Patents by Inventor Toshiaki Soma

Toshiaki Soma 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: 10024087
    Abstract: A safety device used for a case with a lid, includes a lock pin device having a responding moving member supported in the case, and a lock pin protruding from the responding moving member; a lock member provided on a lid side, and including a cam groove to receive the lock pin; and a spring member. The cam groove includes at least three first portions extending in an opening/closing direction of the lid, having an opening-directional end portion and a closing-directional end portion, and disposed in parallel at a predetermined interval therebetween; and a plurality of second portions connecting the closing-directional end portion of the first portions and intermediate portions of adjacent first portions. A depth of a bottom portion between the first portion and the second portion is different to transfer the lock pin from a first of the first portions to a last of the first portions non-reversibly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignees: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., NIFCO INC.
    Inventors: Yu Nakashima, Taku Kamiya, Toshiaki Soma
  • Patent number: 9260898
    Abstract: A hinge structure rotatably connects a first member and a second member, and includes a first shaft provided in the first member; a support portion provided in the second member; a bottomed first hole concaved on a side face of the support portion; a second shaft projected on a bottom portion of the first hole; a second hole concaved on an end face of the first shaft, and rotatably receiving an end portion of the second shaft; a first groove concaved on the side face of the support portion and extending in a radial direction of the first hole; and a second groove concaved on the end face of the first shaft and extending in a radial direction of the second hole. When the first member and the second member are assembled, the first shaft passes through the first groove, and the second shaft passes through the second groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: NIFCO INC.
    Inventor: Toshiaki Soma
  • Publication number: 20150300063
    Abstract: A hinge structure rotatably connects a first member and a second member, and includes a first shaft provided in the first member; a support portion provided in the second member; a bottomed first hole concaved on a side face of the support portion; a second shaft projected on a bottom portion of the first hole; a second hole concaved on an end face of the first shaft, and rotatably receiving an end portion of the second shaft; a first groove concaved on the side face of the support portion and extending in a radial direction of the first hole; and a second groove concaved on the end face of the first shaft and extending in a radial direction of the second hole. When the first member and the second member are assembled, the first shaft passes through the first groove, and the second shaft passes through the second groove.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: NIFCO INC.
    Inventor: Toshiaki Soma
  • Publication number: 20150144631
    Abstract: A safety device used for a case with a lid, includes a lock pin device having a responding moving member supported in the case, and a lock pin protruding from the responding moving member; a lock member provided on a lid side, and including a cam groove to receive the lock pin; and a spring member. The cam groove includes at least three first portions extending in an opening/closing direction of the lid, having an opening-directional end portion and a closing-directional end portion, and disposed in parallel at a predetermined interval therebetween; and a plurality of second portions connecting the closing-directional end portion of the first portions and intermediate portions of adjacent first portions. A depth of a bottom portion between the first portion and the second portion is different to transfer the lock pin from a first of the first portions to a last of the first portions non-reversibly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Yu Nakashima, Taku Kamiya, Toshiaki Soma
  • Patent number: 8360380
    Abstract: A cup holder for holding and retaining a cup includes a container integrally formed of a resin material as one structure with flexibility. The container includes a bottom portion, a cup retaining portion defined as a sidewall upstanding from the bottom portion, and at least one flexible protruding portion formed in the sidewall where the bottom portion does not contact. The flexible protruding portion is thinner in thickness than other portion of the side wall and protrudes towards an inside direction of the cup retaining portion. A rib is formed on an outside surface of the container to extend from the other portion of the side wall formed thicker than the protruding portion to a center of the protruding portion. An urging device is formed for pressing the protruding portion towards an inside of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Nifco Inc.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Soma, Tsuyoshi Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20120262899
    Abstract: A cable holder for mounting on a vehicle includes a holder body; at least one pair of connector holding parts (for example, elastic pieces) projecting to face each other inside a connector receiving cavity, for holding a connector fitted into the connector receiving cavity; and a connector push-out device (for example, lever) provided inside the connector receiving cavity, for pushing the connector fitted inside the connector receiving cavity out toward an open face of the connector receiving cavity in opposition to the holding force of the connector holding parts by an external operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: NIFCO INC.
    Inventors: Mitsuru Fukumoto, Toshiaki Soma
  • Patent number: 8051688
    Abstract: A lock device includes a main body, a lock that locks and unlocks a lid member, an operating button, an engagement member, a rotor that rotates by locking and unlocking the lock, a coupling member, and an arm disposed on the rotor and coupled to one end of the coupling member. The coupling member interlocks the operation button and the engagement member with unlocking the lock and releases an interlock between the operation button and the engagement member with locking the lock. The engagement member slides through the coupling member to disengage the engagement member from the main body by operating the operating button.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Nifco Inc.
    Inventor: Toshiaki Soma
  • Publication number: 20110006092
    Abstract: [Object] Provided is a cup holder with a good in and out usability of a drink container, upstanding the drink container in a vertical direction stably, and easy manufacturing of the: cup holder. [Remedy] Cup holder (1) storing and retaining a cup has a bottom portion (41) and a container equipped with a cup retaining portion (3) having a sidewall (42) upstanding from the bottom portion; and a section of the sidewall, where the bottom portion does not contact, constitutes at least one flexible protruding portion (46) protruding towards the inside direction of the cup retaining portion. Also, a section of the sidewall constituting the protruding portion is formed thinner compared to a thickness of the other section of the sidewall. Also, a rib is formed on an outside surface to extend from other section formed thicker compared to the section of the sidewall forming the protruding portion, to a center of the protruding portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: NIFCO Inc.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Soma, Tsuyoshi Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20100102063
    Abstract: In order for a lid body 70 to enable to take a closing-lid halfway position in addition to a closed lid position and open lid position, in the open lid position, a whole lid body is housed on the inner side of a design surface by an accessory panel so as to have a flat surface. In the closing-lid halfway position, the lid body 70 projects from the accessory panel and is exposed, so that by a projecting and exposed portion thereof, a closing operation of the lid body 70 is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Inventors: Mitsuru Kogami, Toshiaki Soma
  • Publication number: 20090188288
    Abstract: There is provided a lock device which is adapted to hold a lid member 3 with a lock 8 at a counterpart of a main body 1 in a closed state, which comprises an operating button for an unlocking operation 9; a slidable engagement member 11 having an engageable portion 14, the engageable portion being configured to be selectively brought into engagement with and out of engagement with the main body 1; and a coupling member 20 configured to interlock the operating button 9 and the engagement member 11 with a locking operation and the unlocking operation applied to the lock 8 so that the operating button 9 and the engagement member 11 are set in an interlocked state by the unlocking operation and are set to be free of the interlocked state by the locking operation; whereby the engagement member 11 is slid through the coupling member 20 to bring the engagement member 14 out of engagement with the main body 1 so as to be switched to an open state by operating the operating button 9 when the lock 8 is set in an unlock
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: NIFCO INC.
    Inventor: Toshiaki Soma