Patents by Inventor Mitsuyoshi Machida
Mitsuyoshi Machida 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).
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Patent number: 7761934Abstract: A flush toilet and a drain socket are provided that align the direction of waste passing through a drainage trap so as to prevent pipe clogging without impairing wastewater discharge performance by a siphon effect. The drain socket is for connecting an outlet of a trap drainage channel of a flush toilet unit and a drain pipe located external of the flush toilet unit. The drain socket includes a drain socket body provided with an inlet for coupling with the trap drainage channel and an outlet for coupling with the drain pipe, a siphon inducing region provided on an inner wall of the drain socket body for inducing a siphon effect, and a straightening vane provided upstream of the siphon inducing region of the drain socket body to extend from the inner wall in the inward direction of the channel.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2003Date of Patent: July 27, 2010Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Tomoyasu Ichiki, Tsuyoshi Ozeki, Toshifumi Yoneda, Osamu Kobayashi, Katsuhiro Kawakami, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Shinji Shibata, Hiroshi Tomonari
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Patent number: 7294365Abstract: A method of preventing or reducing fogging of a surface of a composite when subjected to humid conditions includes providing a composite with a surface. The composite includes a substrate and a photocatalytic surface layer. The photocatalytic surface layer includes a photocatalyst. The method further includes subjecting the photocatalyst to photoexcitation to render the surface of the composite hydrophilic, wherein, after the photoexcitation, the surface of the composite has a water wettability of less than 10° in terms of the contact angle with water. The method further includes subjecting the composite to humidity that is sufficient to induce fogging of the substrate if the photocatalytic surface layer were absent.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2004Date of Patent: November 13, 2007Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Hayakawa, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshiya Watanabe, Makoto Chikuni, Akira Fujishima, Kazuhito Hashimoto
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Publication number: 20060123533Abstract: A flush toilet and a drain socket are provided that align the direction of waste passing through a drainage trap so as to prevent pipe clogging without impairing wastewater discharge performance by a siphon effect. The drain socket is for connecting an outlet of a trap drainage channel of a flush toilet unit and a drain pipe located external of the flush toilet unit. The drain socket includes a drain socket body provided with an inlet for coupling with the trap drainage channel and an outlet for coupling with the drain pipe, a siphon inducing region provided on an inner wall of the drain socket body for inducing a siphon effect, and a straightening vane provided upstream of the siphon inducing region of the drain socket body to extend from the inner wall in the inward direction of the channel.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 25, 2003Publication date: June 15, 2006Inventors: Tomoyasu Ichiki, Tsuyoshi Ozeki, Toshifumi Yoneda, Osamu Kobayashi, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Shinji Shibata, Hiroshi Tomonari
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Publication number: 20060057846Abstract: Disclosed are a composition for a sanitary ware body for use in slip casting, possessing excellent long-term storage stability, transportability and slurry regeneration, a production process of the same, and a production process of a sanitary ware using the composition for a sanitary ware body. This composition for a sanitary ware body comprises agglomerate of a raw material powder for said sanitary ware body and has a water content of 0 (zero) to 25% by weight and a 50% average particle diameter of 1 to 15 ?m on a number basis of the powder. A slurry of a raw material for a sanitary ware body for use in slip casting can be prepared by adding water to the composition for a sanitary ware body and stirring the mixture.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2003Publication date: March 16, 2006Applicant: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Hidemi Ishikawa, Katsuhiro Kawakami, Tsuyoshi Ozeki, Takachika Arakawa, Mitsuyoshi Machida
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Publication number: 20050019700Abstract: A method of preventing or reducing fogging of a surface of a composite when subjected to humid conditions includes providing a composite with a surface. The composite includes a substrate and a photocatalytic surface layer. The photocatalytic surface layer includes a photocatalyst. The method further includes subjecting the photocatalyst to photoexcitation to render the surface of the composite hydrophilic, wherein, after the photoexcitation, the surface of the composite has a water wettability of less than 10° in terms of the contact angle with water. The method further includes subjecting the composite to humidity that is sufficient to induce fogging of the substrate if the photocatalytic surface layer were absent.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2004Publication date: January 27, 2005Inventors: Makoto Hayakawa, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshiya Watanabe, Makoto Chikuni, Akira Fujishima, Kazuhito Hashimoto
