Patents by Inventor Tomohiro IWABATA

Tomohiro IWABATA 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: 9999327
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a seating detection sensor includes a strain generating body and a strain gauge. The strain generating body is held on a casing or a toilet seat. The strain generating body receives a load from the toilet seat via a shaft portion to generate a strain. The strain gauge is provided on the strain generating body and detects a strain amount of the strain generating body. A force release portion releases a force applied to an opening in a horizontal direction from the shaft portion in a state of the shaft portion abutting the opening so that the force is not converted downwardly in a vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Iwabata, Hiroshi Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20180084960
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a seating detection sensor includes a strain generating body and a strain gauge. The strain generating body is held on a casing or a toilet seat. The strain generating body receives a load from the toilet seat via a shaft portion to generate a strain. The strain gauge is provided on the strain generating body and detects a strain amount of the strain generating body. A force release portion releases a force applied to an opening in a horizontal direction from the shaft portion in a state of the shaft portion abutting the opening so that the force is not converted downwardly in a vertical direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Tomohiro IWABATA, Hiroshi HASHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 9752310
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus that can reduce the total amount of wash water supplied to a bowl portion, even though a jet-pump water supply mechanism is mounted on a toilet body. A jet pump unit induces a jet pump action for making a flow rate of water flowing inside of a throat pipe higher than a flow rate of water injected from a nozzle to supply water at the increased flow rate to water ejection portions, and the flush toilet apparatus switches a channel state of the jet pump unit to sequentially execute a first step, in which water at a first flow rate is supplied to the water ejection portions, and a second step, in which water at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate is supplied to the water ejection portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kitaura, Ryoko Ishimaru, Tomohiro Iwabata
  • Patent number: 9745731
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus that can reduce the total amount of wash water supplied to a bowl portion, even though a jet-pump water supply mechanism is mounted on a wash-down toilet body. A jet pump unit induces a jet pump action for making a flow rate of water flowing inside of a throat pipe higher than a flow rate of water injected from a nozzle to supply water at the increased flow rate to water ejection portions, and the flush toilet apparatus switches a channel state of the jet pump unit to sequentially execute a water flow forming step, in which water at a first flow rate is supplied to the water ejection portions, and a water flow maintaining step, following the water flow forming step and in which water at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate is supplied to the water ejection portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kitaura, Ryoko Ishimaru, Tomohiro Iwabata
  • Patent number: 9476193
    Abstract: This flush toilet apparatus includes a traveling-direction switching mechanism switching a mode between a toilet washing mode and a tank storage mode. This traveling-direction switching mechanism includes: a shield portion directing jet water to an outside of a throat pipe at a time of the tank storage mode; a moving mechanism moving the shield portion from a position at a time of the toilet washing mode in a first direction to a position at the time of the tank storage mode; and a guide surface switching a traveling direction of the jet water so that after the traveling direction is switched, a flow rate of the jet water is higher in a second direction opposite to the first direction than in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kitaura, Ryoko Ishimaru, Tomohiro Iwabata
  • Patent number: 9476191
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus includes a tank and a jet pump unit. The tank includes: a first tank portion; and a second tank portion formed so as to extend part of a bottom wall of the first tank portion downward. The jet pump unit includes a throat pipe provided with a suction port that is an inlet of water, and at least the part of the second tank portion is formed at a position overlapping with the suction port when viewed from the top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kitaura, Ryoko Ishimaru, Tomohiro Iwabata, Yoshiki Ota, Takashi Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 9328495
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus includes a tank and a jet pump unit. A throat pipe of the jet pump unit includes a linear portion formed to linearly extend obliquely upward from a suction port that is an inlet of water. The suction port is formed so that the entire edge is along a horizontal surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kitaura, Ryoko Ishimaru, Tomohiro Iwabata, Yoshiki Ota, Takashi Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 9021622
