Patents by Inventor Shigeru Yokoji

Shigeru Yokoji 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: 7158119
    Abstract: Relating to a track ball device for manipulating a cursor moving on a display screen of an electronic apparatus, a track ball device being manipulated precisely while generating a click feel when a ball is rotated, having a small play angle and small size is presented. Beneath the center of the ball, the ball is rotatably supported by four rollers. The section of a contacting portion of the rollers contacting with the ball is a circular sawtooth profile, and the directions of the sawtooth serrations of opposite rollers are reverse to each other. Rollers 2 to 5 have switches as rotation amount detecting units. Further, X roller and Y roller contacting with the outer circumference in the orthogonal direction as seen from above the ball, and third roller hold the ball rotatably. Plural undulations are formed on the outer circumference of large-diameter contacting portions of the X roller and Y roller 3 of circular shaft shape. Rotary encoders are coupled to individual rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoji, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Masaki Nakase, Toyoshi Fukumura
  • Publication number: 20050156893
    Abstract: Relating to a track ball device for manipulating a cursor moving on a display screen of an electronic apparatus, a track ball device being manipulated precisely while generating a click feel when a ball is rotated, having a small play angle and small size is presented. Beneath the center of the ball, the ball is rotatably supported by four rollers. The section of a contacting portion of the rollers contacting with the ball is a circular sawtooth profile, and the directions of the sawtooth serrations of opposite rollers are reverse to each other. Rollers 2 to 5 have switches as rotation amount detecting units. Further, X roller and Y roller contacting with the outer circumference in the orthogonal direction as seen from above the ball, and third roller hold the ball rotatably. Plural undulations are formed on the outer circumference of large-diameter contacting portions of the X roller and Y roller 3 of circular shaft shape. Rotary encoders are coupled to individual rollers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2005
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Applicant: Matsushita Elec. Ind. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoji, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Masaki Nakase, Toyoshi Fukumura
  • Patent number: 6909422
    Abstract: Relating to a track ball device for manipulating a cursor moving on a display screen of an electronic apparatus, a track ball device being manipulated precisely while generating a click feel when a ball is rotated, having a small play angle and small size is presented. Beneath the center of the ball, the ball is rotatably supported by four rollers. The section of a contacting portion of the rollers contacting with the ball is a circular sawtooth profile, and the directions of the sawtooth serrations of opposite rollers are reverse to each other. Rollers 2 to 5 have switches as rotation amount detecting units. Further, X roller and Y roller contacting with the outer circumference in the orthogonal direction as seen from above the ball, and third roller hold the ball rotatably. Plural undulations are formed on the outer circumference of large-diameter contacting portions of the X roller and Y roller 3 of circular shaft shape. Rotary encoders are coupled to individual rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoji, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Masaki Nakase, Toyoshi Fukumura
  • Patent number: 6864679
    Abstract: A rotary manipulation type input device obtains a specified output by detecting intensity changes of magnetic field due to rotation of an operating element by a detecting element disposed on a substrate beneath a base, using a ring-shaped magnet disposed at the lower side of the operating element disposed rotatably on the base. By rotary manipulation of the operating element, an attractive and repulsive force is generated between the ring-shaped magnetic and the magnetic disposed on the base, so that an operation contact click-feeling is obtained, and therefore the rotary click-feeling and signal output can be synchronized easily, and deterioration of rotary click-feeling is very rare.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoji, Tamotsu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20040072596
    Abstract: Portable electronic equipment capable of changing the display on a display means so that the display has letters of a desired size, by a simple operation. The portable electronic equipment has (a) a display means for displaying information, (b) a first manipulator means for performing a first screen process on the information displayed on the display means, (c) a second manipulator means for performing a second screen process on the information by operation in a circumferential direction thereof, and (d) a controller means. The controller means controls the first manipulator means, the second manipulator means, and the display means. Thereby, the controller can perform the first screen process of scrolling the screen in an arbitrary direction to select a display position and the second screen process of scaling up, scaling down, and switching the screen with the selected display position as a reference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventors: Tamotsu Yamamoto, Shigeru Yokoji, Masaki Sawada, Hiroyasu Okada, Hiroto Inoue
  • Publication number: 20030224737
