Patents by Inventor Yoshinobu Yokoyama

Yoshinobu Yokoyama 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: 20200278023
    Abstract: In a shift device, operating projections of a rotor cam restrict movement of restricting plates of a click body toward a lower side. Due to movement of the click body toward the lower side being restricted, separating of click pins from concave portions is restricted, and rotation of a knob from a shift position is restricted. Therefore, by using the click body (the click pins) and a click surface (the concave portions), rotation of the knob from a shift position can be restricted, and rotation of the knob can be restricted by a simple structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Inventors: Makoto YAMAMOTO, Yoshinobu YOKOYAMA, Toshiharu KATAGIRI, Mizuho MARUYAMA, Munetoshi MAKIMURA
  • Publication number: 20190211921
    Abstract: In a shift device, when rotation of a knob away from a P position is locked or unlocked by movement of a lock body, a corner portion of a pinion tooth of a pinion slides against a front face of a rack tooth of the lock body, thereby moving the lock body. It is therefore possible to reduce a disparity between the movement speed of the lock body and the rotation speed of the pinion, thereby enabling the movement time of the lock body to be easily controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Inventors: Tomoki WATANABE, Yoshinobu YOKOYAMA, Kunihiro MORIMURA
  • Patent number: 8720293
    Abstract: A shift lever device for operating a vehicle mounted transmission by pivoting operation of a shift lever about a predetermined axis is disclosed, and in this shift lever device, a housing is configured by a first housing member that is disposed on one side of the shift lever in a predetermined direction and a second housing member that assemblable to the first housing member along the predetermined direction from the side of the shift lever opposite to the side facing the first housing member with the shift lever therebetween, and the shift lever is axially supported inside the housing such that the shift lever is pivotable about an axis whose axial direction is the predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Masashi Kato, Yoshinobu Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 7960013
    Abstract: An illuminated indicator and a method of manufacturing the illuminated indicator that can make black the color of an indicator mark formed by irradiation with laser light are provided. In a shift position indicator panel, part of a light-blocking coating material layer and a design coating material layer is removed by irradiation with laser light, and part of an indicator coating material layer, which is created as a result of coating materials of three primary colors being mixed together, is exposed, whereby an indicator mark is formed. As long as the mixed coating material configuring the indicator coating material layer is made black by toning resulting from mixing coating materials of three primary colors, the color of the indicator mark also becomes black.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Junichi Kira, Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Shosaku Watarai
  • Publication number: 20070214907
    Abstract: A shift lever device for operating a vehicle mounted transmission by pivoting operation of a shift lever about a predetermined axis is disclosed, and in this shift lever device, a housing is configured by a first housing member that is disposed on one side of the shift lever in a predetermined direction and a second housing member that assemblable to the first housing member along the predetermined direction from the side of the shift lever opposite to the side facing the first housing member with the shift lever therebetween, and the shift lever is axially supported inside the housing such that the shift lever is pivotable about an axis whose axial direction is the predetermined direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Masashi Kato, Yoshinobu Yokoyama
  • Publication number: 20070177369
    Abstract: An illuminated indicator and a method of manufacturing the illuminated indicator that can make black the color of an indicator mark formed by irradiation with laser light are provided. In a shift position indicator panel, part of a light-blocking coating material layer and a design coating material layer is removed by irradiation with laser light, and part of an indicator coating material layer, which is created as a result of coating materials of three primary colors being mixed together, is exposed, whereby an indicator mark is formed. As long as the mixed coating material configuring the indicator coating material layer is made black by toning resulting from mixing coating materials of three primary colors, the color of the indicator mark also becomes black.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Junichi Kira, Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Shosaku Watarai
  • Publication number: 20050235771
    Abstract: There is provided a device for detecting rotation in two directions which can detect rotation of a rotating member, which is rotatable around axes whose axial directions are two directions intersecting one another, and which can be easily assembled into various devices. Concretely, there is provided a shift lever device which can detect rotation of a shift lever, which is rotatable around axes whose axial directions are two directions orthogonal to one another, and in which assembly of such a shift lever rotation detecting structure is easy, and which can be made compact overall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2005
    Publication date: October 27, 2005
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Yoshinobu Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 6852065
    Abstract: Because a shift lever device 10 uses attracting force of a fixed iron core 150A, 216A of a magnet 150 or an electromagnet 216 in switching between a lock state and an unlock state at a shift lock mechanism 118 and a key interlock mechanism 200, the mechanisms can be made compact. When a shift lever 12 is changed from a “D” shift position to a “4” shift position and when the shift lever 12 is changed from a “2” shift position to an “L” shift position, a link 30 is rotated in a same direction. Thus, a sliding direction of a slider 38 which detects a rotational position of the link 30 is only one, and a placement size of a detecting member 48 can be made small and the device can be made compact. Because the shift lock unit 88 is equipped integrally with shift lock mechanism 118, and the link 30, the slider 38 and the detecting member 48 of a sensing mechanism, the shift lock unit 88 can be made compact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Eiji Yamada, Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Kenichi Kako, Haruyuki Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20030097897