    Abstract: There is provided a flush toilet device capable of being configured in a compact size and supplying a sufficient flow amount of water to a toilet to reliably flush and discharge waste. According to the flush toilet device, a straight pipe portion of a throat which is arranged inside a tank is arranged in a state where a center axis thereof inclines with respect to a front-back direction of the tank when viewed from an upper side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kitaura, Ryoko Ishimaru, Tomohiro Iwabata, Yoshiki Ota, Takashi Yoshioka
  • Publication number: 20150040305
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus that can reduce the total amount of wash water supplied to a bowl portion, even though a jet-pump water supply mechanism is mounted on a toilet body. A jet pump unit induces a jet pump action for making a flow rate of water flowing inside of a throat pipe higher than a flow rate of water injected from a nozzle to supply water at the increased flow rate to water ejection portions, and the flush toilet apparatus switches a channel state of the jet pump unit to sequentially execute a first step, in which water at a first flow rate is supplied to the water ejection portions, and a second step, in which water at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate is supplied to the water ejection portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu KITAURA, Ryoko ISHIMARU, Tomohiro IWABATA
  • Publication number: 20150040304
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus that can reduce the total amount of wash water supplied to a bowl portion, even though a jet-pump water supply mechanism is mounted on a wash-down toilet body. A jet pump unit induces a jet pump action for making a flow rate of water flowing inside of a throat pipe higher than a flow rate of water injected from a nozzle to supply water at the increased flow rate to water ejection portions, and the flush toilet apparatus switches a channel state of the jet pump unit to sequentially execute a water flow forming step, in which water at a first flow rate is supplied to the water ejection portions, and a water flow maintaining step, following the water flow forming step and in which water at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate is supplied to the water ejection portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu KITAURA, Ryoko ISHIMARU, Tomohiro IWABATA
  • Publication number: 20140289944
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus includes a tank and a jet pump unit. The tank includes: a first tank portion; and a second tank portion formed so as to extend part of a bottom wall of the first tank portion downward. The jet pump unit includes a throat pipe provided with a suction port that is an inlet of water, and at least the part of the second tank portion is formed at a position overlapping with the suction port when viewed from the top.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu KITAURA, Ryoko ISHIMARU, Tomohiro IWABATA, Yoshiki OTA, Takashi YOSHIOKA
  • Publication number: 20140289950
    Abstract: This flush toilet apparatus includes a traveling-direction switching mechanism switching a mode between a toilet washing mode and a tank storage mode. This traveling-direction switching mechanism includes: a shield portion directing jet water to an outside of a throat pipe at a time of the tank storage mode; a moving mechanism moving the shield portion from a position at a time of the toilet washing mode in a first direction to a position at the time of the tank storage mode; and a guide surface switching a traveling direction of the jet water so that after the traveling direction is switched, a flow rate of the jet water is higher in a second direction opposite to the first direction than in the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu KITAURA, Ryoko ISHIMARU, Tomohiro IWABATA
  • Publication number: 20140289949
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus includes a tank and a jet pump unit. A throat pipe of the jet pump unit includes a linear portion formed to linearly extend obliquely upward from a suction port that is an inlet of water. The suction port is formed so that the entire edge is along a horizontal surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu KITAURA, Ryoko ISHIMARU, Tomohiro IWABATA, Yoshiki OTA, Takashi YOSHIOKA
  • Publication number: 20140289948
    Abstract: A flush toilet apparatus includes a tank and a jet pump unit. A throat pipe of the jet pump unit includes: a first linear portion formed to linearly extend obliquely upward from a suction port; and a second linear portion formed to linearly extend toward an inlet of a water conduit on a lower side, and the entire throat pipe is in an inverted U-shape when viewed from the side. The throat pipe is arranged so that an angle between a central axis of the second linear portion and a vertical direction is smaller than an angle between a central axis of the first linear portion and the vertical direction when viewed from the side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu KITAURA, Ryoko ISHIMARU, Tomohiro IWABATA, Yoshiki OTA, Takashi YOSHIOKA
  • Publication number: 20140109307
    Abstract: There is provided a flush toilet device capable of being configured in a compact size and supplying a sufficient flow amount of water to a toilet to reliably flush and discharge waste. According to the flush toilet device WT, a straight pipe portion 243 of a throat 24 which is arranged inside a tank 11 is arranged in a state where a center axis thereof inclines with respect to a front-back direction of the tank 11 when viewed from an upper side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: TOTO LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu KITAURA, Ryoko ISHIMARU, Tomohiro IWABATA, Yoshiki OTA, Takashi YOSHIOKA