Patents by Inventor Yasuhiko Yokoi

Yasuhiko Yokoi 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: 10281163
    Abstract: An isolator including: a main body case including a box-shaped working space and provided with an inserting portion of a work hand on a front surface thereof; an illuminating device that illuminates the inside of the main body case; and an air-conditioning device that performs air conditioning inside the main body case, the illuminating device having a plurality of point light sources that are arranged substantially linearly in the main body case, the main body case including a back plate or a bottom plate, at least one of the back plate or the bottom plate being constituted by a metal plate, and a rolling direction of the back plate or the bottom plate constituted by the metal plate being a direction substantially orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the plurality of point light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: PHC HOLDINGS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Koichi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9724688
    Abstract: An isolator system including: a box-shaped body case having, in an interior thereof, a work space for operation in a sterile environment and also having, in a front surface thereof, an insertion portion into which a worker's arm is inserted; and an air-conditioning portion configured to supply gas in the work space of the body case or to discharge gas in the work space, a bottom of the work space being configured with a work plate, a discharge path configured to discharge gas in the work space being formed below the work plate, the work plate being configured with first and second work plates obtained by dividing the work plate into right and left parts, a receiving portion being located below the first work plate, the receiving portion being arranged extending towards the second work plate on a side edge of the first work plate, the side edge of the first work plate being in contact with the second work plate, a side edge of the second work plate for being in contact with the first work plate being placed de
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koichi Kobayashi, Yasuhiko Yokoi, Hironobu Sekine
  • Patent number: 9702796
    Abstract: An isolator includes: a chamber including a working chamber in which a work is performed by a worker, and a storage chamber provided under the working chamber in communication with an opening formed in a bottom plate of the working chamber, the chamber being configured to isolate the working chamber and the storage chamber from an exterior while in a state where airtightness is maintained; and a lifting device configured to support, in the storage chamber, an experimental device to be used in the working chamber, the lifting device being capable of lifting and lowering the experimental device from the storage chamber to the working chamber and from the working chamber to the storage chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Koichi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9511363
    Abstract: An isolator includes a work chamber, a sterilizing substance supply unit, a gas flow channel pressure adjustment unit, a work chamber barometer, and a controller. The controller is configured to control execution of a gas flow channel leak test for checking a gas leak in a gas flow channel based on a detection result by the work chamber barometer after making the gas flow channel pressure adjustment unit increase or decrease the pressure in the gas flow channel, and is configured to control supply of the sterilizing substance by the sterilizing substance supply unit. The controller performs heating of a heater, which accompanies the supply of the sterilizing substance, in parallel with the gas flow channel leak test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Jiro Ohnishi, Akifumi Iwama, Masaki Harada, Yoshiaki Noguchi
  • Patent number: 9395282
    Abstract: An isolator system includes first and second isolators respectively forming first and second workspaces hermetically sealed from ambient environment, and a pass box provided between the first and second isolators and forming a transport space enabled to communicate the first and second workspaces while maintaining hermeticity, wherein the pass box has a tray on which an article used in work is mounted, and a moving mechanism enabling movement of the tray toward directions to both sides of the first and second isolators, the tray has a first end on the first isolator side located in the first workspace when moved to the first isolator side, and a second end on the second isolator side located in the second workspace when moved to the second isolator side, and the first and second ends of the tray each has a grip bended downward from a mounting face of the tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koichi Kobayashi, Yasuhiko Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20160175833
    Abstract: An isolator system including: a box-shaped body case having, in an interior thereof, a work space for operation in a sterile environment and also having, in a front surface thereof, an insertion portion into which a worker's arm is inserted; and an air-conditioning portion configured to supply gas in the work space of the body case or to discharge gas in the work space, a bottom of the work space being configured with a work plate, a discharge path configured to discharge gas in the work space being formed below the work plate, the work plate being configured with first and second work plates obtained by dividing the work plate into right and left parts, a receiving portion being located below the first work plate, the receiving portion being arranged extending towards the second work plate on a side edge of the first work plate, the side edge of the first work plate being in contact with the second work plate, a side edge of the second work plate for being in contact with the first work plate being placed de
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Koichi KOBAYASHI, Yasuhiko YOKOI, Hironobu SEKINE
  • Publication number: 20160160167
