Patents by Inventor Shunsuke KURODA

Shunsuke KURODA 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: 20240100999
    Abstract: A seat sliding device includes a lever member, a lock member, a rear biasing member, an operation member, and a front biasing member. A cylindrical portion of the operation member is inserted inside the lever member. At a front end of the front biasing member inserted into the cylindrical portion of the operation member, a retaining portion and a release portion are formed, the retaining portion preventing the operation member from moving forward, and the release portion extending forward from the retaining portion. A through-hole that penetrates into an interior of the cylindrical portion of the operation member is formed in an upper surface or a lower surface of a part that is forward of a part inserted into the lever member, of the cylindrical portion of the operation member at a position facing the release portion or at a position on a front side from the release portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Inventor: Shunsuke Kuroda
  • Patent number: 11872912
    Abstract: A seat sliding device includes a lower rail, an upper rail, a lever member, a lock member, a biasing member and an operation member. The upper rail includes a shaft member, and the lever member includes bearings engaging with the shaft member. Each of the left and right bearings has a surface in contact with the shaft member at one point in an up-down direction by being biased by the biasing member. In the pair of left and right bearings, a surface in contact with the shaft member in one bearing is formed as an arc-shaped surface with a radius slightly larger than an outer diameter of the shaft member, and a surface in contact with the shaft member in the other bearing is formed as a flat surface extending relative to the upper rail in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: TF-METAL Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunsuke Kuroda
  • Patent number: 11840163
    Abstract: A front upper support surface and a rear upper support surface facing an upper surface of a rear end of an operation handle are provided in a lock release lever with a gap between the front upper support surface and the rear upper support surface in the vehicle front-rear direction, and front lower support surfaces are provided below the front upper support surface. An upper rail is provided with a rear lower support surface, which is positioned below a rear upper support surface. A clearance is provided between the front lower support surface and a lower surface of a rear end of the operation handle, and a clearance is provided between the rear lower support surface and the lower surface of the rear end of the operation handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: TF-METAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shunsuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20230256871
    Abstract: A seat sliding device includes a lower rail, an upper rail, a lever member, a lock member, a biasing member and an operation member. The upper rail includes a shaft member, and the lever member includes bearings engaging with the shaft member. Each of the left and right bearings has a surface in contact with the shaft member at one point in an up-down direction by being biased by the biasing member. In the pair of left and right bearings, a surface in contact with the shaft member in one bearing is formed as an arc-shaped surface with a radius slightly larger than an outer diameter of the shaft member, and a surface in contact with the shaft member in the other bearing is formed as a flat surface extending relative to the upper rail in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventor: Shunsuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20230256872
    Abstract: A seat sliding device includes a lever member, a lock member, a biasing member and an operation member. The biasing member is formed of a bar-shaped member and includes a front acting portion configured to come in contact with the front end of the lever member to bias the front end of the lever member upward, a rear acting portion configured to come in contact with the rear end of the lever member to bias the rear end of the lever member upward, and an intermediate support portion formed between the front acting portion and the rear acting portion and engaged with a engaging portion formed in the upper rail. The engaging portion supports the intermediate support portion at a position rearward of a turning center of the lever member (shaft member).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventor: Shunsuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20230023091
    Abstract: A front upper support surface and a rear upper support surface facing an upper surface of a rear end of an operation handle are provided in a lock release lever with a gap between the front upper support surface and the rear upper support surface in the vehicle front-rear direction, and front lower support surfaces are provided below the front upper support surface. An upper rail is provided with a rear lower support surface, which is positioned below a rear upper support surface. A clearance is provided between the front lower support surface and a lower surface of a rear end of the operation handle, and a clearance is provided between the rear lower support surface and the lower surface of the rear end of the operation handle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Inventor: Shunsuke KURODA
  • Publication number: 20220266727
    Abstract: A seat sliding device includes: a lower rail; an upper rail; a lock member; a spring member; and an operation lever, the first fixing portion of the spring member which has a ring shape having an outside diameter greater than a width between the pair of the side walls of the upper rail, which has a spring force in a diameter increasing direction between the pair of the side walls of the upper rail, and which includes a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion that are configured to be mounted and fixed, respectively, in the first hole portion and the second hole portion by the spring force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Applicants: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TACHI-S CO., LTD., TF-METAL Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kosuke TANIGUCHI, Shunsuke KURODA
  • Publication number: 20220266726
