Patents by Inventor Toshiki KUDO

Toshiki KUDO 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: 20240262539
    Abstract: An exploration method includes: a step of exploring a natural resource on a satellite, a minor planet, or a planet; a step of acquiring the natural resource detected by the exploration; and a step of storing the acquired natural resource.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Inventors: Takeshi HAKAMADA, Takahiro NAKAMURA, John WALKER, Toshiro SHIMIZU, Toshiki TANAKA, Daisuke FURUTOMO, Yu KUDO, Kiyona MIYAMOTO, Daishi MATSUKURA, Mohamed RAGAB, Abdelkader HAOUCHINE, Damien HAIKAL, Chit Hong YAM, Julian Jakub GRAMATYKA
  • Publication number: 20230087525
    Abstract: Provided are a cartridge and a flavor inhaler with new structures. A flavor inhaler cartridge includes: a raw material portion that is heated and thereby generates aerosols; and a case that accommodates the raw material portion therein. The case includes a first wall, a second wall that faces the first wall, a pair of connecting walls that connect the first wall to the second wall, a first end surface that is provided with a first opening defined by the first wall, the second wall, and the pair of connecting walls, and a second end surface that faces the first end surface portion. The pair of connecting walls include, on surfaces facing inside of the case, a plurality of half-cuts or debosses extending between the first end surface and the second end surface, and are folded along the plurality of half-cuts or debosses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Hitoshi TAMBO, Manabu YAMADA, Masami KAWABE, Toshiki KUDO
  • Patent number: 11484064
    Abstract: An aerosol inhaler cartridge is provided with a liquid storage unit and a thin metal heater. The metal heater has an obverse face, a reverse face, and a side face joining the obverse face and the reverse face, and is provided, on at least a part of the side face, with a tapered protrusion that protrudes in a tapered shape in a direction different from an imaginary line extending from the obverse face to the reverse face. The tapered protrusion has: a first tapered face formed in an inwardly curving manner extending from an obverse edge part whereat the obverse face and the side face are joined to the tip of the tapered protrusion; and a second tapered face formed in an inwardly curving manner extending from a reverse edge part whereat the reverse face and the side face are joined to the tip of the tapered protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Tomoichi Watanabe, Hidenori Muramoto, Takeshi Akiyama, Mitsuru Okada, Toshiki Kudo, Tomoaki Hongo
  • Patent number: 11272737
    Abstract: A vapor generation unit is for use in a non-combustion-type flavor inhaler that includes a wick, a wick support, a heater, a holder, and a positioning mechanism. The wick holds a liquid and is attached to the wick support. The heater includes a housing space that houses a wick assembly that is formed from the wick and the wick support and a heater element that is contacted by the wick. The holder is assembled on the heater element side of an assembly that is formed from the heater and the wick assembly. The positioning mechanism makes it possible for the wick assembly to be housed in the housing space such that the wick is not in contact with the heater element and moves the wick assembly as housed in the housing space so as to position the wick assembly such that the wick is in contact with the heater element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Tomoichi Watanabe, Toshiki Kudo
  • Patent number: 11172709
    Abstract: A method for producing a vapor generation unit, which is for generating a vapor by heating a liquid and is to be used in a non-combustible flavor inhaler, includes: a support feeding step of feeding a wick support to a production line for the vapor generation unit; a wick feeding step of, after the support feeding step, feeding a wick toward the wick support and disposing the same on the wick support; a holder feeding step of, after the wick feeding step, feeding a wick holder toward the wick support and assembling the same on the wick support; and a heater feeding step of, after the holder feeding step, feeding a heater toward the wick holder and assembling the same on the wick support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Tomoichi Watanabe, Masayoshi Saito, Toshiki Kudo, Hidenori Muramoto, Ryuji Saito, Masayuki Kimura
  • Patent number: 11160314
    Abstract: An inspection device is an inspection device for a battery unit for a smoking article having a battery embedded therein, the battery unit including a suction detection part that detects negative pressure in the battery unit, the inspection device including: a suction path to be connected to the suction detection part through a suction port, a suction source disposed in the suction path, a control unit that inspects operation of the battery unit on the basis of the negative pressure detected by the suction detection part, by operating the suction source to suck the suction detection part through the suction path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Tomoichi Watanabe, Hidenori Muramoto, Kenta Mitsuchi, Toshiki Kudo, Takaya Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20210307393
    Abstract: A vapor generation unit is for use in a non-combustion-type flavor inhaler that includes a wick, a wick support, a heater, a holder, and a positioning mechanism The wick holds a liquid and is attached to the wick support. The heater includes a housing space that houses a wick assembly that is formed from the wick and the wick support and a heater element that is contacted by the wick. The holder is assembled on the heater element side of an assembly that is formed from the heater and the wick assembly. The positioning mechanism makes it possible for the wick assembly to be housed in the housing space such that the wick is not in contact with the heater element and moves the wick assembly as housed in the housing space so as to position the wick assembly such that the wick is in contact with the heater element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Tomoichi WATANABE, Toshiki KUDO
  • Publication number: 20210235771
    Abstract: A method for producing a vapor generation unit, which is for generating a vapor by heating a liquid and is to be used in a non-combustible flavor inhaler, includes: a support feeding step of feeding a wick support to a production line for the vapor generation unit; a wick feeding step of, after the support feeding step, feeding a wick toward the wick support and disposing the same on the wick support; a holder feeding step of, after the wick feeding step, feeding a wick holder toward the wick support and assembling the same on the wick support; and a heater feeding step of, after the holder feeding step, feeding a heater toward the wick holder and assembling the same on the wick support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Applicant: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Tomoichi WATANABE, Masayoshi SAITO, Toshiki KUDO, Hidenori MURAMOTO, Ryuji SAITO, Masayuki KIMURA
  • Publication number: 20200297032
    Abstract: An aerosol inhaler cartridge is provided with a liquid storage unit and a thin metal heater. The metal heater has an obverse face, a reverse face, and a side face joining the obverse face and the reverse face, and is provided, on at least a part of the side face, with a tapered protrusion that protrudes in a tapered shape in a direction different from an imaginary line extending from the obverse face to the reverse face. The tapered protrusion has: a first tapered face formed in an inwardly curving manner extending from an obverse edge part whereat the obverse face and the side face are joined to the tip of the tapered protrusion; and a second tapered face formed in an inwardly curving manner extending from a reverse edge part whereat the reverse face and the side face are joined to the tip of the tapered protrusion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Tomoichi WATANABE, Hidenori MURAMOTO, Takeshi AKIYAMA, Mitsuru OKADA, Toshiki KUDO, Tomoaki HONGO
  • Publication number: 20190373958
    Abstract: An inspection device is an inspection device for a battery unit for a smoking article having a battery embedded therein, the battery unit including a suction detection part that detects negative pressure in the battery unit, the inspection device including: a suction path to be connected to the suction detection part through a suction port; a suction source disposed in the suction path; a control unit that inspects operation of the battery unit on the basis of the negative pressure detected by the suction detection part, by operating the suction source to suck the suction detection part through the suction path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Tomoichi WATANABE, Hidenori MURAMOTO, Kenta MITSUCHI, Toshiki KUDO, Takaya TAKAHASHI