Patents by Inventor Rei Kitamura

Rei Kitamura 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: 9352994
    Abstract: To provide a vacuum-degassing method and a vacuum degassing apparatus excellent in the effect of vacuum-degassing molten glass, more specifically, a method for vacuum-degassing molten glass and a vacuum degassing apparatus, capable of effectively suppressing formation of reboil bubbles. A method for vacuum-degassing molten glass, which comprises melting glass materials to be silicate glass and passing the resulting molten glass in a flow passage in a vacuum degassing vessel, the interior of which is maintained in a reduced pressure state, to vacuum-degas the molten glass, wherein vacuum-degassing is carried out under conditions satisfying the following formula (1) at a bottom portion of the vacuum degassing vessel: SS=pSO2/Pabs <2.0??(1) wherein SS is the supersaturation degree of SO2 in the molten glass, pSO2 is the partial pressure (Pa) of SO2, and Pabs is the pressure (Pa) at the bottom portion of the glass flow passage of the vacuum degassing vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Limited
    Inventors: Terutaka Maehara, Rei Kitamura, Shuji Kabashima
  • Patent number: 8720229
    Abstract: A vacuum degassing apparatus having a throughput of at least 200 tons/day without causing problems such as a stagnation of molten glass flow in the molten glass flow path, an increment of flow rate of the molten glass flow in a local area, an excessive increment of pressure loss of the molten glass flow. A vacuum degassing apparatus comprises a vacuum degassing vessel, and an uprising pipe and a downfalling pipe which are connected with the vacuum degassing vessel, wherein the vacuum degassing vessel includes a wide portion for providing a molten glass flow path, and in the wide portion, the proportion W1/L1 of the breadth of molten glass flow path W1 to the length of molten glass flow path L1 is at least 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Rei Kitamura, Hironobu Yamamichi, Hiroaki Hamamoto, Hajime Itoh, Housaku Yonetsu
  • Publication number: 20140033766
    Abstract: To provide a vacuum-degassing method and a vacuum degassing apparatus excellent in the effect of vacuum-degassing molten glass, more specifically, a method for vacuum-degassing molten glass and a vacuum degassing apparatus, capable of effectively suppressing formation of reboil bubbles. A method for vacuum-degassing molten glass, which comprises melting glass materials to be silicate glass and passing the resulting molten glass in a flow passage in a vacuum degassing vessel, the interior of which is maintained in a reduced pressure state, to vacuum-degas the molten glass, wherein vacuum-degassing is carried out under conditions satisfying the following formula (1) at a bottom portion of the vacuum degassing vessel: SS=pSO2/Pabs<2.0??(1) wherein SS is the supersaturation degree of SO2 in the molten glass, pSO2 is the partial pressure (Pa) of SO2, and Pabs is the pressure (Pa) at the bottom portion of the glass flow passage of the vacuum degassing vessel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Terutaka MAEHARA, Rei KITAMURA, Shuji KABASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20110016922
    Abstract: A vacuum degassing apparatus having a throughput of at least 200 tons/day without causing problems such as a stagnation of molten glass flow in the molten glass flow path, an increment of flow rate of the molten glass flow in a local area, an excessive increment of pressure loss of the molten glass flow. A vacuum degassing apparatus comprises a vacuum degassing vessel, and an uprising pipe and a downfalling pipe which are connected with the vacuum degassing vessel, wherein the vacuum degassing vessel includes a wide portion for providing a molten glass flow path, and in the wide portion, the proportion W1/L1 of the breadth of molten glass flow path W1 to the length of molten glass flow path L1 is at least 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Rei KITAMURA, Hironubu YAMAMICHI, Hiroaki HAMAMOTO, Hajime ITOH, Housaku YONETSU
  • Patent number: 7650764
    Abstract: A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass includes a vacuum housing which is evacuated to be depressurized therein; a vacuum degassing vessel which is provided in the vacuum housing to vacuum-degas molten glass as the molten glass flows therein; an uprising pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel, and sucks and draws up undegassed molten glass to introduce the undegassed molten glass into the vacuum degassing vessel; and a downfalling pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel and draws down the degassed molten glass from the vacuum degassing vessel to discharge the degassed molten glass. The cross sectional area of the path at the upper end portion of the uprising pipe is larger than the cross sectional area of the path at the lower end portion of the uprising pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Sakai, Michito Sasaki, Hajime Itoh, Rei Kitamura, Atsushi Tanigaki
  • Patent number: 7007514
    Abstract: A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass includes a vacuum housing which is evacuated to be depressurized therein; a vacuum degassing vessel which is provided in the vacuum housing to vacuum-degas molten glass as the molten glass flows therein; an uprising pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel, and sucks and draws up undegassed molten glass to introduce the undegassed molten glass into the vacuum degassing vessel; and a downfalling pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel and draws down the degassed molten glass from the vacuum degassing vessel to discharge the degassed molten glass. The cross sectional area of the path at the upper end portion of the uprising pipe is larger than the cross sectional area of the path at the lower end portion of the uprising pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Sakai, Michito Sasaki, Hajime Itoh, Rei Kitamura, Atsushi Tanigaki
  • Patent number: 7000432
    Abstract: A process for producing a glass for cathode ray tubes, having a Sb2O3 content of from 0 to 0.19% as represented by mass percentage and containing H2O, which process comprises a step of melting a raw material in an atmosphere under a pressure of P0 to obtain a molten glass, and a step of vacuum degassing the molten glass in an atmosphere under a pressure PA which is lower than P0, wherein the pressure P of the molten glass is made to be at most (6.1 W+0.06) atm in the vacuum degassing step, wherein W is the content of said H2O as represented by mass percentage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hajime Itoh, Rei Kitamura, Mitsuyoshi Sakai, Keito Sekine, Misao Okada
  • Publication number: 20050160769
    Abstract: A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass, comprising: a vacuum housing which is evacuated to be depressurized therein; a vacuum degassing vessel which is provided in the vacuum housing to vacuum-degas molten glass as the molten glass flows therein; an uprising pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel, and sucks and draws up undegassed molten glass to introduce the undegassed molten glass into the vacuum degassing vessel; and a downfalling pipe which connects to the vacuum degassing vessel and draws down the degassed molten glass from the vacuum degassing vessel to discharge the degassed molten glass; wherein the cross sectional area of the path at the upper end portion of said uprising pipe is larger than the cross sectional area of the path at the lower end portion of said uprising pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Applicant: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Sakai, Michito Sasaki, Hajime Itoh, Rei Kitamura, Atsushi Tanigaki
  • Publication number: 20030066315
    Abstract: A vacuum degassing apparatus for molten glass, comprising:
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Applicant: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Sakai, Michito Sasaki, Hajime Itoh, Rei Kitamura, Atsushi Tanigaki
  • Publication number: 20020193232
    Abstract: A process for producing a glass for cathode ray tubes, having a Sb2O3 content of from 0 to 0.19% as represented by mass percentage and containing H2O, which process comprises a step of melting a raw material in an atmosphere under a pressure of P0 to obtain a molten glass, and a step of vacuum degassing the molten glass in an atmosphere under a pressure PA which is lower than P0, wherein the pressure P of the molten glass is made to be at most (6.1 W+0.06) atm in the vacuum degassing step, wherein W is the content of said H2O as represented by mass percentage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Applicant: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Hajime Itoh, Rei Kitamura, Mitsuyoshi Sakai, Keito Sekine, Misao Okada