Patents by Inventor Shigeki Kakei

Shigeki Kakei 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: 8403563
    Abstract: A linear motion guide unit is envisaged smooth transfer of a roller from a turnaround passage to a return passage and vice versa across a joint between the turnaround passage and the associated return passage. Protrusions extending stepwise from an end of the turnaround passage come into complementary fit joints with an associated end of a tubular member defining the return passage to make wall surfaces to guide axially opposite ends of the roller, in which the joints are staggered or different in their locations between wall surfaces. The return passage is defined with a fore-and-aft hole of rectangular shape in transverse section inside a tubular member that fits into a bore made in the carriage. The tubular member is joined at lengthwise opposite ends thereof together to the protrusions that are raised above end surfaces of the end caps to extend the turnaround passage into the bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei
  • Patent number: 8403562
    Abstract: A wiper seal is less in sliding resistance that is encountered when the seal slides over a raceway surface of a guide rail, better in wear-proof quality, rich in durability, and further easy to steadily install it to a slider. The wiper seal is installed on one end of the slider in a linear motion guide system to wipe away foreign materials adhered on the guide rail. The wiper seal is made of polyester polyurethane foam having a reticular skeleton texture of three-dimensional construction including open-cells therein, the polyester polyurethane foam being squeezed or compressed into from ¼ to 1/20 in thickness to form a compact blank of three-dimensional construction having porosity therein. The wiper seal is set to come into sliding contact with the guide rail 1 to exert a positive interference of from 0.1 mm to 0.05 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Geka, Hideaki Ogura, Shigeki Kakei, Tamotsu Iwata
  • Patent number: 8142079
    Abstract: A liner motion guide unit has a means to keep a cage against wandering, in which a pinion is made up of holder halves that are adapted to squeeze each other against the cage to make sure of keeping a pinion in place with accuracy. The means for keeping the cage against wandering is comprised of a pinion holder fitting into a window cut in the cage, racks lying on sides of the guideway members, one to each side, and a pinion provided with teeth mating with the racks and installed in the cage for rotation. The pinion holder is made up of holder halves, any one of which lies on any one side of the cage at a marginal edge of the cage at the same marginal edge of the window. The holder halves have sidewise extensions to firmly squeeze the cage between them along the marginal edge of the window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei
  • Patent number: 8033730
    Abstract: A linear motion guide unit with high stiffness, high accuracy and long-lasting service life is provided in which a rolling element is a roller and a carriage of a slider is made long to allow a crowning profile to be long. The carriage has an overall length equivalent to substantially four times a width of a guide rail. The carriage is made thereon with a raceway surface that is modified near lengthwise opposite ends thereof crowning profiles each of which has a crowning length equivalent to four times as long as a diameter of the roller and also has a crowing depth equivalent to an amount of elastic deformation that occurs in the raceway surfaces and the roller when the slider undergoes a load reaching a half of a static nominal standard load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei
  • Patent number: 7997800
    Abstract: A mounting plate is used to install any optional accoutrements or attachment on a linear motion guide unit. The mounting plate is made of a molded product which is inexpensive in production cost and easier in its accurate conjunction with a slider to get the attachment bringing out the best in function. The mounting plate is made to have surfaces opposite to each other, one of which is a first mounting surface inward coming into mating with the one end surface of the slider and another is a second mounting surface outward coming into mating with the attachment. The mounting plate is made of a molded product. The mounting plate is made of an injected mold product of synthetic resin which is composed of a major part of synthetic resin and a metal core centrally embedded in the major part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei
  • Patent number: 7862234
    Abstract: Lubrication points of lubricant around a rolling element are made in a turnaround passage to ensure proper and steady lubrication by the lubrication system simple in construction, with accompanying sustainable maintenance-free condition for lubrication. The end cap has a recess as large as permitted and a hole to communicate the recess with the turnaround passage. A porous compact is composed a thick block to fit into a deep cavity in the recess, a nose leading lubricant in the turnaround passage, and a conjunctive part between the thick block and the nose. The porous compact fits snugly into the recess in a fashion that the nose comes into rolling-touch at its tip with the rollers as they roll through the turnaround passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Kuwabara, Shigeki Kakei
  • Patent number: 7780356
    Abstract: A slider for a linear motion rolling guide unit can ensure a smooth rolling movement and a reliable lubricating capability and eliminate the need for accurate dimension control to reduce the manufacturing costs. A lubricating member A has a lubricating face 20 exposed on an outer peripheral face of a turning corner 10 in an end cap 2. The rolling elements 11 are lubricated by making contact with the lubricating face 20 while rolling through the turning corner. The lubricating face 20, exposed on the arced face 10b of the turning corner, and the outer peripheral face of the turning corner maintain the relation of crossing each other at two intersections. The lubricating face 20 is longer than the distance between the two intersections. Recessed areas 21 are formed between the outer peripheral face of the turning corner 10 and the lubricating face 20 in the surplus length regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Kuwabara, Shigeki Kakei
