Monthly Archives: March 2026

I would like to introduce patented products that we often see without giving them a second thought.
This time, I will be introducing “Tireless Socks.”

Tireless Socks are socks that utilize patented technology from Nishigaki Socks Co., Ltd. (Yamatokada City, Nara Prefecture), which was also featured in the Japan Patent Office’s newsletter “Tokkyo” Vol. 65. Attracted by the colorful design, I decided to order a pair to try them out.

According to the website, these are “high-performance socks that reduce fatigue through a special taping knit, non-slip woven grips, and cushioned knitting on the sole.” While the product packaging only mentions cushion knitting as a patented technology, it appears that grip knitting is also a patented feature.

When I tried them on, the cushioning under the arch felt very firm. Essentially, it feels like the type of insole you’d place inside your shoe is attached to the sock itself. Also, even though there isn’t any obvious anti-slip material visible at first glance, they were surprisingly slip-resistant, making them easy to walk in and comfortable.

These days, you can buy a wide variety of functional socks at local home improvement stores and workwear specialty shops. Even something as simple as the way a sock is knitted has a lot of depth to it. I really feel the power of the inventions and ingenuity that drive the world forward, and it gives me a sense of reassurance.

Please note that the used trademark “Tsukare shirazu no Kutsushita (Tireless Socks)” is registered as “Tsukare shirazu no Kutsushita (Tireless Socks).”
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　“Grave demolition” refers to the process of removing existing graves, clearing the land, and returning it to the land administrator. The exhumed remains are generally reinterred in perpetual care graves or columbariums. In recent years, demand for grave dismantling has increased due to factors such as population concentration in major cities, aging and declining birth rates making it difficult to manage rural cemeteries, and rising rates of lifelong unmarried individuals and declining birth rates leading to a lack of successors to manage graves. Consequently, specialized businesses offer “grave dismantling services” that bundle grave removal, handling administrative procedures for reinterment permits, and arranging reinterment locations. For example, one company operates under the registered trademark “Grave Closure SOS” (Trademark Registration No. 5958751).
https://www.bishoo.co.jp/hakajimai_sos.html

　Another company has patented and registered an invention called the “Remains Consolidation System” (Patent Publication No. 7370611). This system involves, upon the death of the final inheritor, reburying the remains of the final inheritor and specified relatives within a defined scope into a consolidated grave and conducting memorial services for a set period. The patent specification states: “Use of this system incurs necessary operational costs. Regarding these costs, it is conceivable that the administrator could receive the necessary amount from the final inheritor’s estate (inherited property) after their death. However, complications in receiving these costs are also anticipated due to factors like the existence of heirs. Therefore, the optimal approach is for all necessary expenses to be paid at the start of system usage.”
　Grave closure is also a theme I must resolve in my own future life. (Conan)
※ The photo is unrelated to the text.