Patents by Inventor Shigeru Kawano

Shigeru Kawano 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).

  • Publication number: 20180347889
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes an evaporator which evaporates a refrigerant, the evaporator forming a refrigeration cycle, a condenser which condenses the refrigerant, the condenser forming the refrigeration cycle together with the evaporator, a centrifugal fan which sends air toward the evaporator and the condenser, and a casing that houses the evaporator, the condenser, and the centrifugal fan, where the evaporator and the condenser are disposed so as to surround at least a portion of the centrifugal fan when viewed along a rotation axis direction of the centrifugal fan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventor: Shigeru KAWANO
  • Patent number: 9828997
    Abstract: A discharge chamber, into which refrigerant compressed by a compression mechanism, is discharged, is formed in an inside of a housing. A resonator is connected to an intermediate portion of a communication passage, which communicates between the discharge chamber and a discharge port of the housing. The resonator includes a resonance chamber and an inlet passage. The inlet passage has one end portion, which is connected to the intermediate portion of the communication passage, and another end portion, which is connected to the resonance chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shigeru Kawano
  • Patent number: 9587228
    Abstract: The invention relates to a glucose dehydrogenase showing an NADP/NAD activity ratio, namely the value obtained by dividing the enzyme activity value obtained by using NADP as a coenzyme by the enzyme activity value obtained by using NAD as a coenzyme, of not lower than 300, to a gene coding therefor, and to a transformant harboring that gene. The enzyme of the invention is very high in NADP specificity and can be suitably used, for example, for NADPH production, for coenzyme regeneration in enzymatic reduction reactions, and in biosensors for glucose concentration measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: KANEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Patent number: 9493762
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a means for producing an optically active tropic acid that is a compound useful as a synthetic raw material or an intermediate for pharmaceutical products and the like. The present invention provides a novel polypeptide having activity to (R)-selectively hydrolyze a racemic tropic acid amide, DNA encoding the polypeptide, a vector containing the DNA, a transformant prepared by transformation with the vector, and a method for producing an optically active carboxylic acid amide and an optically active carboxylic acid using them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: KANEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masutoshi Nojiri, Hiroyuki Kanamaru, Akiko Nishi, Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Publication number: 20160327039
    Abstract: An attachment structure is for attaching a compressor to an attachment surface of an attachment target member. The compressor is a scroll type compressor and has a housing, a fixed scroll and a movable scroll. The housing is fixed to the attachment surface. The fixed scroll is fixed inside the housing and has a fixed-side tooth having a scroll shape. The movable scroll has a movable-side tooth having a scroll shape and engaging with the fixed-side tooth. The movable scroll revolves with respect to the fixed scroll. A central axis around which the movable scroll revolves is parallel with the attachment surface. A vibration direction, which is included in a radial direction of the compressor and in which a vibration component becomes largest, is different from a normal direction when viewed in an axial direction of the central axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Inventors: Masashi HIGASHIYAMA, Masami SANUKI, Tsuyoshi TAKEMOTO, Shigeru KAWANO
  • Patent number: 9481870
    Abstract: A method for efficiently producing an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate for pharmaceutical preparations, agricultural chemicals, or the like, from a ketone compound is provided. Specifically, a polypeptide having high resistance to a water-soluble organic solvent and novel transaminase activity for generating (S)-1-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinone with high optical purity of 93% or more, a gene encoding the same, and a transformant expressing the gene at a high level are also provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: KANEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Nagasawa, Toyokazu Yoshida, Kouichi Ishida, Noriyuki Ito, Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Patent number: 9481871
