Patents by Inventor Minoru Kouchi

Minoru Kouchi 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: 8403435
    Abstract: A sliding apparatus in which a first extension member and a second extension member are relatively movable in a longitudinal direction includes a restriction portion for restricting a movement range that allows the relative movement. The restriction portion includes: a projection portion that is formed integrally with the first extension member; and an engaging portion that is formed integrally with the second extension member. The projection portion has: a support portion; and a protrusion portion that is provided on a tip side of the support portion and is protruded toward the second extension member. The engaging portion has: a guide portion that guides the protrusion portion of the projection portion; and an abutting portion that abuts the protrusion portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Minoru Kouchi
  • Publication number: 20090224643
    Abstract: A sliding apparatus in which a first extension member and a second extension member are relatively movable in a longitudinal direction includes a restriction portion for restricting a movement range that allows the relative movement. The restriction portion includes: a projection portion that is formed integrally with the first extension member; and an engaging portion that is formed integrally with the second extension member. The projection portion has: a support portion; and a protrusion portion that is provided on a tip side of the support portion and is protruded toward the second extension member. The engaging portion has: a guide portion that guides the protrusion portion of the projection portion; and an abutting portion that abuts the protrusion portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Minoru KOUCHI
  • Patent number: 7338174
    Abstract: Each shading plate comprises a rotating shaft and a driving shaft arranged vertically. First divided shading plate is loosely fitted to and supported by (not adhere to) the rotating shaft and rotates around the shaft. Second divided shading plates are fixed to the rotating shafts and rotate by rotating movement of the shafts. A driving shaft is connected longitudinally to (not adhere to) an edge of the first divided shading plate and supply power to rotate the first divided shading plates. Recesses are formed at the center of upper short side and at the center of lower short side of the first divided shading plate and the first divided shading plate and the second divided shading plates which form one and the same shading plate are so constructed that their short sides are overlapped each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Koba, Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi
  • Publication number: 20070241652
    Abstract: A slide rail unit for guiding an object to be pulled out, such as drawer, from a body, such as furniture or desk, in which the object is slid ably accommodated includes a body side rail provided for the body, and an object (i.e., drawer) side rail provided for the object to be pulled out to be slidable relative to the body side rail. The body side rail and the object side rail each has a portion bent in a circular-arc shape so that the object is pulled out along a circular-arc locus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Publication date: October 18, 2007
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Akira Sato, Minoru Kouchi, Soichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7249814
    Abstract: A slide rail unit for guiding an object to be pulled out, such as drawer, from a body, such as furniture or desk, in which the object is slid ably accommodated includes a body side rail provided for the body, and an object (i.e., drawer) side rail provided for the object to be pulled out to be slidable relative to the body side rail. The body side rail and the object side rail each has a portion bent in a circular-arc shape so that the object is pulled out along a circular-arc locus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Akira Sato, Minoru Kouchi, Soichi Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20070108879
    Abstract: A slide rail unit for guiding an object to be pulled out, such as drawer, from a body, such as furniture or desk, in which the object is slid ably accommodated includes a body side rail provided for the body, and an object (i.e., drawer) side rail provided for the object to be pulled out to be slidable relative to the body side rail. The body side rail and the object side rail each has a portion bent in a circular-arc shape so that the object is pulled out along a circular-arc locus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2007
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Akira Sato, Minoru Kouchi, Soichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7178889
    Abstract: A slide rail unit for guiding an object to be pulled out, such as drawer, from a body, such as furniture or desk, in which the object is slidably accommodated includes a body side rail provided for the body, and an object (i.e., drawer) side rail provided for the object to be pulled out to be slidable relative to the body side rail. The body side rail and the object side rail each has a portion bent in a circular-arc shape so that the object is pulled out along a circular-arc locus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: THK, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Akira Sato, Minoru Kouchi, Soichi Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20050185151
    Abstract: Each shading plate comprises a rotating shaft and a driving shaft arranged vertically. First divided shading plate is loosely fitted to and supported by (not adhere to) the rotating shaft and rotates around the shaft. Second divided shading plates are fixed to the rotating shafts and rotate by rotating movement of the shafts. A driving shaft is connected longitudinally to (not adhere to) an edge of the first divided shading plate and supply power to rotate the first divided shading plates. Recesses are formed at the center of upper short side and at the center of lower short side of the first divided shading plate and the first divided shading plate and the second divided shading plates which form one and the same shading plate are so constructed that their short sides are overlapped each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2005
    Publication date: August 25, 2005
    Applicants: SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD., THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki Koba, Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi
  • Publication number: 20050012440
    Abstract: A slide rail unit for guiding an object to be pulled out, such as drawer, from a body, such as furniture or desk, in which the object is slidably accommodated includes a body side rail provided for the body, and an object (i.e., drawer) side rail provided for the object to be pulled out to be slidable relative to the body side rail. The body side rail and the object side rail each has a portion bent in a circular-arc shape so that the object is pulled out along a circular-arc locus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Publication date: January 20, 2005
