Patents by Inventor Norio Kikukawa

Norio Kikukawa 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: 10820667
    Abstract: Provided is a fastener stringer including a row of metal elements having a plating film formed with improved thickness uniformity without waste, even if the elements are not electrically connected to each other in advance. For each of ten adjacent metal elements of the fastener stinger, 0.6?D1/A1?2.0 is satisfied in which A1 represents an average value of thickness of the plating film for the ten metal elements at element center on either one main surface side of the fastener tape, and D1 represents thickness of the plating film for each of the metal elements at the element center on the one main surface side of the fastener tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: YKK Corporation
    Inventors: Norio Kikukawa, Koji Hashiba
  • Publication number: 20200085150
    Abstract: Provided is a fastener stringer including a row of metal elements having a plating film formed with improved thickness uniformity without waste, even if the elements are not electrically connected to each other in advance. For each of ten adjacent metal elements of the fastener stinger, 0.6?D1/A1?2.0 is satisfied in which A1 represents an average value of thickness of the plating film for the ten metal elements at element center on either one main surface side of the fastener tape, and D1 represents thickness of the plating film for each of the metal elements at the element center on the one main surface side of the fastener tape.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Norio Kikukawa, Koji Hashiba
  • Publication number: 20120297583
    Abstract: A zipper component includes a metal plating film provided on the surface of a component body made of a metal. Further, in the zipper component, at least a part of the component body has been thermally treated before bending and thus the metal plating film has a recrystallized structure wherein at least a part of the metal plating film been recrystallized. Accordingly, since the ductility of the metal plating film can be improved, even when the zipper component is bent, the metal plating film can be deformed to follow the deformation of the component body. Therefore, the occurrence of crevicing or cracking in the metal plating film can be prevented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2009
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: YKK Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Sugimoto, Norio Kikukawa
  • Publication number: 20030110600
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide, through plating, a slide fastener which has high decorativeness, and which does not have problems in terms of functionality or product quality such as corrosion resistance. Another object is to provide a method of manufacturing an attachment having constituent members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2002
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Applicant: YKK Corporation
    Inventors: Norio Kikukawa, Yasuhiko Sugimoto, Takahiro Fukuyama
  • Publication number: 20020048684
    Abstract: A nickel-free white copper alloy material, wherein a white coating layer containing no Ni is formed on a base material composed of an alloy represented by the general formula: CuaZnbMnc MdXe, wherein M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al and Sn; X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ti and Cr; b, c, d and e are 0≦b≦22, 7≦c≦20, 0≦d≦5 and 0≦e≦0.3 in terms of % by weight; and a is the balance, the alloy incidentally including unavoidable elements. The white copper alloy material has excellent strength and hardness equal to those nickel silver, as well as excellent workability, corrosion resistance and whiteness in addition to ductility, and has no fear of allergic reactions because of containing no Ni. In the white copper alloy material, fine adjustment of its white hue is possible according to the demand of customers, and satisfactory mechanical properties can be obtained with the desired hue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Applicant: YKK Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Sugimoto, Norio Kikukawa, Yasuharu Yoshimura, Hironobu Wakasa, Kazuhiko Kita
  • Patent number: 6048401
    Abstract: In a method and an apparatus for plating a plurality of kinds of works, an unattended route-free vehicle transports the works to a number of processing tanks to immerse the works in the processing tanks. A controller calculates a processing time of the processing tanks and a transporting time needed for the vehicle to transport the works to the processing tanks and renders the vehicle to transport one kind of the works during the immersion-processing of another kind of the works, thereby performing the plating process of a plurality of kinds of works one after another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: YKK Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Hayashi, Norio Kikukawa, Shinichi Kojima
  • Patent number: 5035029
    Abstract: The present invention provides fastener elements for use in a slide fastener in which, regardless of the quality of material, a metallic coating layer having an excellent adhesiveness and 0.001 to 1.0 .mu.m in thickness is simply and easily formed on the surface of a fastener element member so that the surface thereof gives out the luster of metal. The surface of the metallic coating layer may further be formed at least thereon with a finishing coat layer. In the present invention, there is further provided a slide fastener having a light weight and flexibility in which such a fastener element member as being made synthetic resin having the luster of metal on the surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1991
    Assignee: Yoshida Kogyo K.K.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Horita, Kiyoshi Nakayama, Yasuhiko Sugimoto, Norio Kikukawa, Yoshiharu Yamaguchi, Shigeru Funakawa
  • Patent number: 4734298
    Abstract: A viscous printing paste is imprinted on a reverse surface of a foundation fabric of a surface-type fastener, and then the paste while being viscous is drawn by a suction force to penetrate the foundation fabric from the reverse surface to an obverse surface from which a multiplicity of interlocking elements project. Upon setting of the printing paste, a distinctive mark is produced on the obverse surface of the foundation fabric. With the foregoing processing steps, a large mark can be provided on the surface-type fastener without effecting negative influence on the shape and function of the interlocking elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1988
    Assignee: Yoshida Kogyo K.K.
    Inventor: Norio Kikukawa