    Abstract: A sliding device that slidably supports a seat body of a vehicle seat is provided. The sliding device includes: a fixed rail; a movable rail; a locking member displaceable between a locking position and an unlocking position, a sliding movement of the movable rail being restricted in the locking position, and restriction of the sliding movement being released in the unlocking position; a retention spring configured to apply to the locking member a retaining force to retain the locking member in the locking position; a release lever configured to displace the locking member to the unlocking position; a return spring configured to apply to the release lever an elastic force to return the release lever to its initial position; and a restrictor configured to restrict a displacement of the release lever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Applicants: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TACHI-S CO., LTD., TF-METAL Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kosuke TANIGUCHI, Shunsuke KURODA
  • Patent number: 11254241
    Abstract: A seat sliding device for vehicles includes lower and upper rails and a locking member for locking or unlocking the upper rail relative to the lower rail. The upper rail is equipped at a lower end of its downward side wall portion with a lower inward corner portion formed of a raised wall portion and a bottom wall portion. The locking member has an axial portion that is placed on and biased against the lower inward corner portion of the upper rail such that the locking member is swingable about an axis of the axial portion to lock or unlock the upper rail relative to the lower rail. This seat sliding device makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and improve operation stability of the locking member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignees: TF-METAL CO., LTD., TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TACHI-S CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kuroda, Kazuki Tamaki
  • Patent number: 11203275
    Abstract: A seat sliding device for vehicles includes lower and upper rails and a locking member for locking or unlocking the upper rail relative to the lower rail. The upper rail is equipped at a lower end of its downward side wall portion with a lower inward corner portion formed of a raised wall portion and a bottom wall portion. The locking member has an axial portion that is placed on and biased against the lower inward corner portion of the upper rail such that the locking member is swingable about an axis of the axial portion to lock or unlock the upper rail relative to the lower rail. This seat sliding device makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and improve operation stability of the locking member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignees: TF-METAL CO., LTD., TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TACHI-S CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kuroda, Kazuki Tamaki
  • Patent number: 10940775
    Abstract: A release lever includes: a release pressing portion pressing a portion around a lock portion of a plate spring to release an engagement of the lock portion with a locked portion; an operation portion located in a front side of the release lever and operated by a lock release operation of an operation handle; and a swing fulcrum portion provided between the release pressing portion and the operation portion. The plate spring integrally includes: a base including the swing fulcrum portion and fixed to an upper rail; a rear biasing portion located behind the base in a vehicle front-rear direction and biasing the lock portion in a lock direction; and a front biasing portion located in front of the base in the vehicle front-rear direction and biasing the operation handle upward. The front biasing portion has a biasing force smaller than that of the rear biasing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: TF-METAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuki Tamaki, Hirotsugu Kuroda, Fumisato Mase, Shunsuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20200189424
    Abstract: A seat sliding device for vehicles includes lower and upper rails and a locking member for locking or unlocking the upper rail relative to the lower rail. The upper rail is equipped at a lower end of its downward side wall portion with a lower inward corner portion formed of a raised wall portion and a bottom wall portion. The locking member has an axial portion that is placed on and biased against the lower inward corner portion of the upper rail such that the locking member is swingable about an axis of the axial portion to lock or unlock the upper rail relative to the lower rail. This seat sliding device makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and improve operation stability of the locking member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Applicants: TF-METAL Co., Ltd., TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TACHI-S CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunsuke KURODA, Kazuki TAMAKI
  • Publication number: 20190283630
    Abstract: A release lever includes: a release pressing portion pressing a portion around a lock portion of a plate spring to release an engagement of the lock portion with a locked portion; an operation portion located in a front side of the release lever and operated by a lock release operation of an operation handle; and a swing fulcrum portion provided between the release pressing portion and the operation portion. The plate spring integrally includes: a base including the swing fulcrum portion and fixed to an upper rail; a rear biasing portion located behind the base in a vehicle front-rear direction and biasing the lock portion in a lock direction; and a front biasing portion located in front of the base in the vehicle front-rear direction and biasing the operation handle upward. The front biasing portion has a biasing force smaller than that of the rear biasing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Kazuki TAMAKI, Hirotsugu KURODA, Fumisato MASE, Shunsuke KURODA
  • Patent number: 10046672
    Abstract: A seat slide device for a vehicle includes a lower rail mounted on a vehicle floor, an upper rail mounted on an underside of a seat part, and a friction reducing member arranged between the lower rail and the upper rail. The friction reducing member includes sliding contact members. Each of the sliding contact members includes a lower column part, an upper column part, and connection parts which connect the upper column part with the lower column part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: TF-METAL Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunsuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20160039313
    Abstract: A seat slide device for a vehicle includes a lower rail mounted on a vehicle floor, an upper rail mounted on an underside of a seat part, and a friction reducing member arranged between the lower rail and the upper rail. The friction reducing member includes sliding contact members. Each of the sliding contact members includes a lower column part, an upper column part, and connection parts which connect the upper column part with the lower column part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventor: Shunsuke KURODA