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Patent number: 6830785Abstract: The surface of a substrate is coated with an abrasion-resistant photocatalytic coating comprised of a semiconductor photocatalyst. upon irradiation by a light having a wavelength of an energy higher than the bandgap energy of the photocatalyst, water is chemisorbed onto the surface in the form of hydroxyl groups (OH−) whereby the surface of the photocatalytic coating is rendered highly hydrophilic. In certain embodiments, the surface of a mirror, lens, or windowpane is coated with the photocatalytic coating to exhibit a high degree of antifogging function. In another embodiment, an article or product coated with the photocatalytic coating is disposed outdoors and the highly hydrophilic surface thereof is self-cleaned as it is subjected to rainfall. In a still another embodiment, an article is coated with the photocatalytic coating and, when the article is soaked in, rinsed by or wetted with water, fatty dirt and contaminants are readily released without resort to a detergent.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 1999Date of Patent: December 14, 2004Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Hayakawa, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshiya Watanabe, Makoto Chikuni, Akira Fujishima, Kazuhito Hashimoto
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Patent number: 6699606Abstract: A sanitary ware comprises a sanitary ware body and a surface glaze layer provided on the sanitary ware body. The surface glaze layer has a center line average roughness Ra of less than 0.07 &mgr;m as measured with a stylus type surface roughness tester according to JIS B 0651-1996.Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 2003Date of Patent: March 2, 2004Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Machida, Koichi Hayashi, Hirotaka Ishibashi, Tomoyasu Ichiki, Masaaki Ito, Masami Ando, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshihiro Aoshima, Katsuhiro Kawakami, Satoshi Horiuchi, Makoto Hayakawa
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Publication number: 20030134107Abstract: A sanitary ware comprises a sanitary ware body and a surface glaze layer provided on the sanitary ware body. The surface glaze layer has a center line average roughness Ra of less than 0.07 &mgr;m as measured with a stylus type surface roughness tester according to JIS B 0651-1996.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 5, 2003Publication date: July 17, 2003Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Machida, Koichi Hayashi, Hirotaka Ishibashi, Tomoyasu Ichiki, Masaaki Ito, Masami Ando, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshihiro Aoshima, Katsuhiro Kawakami, Satoshi Horiuchi, Makoto Hayakawa
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Patent number: 6548162Abstract: Sanitary wares having a controlled surface are disclosed which are less likely to be stained or soiled and/or possess excellent gloss. The first sanitary ware comprises a sanitary ware body and a surface glaze layer provided on the sanitary ware body, wherein the surface glaze layer has a center line average roughness Ra of less than 0.07 &mgr;m. This sanitary ware is advantageous in that stains or soils are much less likely to be adhered to the surface thereof and, even when adhered to the surface thereof, can be removed by a weak water stream. The second sanitary ware comprises a sanitary ware body and a surface glaze layer provided on the sanitary ware body, wherein the surface glaze layer has a kurtosis Rku of less than 2.70. This sanitary ware advantageously possesses excellent surface gloss.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2000Date of Patent: April 15, 2003Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Machida, Koichi Hayashi, Hirotaka Ishibashi, Tomoyasu Ichiki, Masaaki Ito, Masami Ando, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshihiro Aoshima, Katsuhiro Kawakami, Satoshi Horiuchi, Makoto Hayakawa
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Patent number: 6514622Abstract: Disclosed is a sanitary ware which has a self-cleaning function for releasing carboxyl-containing greasy stains or soils, such as fatty acids, fatty esters, metallic soaps (scum of soaps), proteins, amino acids, bacteria, and fungi, and deposited stains or soils, such as water scale and urinary calculi. This sanitary ware comprises at least a sanitary ware body and a glaze layer as an outermost layer of the sanitary ware, a monovalent metal component and/or a metal component having a measure of the electronegativity based on Pouling's rule of not more than 1 being provided so as to be releasable evenly and continuously, over the whole surface of the glaze layer as the outermost layer, in such an amount large enough to impart a self-cleaning function for releasing stains or soils to the surface of the glaze layer as the outermost layer, the metal component being suppliable from the glaze layer as the outermost layer and/or the sanitary ware body to the whole surface of the outermost layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2001Date of Patent: February 4, 2003Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Hayakawa, Koichi Hayashi, Masami Ando, Masaaki Ito, Tomoyasu Ichiki, Hirotaka Ishibashi, Mitsuyoshi Machida
