Patents by Inventor Minoru Minoura

Minoru Minoura 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: 9254904
    Abstract: A vessel includes an outboard motor including an upstream exhaust port that emits exhaust, a hull including a rear portion on which the outboard motor is mounted, a cabin disposed above the hull, a downstream exhaust port disposed farther to a lateral side than the outboard motor, and an exhaust passage extending from the upstream exhaust port to the downstream exhaust port and guiding the exhaust from the upstream exhaust port to the downstream exhaust port. The cabin includes a windshield disposed in front of the outboard motor in a plan view. The height of the cabin from a rearmost end of the outboard motor is not less than ½ or about ½ of a horizontal distance in a front/rear direction from a rear end edge of the windshield to the rearmost end of the outboard motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Minoru Minoura
  • Publication number: 20140378014
    Abstract: A vessel includes an outboard motor including an upstream exhaust port that emits exhaust, a hull including a rear portion on which the outboard motor is mounted, a cabin disposed above the hull, a downstream exhaust port disposed farther to a lateral side than the outboard motor, and an exhaust passage extending from the upstream exhaust port to the downstream exhaust port and guiding the exhaust from the upstream exhaust port to the downstream exhaust port. The cabin includes a windshield disposed in front of the outboard motor in a plan view. The height of the cabin from a rearmost end of the outboard motor is not less than ½ or about ½ of a horizontal distance in a front/rear direction from a rear end edge of the windshield to the rearmost end of the outboard motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventor: Minoru MINOURA
  • Patent number: 8702457
    Abstract: A vessel propulsion apparatus includes a nozzle, a deflector, a reverse bucket, and a guide. In a state in which the reverse bucket is positioned at a closed position and the deflector is positioned at a straight drive position, the guide generates a right branch stream flowing in an obliquely forward right direction and a left branch stream flowing in an obliquely forward left direction. In a state in which the reverse bucket is positioned at the closed position and the deflector is positioned at a right side, the guide generates the left branch stream. In a state in which the reverse bucket is positioned at the closed position and the deflector is positioned at a left side, the guide generates the right branch stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Minoru Minoura, Nobuharu Oota
  • Patent number: 8579668
    Abstract: A vessel propulsion apparatus includes a nozzle, a deflector, and a forward bucket (hereinafter referred to as “F bucket”). In a state in which the F bucket is in a closed position and the deflector is positioned at a left side, water jetted obliquely rearward to the left from the deflector is guided by the F bucket in a left guiding direction that is tilted further to the left than a direction of jetting of water from the deflector. In a state in which the F bucket is in the closed position and the deflector is positioned at a right side, water jetted obliquely rearward to the right from the deflector is guided by the F bucket in a right guiding direction that is tilted further to the right than the direction of jetting of water from the deflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Minoru Minoura, Yuki Nakashima, Kenichi Yamada, Nobuharu Oota, Shimpei Kojima
  • Publication number: 20130237106
    Abstract: A vessel propulsion apparatus includes a nozzle, a deflector, a reverse bucket, and a guide. In a state in which the reverse bucket is positioned at a closed position and the deflector is positioned at a straight drive position, the guide generates a right branch stream flowing in an obliquely forward right direction and a left branch stream flowing in an obliquely forward left direction. In a state in which the reverse bucket is positioned at the closed position and the deflector is positioned at a right side, the guide generates the left branch stream. In a state in which the reverse bucket is positioned at the closed position and the deflector is positioned at a left side, the guide generates the right branch stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2012
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru MINOURA, Nobuharu OOTA
  • Publication number: 20120276793
    Abstract: A vessel propulsion apparatus includes a nozzle, a deflector, and a forward bucket (hereinafter referred to as “F bucket”). In a state in which the F bucket is in a closed position and the deflector is positioned at a left side, water jetted obliquely rearward to the left from the deflector is guided by the F bucket in a left guiding direction that is tilted further to the left than a direction of jetting of water from the deflector. In a state in which the F bucket is in the closed position and the deflector is positioned at a right side, water jetted obliquely rearward to the right from the deflector is guided by the F bucket in a right guiding direction that is tilted further to the right than the direction of jetting of water from the deflector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru MINOURA, Yuki NAKASHIMA, Kenichi YAMADA, Nobuharu OOTA, Shimpei KOJIMA
  • Patent number: 8078347
    Abstract: A control device for a watercraft propulsion system can reduce wear of a shift mechanism, can achieve an automated extremely slow speed navigation and easy watercraft navigation, and can negate differences between watercraft navigation skills of watercraft operators. A remote control operation section includes a remote controller shift lever. A watercraft propulsion section includes a shift change unit and a shift actuator arranged to drive the shift change unit, a main control section arranged to control an operation of the shift actuator based upon an operational amount of the remote controller shift lever, an auxiliary control section arranged to control a watercraft to move at an extremely slow speed, and a changeover section arranged to select one of the main control section and an auxiliary control section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Minoru Minoura
  • Publication number: 20080154453
    Abstract: A control device for a watercraft propulsion system can reduce wear of a shift mechanism, can achieve an automated extremely slow speed navigation and easy watercraft navigation, and can negate differences between watercraft navigation skills of watercraft operators. A remote control operation section includes a remote controller shift lever. A watercraft propulsion section includes a shift change unit and a shift actuator arranged to drive the shift change unit, a main control section arranged to control an operation of the shift actuator based upon an operational amount of the remote controller shift lever, an auxiliary control section arranged to control a watercraft to move at an extremely slow speed, and a changeover section arranged to select one of the main control section and an auxiliary control section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Minoru MINOURA