Patents by Inventor Minoru Toyota

Minoru Toyota 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: 7014241
    Abstract: Disclosed is a storage box structure for use with a vehicle equipped with first and second seats each of which has a seat cushion and a seatback and which are arranged in the width direction of the vehicle while a given space left therebetween. The storage box structure comprises a storage box provided with a box body with a top opening and formed in a configuration capable of being disposed between the first and second seats in the width direction, and a support mechanism supporting the storage box in such a manner that the storage box can selectively take either one of a use position where the storage box is located between the first and second seats and a retracted position where the storage box is retracted to provide a space between the first and second seats. In a storage box structure allowing a storage box to be disposed between seats, the present invention can assure a walk-through space between the seats as needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Toyota, Tatsuya Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20050269853
    Abstract: The seat device, disposed on the floor panel in the cabin with the instrument panel, comprises the driver seat, the assistant seat and the rear seat, wherein the assistant seat is foldable and movable forward close to the instrument panel to be located in the stored position where the length of the folded seat is made short, the rear seat is foldable and movable forward to be located in the stored position, and the assistant seat in the stored position and the rear seat in the stored position provide the substantially continuous storage space which is formed by back faces of respective seat backs and of the assistant seat and the rear seat. Thus, both the large space and the roomy cabin for passengers can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2005
    Publication date: December 8, 2005
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Minoru Toyota
  • Publication number: 20050230996
    Abstract: There is provided the seat device for a vehicle, which is disposed on the rear floor panel in the cabin equipped with the ingress and egress opening at the side, comprising the first seat being provided so as to be folded, the second seat being provided beside the first seat, and the second-seat moving mechanism (the seat slide rails) to move the second seat laterally to the space of the original existing location of the first seat before the first seat has been folded. Accordingly, there can be provided a storage space beside the seat to allow an easy loading (easy access) from the outside of the vehicle, thereby improving facilities of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru Toyota, Akira Ito, Kazue Sumida
  • Publication number: 20050218683
    Abstract: There is provided a seat device for a vehicle comprising a pair of main seats disposed in the vehicle width direction including respectively a main seat cushion and main seat back, and a sub seat back disposed between the main seat backs, wherein the sub seat back is configured so as to be in an arranged position in which the sub seat back is located above the main seat cushion and before the main seat back, and the main seat backs are configured so as to be moved inward when the sub seat back is in the arranged position. Accordingly, the width of the seat can be adjusted variably, without improperly affecting spaces behind or before the seat, thereby attaining both the movement of seat and the improvement of space utility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Publication date: October 6, 2005
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru Toyota, Akira Ito, Kazue Sumida
  • Publication number: 20050218684
    Abstract: In a seat device for a vehicle comprising a front-row seat including a driver seat and an assistant seat and a rear-row seat provided behind the front-row seat, respective front-row and rear-row seats being provided in a cabin which includes an ingress and egress opening, at a side face, the rear-row seat is configured so as to be located in a normal use position and in a stored position where a longitudinal thickness thereof is made short, and the assistant seat is configured so as to be moved rearward from a position beside the driver seat to a position which corresponds to the normal use position of the rear-row seat. Accordingly, a space in the cabin properly can be utilized, by effectively enlarging a rearward-movement range of the front-row seat including the assistant seat with a simple structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Publication date: October 6, 2005
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazue Sumida, Akira Ito, Minoru Toyota
  • Publication number: 20050052044
    Abstract: Disclosed is a storage box structure for use with a vehicle equipped with first and second seats each of which has a seat cushion and a seatback and which are arranged in the width direction of the vehicle while a given space left therebetween. The storage box structure comprises a storage box provided with a box body with a top opening and formed in a configuration capable of being disposed between the first and second seats in the width direction, and a support mechanism supporting the storage box in such a manner that the storage box can selectively take either one of a use position where the storage box is located between the first and second seats and a retracted position where the storage box is retracted to provide a space between the first and second seats. In a storage box structure allowing a storage box to be disposed between seats, the present invention can assure a walk-through space between the seats as needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Publication date: March 10, 2005
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Toyota, Tatsuya Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6338516
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a vehicle rear body structure to reduce the amount of the transformation of the vehicle rear body portion for the back row seat in the event of the rear end collision. A pair of the rear wheel houses (51) are formed at the back part of a floor panel. A suspension tower (52) is formed to the rear wheel house (51). The pan (53) is formed nearly in the center part in the traverse direction of the floor panel 1 behind the suspension tower (52). The pan (53) is formed like the plate so as to being opened upward. The bottom of the pan (53) is substantially horizontal. The spare tire (54) is kept substantially horizontal in the pan (53).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Toyota, Yasuyuki Kimura, Koji Nakao
  • Patent number: 6065776
    Abstract: In a vehicle having a second row of seats designed for providing seats for three passengers and a third row of seats which are detachable, a seat belt unit for the third row has a webbing whose length is enough to reach a center seat of the second row, and which is pulled out via an anchor, as a fulcrum, designed rotatable to a position where it faces to the center seat. With this configuration, an elevation of the seats in the third row is set higher than that in the second row as well as an elevation of a mounting position of the anchor is set higher than that of an anchor for a second row seat belt unit, so that a passenger in the center seat is properly protected by the seat belt unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Toyota, Toshinori Sakamoto, Koji Nakao, Satoshi Nishikaji
  • Patent number: 5605368
    Abstract: A vehicle having a plurality of seats is generally provided with a plurality of seatbelt units and a seat sliding device for adjusting the positions of a first seat and a second seat located rearward of the first seat. The sliding device of the present invention comprises a pair of continuous rail members for guiding the first and second seats in a lengthwise direction of the vehicle. Each of the rails extends across the first and second seats. First and second sliders on the rails carry the first and second seats, respectively, so that both the first and second seats are movable substantially throughout the lengths of the rail members in the lengthwise direction. A first and second latch mechanisms are provided for positioning the first and second seats in place on the rail members, respectively. The first and second latch mechnisms are provided on the first and second sliders so as to be moved together with the corresponding sliders, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1997
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kohji Noma, Osamu Kishi, Minoru Toyota