Patents by Inventor Seiji Kondo

Seiji Kondo 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: 9796146
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method capable of producing a retardation film having an elongated shape, having high uniaxiality and a high in-plane alignment property, and having a slow axis in an oblique direction with high production efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Shimizu, Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo, Nao Murakami
  • Patent number: 9739698
    Abstract: In the scanning molecule counting method using optical measurement with a confocal or multiphoton microscope, there is provided a technique of computing a light-emitting particle concentration which changes with time and detecting a concentration change velocity or a reaction velocity. The inventive optical analysis technique of detecting light of light-emitting particles in a sample solution generates time series light intensity data of light from a light detection region detected with moving the position of the light detection region of the microscope in the sample solution; measures successively an interval of generation times of signals of the light-emitting particles detected in the time series light intensity data; and determines the concentration or concentration change velocity of the light-emitting particles, using the successively measured signal generation time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Tanabe, Seiji Kondo
  • Patent number: 9581743
    Abstract: An optical film roll is disclosed capable of realizing excellent display characteristics while maintaining manufacturing efficiency. The optical film roll has a width corresponding to a pair of opposite sides of a liquid crystal cell and is used by being cut to a length corresponding to another pair of opposite sides of the liquid crystal cell to be continuously attached to a surface of the liquid crystal cell. The optical film roll includes a long optical film wound into a roll shape, the long optical film being obtained by subjecting a long optical raw film, which includes a polarizing film having an absorption axis in its width direction, to a slitting process in a machine direction while conveying the long optical raw film in its lengthwise direction. The polarizing film includes a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin film that contains a dichromatic substance and has an Nz coefficient of 1.10 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirata, Tatsuya Araki, Seiji Kondo, Kazuya Hada
  • Patent number: 9575343
    Abstract: A method includes a first bonding step including providing a first polarizing film obtained by transversely cutting a first long polarizing film having an absorption axis in its longitudinal direction, supplying the first polarizing film from a first optical film roll, and bonding the first polarizing film to a back side of the optical cell while feeding the optical cell; and a second bonding step including providing a linearly polarized light separating film obtained by transversely cutting a long linearly polarized light separating film having a reflection axis in its transverse direction, supplying the linearly polarized light separating film from a second optical film roll, and bonding the linearly polarized light separating film onto the first polarizing film bonded to the back side of the optical cell, while feeding the optical cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Hada, Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo
  • Patent number: 9561641
    Abstract: A method for continuously manufacturing an optical display panel includes feeding a carrier film 12 on which an optical film 13 is placed with a pressure-sensitive adhesive interposed therebetween, peeling off the optical film 13 from the carrier film 12 by using a folding-back part 40a to inwardly fold back the carrier film 12 being fed, taking up the carrier film 12 from which the optical film 13 is peeled off, feeding an optical cell P and bonding the optical film 13, which is peeled off from the carrier film 12, to the optical cell P with the pressure-sensitive adhesive interposed therebetween, and reducing a difference between a first tension on the carrier film 12 located upstream of the folding-back part 40a and a second tension on the carrier film 12 located downstream of the folding-back part while reducing one of the first and second tensions before the bonding step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo, Kazuya Hada, Satoru Koshio
  • Patent number: 9550350
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical display panel. The method includes a feeding step including feeding an optical cell with a thickness of 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm by means of a feed roller unit arranged perpendicular to a direction in which the optical cell is fed; a bonding step including feeding a long carrier film from a continuous roll and bonding a sheet piece of the optical film to a lower surface of the optical cell with the pressure-sensitive adhesive interposed therebetween, wherein the lower surface is on a side in contact with the feed roller unit; and a rotation step including rotating the optical cell by 90° with respect to the direction in which the optical cell is fed which is bonded in the bonding step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo, Seiji Umemoto
  • Patent number: 9500887
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus designed to, during continuous manufacture of liquid crystal display panels, feed only a normal sheet to a lamination position for lamination to a rectangular panel and continuously laminate them together while positionally aligning them with each other. In the present invention, plural devices making up the entire apparatus are cooperatively associated with each other to make it possible that, among plural polarizing film sheets comprising a defect-free normal sheet and a defect-containing defective sheet each formed on a carrier film comprised in a strip-shaped film laminate. The normal sheet is reliably peeled from the carrier film by cooperatively associating feeding of the strip-shaped film laminate with a normal-sheet peeling device, and the defective sheet is reliably taken up while being attached to the carrier film, by cooperatively associating the feeding of the strip-shaped film laminate with a defective-sheet path changing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Hada, Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo
  • Patent number: 9453452
    Abstract: A muffler comprises an outer shell, an outlet pipe, and a restraining mechanism. A restraining mechanism restrains a height of spout of a liquid that flows inside the outlet pipe through a designated vent hole, the designated vent hole is at least one vent hole facing against a bottom surface of the outer shell among the at least one vent hole that the outlet pipe comprises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: FUTABA INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seiji Kondo, Masahiro Kajikawa, Masayuki Sudoh
  • Patent number: 9416717
    Abstract: A muffler comprises an outer shell, an outlet pipe, and a restraining mechanism. A restraining mechanism restrains a height of spout of a liquid that flows inside the outlet pipe through a designated vent hole, the designated vent hole is at least one vent hole facing against a bottom surface of the outer shell among the at least one vent hole that the outlet pipe comprises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: FUTABA INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seiji Kondo, Masahiro Kajikawa, Masayuki Sudoh
  • Publication number: 20160221321
    Abstract: A method for continuously manufacturing an optical display panel includes feeding a carrier film 12 on which an optical film 13 is placed with a pressure-sensitive adhesive interposed therebetween, peeling off the optical film 13 from the carrier film 12 by using a folding-back part 40a to inwardly fold back the carrier film 12 being fed, taking up the carrier film 12 from which the optical film 13 is peeled off, feeding an optical cell P and bonding the optical film 13, which is peeled off from the carrier film 12, to the optical cell P with the pressure-sensitive adhesive interposed therebetween, and reducing a difference between a first tension on the carrier film 12 located upstream of the folding-back part 40a and a second tension on the carrier film 12 located downstream of the folding-back part while reducing one of the first and second tensions before the bonding step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Applicant: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo, Kazuya Hada, Satoru Koshio
  • Publication number: 20160209315
    Abstract: In the scanning molecule counting method using optical measurement with a confocal or multiphoton microscope, there is provided a technique of computing a light-emitting particle concentration which changes with time and detecting a concentration change velocity or a reaction velocity. The inventive optical analysis technique of detecting light of light-emitting particles in a sample solution generates time series light intensity data of light from a light detection region detected with moving the position of the light detection region of the microscope in the sample solution; measures successively an interval of generation times of signals of the light-emitting particles detected in the time series light intensity data; and determines the concentration or concentration change velocity of the light-emitting particles, using the successively measured signal generation time intervals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Tanabe, Seiji Kondo
  • Patent number: 9348158
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a method and a system for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel, which allow more successful bonding of an optical film to a liquid crystal cell. A pressing force Fa per unit area applied when the optical film is pressed by the first roller and a pressing force Fb per unit area applied when the liquid crystal cell is pressed by the second roller satisfy the relation Fa>Fb. On the first roller side, the feed may fail to be stabilized due to the influence of tension fluctuations or vibration acting on the first optical film, so that air bubbles may occur. When the second roller side, where such an influence does not occur, contributes more to the feed of the liquid crystal cell, the liquid crystal cell can be successfully fed in the process of bonding the optical film thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Hada, Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo
  • Patent number: 9341869
    Abstract: A system and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element through a reduced number of steps are provided, in which a liquid crystal panel is turned over, by means of a panel turning mechanism, about an axis not parallel to any of the long and short sides of the liquid crystal panel so that the positional relationship between the long and short sides of the liquid crystal panel can be reversed, after one of sheet pieces of optical functional films is bonded to the liquid crystal panel and before another of the sheet pieces is bonded thereto, which can achieve the same effect by a single operation as in the case where turning over the liquid crystal panel and rotating it are performed independently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo, Kazuya Hada
  • Publication number: 20160096312
