patent

Intellectual Property Supporting Food Loss Reduction

  • 2022年08月31日
#patent #trademark

In Japan, more than 5 million tons of food is thrown away annually (Ministry of the Environment estimates 5.22 million tons in 2020). It is said that one of the factors causing food loss is the distribution system from producers to consumers. In order to contribute to food loss reduction, it is recommended that consumers purchase food products from supermarkets and convenience stores, starting with products that are close to their expiration or consumption dates.

food loss

With the aim of reducing food loss, in October 2021, NTT DOCOMO launched a service using the “ecobuy” application. DOCOMO users can earn points by purchasing products that are close to their expiration or consumption date at participating stores, taking a picture of the receipt with their smartphone, and sending it to the system.

https://d-card.jp/kakeisoudan/articles/r825y7k5r1p/

https://r-tsushin.com/sdgs/nttdocomo_ecobuy/

For this system, NTT DOCOMO has obtained the “ecobuy” trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 6082392) and a patent for “information processing equipment and information processing system” (Japanese Patent No. 6462105). The patent gazette describes the effect of the invention as “the user is motivated to purchase that type of product because he or she is rewarded for purchasing products that are close to their expiration date, thereby reducing the amount of products that are discarded due to expiration, so-called food loss.” In this way, we can contribute to the challenges of the SDGs through intellectual property. (Conan)

food loss

Takuma-style boiler

  • 2022年08月10日
#Inventions of the Day #patent

I would like to introduce an invention closely related to today, August 10. The invention is the “Takuma-style boiler” invented by Tsunekichi Takuma (1872.2.8~1953.12.22), a Meiji-era born industrialist, inventor, and founder of Takuma Corporation.

It is said that Tsunekichi Takuma applied for a patent for the Takuma boiler, Japan’s first domestically produced boiler, to the Patent Office, a foreign bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce at the time, 107 years ago (1915) today. Some sources say that he invented the boiler in 1912 and patented it the following year.
Tsunekichi Takuma was a successful lumber merchant in his thirties, but after investing in a boiler manufacturing business, he failed and incurred a large amount of debt. However, he later went on to develop boilers on his own and completed the Takuma-style boiler. This was so successful that it put a stop to the import of foreign-made boilers.

In 1936, Tsunekichi Takuma established the Takuma Tsunekichi Research Institute at his home (now Takuma Co., Ltd.). Takuma Corporation is now a research and development company that applies for 10~30 patents every year.

Related link(Japanese):
8月10日 – Wikipedia
田熊常吉 – Wikipedia
タクマ (企業) – Wikipedia
(blink)

The rainy season has begun

  • 2022年06月29日
#patent

The rainy season began in the middle of June in the Tokai region where our firm, Hattori & Partners is located, and even as I write this blog, it is raining and gloomy outside.
During this season, I always take a folding umbrella with me when I go out, and every time I put a portable umbrella in my bag, I feel that it has become much smaller and lighter than it used to be, which is another advancement.
When I search for “umbrella patent” on the Internet, I see various umbrellas that have been devised from various aspects, and just reading about them makes me excited and want to try them. The plastic umbrellas that abound in the streets are convenient and easy to use, but it is the season to be interested in the latest umbrellas that have been devised with new functions and materials.

Well, the rainy season is finally here! but this year’s rainy season seems to have rushed away. Once confirmed, it is expected to be 13 days, the shortest since statistics began in 1951. That’s a surprise, isn’t it? (Swimmer)

Pon Pon Flowering Dahlia

  • 2022年06月22日
#design #patent #trademark

It is June and I am looking forward to the blooming of the dahlias that I planted the bulbs in April.
The blooming period of dahlias is generally June to November. It appears that a design and two or more trademarks are used for this dahlia package.

