to couple to a plurality of hard-disk drives. The interface card has a plurality of first vent openings to expose a surface area of each of the plurality of hard-disk drives. A drive chassis tray is coupled to the interface card having a plurality of second vent openings. The second vent openings are staggered to shift the exposed surface area of the hard-disk drives. A disk storage device includes a plurality of hard-disk drives. An interface card is coupled to the plurality of hard-disk drives. The interface card has a plurality of first vent openings to expose a surface area of each of the plurality of hard-disk drives. A drive chassis tray is coupled to the interface card having a plurality of second vent openings defined by a plurality of cross bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Fujie, Kenji Hidaka, Kifumi Numata, Michihiro Okamoto, Kenneth R. Schneebeli
  • Publication number: 20080239651
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus comprising a latch mechanism, wherein the latch mechanism comprises a touch point, push points, pull back handles, and a latch tongue adapted to move up and down, wherein the latch tongue is adapted to being inserted into a retention hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Allen Curnalia, Kenji Hidaka, Michihiro Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20080239650
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus comprising a tray coupled to leaf spring mounts with multiple guide slots, the multiple guide slots adapted to receive multiple guide pins coupled to an electronic component, the leaf spring mounts adapted to hold the electronic component in a pre-determined position with spring force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshirio Fujie, Kenji Hidaka, Koji Nakase, Michihiro Okamoto, Kenneth Robert Schneebeli, Takeshi Wagatsuma
  • Publication number: 20080239648
    Abstract: A design structure embodied in a machine readable storage medium for at least one of designing, manufacturing, and testing a system chassis is provided. The system chassis includes multiple chassis bays configured for receiving either a single, conventional server blade or an adapter blade. The adapter blade can selectively secure a plurality of compact blades. The adapter blade includes a blade latch for selectively releasing the adapter blade from the chassis bay, wherein the presence of a compact blade enclosure within any of the plurality of adapter bays of the adapter blade prevents the latch from being operable to release the adapter blade. The compact blade includes a latch disposed along an upper or lower edge of the blade for selectively releasing the compact blade enclosure from the adapter bay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: Michihiro Okamoto, Edward S. Suffern, Takeshi Wagatsuma
  • Publication number: 20080239689
    Abstract: A system chassis includes multiple chassis bays configured for receiving either of a single, conventional server blade or an adapter blade. The adapter blade can selectively secure a plurality of compact blades, such as a blade PC. The adapter blade includes a blade latch for selectively releasing the adapter blade from the chassis bay, wherein the presence of a compact blade enclosure within any of the plurality of adapter bays of the adapter blade prevents the latch from being operable to release the adapter blade. The compact blade preferably includes a latch disposed along an upper or lower edge of the blade for selectively releasing the compact blade enclosure from the adapter bay. The adapter blade preferably also includes an interposer disposed for electronically communicating each compact blade with a server interface a separate node upon securing a compact blade within any of the adapter bays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: Michihiro Okamoto, Edward Stanley Suffern, Takeshi Wagatsuma
  • Publication number: 20080084680
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for allowing a multi-drive tray (MDT) to be interchanged with a battery backup unit (BBU) tray within a disk enclosure blade (DEB) of a blade server. The DEB is implemented comprising a plurality of controller cards and a plurality of MDTs. One of the MDT slots within the DEB is configured to be interchanged with a BBU tray. The BBU tray is designed to include multiple BBUs and is configured to have packaging, mounting, and air flow characteristics that are similar to an MDT. In one embodiment, a controller card queries each MDT slot within the DEB and determines if any of the queried MDT slots contain a BBU tray. If a queried MDT slot contains a BBU tray, the controller card manages the queried MDT slot as a BBU slot. Otherwise, the controller card manages the queried MDT slot as an MDT slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2006
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventors: Shah Mohammad Rezaul Islam, Gregg S. Lucas, Ronald D. Parrish, Michihiro Okamoto, Tohru Sumiyoshi
  • Publication number: 20070247805