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Publication number: 20020016250Abstract: The surface of a substrate is coated with an abrasion-resistant photocatalytic coating comprised of a semiconductor photocatalyst. Upon irradiation by a light having a wavelength of an energy higher than the bandgap energy of the photocatalyst, water is chemisorbed onto the surface in the form of hydroxyl groups (OH−) whereby the surface of the photocatalytic coating is rendered highly hydrophilic. In certain embodiments, the surface of a mirror, lens, or windowpane is coated with the photocatalytic coating to exhibit a high degree of antifogging function. In another embodiment, an article or product coated with the photocatalytic coating is disposed outdoors and the highly hydrophilic surface thereof is self-cleaned as it is subjected to rainfall. In a still another embodiment, an article is coated with the photocatalytic coating and, when the article is soaked in, rinsed by or wetted with water, fatty dirt and contaminants are readily released without resort to a detergent.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2001Publication date: February 7, 2002Inventors: Makoto Hayakawa, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshiya Watanabe, Makoto Chikuni, Akira Fujishima, Kazuhito Hashimoto
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Patent number: 6337129Abstract: Disclosed is a member having an antifouling surface on which the so-called “stains,” such as deposits and contaminants, are less likely to be deposited. The surface of the member has both a hydrophobic portion, and a hydrophilic portion induced by a photocatalyst, the hydrophobic portion and the hydrophilic portion being present in a microscopically dispersed and exposed state on the surface. More specifically, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a member comprising: a substrate; and a surface layer provided on the substrate, the surface layer comprising a photocatalytic oxide, a silicone resin or silica, and a water-repellent fluororesin, the silicone or silica and the water-repellent fluororesin being present in a microscopically dispersed and exposed state on the outermost surface of the surface layer.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 1998Date of Patent: January 8, 2002Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Toshiya Watanabe, Makoto Hayakawa, Mitsuyoshi Machida
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Patent number: 6294246Abstract: Multi-functional materials which have a photocatalytic layer with a photocatalytic function disposed on the surface of a base through a binder layer 6 interposed therebetween. Photocatalytic particles of the photocatalytic layer are joined together by a surface energy or solid-state sintering. The photocatalytic layer may have a structure in which fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles or a structure in which no fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles. A metal such as Ag, Pt, or the like may be fixed or not fixed to surfaces of the photocatalytic particles.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 1998Date of Patent: September 25, 2001Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Toshiya Watanabe, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Tamon Kimura, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Makoto Hayakawa, Atsushi Kitamura, Makoto Chikuni, Yoshimitsu Saeki, Tatsuhiko Kuga, Yasushi Nakashima
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Patent number: 6294247Abstract: Multi-functional materials which have a photocatalytic layer with a photocatalytic function disposed on the surface of a base through a binder layer 6 interposed therebetween. Photocatalytic particles of the photocatalytic layer are joined together by a surface energy or solid-state sintering. The photocatalytic layer may have a structure in which fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles or a structure in which no fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles. A metal such as Ag, Pt, or the like may be fixed or not fixed to surfaces of the photocatalytic particles.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 1998Date of Patent: September 25, 2001Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Toshiya Watanabe, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Tamon Kimura, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Makoto Hayakawa, Atsushi Kitamura, Makoto Chikuni, Yoshimitsu Saeki, Tatsuhiko Kuga, Yasushi Nakashima
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Patent number: 6210779Abstract: Multi-functional materials which have a photocatalytic layer with a photocatalytic function disposed on the surface of a base through an amorphous binder layer 6 interposed therebetween. Photocatalytic particles of the photocatalytic layer are joined together by a surface energy or solid-state sintering. The photocatalytic layer may have a structure in which fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles or a structure in which no fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles. A metal such as Ag, Pt, or the like may be fixed or not fixed to surfaces of the photocatalytic particles. A lower layer of the photocatalytic layer is embedded in the binder layer such that an intermediate layer is formed between the binder layer and the photocatalytic layer, the intermediate layer including components of the binder and photocatalytic layers in varying concentrations therethrough.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 1998Date of Patent: April 3, 2001Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Toshiya Watanabe, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Tamon Kimura, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Makoto Hayakawa, Atsushi Kitamura, Makoto Chikuni, Yoshimitsu Saeki, Tatsuhiko Kuga, Yasushi Nakashima