    Abstract: A working chamber including: a body case including a work space in an interior thereof; a supply unit configured to supply gas through a supply filter provided at the upper front of the work space; a louver that guides gas to a back surface side of the work space after the gas passes through the supply filter; and an illuminating means positioned lower than the louver and in front of the louver, at least one surface of the louver, which faces the illuminating means, being a reflection surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Koichi KOBAYASHI, Yasuhiko YOKOI, Hironobu SEKINE
  • Publication number: 20160039099
    Abstract: A working chamber includes: a body case including a work space; a supply device configured to supply gas in a body case; a work plate having an opening formed therein, the work plate configuring a bottom surface of the work space; and an observation device capable of being lifted and lowered, and the observation device includes a receiving portion having a width greater than a gap between the work plate and the observation device in an in-use state, and the receiving portion is configured to close the gap between the observation device and the work plate in the in-use state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Koichi KOBAYASHI, Yasuhiko YOKOI
  • Patent number: 9180422
    Abstract: An isolator includes: a contamination-target chamber including an inlet and outlet having intake and discharge filters, respectively; and a decontaminating-gas-supply unit to supply decontaminating gas into the chamber without flowing through the filters, the unit including: an atomizer including first and second ports and a nozzle; a first pipe having one and the other ends connected to a compressor and the first port, respectively; a second pipe having one end connected to the second port and the other end open; a reservoir; a pump to take in decontamination solution from the reservoir; and a third pipe, having one end connected to the pump, thorough which the solution flows, the atomizer configured to, when injecting from the nozzle intake air from the first port, suction the solution, via the second pipe, by negative pressure produced in the second port; and inject the solution in an atomized state, mixing it with air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Koichi Kobayashi, Hiroshi Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20150192503
    Abstract: An isolator attached with gloves, includes: a main body case including a work space isolated from an exterior thereof; a work plate provided within the main body case, the work plate having formed therein an opening portion connecting a device provided below the main body case and the work space; a first cover member mounted to the work plate in a manner openable and closable with respect to the opening portion, the first cover member having formed therein a hole portion into which a worker's finger is to be inserted; and a second cover member mounted to the first cover member in a manner openable and closable with respect to the hole portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Inventors: Hironobu SEKINE, Koichi KOBAYASHI, Yasuhiko YOKOI
  • Publication number: 20150190801
    Abstract: An isolator includes a work chamber, a sterilizing substance supply unit, a gas flow channel pressure adjustment unit, a work chamber barometer, and a controller. The controller is configured to control execution of a gas flow channel leak test for checking a gas leak in a gas flow channel based on a detection result by the work chamber barometer after making the gas flow channel pressure adjustment unit increase or decrease the pressure in the gas flow channel, and is configured to control supply of the sterilizing substance by the sterilizing substance supply unit. The controller performs heating of a heater, which accompanies the supply of the sterilizing substance, in parallel with the gas flow channel leak test.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Applicant: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Jiro Ohnishi, Akifumi Iwama, Masaki Harada, Yoshiaki Noguchi
  • Publication number: 20150192313
    Abstract: An isolator including: a main body case including a box-shaped working space and provided with an inserting portion of a work hand on a front surface thereof; an illuminating device that illuminates the inside of the main body case; and an air-conditioning device that performs air conditioning inside the main body case, the illuminating device having a plurality of point light sources that are arranged substantially linearly in the main body case, the main body case including a back plate or a bottom plate, at least one of the back plate or the bottom plate being constituted by a metal plate, and a rolling direction of the back plate or the bottom plate constituted by the metal plate being a direction substantially orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the plurality of point light sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Inventors: Yasuhiko YOKOI, Koichi KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20150191766
    Abstract: An isolator system includes: a main body case including a substantially box-shaped work space isolated from its surroundings; a spray device configured to spray a sterilizing mist from a nozzle mounted within the main body case, the sterilizing mist being obtained by converting a sterilizing liquid into mist; a diffusion fan mounted within the main body case to diffuse the sterilizing mist; and a control device configured to control operations of the spray device and the diffusion fan, the spray device being configured to spray the sterilizing mist when spraying, the diffusion fan being configured to be intermittently operated in the spray process of the spray device, the diffusion fan being configured to be continuously operated from an end of the spray process of the spray device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Inventors: Koichi KOBAYASHI, Yasuhiko YOKOI, Hironobu SEKINE, Ritarou OGUMA
  • Publication number: 20150185121