    Abstract: Because a shift lever device 10 uses attracting force of a fixed iron core 150A, 216A of a magnet 150 or an electromagnet 216 in switching between a lock state and an unlock state at a shift lock mechanism 118 and a key interlock mechanism 200, the mechanisms can be made compact. When a shift lever 12 is changed from a “D” shift position to a “4” shift position and when the shift lever 12 is changed from a “2” shift position to an “L” shift position, a link 30 is rotated in a same direction. Thus, a sliding direction of a slider 38 which detects a rotational position of the link 30 is only one, and a placement size of a detecting member 48 can be made small and the device can be made compact. Because the shift lock unit 88 is equipped integrally with shift lock mechanism 118, and the link 30, the slider 38 and the detecting member 48 of a sensing mechanism, the shift lock unit 88 can be made compact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2002
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Inventors: Eiji Yamada, Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Kenichi Kako, Haruyuki Kitajima
  • Patent number: 5695029
    Abstract: A gate-type shift lever device having a stopper which is disposed so as to prevent the movement of a shift lever positioned in one of the P shift range and N shift range and which, in this case, prevents the movement of the shift lever positioned in the P shift range to other shift ranges than the P shift range, and the movement of the shift lever positioned in the N shift range to the R shift range. This makes it possible to reliably set a shift lever in a shift lock state under a specific condition without effecting a pushing operation of a shift lever knob and by a simple structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Shoichi Harada, Etsuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5532908
    Abstract: A lighting device for a zigzag-operated shift lever, wherein an indicator plate is light-transmissible, the indicator plate has a two-layer structure having an upper member, in which the upper surface other than the area of a position indicator is shaded and the position indicator is illuminated by lighting means, and a lower member, in which the light from the lighting means is transmitted to the peripheral portion of a operation groove at the indicator plate so that the peripheral portion of the operation groove is illuminated. A portion of the light from the lighting means passes through the upper member so that the position indicator is illuminated. Because nothing shades the upper surface of the lower member, the remaining portion of the light is repeatedly reflected by the border between the upper and lower members and by the lower surface of the lower member. The light is transmitted to the peripheral portion of the operation groove within the lower member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Kenji Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Seki, Shoichi Harada, Etsuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5345836
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a shift lever device for an automatic transmission for use in a vehicle such as an automobile, etc. A female connector is disposed in a position inwardly away from the outer periphery of a shift lever and laid on an axially-extending portion thereof. In addition, the female connector is held in position by a connector support disposed below the female connector. A knob is inserted into and fixed to one end of the shift lever. A male connector and a switch are fixed to an intermediate portion of the knob. When the knob is inserted into the shift lever, the male connector is disposed in such a way as to be fitted into the female connector. It is therefore possible to form the knob so as to cover the one end of the shift lever on a small scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Tatsuya Aoki, Etsuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5144852
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a structure for mounting a base plate made of a synthetic resin on the floor of a vehicle, the base plate being used to support thereon a shift lever mechanism of an automatic transmission. This type of structure includes metallic cylindrical collars each having a diameter larger than the maximum dimension of any one of a plurality of through holes among which holes of different diameters are included, and formed with at least one projecting portion at one end thereof, and a plurality of storage recesses respectively disposed around each of the plurality of through holes on the base plate, and having through cuts in which the collars are accommodated and into which the projecting portions are inserted, the through cuts extending through the base plate. Thus, the metallic cylindrical collars, which are identical in shape and size, can be accommodated in all the storage recesses, regardless of the shape or size of their corresponding through holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Yoshinobu Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 5127245
    Abstract: An automatic shift lever locking device is capable of locking the shift of an automatic transmission in a specific non-driving shift position against movement from this position unless a predetermined condition is met. The device has a detent pin provided on the shift lever and movable in response to pressing of a push button on the shift lever, a movable member engageable with the detent pin, and a lock member engageable with the movable member so as to prevent the detent pin from moving out of a lock position thereby to maintain the shift lever locked in the non-driving position. Therefore, when the shift lever is not locked, the manual force exerted by the driver on the push button is not transmitted to the lock members and other parts mechanically or electrically connected to the lock member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Hajime Imai, Shozo Kito, Shoichi Harada, Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Syuzi Nakamura, Shingetoshi Miyoshi, Tadao Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 5003799
    Abstract: An automatic shift lever locking device is capable of locking the shift lever of an automatic transmission in a specific non-driving shift position against movement from this position unless a predetermined condition is met. The device has a detent pin provided on the shift lever and movable in response to pressing of a push button on the shift lever, a movable member engageable with the detent pin, and a lock member engageable with the movable member so as to prevent the detent pin from moving out of a lock position thereby to maintain the shift lever locked in the non-driving position. Therefore, when the shift lever is not locked, the manual force exerted by the driver on the push button is not transmitted to the lock members and other parts mechanically connected to the lock member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1991
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hajime Imai, Shozo Kito, Shoichi Harada, Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Syuzi Nakamura, Shigetoshi Miyoshi, Tadao Muramatsu