Patents by Inventor Toshiro Esaki

Toshiro Esaki 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: 6862791
    Abstract: A casing and a lid which are supplied to a casing/lid supply machine are fed to a main assembly line where a light-shielding sheet is mounted on the casing and a film cover supplied from a film cover assembly line is mounted in the casing. Pressers supplied from a presser assembly line are mounted on the lid. The casing and the lid are combined with each other, completing a film case. The film case manufacturing system is capable of efficiently manufacturing highly accurate film cases and is relatively compact in structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiro Esaki, Hideki Matsuzawa, Masami Seko, Nobuo Matsuda, Hiroki Omote, Kazuo Tanabe
  • Publication number: 20040040140
    Abstract: A casing and a lid which are supplied to a casing/lid supply machine are fed to a main assembly line where a light-shielding sheet is mounted on the casing and a film cover supplied from a film cover assembly line is mounted in the casing. Pressers supplied from a presser assembly line are mounted on the lid. The casing and the lid are combined with each other, completing a film case. The film case manufacturing system is capable of efficiently manufacturing highly accurate film cases and is relatively compact in structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2003
    Publication date: March 4, 2004
    Applicant: FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiro Esaki, Hideki Matsuzawa, Masami Seko, Nobuo Matsuda, Hiroki Omote, Kazuo Tanabe
  • Patent number: 6662428
    Abstract: A casing and a lid which are supplied to a casing/lid supply machine are fed to a main assembly line where a light-shielding sheet is mounted on the casing and a film cover supplied from a film cover assembly line is mounted in the casing. Pressers supplied from a presser assembly line are mounted on the lid. The casing and the lid are combined with each other, completing a film case. The film case manufacturing system is capable of efficiently manufacturing highly accurate film cases and is relatively compact in structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiro Esaki, Hideki Matsuzawa, Masami Seko, Nobuo Matsuda, Hiroki Omote, Kazuo Tanabe
  • Patent number: 6591489
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette manufacturing apparatus, has a perforator for providing a long film with perforations and a cutter for cutting the long film into individual filmstrips to be contained in the film cassette driven synchronously with transport of the long film. A magnetic recording head for recording data on a magnetic recording layer of the long film is driven in synchronism with the perforator and the cutter. The long film is transported in a first direction before being cut into the individual filmstrips. In cooperation with the cutting, a trailing end of the individual filmstrip in the first direction is moved in a direction which is reverse to the first direction to secure the trailing end to the spool. A cassette shell consisting of a pair of shell halves is temporarily assembled by mating the shell halves together while containing a spool inside the shell halves, and thereafter opened to an extent that confining elements still confine the position of flanges of the spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Toshiro Esaki, Tadayoshi Shibata, Koichi Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20020178563
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette manufacturing apparatus, has a perforator for providing a long film with perforations and a cutter for cutting the long film into individual filmstrips to be contained in the film cassette driven synchronously with transport of the long film. A magnetic recording head for recording data on a magnetic recording layer of the long film is driven in synchronism with the perforator and the cutter. The long film is transported in a first direction before being cut into the individual filmstrips. In cooperation with the cutting, a trailing end of the individual filmstrip in the first direction is moved in a direction which is reverse to the first direction to secure the trailing end to the spool. A cassette shell consisting of a pair of shell halves is temporarily assembled by mating the shell halves together while containing a spool inside the shell halves, and thereafter opened to an extent that confining elements still confine the position of flanges of the spool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2002
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Applicant: FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Toshiro Esaki, Tadayoshi Shibata, Koichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6430808
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette manufacturing apparatus, has a perforator for providing a long film with perforations and a cutter for cutting the long film into individual filmstrips to be contained in the film cassette driven synchronously with transport of the long film. A magnetic recording head for recording data on a magnetic recording layer of the long film is driven in synchronism with the perforator and the cutter. The long film is transported in a first direction before being cut into the individual filmstrips. In cooperation with the cutting, a trailing end of the individual filmstrip in the first direction is moved in a direction which is reverse to the first direction to secure the trailing end to the spool. A cassette shell consisting of a pair of shell halves is temporarily assembled by mating the shell halves together while containing a spool inside the shell halves, and thereafter opened to an extent that confining elements still confine the position of flanges of the spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Toshiro Esaki, Tadayoshi Shibata, Koichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6412162
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette manufacturing apparatus, has a perforator for providing a long film with perforations and a cutter for cutting the long film into individual filmstrips to be contained in the film cassette driven synchronously with transport of the long film. A magnetic recording head for recording data on a magnetic recording layer of the long film is driven in synchronism with the perforator and the cutter. The long film is transported in a first direction before being cut into the individual filmstrips. In cooperation with the cutting, a trailing end of the individual filmstrip in the first direction is moved in a direction which is reverse to the first direction to secure the trailing end to the spool. A cassette shell consisting of a pair of shell halves is temporarily assembled by mating the shell halves together while containing a spool inside the shell halves, and thereafter opened to an extent that confining elements still confine the position of flanges of the spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Toshiro Esaki, Tadayoshi Shibata, Koichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6393695