    Abstract: A rotary manipulation type input device obtains a specified output by detecting intensity changes of magnetic field due to rotation of an operating element by a detecting element disposed on a substrate beneath a base, using a ring-shaped magnet disposed at the lower side of the operating element disposed rotatably on the base. By rotary manipulation of the operating element, an attractive and repulsive force is generated between the ring-shaped magnetic and the magnetic disposed on the base, so that an operation contact click-feeling is obtained, and therefore the rotary click-feeling and signal output can be synchronized easily, and deterioration of rotary click-feeling is very rare.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2003
    Publication date: December 4, 2003
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoji, Tamotsu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20020190985
    Abstract: Relating to a track ball device for manipulating a cursor moving on a display screen of an electronic apparatus, a track ball device being manipulated precisely while generating a click feel when a ball is rotated, having a small play angle and small size is presented. Beneath the center of the ball, the ball is rotatably supported by four rollers. The section of a contacting portion of the rollers contacting with the ball is a circular sawtooth profile, and the directions of the sawtooth serrations of opposite rollers are reverse to each other. Rollers 2 to 5 have switches as rotation amount detecting units. Further, X roller and Y roller contacting with the outer circumference in the orthogonal direction as seen from above the ball, and third roller hold the ball rotatably. Plural undulations are formed on the outer circumference of large-diameter contacting portions of the X roller and Y roller 3 of circular shaft shape. Rotary encoders are coupled to individual rollers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoji, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Masaki Nakase, Toyoshi Fukumura
  • Patent number: 6396006
    Abstract: A push and rotary operating type electronic device comprises a push switch unit 37 composed in a center of a bottom surface of a case 30, a rotary encoder unit 35 composed at a periphery of the push switch unit, a discoidal operating knob 39 mounted in a manner to be independently movable vertically, while also rotatable conjunctly with the rotary encoder unit 35, wherein the both component units 35 and 37 are operative by depression on a peripheral portion of the operating knob 39 during a rotary manipulation and a center portion of the same in a depressing manipulation. Communication terminal equipment uses this push and rotary operating type electronic device. This structure realizes a small projected area, and allows the rotary manipulation and the depressing manipulation by operating different portions of the single operating knob 39.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoji, Koji Tamano, Hiroshi Matsui
  • Patent number: 6229103
    Abstract: An operation type electronic component which is used for a remote controller of various electronic equipment and portable electronic equipment and is equipped with a push switch driven by the rotating and push operation of an operation knob. The component can be reduced in size and grounded by a simple construction and can be grounded by merely fitting. A dome-like movable contact (23E) is put on fixed contacts (23A, 23B) disposed on a fitting substrate (22) to form a switch unit (23). An L-shaped actuator is interposed between this switch unit (23) and a driving body (21) so that the driving body (21) returns to the original state after the push operation of an operation knob (6) by the elastic operation force of the dome-like movable contact point (23E)of the switch unit (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Yamamoto, Shigeru Yokoji, Hiroto Inoue, Hiroshi Matsui, Keiji Kaizaki, Koji Tamano
  • Patent number: 5613600
    Abstract: A rotatively-operated electronic component with a push switch includes an attachment base plate. A rotatively-operated electronic component portion supported on the attachment base plate has a rotatable operation knob. An electric signal can be generated in response to rotation of the operation knob. The rotatively-operated electronic component portion can move relative to the attachment base plate by application of a force to the operation knob. A push switch portion is supported on the attachment base plate. The push switch portion is actuated in response to movement of the rotatively-operated electronic component portion relative to the attachment base plate by the application of the force to the operation knob.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoji, Hiroshi Matsui, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Kazuhiro Enokido, Yutaka Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 5593023
    Abstract: A rotatively-operated electronic component with a push switch includes a rotatable operation knob. A rotary contact plate is connected to the operation knob for motion together with the operation knob. Resilient contact arms provided on an attachment base plate touch the rotary contact plate. The resilient contact arms and the contact plate cooperate to generate an electric signal in response to rotation of the operation knob. A drive member connected to the attachment base plate rotatably supports the rotary contact plate. The drive member is swingable relative to the attachment base plate. The drive member is allowed to swing relative to the attachment base plate by application of a force to the operation knob. A push switch portion is supported on the attachment base plate. The push switch portion is actuated in response to swing of the drive member relative to the attachment base plate by the application of the force to the operation knob.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiji Kaizaki, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Shigeru Yokoji, Hiroto Inoue, Hiroshi Matsui