    Abstract: Provided is a method capable of producing a retardation film suppressed in biaxiality, having a small Nz coefficient, and having a slow axis in an oblique direction with high production efficiency. The production method for a retardation film of the present invention includes: holding left and right side edge portions of a film to be stretched with left and right variable pitch-type clips configured to have clip pitches changing in a longitudinal direction, respectively; preheating the film; reducing, under a state in which a position at which the clip pitch of the clips on one side out of the left and right clips starts to reduce and a position at which the clip pitch of the clips on another side starts to reduce are set to different positions in the longitudinal direction, the clip pitch of each of the clips to a predetermined pitch to subject the film to oblique stretching; and releasing the clips holding the film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Applicant: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Shimizu, Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo, Nao Murakami
  • Patent number: 9283739
    Abstract: A method for continuously manufacturing an optical display panel includes a velocity control step includes setting a bonding velocity and a carrier film feed velocity in such a manner that during a period from the start of the bonding of the sheet piece to the end of the bonding, the bonding velocity is higher than the carrier film feed velocity is fed and in such a manner that slack formed in the sheet piece is eliminated between the bonding position and the front end of the peeling unit; and performing control in such a manner that during a period from the start of the bonding to the end of the bonding, the distance (L) is longer than the distance (Ls), while the bonding velocity in the bonding step is higher than the velocity at which the carrier film is fed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo, Kazuya Hada
  • Publication number: 20160062019
    Abstract: Provided is a method capable of producing a retardation film being excellent in axial accuracy, showing small changes in retardation and dimensions at the time of its heating, and having a slow axis in an oblique direction with high production efficiency. The production method for a retardation film of the present invention includes: holding left and right end portions of a film with left and right variable pitch-type clips configured to have clip pitches changing in a longitudinal direction, respectively; preheating the film; causing the clip pitches of the left and right clips to each independently change to obliquely stretch the film; reducing the clip pitches of the left and right clips to shrink the film in the longitudinal direction; and releasing the film from being held with the clips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Shimizu, Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo, Nao Murakami
  • Publication number: 20160052216
    Abstract: Provided is a method by which a retardation film suppressed in biaxiality, having a small Nz coefficient, and having a slow axis in an oblique direction can be produced with high production efficiency. The production method for a retardation film of the present invention includes: holding left and right end portions of a film with left and right variable pitch-type clips configured to have clip pitches changing in a longitudinal direction, respectively; preheating the film; reducing, under a state in which the clip pitch of the clips on one side out of the left and right clips is kept constant, the clip pitch of the clips on another side to obliquely stretch the film; and releasing the film from being held with the clips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Applicant: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi SHIMIZU, Satoshi HIRATA, Seiji KONDO, Nao MURAKAMI
  • Patent number: 9261709
    Abstract: A set of optical film rolls for use in a process including supplying films and bonding the films, in directions relatively perpendicular to one another, to an optical cell, wherein a direction in which each film is bonded to the optical cell is equal to a direction in which each film is supplied, and the films are laminated to one side of the optical cell, the set of optical film rolls includes: a first optical film roll that is a roll of a first long multilayer optical film including a long polarizing film having an absorption axis in its longitudinal direction; and a second optical film roll that is a roll of a second long multilayer optical film including a long linearly polarized light separating film having a reflection axis in its transverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Hada, Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo
  • Patent number: 9244307
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a liquid crystal display panel includes the steps of slitting a first optical film which includes a polarizing film having an absorption axis in its width direction, the polarizing film including a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin film containing a dichromatic substance and has an Nz coefficient of 1.10 or more, and rolling the slit first optical film in its width direction; slitting a second optical film, which includes a polarizing film having an absorption axis in its longitudinal direction, and rolling the slit second optical film in its width direction; bonding the cut first optical film onto one surface of the liquid crystal cell; and bonding the cut second optical film onto another surface of the liquid crystal cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Hada, Tatsuya Araki, Seiji Kondo, Satoshi Hirata
  • Patent number: 9195070
    Abstract: A set of optical film rolls for use in a process including supplying films and bonding the films, in directions relatively perpendicular to one another, to an optical cell, wherein a direction in which each film is bonded to the optical cell is equal to a direction in which each film is supplied, and the films are laminated to one side of the optical cell, the set of optical film rolls includes: a first optical film roll that is a roll of a first long multilayer optical film including a long polarizing film having an absorption axis in its longitudinal direction; and a second optical film roll that is a roll of a second long multilayer optical film including a long linearly polarized light separating film having a reflection axis in its transverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Hada, Satoshi Hirata, Seiji Kondo