    Abstract: Automatic assembling method and apparatus using a plurality of pallets on a conveyer belt for assembling photographic film cassettes, or the like. Each pallet has a secondary work holder and a primary work holder. Parts of a secondary assembly are sequentially fed to the secondary work holder and are assembled into the secondary assembly in the secondary work holder. The secondary assembly and other parts of a primary assembly are sequentially fed to the primary work holder and are assembled into the primary in the primary work holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshiro Esaki
  • Publication number: 20020028078
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette manufacturing apparatus, has a perforator for providing a long film with perforations and a cutter for cutting the long film into individual filmstrips to be contained in the film cassette driven synchronously with transport of the long film. A magnetic recording head for recording data on a magnetic recording layer of the long film is driven in synchronism with the perforator and the cutter. The long film is transported in a first direction before being cut into the individual filmstrips. In cooperation with the cutting, a trailing end of the individual filmstrip in the first direction is moved in a direction which is reverse to the first direction to secure the trailing end to the spool. A cassette shell consisting of a pair of shell halves is temporarily assembled by mating the shell halves together while containing a spool inside the shell halves, and thereafter opened to an extent that confining elements still confine the position of flanges of the spool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Applicant: FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Toshiro Esaki, Tadayoshi Shibata, Koichi Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20020012538
    Abstract: A casing and a lid which are supplied to a casing/lid supply machine are fed to a main assembly line where a light-shielding sheet is mounted on the casing and a film cover supplied from a film cover assembly line is mounted in the casing. Pressers supplied from a presser assembly line are mounted on the lid. The casing and the lid are combined with each other, completing a film case. The film case manufacturing system is capable of efficiently manufacturing highly accurate film cases and is relatively compact in structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Publication date: January 31, 2002
    Applicant: FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiro Esaki, Hideki Matsuzawa, Masami Seko, Nobuo Matsuda, Hiroki Omote, Kazuo Tanabe
  • Patent number: 6289653
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette manufacturing apparatus, has a perforator for providing a long film with perforations and a cutter for cutting the long film into individual filmstrips to be contained in the film cassette driven synchronously with transport of the long film. A magnetic recording head for recording data on a magnetic recording layer of the long film is driven in synchronism with the perforator and the cutter. The long film is transported in a first direction before being cut into the individual filmstrips. In cooperation with the cutting, a trailing end of the individual filmstrip in the first direction is moved in a direction which is reverse to the first direction to secure the trailing end to the spool. A cassette shell consisting of a pair of shell halves is temporarily assembled by mating the shell halves together while containing a spool inside the shell halves, and thereafter opened to an extent that confining elements still confine the position of flanges of the spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Toshiro Esaki, Tadayoshi Shibata, Koichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6279220
    Abstract: Automatic assembling method and apparatus using a plurality of pallets on a conveyer belt for assembling photographic film cassettes, or the like. Each pallet has a secondary work holder and a primary work holder. Parts of a secondary assembly are sequentially fed to the secondary work holder and are assembled into the secondary assembly in the secondary work holder. The secondary assembly and other parts of a primary assembly are sequentially fed to the primary work holder and are assembled into the primary in the primary work holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshiro Esaki
  • Publication number: 20010015004
    Abstract: Automatic assembling method and apparatus using a plurality of pallets on a conveyer belt for assembling photographic film cassettes, or the like. Each pallet has a secondary work holder and a primary work holder. Parts of a secondary assembly are sequentially fed to the secondary work holder and are assembled into the secondary assembly in the secondary work holder. The secondary assembly and other parts of a primary assembly are sequentially fed to the primary work holder and are assembled into the primary in the primary work holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2001
    Publication date: August 23, 2001
    Inventor: Toshiro Esaki
  • Patent number: 6141852
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette manufacturing apparatus, has a perforator for providing a long film with perforations and a cutter for cutting the long film into individual filmstrips to be contained in the film cassette driven synchronously with transport of the long film. A magnetic recording head for recording data on a magnetic recording layer of the long film is driven in synchronism with the perforator and the cutter. The long film is transported in a first direction before being cut into the individual filmstrips. In cooperation with the cutting, a trailing end of the individual filmstrip in the first direction is moved in a direction which is reverse to the first direction to secure the trailing end to the spool. A cassette shell consisting of a pair of shell halves is temporarily assembled by mating the shell halves together while containing a spool inside the shell halves, and thereafter opened to an extent that confining elements still confine the position of flanges of the spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Toshiro Esaki, Tadayoshi Shibata, Koichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 5765474