Pon Pon Flowering Dahlia

The backing paper in the photo attached to the mesh bag that contained the bulbs was registered as “backing paper for an article” Japanese Design Registration No. 1068135.
Hana-no-Yamato Corporation, a general gardening manufacturer, seems to own not only the registered design and the registered trademark but also the patent. (Raspberry)

Carbon Neutral Patent Application

  • 2022年06月15日
#patent

　On October 26, 2020, Japan’s Prime Minister Suga (at that time) declared in his policy speech to the Diet, “We aim to achieve a carbon neutral, decarbonized society by 2050”. This declaration was also extended to the Japan Business Federation. Now, a year and a half after October 2020, I checked the published gazettes to verify whether the number of patent applications related to carbon neutrality surged along with this declaration.
　I searched the Patent Information Platform (J-PlatPat) for the number of gazettes containing the term “carbon neutral” in the specification by year of application, and found the following results (as of May 31, 2022).

Carbon Neutral Patent Application

　Already in 2001, there were applications with the term “carbon neutral” in the specification. For example, in Japanese Patent Publication 2003-129058, it is stated that “Biomass, in particular, is carbon neutral and should be actively used to replace petroleum, coal, etc., in order to fulfill the international commitments made at the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change Prevention (COP3).” This seems to reflect the growing interest in global warming and climate change triggered by the Kyoto Protocol of December 1997.
　Subsequently, the number of applications describing the term “carbon neutral” increased, but peaked in 2009 (the year COP15 was held in Copenhagen) and has been declining since then, with a leveling off trend since around 2015. Incidentally, the Paris Agreement, which sets reduction targets for each member country, was adopted at COP21 in 2015. As of the end of October to the first half of November 2020, when Prime Minister Suga’s declaration was made as introduced at the beginning of this report, there was no particular upward trend in applications.
　I hope that many carbon neutral related inventions will be created for the future global environment. (Conan)

Delicious appetizer

  • 2022年06月08日
#patent #trademark

“Kazuchee” is a popular appetizer sold at Kaldi and other stores. It is one of my favorite appetizers because of the unique crunchy texture of herring roe inside the cheese. I eat it not only as an appetizer but also as a snack…

Kazuchee

On the package I just bought the other day had the words “patented” on it!　I don’t remember much about this before, and there is no mention of “patented” in the package photo on the online store of Ihara & Co., Ltd., the manufacturer.
I got curious, so I looked it up on J-PlatPat and found that it was registered on August 31, 2021. (Japanese Patent No. 6936457, Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Law, with an exception for loss of novelty)
As I thought, it was a relatively new patent!　(Marron)

“Kazuchee” is a Japanese Trademark of Ihara & Co., Ltd.
Kazuchee.com (Online Shop) (Japanese)

Massage Gun “SIXPAD Power Gun”

  • 2022年04月22日
#design #patent #trademark #utility model

Recently, I have come across a device called a massage gun (or power gun). As the name suggests, a massage gun is a type of massage device that is shaped like a gun and whose tip vibrates at high speed.
I was a little curious about it because I heard that it can help relieve stiff shoulders and back pain as well as take care of muscles. I had a chance to try it out and was very pleased with how it felt, so I bought it.

SIXPAD Power Gun

To use it, simply press the tip of the power gun lightly against the area of the body you want to relieve. The SIXPAD Power Gun from MTG Corporation, which I purchased, allows you to adjust the vibration speed of the tip in five stages, from about 1,800 rpm (revolutions per minute) to about 3,000 rpm. When I first used it, I was surprised at the speed and power of the vibration. The tip attachments, such as U-shaped and ball-shaped ones, can be changed to suit the part of the body being used, and I feel that the vibrations reach deep into the muscles very well. I use it when I have stiff shoulders or when I feel muscle fatigue after exercise. I recommend it to anyone who is similarly concerned.

MTG Co., Ltd is a company located in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. If you search for “MTG Co., Ltd” on J-PlatPat, a great number of patents, utility models, designs, and trademarks will hit. Also, 21 trademark were hit for “SIXPAD”. (Syszo)

SIXPAD Power Gun Website (Japanese)
https://www.mtgec.jp/wellness/sixpad/products/powergun/

Multicolor penlight patent; what happened to it afterwards

  • 2022年03月30日
#patent

There is a TV program that introduces the work and life of the people who TV crew visited at the location and revisit them after a few years. Following that method, this time, I will inform you about what happened to the patent for “multicolor penlight” (Japanese patent publication No. 5608827, registered on September 5, 2014) introduced in my blog six years ago (December 16, 2015).