    Abstract: A method for inexpensively and efficiently producing an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate for pharmaceutical preparations, agricultural chemicals, or the like, from a ketone compound is provided. Specifically, a polypeptide exhibiting higher activity for glutamic acid as an amino donor than that for L-alanine, and, having novel transaminase activity for generating (S)-1-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinone with high optical purity of 93% or more, a gene encoding the same, and a transformant expressing the gene at a high level are also provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: KANEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noriyuki Ito, Akiko Nishi, Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Patent number: 9416350
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for converting the coenzyme dependency of enzymes of the medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) family. A further object of the present invention is to provide enzyme variants of the MDR family whose coenzyme dependency is converted by the conversion method and a method for enzymatically producing optically active alcohols using the enzymes. The present inventors developed a novel enzyme conversion method for converting the coenzyme dependency of enzymes of the MDR family, rationally designed enzyme variants that are altered by the enzyme conversion method to be able to use NADPH as a coenzyme from a useful enzyme of the MDR family that uses NADH as a coenzyme, and actually provide variants having such an ability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: KANEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi Yoshida, Shunichi Taira, Masakatsu Nishihachijyo, Masutoshi Nojiri, Shigeru Kawano
  • Publication number: 20160168544
    Abstract: The invention relates to a glucose dehydrogenase showing an NADP/NAD activity ratio, namely the value obtained by dividing the enzyme activity value obtained by using NADP as a coenzyme by the enzyme activity value obtained by using NAD as a coenzyme, of not lower than 300, to a gene coding therefor, and to a transformant harboring that gene. The enzyme of the invention is very high in NADP specificity and can be suitably used, for example, for NADPH production, for coenzyme regeneration in enzymatic reduction reactions, and in biosensors for glucose concentration measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Patent number: 9303280
    Abstract: The invention relates to a glucose dehydrogenase showing an NADP/NAD activity ratio, namely the value obtained by dividing the enzyme activity value obtained by using NADP as a coenzyme by the enzyme activity value obtained by using NAD as a coenzyme, of not lower than 300, to a gene coding therefor, and to a transformant harboring that gene. The enzyme of the invention is very high in NADP specificity and can be suitably used, for example, for NADPH production, for coenzyme regeneration in enzymatic reduction reactions, and in biosensors for glucose concentration measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Publication number: 20160040138
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to modify a wild-type enzyme that is less reactive in the presence of an organic solvent to provide altered carbonyl reductases having better reactivity in the presence of the organic solvent than the wild-type enzyme, and/or to provide transformants producing such reductases. The present inventors have found altered carbonyl reductases having better reactivity in the presence of an organic solvent than the wild-type enzyme, from among a mutant enzyme library prepared by randomly mutating the wild-type enzyme gene, thereby arriving at completion of the present invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Applicant: KANEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Misato MATSUI, Noriyuki ITO, Shigeru KAWANO, Yoshihiko YASOHARA
  • Publication number: 20150361981
    Abstract: A discharge chamber, into which refrigerant compressed by a compression mechanism, is discharged, is formed in an inside of a housing. A resonator is connected to an intermediate portion of a communication passage, which communicates between the discharge chamber and a discharge port of the housing. The resonator includes a resonance chamber and an inlet passage. The inlet passage has one end portion, which is connected to the intermediate portion of the communication passage, and another end portion, which is connected to the resonance chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Inventor: Shigeru KAWANO
  • Patent number: 9067477
    Abstract: A power supply device includes a refrigeration cycle having a compressor, a motor, an inverter-integrated charger, a heat exchanger unit, and a controller having a determining unit. The inverter-integrated charger selectively controls operation of the motor using electrical power of a battery and charge of the battery with external power. The heat exchanger unit cools a cooling-necessary part of the inverter-integrated charger using refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle. When the vehicle is stopped and the battery is charged with the external power, the controller makes the inverter-integrated charger serve as: a charger to perform the charge of the battery; or an inverter to control the operation of the motor, thereby driving the compressor, upon determination that the cooling-necessary part needs to be cooled by the determining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, NIPPON SOKEN, INC.