  • Patent number: 7762723
    Abstract: A linear motion guide unit permitted to operate for long service life with substantial maintenance-free for lubrication. The linear motion guide unit has heavy load capacity even with shrinking in construction. The linear motion guide unit is allowed to work with high-speed sliding operation and high tact. To this end, return passages are made inside a carriage of a slider in a geometry lying obliquely upwards of load-carrying races. The return passages are apart away from their associated load-carrying races by a distance less or equal to twice a diametral dimension of a rolling element. End caps are integrally made with spigots each of which is raised above a surface of the associated end cap facing on the carriage, thereby providing any one of forward and aft ends of the return passage. The spigots communicate with lubricant paths extending from lubricating ports made in the end caps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei
  • Patent number: 7740406
    Abstract: A linear motion guide system is disclosed in which a clearance between a slider and a guide rail is closed truly to clear foreign matter away from entering inside the system through any end of the slider traveling on the guide rail. Thus, the linear motion guide system is befitting to severe working environment where much foreign matter occurs. A highly-tight sealing unit is comprised of a cassette constituted with a front panel and an enclosure, sealing plates stowed into the cassette, lubrication plates each interposed between any two adjacent sealing plates, and a rear panel to close an open edge of the enclosure. The sealing plates are each composed of an intermediate spongy medium flanked by skin layers and impregnated with lubricant. The lubrication plates have pores filled with lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei
  • Patent number: 7717621
    Abstract: A linear motion guide system is disclosed in which a clearance between a slider and a guide rail is closed truly to clear foreign matter away from entering inside the system through any end of the slider traveling on the guide rail. Thus, the linear motion guide system is befitting to severe working environment where much foreign matter occurs. A highly-tight sealing unit is provided which is comprised of a cassette constituted with a front panel and an enclosure, a sealing plate stowed into the cassette, and a rear panel to close an open edge of the enclosure. The sealing plate is composed of an intermediate spongy medium flanked by skin layers, and lubricant is forcibly absorbed in pores or cells in the intermediate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeki Kakei, Takashi Yatsu, Hideaki Ogura
  • Publication number: 20100074564
    Abstract: A wiper seal is less in sliding resistance that is encountered when the seal slides over a raceway surface of a guide rail, better in wear-proof quality, rich in durability, and further easy to steadily install it to a slider. The wiper seal is installed on one end of the slider in a linear motion guide system to wipe away foreign materials adhered on the guide rail. The wiper seal is made of polyester polyurethane foam having a reticular skeleton texture of three-dimensional construction including open-cells therein, the polyester polyurethane foam being squeezed or compressed into from ¼ to 1/20 in thickness to form a compact blank of three-dimensional construction having porosity therein. The wiper seal is set to come into sliding contact with the guide rail 1 to exert a positive interference of from 0.1 mm to 0.05 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2008
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: NIPPON THOMPSON CO LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiaki GEKA, Hideaki Ogura, Shigeki Kakei, Tamotsu Iwata
  • Publication number: 20090060400
    Abstract: A slider for a linear motion rolling guide unit can ensure a smooth rolling movement and a reliable lubricating capability and eliminate the need for accurate dimension control to reduce the manufacturing costs. A lubricating member A has a lubricating face 20 exposed on an outer peripheral face of a turning corner 10 in an end cap 2. The rolling elements 11 are lubricated by making contact with the lubricating face 20 while rolling through the turning corner. The lubricating face 20, exposed on the arced face 10b of the turning corner, and the outer peripheral face of the turning corner maintain the relation of crossing each other at two intersections. The lubricating face 20 is longer than the distance between the two intersections. Recessed areas 21 are formed between the outer peripheral face of the turning corner 10 and the lubricating face 20 in the surplus length regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Kuwabara, Shigeki Kakei
  • Publication number: 20090052815
    Abstract: A mounting plate is used to install any optional accoutrements or attachment on a linear motion guide unit. The mounting plate is made of a molded product which is inexpensive in production cost and easier in its accurate conjunction with a slider to get the attachment bringing out the best in function. The mounting plate is made to have surfaces opposite to each other, one of which is a first mounting surface inward coming into mating with the one end surface of the slider and another is a second mounting surface outward coming into mating with the attachment. The mounting plate is made of a molded product. The mounting plate is made of an injected mold product of synthetic resin which is composed of a major part of synthetic resin and a metal core centrally embedded in the major part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: NIPPON THOMPSON., LTD.
