Patents by Inventor Yoshimune Yamada

Yoshimune Yamada 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: 7013079
    Abstract: In a hybrid hot air heater according to the present invention, a chassis having first and second outlets 13 on its front face and first and second inlets 12 on its rear face incorporates therein a gas heater unit 2 comprised of a gas burner 20 and a first air-blowing fan 21 and an electric heater unit 3 comprised of an electric heater 33 and a second air-blowing fan 30 in such a manner that the air blowing systems for the respective two heaters may be independent of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Keiichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yukihiko Shimonoma, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Patent number: 6959144
    Abstract: Providing a hot air heater and an expansion in the air blowing passage of the hot air heater and suppressing increases in air trunk resistance even if electric heaters are arranged in this expansion in a plurality of stages prevents increases in the rotation speed of the air blowing fan in order to obtain a target air flow which in turn causes the operating noise to grow louder. Therefore, an expansion 35 was formed along the air blowing passage 32. This expansion 35 has an entrance opening 351 and an exit opening 352 and functions as a storage portion that contains the electric heaters 34. The electric heaters are arranged in a plurality of stages in such a manner as to face said entrance opening and a distance between the entrance opening in the expansion and one of the electric heaters that has a highest wind speed at the entrance opening in the expansion of distances between the entrance opening in the expansion and the respective electric heaters is set farther.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Yukihiko Shimonoma, Keiichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Patent number: 6907192
    Abstract: If both the electric heaters and combustion heaters constitute a hybrid type hot-air heater wherein both heaters are equipped with inlets adjacent to each other and are also housed within a frame and separated such that the air blowing systems of each heater are independent of each other, air leakage will occur in only the combustion heater during the heating operation in a direction opposite to the air blowing passage of the electric heater thereby resulting in dust adhering to the electric heater. If the electric heater is operated in this state, the dust will be heated and then burn causing a foul odor to occur when the heating operation first starts. Therefore, the air blowing fan 43 runs to remove any dust that entered into the air blowing passage before the electric heater 4 runs when the electric heater unit 4, equipped with an electric heater 44, is performing a heating operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Keiichi Ito, Toshiyuki Nomura, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yukihiko Shimonoma, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Patent number: 6882796
    Abstract: In a configuration of a hybrid hot air heater in which a gas heater unit 2 and an electric heater unit 3 are incorporated into one chassis at the upper part and lower part, respectively, in such a manner that their respective air-blowing systems may be independent of each other, the heater itself is made more compact even with increases in the cross-sectional area of inlets 13a and 13b equipped with anti-dust filters 6a and 6b, respectively. The second inlet 13b of the electric heater unit 3 provided on the chassis 11 is arranged below a gas burner 20 in such a manner as to conserver space and serves as an air inlet passage on the rear side of a housing 211 of a first air-blowing fan 21 that separates the gas heater unit 2 and the electric heater unit 3 from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Keiichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yukihiko Shimonoma, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Publication number: 20050036770
    Abstract: In a configuration of a hybrid hot air heater in which a gas heater unit 2 and an electric heater unit 3 are incorporated into one chassis at the upper part and lower part, respectively, in such a manner that their respective air-blowing systems may be independent of each other, the heater itself is made more compact even with increases in the cross-sectional area of inlets 13a and 13b equipped with anti-dust filters 6a and 6b, respectively. The second inlet 13b of the electric heater unit 3 provided on the chassis 11 is arranged below a gas burner 20 in such a manner as to conserver space and serves as an air inlet passage on the rear side of a housing 211 of a first air-blowing fan 21 that separates the gas heater unit 2 and the electric heater unit 3 from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2003
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Keiichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yukihiko Shimonoma, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Patent number: 6795643
    Abstract: When errors occurred that prevented operation of one heater unit in a conventional hybrid type hotair heater, the heating operation was continued by means of the other heater unit although the user could not immediately recognize that error thereby resulting in the possibility that the error condition might remain in the hotair heater. Therefore, an error detection means was installed in each gas and electric heater unit to detect errors that prevent heating operation in each of these heater units. When an error is detected in one heater unit during the heating operation by means of said error detection means, the heating operation of the device stops once. When the operation starts up again, the other heater unit, where said error did not occur, runs and the heating operation continues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Keiichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yukihiko Shimonoma, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Publication number: 20040151480