    Abstract: A disk-drive storage assembly includes an interface card configurable to couple to a plurality of hard-disk drives. The interface card has a plurality of first vent openings to expose a surface area of each of the plurality of hard-disk drives. A drive chassis tray is coupled to the interface card having a plurality of second vent openings. The second vent openings are staggered to shift the exposed surface area of the hard-disk drives. A disk storage device includes a plurality of hard-disk drives. An interface card is coupled to the plurality of hard-disk drives. The interface card has a plurality of first vent openings to expose a surface area of each of the plurality of hard-disk drives. A drive chassis tray is coupled to the interface card having a plurality of second vent openings defined by a plurality of cross bars.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Publication date: October 25, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Fujie, Kenji Hidaka, Kifumi Numata, Michihiro Okamoto, Kenneth Schneebeli
  • Publication number: 20070217143
    Abstract: A hard disk enclosure blade includes an enclosure insertable into a rack, a number of slots, a lever, and a flap. Each slot can receive a tray holding hard disk drives. The lever allows the enclosure to be pushed into and pulled from the rack. The lever has an open position in which the enclosure is removable from the rack, and a closed position in which the enclosure is not removable. The flap has a first flap position in which the flap is disposed across the slots and in which the lever is movable from its closed to its open position, and a second flap position in which the lever is not movable from the closed to the open position. Where the slots are all empty, the flap reverts to the first flap position. Insertion of a tray into a slot forces the flap to the second flap position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Wagatsuma, Michihiro Okamoto, Kenji Hidaka
  • Publication number: 20070217142
    Abstract: A hard disk enclosure blade includes an enclosure insertable into a rack, a number of slots, a lever, and a flap. Each slot can receive a tray holding hard disk drives. The lever allows the enclosure to be pushed into and pulled from the rack. The lever has an open position in which the enclosure is removable from the rack, and a closed position in which the enclosure is not removable. The flap has a first flap position in which the flap is disposed across the slots and in which the lever is movable from its closed to its open position, and a second flap position in which the lever is not movable from the closed to the open position. Where the slots are all empty, the flap reverts to the first flap position. Insertion of a tray into a slot forces the flap to the second flap position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventors: Takeshi Wagatsuma, Michihiro Okamoto, Kenji Hidaka
  • Publication number: 20070097621
    Abstract: A data storage library includes a drive enclosure bay which can be adapted to work with multiple air-flow configuration requirements. This is accomplished by creating air-flow ports in the top and bottom of the drive enclosure bay, by forming drive tray slots and printed circuit board ports in associated drive trays, by creating frame ports and PCB notches in associated interface cards, and replacing traditional connectors with slimmer but longer connectors that provide additional standoff and improved air-flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2005
    Publication date: May 3, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Fujie, Kenji Hidaka, Shah Islam, Robert Kubo, Bret Lehman, Robert Lindsay, Gregg Lucas, Jason Matteson, Koji Nakase, Hirokazu Nishimura, Kifumi Numata, Michihiro Okamoto, Tony Sass, Kenneth Schneebeli, Tohru Sumiyoshi, Yoshihiko Terashita
  • Publication number: 20070098281
    Abstract: One or more layers of constrained layer damping material is strategically placed within a data storage library having one or more sources of rotational vibration energy. Data storage devices, such as disk drives, are isolated from each other and from a drive tray by a first layer of constrained layer damping material. The drive trays are isolated from drive enclosure bays by a second layer of constrained layer damping material. A third layer of constrained layer damping material isolates each drive enclosure bay from the housing of the data storage library. The net effect is a significant reduction of the amount of rotational vibration energy arriving at each data storage device from other system components, such as a blower module. Additionally, the amount of rotational vibration energy arriving at each data storage device from other data storage devices is also reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2005
    Publication date: May 3, 2007
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Fujie, Kenton Green, Kenji Hidaka, Gregg Lucas, Michihiro Okamoto, Kenneth Schneebeli, Tohru Sumiyoshi, James Womble