    Abstract: An isolator system includes first and second isolators respectively forming first and second workspaces hermetically sealed from ambient environment, and a pass box provided between the first and second isolators and forming a transport space enabled to communicate the first and second workspaces while maintaining hermeticity, wherein the pass box has a tray on which an article used in work is mounted, and a moving mechanism enabling movement of the tray toward directions to both sides of the first and second isolators, the tray has a first end on the first isolator side located in the first workspace when moved to the first isolator side, and a second end on the second isolator side located in the second workspace when moved to the second isolator side, and the first and second ends of the tray each has a grip bended downward from a mounting face of the tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Inventors: Koichi KOBAYASHI, Yasuhiko YOKOI
  • Patent number: 9011792
    Abstract: An isolator includes a work chamber, a sterilizing substance supply unit, a gas flow channel pressure adjustment unit, a work chamber barometer, and a controller. The controller is configured to control execution of a gas flow channel leak test for checking a gas leak in a gas flow channel based on a detection result by the work chamber barometer after making the gas flow channel pressure adjustment unit increase or decrease the pressure in the gas flow channel, and is configured to control supply of the sterilizing substance by the sterilizing substance supply unit. The controller performs heating of a heater, which accompanies the supply of the sterilizing substance, in parallel with the gas flow channel leak test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Jiro Ohnishi, Akifumi Iwama, Masaki Harada, Yoshiaki Noguchi
  • Publication number: 20150017063
    Abstract: An isolator includes: a working chamber in which work is conducted; an atomizer configured to atomize air or a decontamination material in the working chamber: a pump configured to supply the decontamination material to the atomizer; a compressor configured to supply air to the atomizer; a pressure sensor configured to measure an internal pressure of the working chamber; and a control unit configured to perform a leak test, in which the compressor is driven to supply air from the atomizer into the working chamber thereby pressuring the working chamber, and airtightness of the working chamber is tested based on the internal pressure of the working chamber measured by the pressure sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Applicant: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Koichi Kobayashi, Hiroshi Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20140356942
    Abstract: An isolator includes: a chamber including a working chamber in which a work is performed by a worker, and a storage chamber provided under the working chamber in communication with an opening formed in a bottom plate of the working chamber, the chamber being configured to isolate the working chamber and the storage chamber from an exterior while in a state where airtightness is maintained; and a lifting device configured to support, in the storage chamber, an experimental device to be used in the working chamber, the lifting device being capable of lifting and lowering the experimental device from the storage chamber to the working chamber and from the working chamber to the storage chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: Yasuhiko YOKOI, Koichi KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 8883085
    Abstract: An isolator includes: a chamber to be decontaminated including an inlet provided with an intake filter and an outlet provided with a discharge filter; a first flow path through which outside air is taken into the chamber via the intake filter; a second flow path through which gas in the chamber is discharged via the discharge filter; a blower configured to take in the outside air to the chamber through the first flow path, as well as produce an air current to discharge the gas in the chamber through the second flow path; a decontaminating gas supply unit configured to supply decontaminating gas into the chamber without flowing through the intake filter and the discharge filter; and a third flow path through which the gas in the chamber is discharged via the intake filter when the decontaminating gas is supplied into the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Koichi Kobayashi, Hiroshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8796010
    Abstract: An isolator for cultivating cells including a working chamber having a plurality of gloves arranged side by side into which operator's hands are inserted to operate cells, the working chamber being sectioned into at least an operation area for operating the cells, and an auxiliary working area for opening a packaged auxiliary instrument used to operate the cells, a gas supply unit that supplies gas into the working chamber so that the gas flows downwardly from an upper side in the working chamber, and a gas flow control unit for controlling the flow of the downwardly flowing gas so that the gas flows from the operation area to the auxiliary working area around the gloves, wherein the gas flow control unit has an exhaust hole portion that has an opened area for passing the gas therethrough and is provided at a lower portion of at least the auxiliary working area, and through which the gas in the auxiliary working area is exhausted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignees: Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd., Shibuya Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yokoi, Akifumi Iwama, Shinji Fukui, Atsushi Nakao, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Jirou Ohnishi, Hironobu Sunayama, Kanjun Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20140212345
    Abstract: An isolator includes: a working chamber for conducting work on cells, the working chamber including an opening on a front face thereof; a transparent plate member, made of a resin, through which an interior of the working chamber can be viewed, the plate member being mounted to the working chamber so as to close the opening; and a working chamber sterilization device configured to sterilize the interior of the working chamber by supplying hydrogen peroxide gas into the working chamber, and thereafter discharge the hydrogen peroxide gas in the working chamber, the plate member having at least a face, facing the working chamber, formed to have a water absorption rate equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji KOUNO, Hironobu SEKINE, Yasuhiko YOKOI, Koichi KOBAYASHI