    Inventors: Sadahisa Onimaru, Shinji Andou, Seiji Iyasu, Kazuyoshi Obayashi, Akira Sakamoto, Shigeru Kawano
  • Patent number: 9033124
    Abstract: A damper device is coaxial with a central axis of an electric compressor. The damper device includes a base portion and first and second weight portions. The base portion is configured to be fixed to a casing of the electric compressor. The first and second weight portions are oscillatable relative to the base portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Semura, Shigeru Kawano, Masashi Higashiyama
  • Patent number: 9029113
    Abstract: Provided is a method for efficiently producing from a ketone compound an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate of a drug, an agricultural chemical, or the like. Provided are: a polypeptide having aminotransferase activity that is increased in stereoselectivity, heat resistance, and resistance to amine compounds compared to the wild type enzyme by means of modifying an aminotransferase derived from Pseudomonas fluorescens; a gene encoding the polypeptide; and a transformant that expresses the gene at a high level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
    Inventors: Noriyuki Ito, Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Publication number: 20140335575
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a means for producing an optically active tropic acid that is a compound useful as a synthetic raw material or an intermediate for pharmaceutical products and the like. The present invention provides a novel polypeptide having activity to (R)-selectively hydrolyze a racemic tropic acid amide, DNA encoding the polypeptide, a vector containing the DNA, a transformant prepared by transformation with the vector, and a method for producing an optically active carboxylic acid amide and an optically active carboxylic acid using them.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: Masutoshi Nojiri, Hiroyuki Kanamaru, Akiko Nishi, Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Publication number: 20140256930
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for converting the coenzyme dependency of enzymes of the medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) family. A further object of the present invention is to provide enzyme variants of the MDR family whose coenzyme dependency is converted by the conversion method and a method for enzymatically producing optically active alcohols using the enzymes. The present inventors developed a novel enzyme conversion method for converting the coenzyme dependency of enzymes of the MDR family, rationally designed enzyme variants that are altered by the enzyme conversion method to be able to use NADPH as a coenzyme from a useful enzyme of the MDR family that uses NADH as a coenzyme, and actually provide variants having such an ability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: KANEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi Yoshida, Shunichi Taira, Masakatsu Nishihachijyo, Masutoshi Nojiri, Shigeru Kawano
  • Patent number: 8678797
    Abstract: A stationary base plate includes a sub-bypass hole, which communicates between a suction chamber and a first compression chamber, and a main bypass hole, which communicates between the suction chamber and a second compression chamber. A rotational center of the orbiting scroll and the sub-bypass hole are located along a first imaginary line. The rotational center of the orbiting scroll is also located along a second imaginary line, which is perpendicular to the first imaginary line. The main bypass hole opens at a location of the stationary base plate, which is on a side of the second imaginary line where the sub-bypass hole is located, so that timing of communicating between the suction chamber and the first compression chamber with each other is deviated from timing of communicating between the suction chamber and the second compression chamber with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru Kawano, Masami Sanuki, Takahiro Ishihara
  • Patent number: 8664373
    Abstract: The present invention provides a low-cost, efficient method for producing a glycolipid biosurfactant, in particular, lactonic sophorose lipids. This method is characterized by culturing a microorganism capable of producing the biosurfactant under limited oxygen supply. The present invention enables preferential production of lactonic sophorose lipids and facilitates recovery of the lactonic sophorose lipids in a solid form. Further, the present invention enables production of high purity acidic sophorose lipids by hydrolyzing high purity lactonic sophorose lipids produced by the above method. The present invention also provides lactonic sophorose lipids that possess strong antibacterial and antifungal activities, and an antibacterial and/or antifungal agent containing the sophorose lipids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
    Inventors: Satohiro Yanagisawa, Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara
  • Publication number: 20140004575
    Abstract: Provided is a method for efficiently producing from a ketone compound an optically active amino compound useful as an intermediate of a drug, an agricultural chemical, or the like. Provided are: a polypeptide having aminotransferase activity that is increased in stereoselectivity, heat resistance, and resistance to amine compounds compared to the wild type enzyme by means of modifying an aminotransferase derived from Pseudomonas fluorescens; a gene encoding the polypeptide; and a transformant that expresses the gene at a high level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: Kaneka Corporation
    Inventors: Noriyuki Ito, Shigeru Kawano, Yoshihiko Yasohara