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Patent number: 6090489Abstract: A method for hydrophilifying the surface of a substrate by taking advantage of photocatalytic action. The substrate has a photocatalytic titania coating (10). The surface of the photocatalytic coating (10) bears the solid acid that increases a hydrogen bond component (.gamma..sub.S.sup.h) in the surface energy in the solid/gas interface of the coating. Photoexcitation of the photocatalyst enhances the hydrogen bond component (.gamma..sub.S.sup.h) in the surface energy of the photocatalytic coating (10), accelerating the physical adsorption of molecules of water in the atmosphere through a hydrogen bond (16) onto hydrogen atoms in a terminal OH group (12), bonded to a titanium atom, and a bridge OH group (14) on the surface of the coating. This results in the formation of a high density, physically adsorbed water layer (18) on the surface of the photocatalytic coating (10), thus permitting the surface of the substrate to be easily hydrophilified.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 1998Date of Patent: July 18, 2000Assignee: Toto, Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Hayakawa, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshiya Watanabe, Makoto Chikuni, Akira Fujishima, Kazuhito Hashimoto
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Patent number: 6027797Abstract: Multi-functional materials which have a photocatalytic layer with a photocatalytic function disposed on the surface of a base through a binder layer 6 interposed therebetween. Photocatalytic particles of the photocatalytic layer are joined together by a surface energy or solid-state sintering. The photocatalytic layer may have a structure in which fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles or a structure in which no fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles. A metal such as Ag, Pt, or the like may be fixed or not fixed to surfaces of the photocatalytic particles.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 1998Date of Patent: February 22, 2000Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Toshiya Watanabe, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Tamon Kimura, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Makoto Hayakawa, Atsushi Kitamura, Makoto Chikuni, Yoshimitsu Saeki, Tatsuhiko Kuga, Yasushi Nakashima
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Patent number: 6013372Abstract: The surface of a substrate is coated with an abrasion-resistant photocatalytic coating comprised of a semiconductor photocatalyst. Upon irradiation by a light having a wavelength of an energy higher than the bandgap energy of the photocatalyst, water is chemisorbed onto the surface in the form of hydroxyl groups (OH.sup.--) whereby the surface of the photocatalytic coating is rendered highly hydrophilic. In certain embodiments, the surface of a mirror, lens, or windowpane is coated with the photocatalytic coating to exhibit a high degree of antifogging function. In another embodiment, an article or product coated with the photocatalytic coating is disposed outdoors and the highly hydrophilic surface thereof is self-cleaned as it is subjected to rainfall. In a still another embodiment, an article is coated with the photocatalytic coating and, when the article is soaked in, rinsed by or wetted with water, fatty dirt and contaminants are readily released without resort to a detergent.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 1997Date of Patent: January 11, 2000Assignee: Toto, Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Hayakawa, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Atsushi Kitamura, Toshiya Watanabe, Makoto Chikuni, Akira Fujishima, Kazuhito Hashimoto
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Patent number: 5853866Abstract: Multi-functional materials are classified into those which have a photocatalytic layer 2 with a photocatalytic function directly disposed on the surface of a base 1 and those which have a photocatalytic layer 2 with a photocatalytic function disposed on the surface of a base 1 through a binder layer 6 interposed therebetween. Photocatalytic particles of the photocatalytic layer 2 are joined together by a surface energy or solid-state sintering. The photocatalytic layer 2 may have a structure in which fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles or a structure in which no fine particles fill interstices defined between photocatalytic particles. A metal such as Ag, Pt, or the like may be fixed or not fixed to surfaces of the photocatalytic particles.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 1995Date of Patent: December 29, 1998Assignee: Toto Ltd.Inventors: Toshiya Watanabe, Eiichi Kojima, Keiichiro Norimoto, Tamon Kimura, Mitsuyoshi Machida, Makoto Hayakawa, Atsushi Kitamura, Makoto Chikuni, Yoshimitsu Saeki, Tatsuhiko Kuga, Yasushi Nakashima