Patents by Inventor Tomoko Kurata

Tomoko Kurata 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: 8424908
    Abstract: A gas generator, includes: a housing having closure shell, a diffuser shell including a gas discharge ports, and a flange portion; an inner tube member defining a combustion chamber in an outside thereof for accommodating a gas generating agent, the igniter being attached to the closure shell such that the igniter projects inside from a hole formed in the bottom plate of the closure shell, the annular porous member having a plurality of holes which are smaller than the size of the gas generator, defining a space above the combustion chamber, a total opening area (A1) of the gas discharge ports being smaller than a total opening area (A2) of a gas pathway extending from the combustion chamber to the gas discharge ports (A1<A2), and the space and the gas discharge path being communicated with each other by a communicating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignees: Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoharu Kobayashi, Naoki Matsuda, Osamu Fukawatase, Tomoko Kurata, Yuki Nonoyama, Tadashi Yamada, Toru Ozaki
  • Patent number: 8424909
    Abstract: A gas generator includes: a housing having closure and diffuser shells; an inner tube member accommodating an igniter, an opening end of the inner tube member being located opposing a bottom plate of the closure shell and defining a ventilating portion formed at the opening end, the inner tube member being fixed to an igniter attaching portion, and having a cylindrical portion projecting inwardly in the closure shell, and a passage being formed between the inner tube member and the igniter attaching portion to reach the ventilating portion; an outer circumference cylindrical member provided in the combustion chamber and one end opening thereof being located at the bottom plate; and an annular porous member defining a space above the combustion chamber, the space being communicated to a gas discharge path defined between the outer circumference cylindrical member and a side surface of the diffuser shell through a communicating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignees: Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Tomoharu Kobayashi, Naoki Matsuda, Osamu Fukawatase, Tomoko Kurata, Yuki Nonoyama, Tadashi Yamada, Toru Ozaki
  • Patent number: 8408589
    Abstract: A knee airbag device for a vehicle, configured in such a manner that, when a knee airbag is inflated and expanded with the knees of a vehicle occupant located close to an airbag door, a load to the lower legs is reduced. A first tear section (100) for expanding a first airbag door (108) in the vehicle's top-bottom direction and a second tear section (102) for expanding a second airbag door (112) in the vehicle's lateral direction are formed on the rear surface side of a glove-box-door outer member (24). The first tear section (100) is composed of a left and right pair of vertical tear sections (104) and a first horizontal tear section (106). The second tear section (102) is composed of second lateral tear sections (110).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushika Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Fukawatase, Hitoshi Matsushima, Kazuhiro Kawachi, Yasushi Itou, Tomoko Kurata
  • Patent number: 8146943
    Abstract: It is an object to ensure that, even when knee regions of an occupant are in a near state with respect to a storage section of a knee airbag at the time of a frontal collision of a vehicle, the knee regions can be restrained appropriately by the knee airbag. A knee airbag 14 stored in a folded state in a glove box door 22 (a storage section) receives a supply of a gas at the time of a frontal collision of a vehicle 18 and inflates and deploys toward knee regions 36K of an occupant 36 seated in a front passenger seat 12 (a vehicle seat). At this time, when the knee regions 36K of the occupant 36 are in a near state with respect to the glove box door 22, the gas inside the knee airbag 14 becomes ventable to the outside from a vent hole 16, The vent hole 16 appropriately vents this gas from the inside, of the knee airbag 14, and the reaction force of the knee airbag 14 with respect to the knee regions 36K are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Fukawatase, Yasushi Itou, Tomoko Kurata
  • Publication number: 20110272929
    Abstract: A knee airbag device for a vehicle, configured in such a manner that, when a knee airbag is inflated and expanded with the knees of a vehicle occupant located close to an airbag door, a load to the lower legs is reduced. A first tear section (100) for expanding a first airbag door (108) in the vehicle's top-bottom direction and a second tear section (102) for expanding a second airbag door (112) in the vehicle's lateral direction are formed on the rear surface side of a glove-box-door outer member (24). The first tear section (100) is composed of a left and right pair of vertical tear sections (104) and a first horizontal tear section (106). The second tear section (102) is composed of second lateral tear sections (110).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2009
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Inventors: Osamu Fukawatase, Hitoshi Matsushima, Kazuhiro Kawachi, Yasushi Itou, Tomoko Kurata
  • Publication number: 20110259234
    Abstract: The present invention provides a filterless gas generator, including, a housing having closure shell, a diffuser shell including a gas discharge ports, and a flange portion, an inner tube member defining a combustion chamber in an outside thereof for accommodating a gas generating agent, the igniter attached to the closure shell such that the igniter projects inside from a hole formed in the bottom plate of the closure shell, the annular porous member having a plurality of holes which are smaller than the size of the gas generator, defining a space above the combustion chamber, a total opening area (A1) of the gas discharge ports being smaller than a total opening area (A2) of a gas pathway extending from the combustion chamber to the gas discharge ports (A1<A2) , and the space and the gas discharge path being communicated with each other by a communicating portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicants: DAICEL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD., TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoharu Kobayashi, Naoki Matsuda, Osamu Fukawatase, Tomoko Kurata, Yuki Nonoyama, Tadashi Yamada, Toru Ozaki
  • Publication number: 20110253000
    Abstract: The present invention provides a filterless gas generator, including a housing having a closure shell, a diffuser and a flange portion, an inner tube member accommodating an igniter coaxially with the central axis of the housing, an opening end of the inner tube member located in a bottom plate of the closure shell and a ventilating portion formed at the opening end, the inner tube member fixed to an igniter attaching portion, being a cylindrical portion projecting inwardly in the closure shell, and a passage being formed between the inner tube member and the igniter attaching portion to reach the ventilating portion, one end opening of a outer circumference cylindrical member provided in the combustion chamber being located at the bottom plate of the closure shell, the annular porous member disposed and defining a space above the combustion chamber, the space communicating to a gas discharge path between the outer circumference cylindrical member and a side surface of the diffuser shell through a communicati
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicants: DAICEL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD., TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoharu Kobayashi, Naoki Matsuda, Osamu Fukawatase, Tomoko Kurata, Yuki Nonoyama, Tadashi Yamada, Toru Ozaki
  • Publication number: 20110204603
    Abstract: It is an object to ensure that, even when knee regions of an occupant are in a near state with respect to a storage section of a knee airbag at the time of a frontal collision of a vehicle, the knee regions can be restrained appropriately by the knee airbag. A knee airbag 14 stored in a folded state in a glove box door 22 (a storage section) receives a supply of a gas at the time of a frontal collision of a vehicle 18 and inflates and deploys toward knee regions 36K of an occupant 36 seated in a front passenger seat 12 (a vehicle seat). At this time, when the knee regions 36K of the occupant 36 are in a near state with respect to the glove box door 22, the gas inside the knee airbag 14 becomes ventable to the outside from a vent hole 16. The vent hole 16 appropriately vents this gas from the inside of the knee airbag 14, and the reaction force of the knee airbag 14 with respect to the knee regions 36K are reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Inventors: Osamu Fukawatase, Tasushi Itou, Tomoko Kurata