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

Hand blender

  • 2022年02月24日
#trademark

The Corona disaster has increased the amount of time I spend at home. I often make sweets during my happy time indoors.
Using a whisk and a rubber spatula, I can make many kinds of sweets. For whipping cream and egg whites and making meringue sweets, I use a hand mixer.

hand blender

The electric whisk I bought this time is marked as made in 2021, and it comes with the electric machine itself, a hand blender and a whisk that can be attached to it.
With this electric whisk, I could easily make meringues in a matter of minutes.

This electric whisk has the registered trademark “Abitelax”. The owner of the trademark is Yoshii Electric Co., Ltd., Japanese Trademark Registration No. 4295194, registered on July 16, 1999, and the designated product is an electric mixer.

Abitelax

I made a lemon chiffon cake with this electric whisk, and it turned out fluffier than the conventional method.
Next is the strawberry season. I would like to use this electric whisk to make strawberry cake. (Raspberry)

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)

Galbo

  • 2022年02月09日
#trademark

The other day, I bought the chocolate “Galbo” (Meiji Co., Ltd.).
I remembered that when it was first released (in 1996), it was in the shape of a bar and the chocolate was exquisitely soaked into the bar.
As time has passed and we live in the modern age, what used to come in a box has transformed into a round shape in a pouch.

Meiji Chocolate Galbo

They are easy to eat on the commute to and from work or school, and in the case of the Corona disaster, I like them as a remote work companion. It is in a shape that keeps your fingers clean with the coating.
The chocolate impregnation process is the core of this product, and it has been loved by people for a long time while the core remains the same and the coating changes. (Time)

Japanese Registered Trademark
Trademark (standard letters): Galbo
Registration number: No. 5431592
Date of registration: August 12, 2011

Sanuki Udon noodles

  • 2022年02月02日
#trademark

Hello. This is Hiro.
The other day, my sister-in-law and her husband gave us a souvenir of Sanuki udon that they bought in Kagawa prefecture, where they went home.

Sanuki Udon noodles

Because of my work, I was wondering if the trademark of the package is registered.
I looked up the manufacturer name “Ishimaru Seimen Co., Ltd.”, which was written on the back of the package, and found “石を丸で囲んだ図形(the figure with a circle around the stone)” (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5064997) at the top of the package and “讃岐伝統の味/石丸(Traditional Sanuki taste/ Ishimaru)”(Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5061692) at the bottom have been registered.

Sanuki Udon noodles Sanuki Udon noodles

Two trademarks are protected by trademark rights. The company’s credit will continue to accumulate in these trademarks.

Because it was authentic Sanuki udon noodles, it was very delicious with a chewy and strong texture.
The desire to visit Kagawa prefecture one day and eat in many udon restaurants there increased inside me.

Pokayoke; Ingenuity to prevent accidental mistakes

  • 2022年01月20日
#patent #trademark #utility model

The TV programs I often watch include “0655” and “2355”. The content varies from day to day, but “Pokayoke” is sometimes introduced. “Pokayoke” is a mechanism or device installed in a production line, for example, in a factory to prevent work mistakes (from Wikipedia). “Pokayoke”, a solution to make people notice their mistakes and thus to prevent “Poka”, accidental, small mistakes, may be famous as one of the basic concepts of Toyota Production System. It seems to be sometimes called “Poka-Yoke” even outside Japan.

In the program, one “Pokayoke” was introduced. When cleaning the inside of a large tank, you will go inside with a deck brush, you can prevent forgetting to take out the deck brush by connecting a string to the deck brush and keeping the string out of the tank. With such a little ingenuity, you can prevent big mistakes.

If you search for “Pokayoke” on J-PlatPat, 34 patents and utility models and 10 trademarks will be found. Mistakes are common in any job, not just in the factory production line. I also want to do my daily work while devising with “Pokayoke”. (Syszo)

Pokayoke; Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poka-yoke
E-Tele(NHK) 0655:https://www.nhk.jp/p/e0655/ (Japanese Only)
E-Tele(NHK) 2355:https://www.nhk.jp/p/e2355/ (Japanese Only)

Approach to trademark registration – A different perspective of a maverick

  • 2021年12月27日
#trademark

Generally, when you develop a new product or service, you will consider various names for the trademark (naming) as to what kind of name you should use.
However, there are some eccentric people who come up with certain names (trademarks) first and then start thinking about what kind of product or service they will provide with it.

