Research and Development Support

Intellectual Property, Regulatory Management, and Design Management

Below is a record of Toyota's main intellectual property activities and regulatory compliance and design management programs.

Intellectual Property

Toyota engages in active research and development to accurately identify increasingly diverse and advanced market needs and to provide high-quality, low-cost, and appealing products to customers around the world. Toyota is aware that the intellectual property derived from research and development is a key management resource and takes measures to acquire and fully utilize intellectual property to maximize corporate value.

Toyota has adopted structures to support organized collaboration between research and development and intellectual property activities, analyzes the status of patents in each R&D fields, and uses the results to set R&D strategies.

Year
Month
Events
Further details
1949
February
Rules on handling of inventions and designs adopted
 
March
First Invention and Design Committee meeting held
 
1962
February
Patent Section of Technical Administration established
 
1963
December
Annual patent and utility model applications exceeds 100 in Japan
 
1968
February
Patent Administration Department spun off as an independent organization
 
December
All Toyota Industrial Property Rights Management Committee established
 
1969
April
Dispatch of intellectual property trainees to the United States commenced
 
1973
December
Annual patent and utility model applications exceeds 1,000 in Japan
 
1976
December
Cumulative patent and utility model applications in Japan exceeds 10,000
Further details
1978
 
Patent Section renamed Patent Department
 
June
Patent Materials Office, exhaustively filled with patent information bulletins from Japan and the United States, established
Further details
1980
November
Patent Division personnel begin patent research using a commercial online patent information search system
 
1981
May
Patent application activities for individual development topics (‘Patent Reviews’; now ‘Strategic Patent Activities’) commenced
Further details
1982
July
Toyota Techno Service Corporation (now Toyota Technical Development Corporation) established
 
1983
December
Cumulative patent and utility model applications in Japan reach 50,000
Further details
1984
August
Electronic management of Toyota patents begins
 
1987
April
Dispatch of intellectual property trainees to Europe commenced
 
June
Helical intake port wins Onshi Invention Award of National Commendation for Invention
Further details
1991
February
Name changed to Intellectual Property Division
 
1992
November
Invention and Design Committee changes its name to Intellectual Property Committee
 
1993
April
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) wins Japan Patent Office Commissioner's Prize, an award for persons involved in industrial property rights
 
1996
June
TMC wins National Commendation for Invention: Prime Minister's Award for Spherical Particle Manufacturing Method Using Flashover and the Invention Award for the RAV4 design
 
November
Cumulative patent and utility model applications in Japan reaches 100,000
Further details
1997
September
Dispatch of intellectual property trainees to China commenced
 
1998
August
Operation of patent information search system (internal database) for developers commenced
 
1999
June
Nitrogen oxide catalytic converter system wins Onshi Invention Award of National Commendation for Invention
Further details
2004
June
Hybrid system patent (Prius) wins Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize of National Commendation for Invention
 
2008
June
THS II hybrid vehicle electric drive system wins Japan Patent Office Commissioner's Prize of National Commendation for Invention
 
2009
April
Toyota wins Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize of Industrial Property Rights System Users Outstanding Company Awards
 
2010
July
iQ Micro Premium Car design wins Japan Patent Attorneys Association Director's Award of National Commendation for Invention
 
2011
April
The 300th Intellectual Property Committee meeting held
 

Regulatory Management and Design Management

Year
Month
Events
1990
November
Solar car receives ministerial approval and serves as lead car in the Osaka International Women's Marathon
1998
March
ISO 14001 product environment management system certification acquired

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