    Inventor: Shigeki KAKEI
  • Publication number: 20090016654
    Abstract: A linear motion guide unit is envisaged smooth transfer of a roller from a turnaround passage to a return passage and vice versa across a joint between the turnaround passage and the associated return passage. Protrusions extending stepwise from an end of the turnaround passage come into complementary fit joints with an associated end of a tubular member defining the return passage to make wall surfaces to guide axially opposite ends of the roller, in which the joints are staggered or different in their locations between wall surfaces. The return passage is defined with a fore-and-aft hole of rectangular shape in transverse section inside a tubular member that fits into a bore made in the carriage. The tubular member is joined at lengthwise opposite ends thereof together to the protrusions that are raised above end surfaces of the end caps to extend the turnaround passage into the bore.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Applicant: NIPPON THOMPSON CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shigeki KAKEI
  • Publication number: 20080298729
    Abstract: A linear motion guide unit with high stiffness, high accuracy and long-lasting service life is provided in which a rolling element is a roller and a carriage of a slider is made long to allow a crowning profile to be long. The carriage has an overall length equivalent to substantially four times a width of a guide rail. The carriage is made thereon with a raceway surface that is modified near lengthwise opposite ends thereof crowning profiles each of which has a crowning length equivalent to four times as long as a diameter of the roller and also has a crowing depth equivalent to an amount of elastic deformation that occurs in the raceway surfaces and the roller when the slider undergoes a load reaching a half of a static nominal standard load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Applicant: NIPPON THOMPSON CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shigeki KAKEI
  • Publication number: 20080080795
    Abstract: A linear motion guide unit is disclosed in which the lubrication points of lubricant around a rolling element are made in a turnaround passage to ensure proper and steady lubrication by the lubrication system simple in construction, with accompanying sustainable maintenance-free condition for lubrication. In the end cap, there is made a recess as large as permitted. The end cap is holed to communicate the recess with a turnaround passage. A porous compact impregnated with lubricant fits into the recess. The porous compact is composed a thick block to fit into a deep cavity in the recess, a nose leading lubricant in the turnaround passage, and a conjunctive part between the thick block and the nose. The porous compact fits snugly into the recess in a fashion that the nose comes into rolling-touch at its tip with the rollers as they roll through the turnaround passage, applying the rollers with lubricant delivered from the noses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Nippon Thompson Co., LTD
    Inventors: Hideki Kuwabara, Shigeki Kakei
  • Publication number: 20070242906
    Abstract: A linear motion guide system is disclosed in which a clearance between a slider and a guide rail is closed truly to clear foreign matter away from entering inside the system through any end of the slider traveling on the guide rail. Thus, the linear motion guide system is befitting to severe working environment where much foreign matter occurs. A highly-tight sealing unit is comprised of a cassette constituted with a front panel and an enclosure, sealing plates stowed into the cassette, lubrication plates each interposed between any two adjacent sealing plates, and a rear panel to close-an open edge of the enclosure. The sealing plates are each composed of an intermediate spongy medium flanked by skin layers and impregnated with lubricant. The lubrication plates have pores filled with lubricant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Publication date: October 18, 2007
    Applicant: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei
  • Publication number: 20070223845
    Abstract: A linear motion guide system is disclosed in which a clearance between a slider and a guide rail is closed truly to clear foreign matter away from entering inside the system through any end of the slider traveling on the guide rail. Thus, the linear motion guide system is befitting to severe working environment where much foreign matter occurs. A highly-tight sealing unit is provided which is comprised of a cassette constituted with a front panel and an enclosure, a sealing plate stowed into the cassette, and a rear panel to close an open edge of the enclosure. The sealing plate is composed of an intermediate spongy medium flanked by skin layers, and lubricant is forcibly absorbed in pores or cells in the intermediate layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Applicant: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeki Kakei, Takashi Yatsu, Hideaki Ogura
  • Publication number: 20070201778
    Abstract: A liner motion guide unit has a means to keep a cage against wandering, in which a pinion is made up of holder halves that are adapted to squeeze each other against the cage to make sure of keeping a pinion in place with accuracy. The means for keeping the cage against wandering is comprised of a pinion holder fitting into a window cut in the cage, racks lying on sides of the guideway members, one to each side, and a pinion provided with teeth mating with the racks and installed in the cage for rotation. The pinion holder is made up of holder halves, any one of which lies on any one side of the cage at a marginal edge of the cage at the same marginal edge of the window. The holder halves have sidewise extensions to firmly squeeze the cage between them along the marginal edge of the window.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2007
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Applicant: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei
  • Publication number: 20070025651
    Abstract: A linear motion guide unit permitted to operate for long service life with substantial maintenance-free for lubrication. The linear motion guide unit has heavy load capacity even with shrinking in construction. The linear motion guide unit is allowed to work with high-speed sliding operation and high tact. To this end, return passages are made inside a carriage of a slider in a geometry lying obliquely upwards of load-carrying races. The return passages are apart away from their associated load-carrying races by a distance less or equal to twice a diametral dimension of a rolling element. End caps are integrally made with spigots each of which is raised above a surface of the associated end cap facing on the carriage, thereby providing any one of forward and aft ends of the return passage. The spigots communicate with lubricant paths extending from lubricating ports made in the end caps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Publication date: February 1, 2007
    Applicant: Nippon Thompson Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Kakei