Myomanji

The other day, when I went on a trip to Kyoto and looked around the shrines and temples, I met a person who wanted to use the trademark “Kinkakuji” (The Temple of the Golden Pavilion). That person was thinking what kind of product would be profitable or make him/her happy. He/she came up with “Kinkakuji miso”, “Kinkakuji tea”, “Kinkakuji sake” and so on. The person wants to sell products that fit the image of the name and decide on a business that can make profit from trademarks and products.
I think there will be an era in the future for such an approach to trademarks. Let’s start with search and survey. (Rice Ball)

Achilles stick

  • 2021年12月22日
#trademark

“Additive-free quality product / Achilles Stick” is a stick-shaped dog food made from turkey tendon, which my dog loves. According to the product description, it has the effects of (1) strengthening chewing ability and protecting health, (2) maintaining health with natural proteins, and (3) having fun chewing to relieve stress. I feed my dog daily, morning and night, mixed with other general nutrition foods and jerky. First, my dog takes Achilles stick and carry it a little further away to secure his space and then enjoys chewing it hard. Because it is made from a natural ingredient, there are variations in size and shape. There is a difference of several times between large and small pieces, and he takes a long time enjoying it especially when it is a large piece.

Achilles stick

The product was renewed around the fall of this year in 2021, and the package logo was changed from the original “Additive-free quality product / Achilles stick” to “Additive-free quality product / Achilles stick + (plus))”. Prior to that, the seller, DoggyMan H. A. Co., Ltd. filed an application for trademark registration of the standard character “アキレススティック(Achilles Stick)” (the designated goods are pet food and feed) in addition to the original graphic character trademark (Japanese trademark registration No. 5147261). It was registered after responding to the notice of reasons for refusal (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 6285888, registered on August 28, 2020). It seems that the examiner has acknowledged that “アキレススティック(Achilles Stick)” is known to consumers and traders as a series of integrated trademarks. (Conan)

Cashless Payment

  • 2021年12月08日
#trademark

How do you usually pay? In cash or use cashless payment?
I made a debut in cashless payment this year and started using it regularly. I’ve used credit cards before, but only for expensive purchases and online shopping.

Cashless payment is not only limited to credit cards, but also various methods such as using a transportation IC card and payments with smartphones. Among them, I mainly use QUICPay.

QUICPay

One of the reasons I chose QuickPay is that I can pay with my smartphone.
It’s easy to set up and you can use it just by registering your credit card information in the Apple Wallet on your iPhone.
For a person like me, who always carries an iPhone, the condition of QUICPay which allows smartphone payments suited me well.

As with QUICPay and other cashless payments, it makes a sound when the payment is completed. For example, when you pass through a ticket gate with a transportation IC card, you will hear a beep. If you use QUICPay in the same way, you will hear “QuickPay” sound.

Every time I use QUICPay I hear it, and because I work on intellectual property industry, I thought, “Maybe its sound trademark application has been filed or even it has been registered”, so I looked it up with J Plat-Pat.
Then, JCB Co., Ltd. filed an application in July of this year. (Japanese trademark application No. 2021-85332)
The article on the trademark title says, “This trademark consists of a structure that you can hear an electronic voice saying “Quick pay”, and the total length of the sound is about 1 second.”.

I would like to continue using cashless payment while thinking that it is a payment method that fit with the times of our generation. (Rabbit)

QUICPayご利用ガイド|QUICPay (How to use QUICPay (Japanese only))
J-Plat Pat QUICPay Sound Trademark

Nippon Maru and Kaiwo Maru

  • 2021年11月24日
#trademark

Earlier this month, I went to see the training ships “Nippon Maru” and “Kaiwo Maru” that entered the port of Nagoya.
This was the first time in four years that the two ships entered the port at the same time, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Nagoya Port Management Association.
I thought it would be spectacular to see the ships with their sails unfurled up close, but I was a little disappointed when I arrived at Nagoya Port to find that there would be no sails unfurled during the port call.
However, even without the sails, it was spectacular!

Nippon Maru Kaiwo Maru
L=Nippon Maru,R=Kaiwo Maru

The Kaiwo Maru was not on display, so I could not see it from the side, but I was able to get a closer look at the Nippon Maru, which is so big that it would be difficult to capture them together in a frame unless you were very far away.

The two ships that stopped at the port are both second generation, the first having been retired and now preserved at the Nippon Maru Memorial Park in Yokohama Port and the Kaiwomaru Park in Toyama New Port, respectively. The Nippon Maru is designated as a national important cultural property.

A search on J-PlatPat yielded several hits for the trademarks “Sailing Ship Nippon Maru” and “Kaiwo Maru”. They are owned by a foundation that operates and manages the park that preserves the first sailing ship.

Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy, but it was neither too hot nor too cold, just a nice day to enjoy the sea breeze.
The Nagoya Marine Riders, who came to watch the Nippon Maru from the ocean side, also made an appearance. (Cacao)

Nagoya Marine Riders

JMETS (jmets.j-server.com)
How to get to the English page of the website
Click on the link (this will open the Japanese website)
Click “Foreign Languages” on the top left
Choose the language (English)

English – 帆船日本丸・横浜みなと博物館 (nippon-maru.or.jp)
Guide to Kaiwomaru Park|海王丸パーク