    Abstract: If both the electric heaters and combustion heaters constitute a hybrid type hot-air heater wherein both heaters are equipped with inlets adjacent to each other and are also housed within a frame and separated such that the air blowing systems of each heater are independent of each other, air leakage will occur in only the combustion heater during the heating operation in a direction opposite to the air blowing passage of the electric heater thereby resulting in dust adhering to the electric heater. If the electric heater is operated in this state, the dust will be heated and then burn causing a foul odor to occur when the heating operation first starts. Therefore, the air blowing fan 43 runs to remove any dust that entered into the air blowing passage before the electric heater 4 runs when the electric heater unit 4, equipped with an electric heater 44, is performing a heating operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Applicant: RINNAI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiichi Ito, Toshiyuki Nomura, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yukihiko Shimonoma, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Publication number: 20040109680
    Abstract: When errors occurred that prevented operation of one heater unit in a conventional hybrid type hotair heater, the heating operation was continued by means of the other heater unit although the user could not immediately recognize that error thereby resulting in the possibility that the error condition might remain in the hotair heater. Therefore, an error detection means was installed in each gas and electric heater unit to detect errors that prevent heating operation in each of these heater units. When an error is detected in one heater unit during the heating operation by means of said error detection means, the heating operation of the device stops once. When the operation starts up again, the other heater unit, where said error did not occur, runs and the heating operation continues.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Applicant: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Keiichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yukihiko Shimonoma, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Publication number: 20040105666
    Abstract: Because the air trunk area of the air blowing passage on the downstream side of the air-blowing fan was kept almost constant in a conventional hot-air heater, an electric heater provided in this air blowing passage provided air trunk resistance by itself making it necessary to increase the rotation speed of the air blowing fan thereby resulting in the operating noise growing louder which, in turn, posed a problem. Therefore, an expansion 35 was formed along the air blowing passage 32 that passes from the intake opening 11b through the exhaust opening 12b. This expansion functions as a storage portion that contains the electric heater 3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Publication date: June 3, 2004
    Applicant: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Yokihiko Shimonoma, Keichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Publication number: 20040103892
    Abstract: Providing a hot air heater and an expansion in the air blowing passage of the hot air heater and suppressing increases in air trunk resistance even if electric heaters are arranged in this expansion in a plurality of stages prevents increases in the rotation speed of the air blowing fan in order to obtain a target air flow which in turn causes the operating noise to grow louder. Therefore, an expansion 35 was formed along the air blowing passage 32. This expansion 35 has an entrance opening 351 and an exit opening 352 and functions as a storage portion that contains the electric heaters 34. The electric heaters are arranged in a plurality of stages in such a manner as to face said entrance opening and a distance between the entrance opening in the expansion and one of the electric heaters that has a highest wind speed at the entrance opening in the expansion of distances between the entrance opening in the expansion and the respective electric heaters is set farther.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Publication date: June 3, 2004
    Applicant: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Yukihiko Shimonoma, Keiichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yoshimune Yamada
  • Publication number: 20040099749
    Abstract: In a hybrid hot air heater according to the present invention, a chassis having first and second outlets 13 on its front face and first and second inlets 12 on its rear face incorporates therein a gas heater unit 2 comprised of a gas burner 20 and a first air-blowing fan 21 and an electric heater unit 3 comprised of an electric heater 33 and a second air-blowing fan 30 in such a manner that the air blowing systems for the respective two heaters may be independent of each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2003
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Applicant: Rinnai Corporation
    Inventors: Keiichi Ito, Yoshinori Fujisawa, Yukihiko Shimonoma, Yoshimune Yamada