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
|
|
1978
|
|
Patent Section renamed Patent Department
|
|
June
|
Patent Materials Office, exhaustively filled with patent information bulletins from Japan and the United States, established
|
||
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
|
|
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
|
|
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
|
||
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
|
||
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
|
|
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
|