    Abstract: A photo film cassette has a spool about which photo film is wound. A data disk is disposed near to an axial end of a core of the spool. To record a bar code on the data disk in manufacturing the photo film cassette, a hot stamping apparatus includes at least one spool holder for holding the spool in a slidable manner while the core is erect and the data disk is oriented upwards. A disk support supports the data disk. A slider shifts the disk support between a retracted position away from the spool holder and an advanced position close to the spool holder. The disk support in the advanced position is adapted to lift the data disk by contact with a bottom of the data disk. A hot stamping head is pressed against a top of the data disk, and records a bar code thereto. Cushion springs are biasing the disk support up toward the hot stamping head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiro Esaki, Masayoshi Wada, Hideki Matsuzawa
  • Patent number: 5701663
    Abstract: An apparatus for assembling photographic film cassettes each comprising a spool assembly and a pair of shell halves. A plurality of pallets are stepwise conveyed on a pallet conveyer. Each pallet has a spool holder, an intermediate holder and a shell holder. Parts of the spool assembly are sequentially fed to the spool holder and are assembled into the spool assembly at the spool holder. The spool assembly is transferred from the spool holder to the intermediate holder to be turned from a vertical into a horizontal orientation. Thereafter, the spool assembly and other parts of the photographic film cassette are sequentially fed to the shell holder and are assembled into the photographic film cassette at the shell holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiro Esaki, Masayuki Kubota
  • Patent number: 5617625
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for assembling photographic film cassettes each comprising a spool assembly and a pair of shell halves. A plurality of pallets are stepwise conveyed on a pallet conveyer. Each pallet has a spool holder, an intermediate holder and a shell holder. Parts of the spool assembly are sequentially fed to the spool holder and are assembled into the spool assembly at the spool holder. The spool assembly is transferred from the spool holder to the intermediate holder to be turned from a vertical into a horizontal orientation. Thereafter, the spool assembly and other parts of the photographic film cassette are sequentially fed to the shell holder and are assembled into the photographic film cassette at the shell holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiro Esaki, Masayuki Kubota
  • Patent number: 5479691
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette manufacturing apparatus, has a perforator for providing a long film with perforations and a cutter for cutting the long film into individual filmstrips to be contained in the film cassette driven synchronously with transport of the long film. A magnetic recording head for recording data on a magnetic recording layer of the long film is driven in synchronism with the perforator and the cutter. The long film is transported in a first direction before being cut into the individual filmstrips. In cooperation with the cutting, a trailing end of the individual filmstrip in the first direction is moved in a direction which is reverse to the first direction to secure the trailing end to the spool. A cassette shell consisting of a pair of shell halves is temporarily assembled by mating the shell halves together while containing a spool inside the shell halves, and thereafter opened to an extent that confining elements still confine the position of flanges of the spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1996
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Toshiro Esaki, Tadayoshi Shibata, Koichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 5462240
    Abstract: A photographic film cassette assembling method includes the steps of joining shell halves together by ultrasonic welding, to form a cassette shell, while accommodating a spool in the cassette shell. A film connection sheet is secured to the spool before the spool is mounted in the cassette shell. A free end of the film connection sheet is placed outside the cassette shell through a film passage mouth of the cassette shell. A strip of a photographic film is connected to the spool by attaching a trailing end of the photographic film to the free end of the film connection sheet and wound about the spool by rotating the spool. The photographic film may be directly secured to a spool having an engaging member formed therein and a film guide member formed integrally therewith. A free end or free ends of the guide member protrude slightly from the film passage mouth to the outside of the cassette shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1995
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiro Esaki, Mituru Suzuki, Susumu Sato, Kohichi Takahashi, Makoto Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5437828
    Abstract: A plurality of shapes each having a fundamental construction of a flange are vacuum formed on a continuous sheet of thermoplastic resin. When blanking each of the formed shapes out of the resin sheet into an individual flange, a spool core is placed coaxially with the formed shape placed in the blanking position. The flange just blanked out of the resin sheet is moved in the blanking direction toward the spool core, to be fit on the spool core. The shapes are formed in a double line along the resin sheet, and thereafter, the resin sheet is slit along the longitudinal direction into two sheet branches each having the formed shapes arranged in a single line. The back side surfaces of the two sheet branches are opposed to each other, and the spool core is disposed between the sheet branches and oriented in a direction perpendicular to the back side surfaces of the sheet branches. The formed shapes are blanked out of the sheet branches in opposite directions toward opposite ends of the spool core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Shimizu, Mituru Suzuki, Susumu Sato, Koichi Takahashi, Toshiro Esaki