This patent was filed with trial for invalidation of a patent on March 19, 2019, five years after registration on the ground of inventive step. The patentee, TurnON co.,ltd., corrected claims 1 and 2, but the JPO stated that “this invention could easily be come up with by those skilled in the art based on the technical matters and well-known techniques described in Exhibit A1 and Exhibit A2” and on July 28, 2020, an invalidation decision was made. In response, the patentee filed a lawsuit to revoke the trial decision in the Intellectual Property High Court.

On October 6, 2021, the Intellectual Property High Court ruled that the trial decision made by the JPO had an error in finding the subject of the invention of Exhibit No. 1 and decided to revoke the trial decision. As this decision was finalized, the JPO ruled on January 13, 2022 that the Patent was not invalid.
After all the twists and turns, the patent has survived. The “multicolor penlight”, which is the target product of this patent, is also posted on the TurnON website. (Conan)
Link
https://turnon.co.jp/patent/ (Japanese Only)

Fuku-Can and Good Luck Charms

  • 2022年03月02日
#design #intellectual property #patent #trademark #utility model

One of the stores I like to stop by regularly is MUJI. While I have a variety of favorite products, I was able to buy the pre-ordered “Fuku-Can (Fortune Can)” for the first time last year, which I had been curious about for a long time. This year, I won the lottery and was able to buy one.

The “Fuku-Can” has a gift card with an amount equal to the purchase price (2,022 yen this year) and Japanese lucky charms in it. There are cute and interesting lucky charms in the can, and it’s fun just to look at the enclosed flyer that introduces them on both sides. It is also an opportunity to become familiar with Japanese culture rooted in the region.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Fuku-Can, which was launched on New Year’s Day 2012 with 14 kinds of lucky charms from four prefectures in Tohoku, with the intention of supporting Tohoku’s recovery from the earthquake.
“CREATIVE IMAGINATION” exhibition was held at ATELIER MUJI GINZA in Ginza to celebrate the 10th anniversary the other day. I would have loved to drop by if it was close by.

Now, a search on J-PlatPat shows that there are 94 trademarks that hit the keyword “mujirushi ryouhin”. All of them are already registered. A search for the company name “Ryohin Keikaku” shows 224 trademarks, 368 designs, and 40 patents and utility models, indicating that the company is making extensive use of intellectual property.

Fuku-Can and Good Luck Charms

The photo shows the lucky charms that were included in last year’s and this year’s Fuku-Can. (I bought two of each).
From left to right, Kyoto City’s “Kyoto Ceramic Doll Koban (Ox),” Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture’s “Fukutaro,” Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture’s “Oku Hariko (Tiger),” and Tamana County, Kumamoto Prefecture’s “Mud Mask (4 pieces).
The cans can also be used as pen holders, and I’m sure I’ll be collecting them every year♪ (Cacao)

CREATIVE IMAGINATION| ATELIER MUJI | 無印良品

Looking for earphones

  • 2022年02月16日
#design #patent #trademark

The other day, my old earphones broke, so I decided to buy new ones. When I went to the electronics store, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of products and the range of prices. After much deliberation, I bought one that was similar in design to the previous one, but the Bluetooth function did not work properly, perhaps due to an early defect, and I had an embarrassing experience of sound leaking on the train. I was so traumatized by this that I ended up buying a new one with a cord, but it didn’t fit my ear size and kept coming off, so I took the plunge and bought another new cordless one. Here it is.

earphones

This time, I chose a less expensive one, but I am very satisfied with it. It doesn’t leak sound, fits well in my ears, and is very comfortable. The more expensive ones may have a better sound, but once you get used to them, you won’t mind so much. I am amazed at the convenience of wireless.

I searched for “wireless earphones” on J-plat pat and found 194 patents, 200 designs, and one trademark. There was no result of the one I bought, but I would like to thank the people who invented such useful thing and use them carefully. (Marigold)

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