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Akira Sato, Minoru Kouchi, Soichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6829108
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to further improve a lens barrel moving mechanism of a liquid crystal projector and to provide a lens moving mechanism which has simple structure and is capable of achieving the smooth and high precision movement of a lens barrel, and a liquid crystal projector employing the lens moving mechanism. The present invention provides a lens moving mechanism for moving a lens retaining member 20, which retains a lens barrel 15 provided therein with a projection lens for projecting light with image information, in the directions of Z axis and X axis. The lens moving mechanism comprises first and second guiding mechanisms 23, 23, 24, 24 including a track member, a movable member, and a plurality of rolling members arranged between a rolling member running surface of the track member and a rolling member running surface of the movable member, whereby the lens barrel 15 is guided by the first and the second guiding mechanisms 23, 23, 24, 24 in the directions of Z axis and X axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Koba, Susumu Takehara, Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi, Kentaro Eto
  • Patent number: 6778340
    Abstract: In a lens mounting mechanism, by rotating a ring member through touching lugs of the ring member and aligning grooves of a base member and recesses of the ring member in the circumferential direction, and then inserting a lens barrel into a hole portion, the lens barrel is moved to the hole portion without being interfered by projections of a barrel mounting member, so that the lens barrel can be inserted into the hole portion until a flange portion abuts against an opening end surface. Then, by touching the lugs of the ring member and rotating the ring member to displace the recesses from the grooves of the base member in the circumference direction, the projection of the barrel mounting member is locked by the ring member and the barrel mounting member is fixed to the base member, so that the lens barrel can be mounted to the apparatus body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi, Kentaro Eto, Takashi Ogata
  • Publication number: 20040070851
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to further improve a lens barrel moving mechanism of a liquid crystal projector and to provide a lens moving mechanism which has simple structure and is capable of achieving the smooth and high precision movement of a lens barrel, and a liquid crystal projector employing the lens moving mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventors: Hiroki Koba, Susumu Takehara, Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi, Kentaro Eto
  • Publication number: 20040027692
    Abstract: In a lens mounting mechanism, by rotating a ring member through touching lugs of the ring member and aligning grooves of a base member and recesses of the ring member in the circumferential direction, and then inserting a lens barrel into a hole portion, the lens barrel is moved to the hole portion without being interfered by projections of a barrel mounting member, so that the lens barrel can be inserted into the hole portion until a flange portion abuts against an opening end surface. Then, by touching the lugs of the ring member and rotating the ring member to displace the recesses from the grooves of the base member in the circumference direction, the projection of the barrel mounting member is locked by the ring member and the barrel mounting member is fixed to the base member, so that the lens barrel can be mounted to the apparatus body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2003
    Publication date: February 12, 2004
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi, Kentaro Eto, Takashi Ogata
  • Patent number: 6488411
    Abstract: The present invention offers a universal guide device capable of using the sliders of conventional straight guide devices intact. The universal guide device does not need a different slider for each different radius of track rail. The universal guide device can be manufactured at lower cost than heretofore. This universal guide device in accordance with the invention comprises a track rail and sliders mounted to the rail via balls circulating through endless circular paths. The rail has at least one straight region and at least one curved region shaped in an arc with a given radius of curvature. Each of the sliders is of saddlelike cross section. The sliders span the rail. The sliders have ball-rolling surfaces shaped linearly. The curved region of the rail is set narrower than the straight region of the rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Michioka, Hiroaki Mochizuki, Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi
  • Publication number: 20020028030
    Abstract: The present invention offers a universal guide device capable of using the sliders of conventional straight guide devices intact. The universal guide device does not need a different slider for each different radius of track rail. The universal guide device can be manufactured at lower cost than heretofore. This universal guide device in accordance with the invention comprises a track rail and sliders mounted to the rail via balls circulating through endless circular paths. The rail has at least one straight region and at least one curved region shaped in an arc with a given radius of curvature. Each of the sliders is of saddlelike cross section. The sliders span the rail. The sliders have ball-rolling surfaces shaped linearly. The curved region of the rail is set narrower than the straight region of the rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Applicant: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Michioka, Hiroaki Mochizuki, Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi
  • Patent number: 6338573
    Abstract: The present invention offers a universal guide device capable of using the sliders of conventional straight guide devices intact. The universal guide device does not need a different slider for each different radius of track rail. The universal guide device can be manufactured at lower cost than normal. This universal guide device in accordance with the invention comprises a track rail and sliders mounted to the rail via balls circulating through endless circular paths. The rail has at least one straight region and at least one curved region shaped in an arc with a given radius of curvature. Each of the sliders is of saddlelike cross section. The sliders span the rail. The sliders have ball-rolling surfaces shaped linearly. The curved region of the rail is set narrower than the straight region of the rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: THK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Michioka, Hiroaki Mochizuki, Kaoru Hoshide, Minoru Kouchi