design

Shisa Day

  • 2024年04月03日

#design #trademark

April 3 is Shisa Day because of the Japanese syllabary that reads “Shi” (4) and “Sa” (3).
The name “Shisa” is pronounced “shishi(lion)” in Okinawan dialect, and it is said that Shisa has the meaning of driving away evil spirits.

When I visited Okinawa last year on a family vacation, I saw Shisa in many places.
The most impressive shisa was the “Tsuboya Ufu Shisa” near our hotel. “Ufu” means “big” or “large” in Okinawan dialect.

Tsuboya Ufu Shisa (Tsuboya Big Shisa)

A search of J-Plat Pat for items related to the Shisa in the intellectual property field yielded 33 hits for designs related to Shisa figurines and 12 hits for the trademark “Shisa”.(Rabbit)

Kids Design Award

  • 2023年11月01日

#design #invention #patent #trademark

The other day, while using the Internet, I came across the term “Kids Design Award”. Somehow I thought it might be related to design, so I read the article “Kids Design Award for ‘Eye Care Clip’ to Control Children’s Myopia“.

The Kids Design Award is an award system for products, services, spaces, activities, and research that fulfill the objectives of “living safely,”, “nurturing sensitivity and creativity,” and “creating a society where it is easy to have and raise children.”. With the aim of disseminating this information to society at large, it appears that in addition to designs for children, designs developed for adults and the general public are also eligible as long as they are child and child-rearing friendly.

Kids Design Award

The “Eye Care Clip” introduced in the article is a product developed by Clear Electronic Co., Ltd. in Tokyo I searched J-Plat Pat to see if the company had also owned patent and registered design, and found, as expected, 2 Japanese Patent applications, 4 Japanese Designs registrations, and 18 Japanese trademark applications.

Also, “Kids Design Award＼KIDS DESIGN AWARD” was registered as a trademark. (Japanese Trademark registration No. 5010693, right holder: Non-profit organization Kids Design Association)

I was interested in the Kids Design Award because I felt that the award and intellectual property are a bit similar.
It would be nice to enrich our lives with useful inventions for children and families raising children. (Rabbit)

Kids Design Award (website) https://kidsdesignaward.jp/

Biore Sound Trademark and Design

  • 2023年06月28日

#design #trademark

　Biore has a sound trademark. The designated products are soaps and cosmetics.
　Biore is a face and body care brand of Kao Corporation.

Biore Sound Trademark

　Related products of the Bioré brand include body wash, foam hand soap, and skin care products.
　I recently purchased Biore-u’s paw pad-shaped foaming hand soap. Unlike the regular pump dispenser, which dispenses bubbles horizontally from a single opening, the paw pad type hand soap has a pump dispenser that dispenses bubbles vertically upward from several openings. The shape of the pump dispenser was so striking and eccentric that it was registered as a design.

　In the past, when using foam hand soap, one used both hands to wash one’s hands, pushing the pump with the right hand and picking up the foam hand soap with the left hand. However, with the paw pad-type foam hand soap, I can pick up the foam hand soap with one hand and wash my hands with it. It is very convenient, and I think it is good not only in terms of functionality but also in terms of hygiene.

Biore-u's paw pad-shaped foaming hand soap Biore-u's paw pad-shaped foaming hand soap

　I thought it was a product for which not only the character trademark but also the sound trademark and the design were protected and utilized in a multifaceted way to further enhance the brand power and protect and utilize intellectual property. (Raspberry)

Japanese Sound Trademark Registration number : No. 5805052｜J-PlatPat
Japanese Design Registration number : No. 1710004｜J-PlatPat

Work of “Intellectual Property”

  • 2023年04月26日

#design #intellectual property #patent #trademark #utility model

The TV Drama series “Isn’t that Plagiarism?” has started!
I have been looking forward to the drama even more after reading the original novel. I am writing this article after the first episode aired, but I am very much looking forward to the future development of the drama as it has been reconstructed for the drama and there are many parts that differ from the original story from the very first episode. I was impressed by the lines “patents are a battle of words” and “the job of intellectual property is to protect the crystallization of someone else’s sweat and tears”.

In the first episode of the drama, the company where the main character works does not yet have an intellectual property department (IP department). How will the activities of the newly established IP department be depicted in the second and subsequent episodes? I think the content will be realistic as it is supervised by a patent attorney, so you will be able to gain knowledge that you can learn while enjoying the drama.

The original story has a subtitle “The Work of a New Intellectual Property Department Employee”.
I think it will help those companies that do not have an IP department but have a development department or a general affairs department that is concurrently in charge of IP. We would like to better understand the role of the IP department at our firm and utilize this information to provide services that are needed by our customers.

Isn't that Plagiarism? Isn't that Plagiarism?

By the way, the JPO also paid attention to this drama and tweeted about it.
It seems that they also cooperated in the filming of the drama, and you can see places that are not usually seen at the JPO. This is also noteworthy♪ (Cacao)

https://www.ntv.co.jp/sorepaku/original/ (Japanese only)
https://shueisha.online/culture/121224 (Japanese only)
http://www.jipa.or.jp/coffeebreak/hitokoto/hito2303.html (Japanese only)
https://twitter.com/jpo_NIPPON/status/1645696954343788545

BONSAI

  • 2023年02月15日

#design

The other day, I saw a news report that black pine bonsai grown at a bonsai center in Takamatsu City were exported to the EU after two years of cultivation and management. Japanese bonsai are very popular overseas, but the EU had a two-year export requirement from the standpoint of quarantine against pests and diseases.

Incidentally, a bonsai is a work of art that can be cared for in a way that appeals to an individual’s sense of beauty. However, it is not subject to design registration because it uses natural materials and cannot be mass-produced.

BONSAI

The photo shows a maple bonsai that has been in my parents’ garden for 60 years.(Swimmer)

The thing that was a big hit in 2022.

  • 2023年01月18日

#design

Have you ever tried Yakult 1000?
It has become such a hot topic that it is difficult to obtain, and I have visited convenience stores, supermarkets, and pharmacies, but it was still sold out.
I was wondering if it was really effective in “relieving stress” and “improving the quality of sleep” as shown in the commercials, and when I really wanted to try it, I noticed that a Yakult lady came to the entrance of our office every morning and was able to purchase it♪

Yakult 1000

It looks like it comes in a larger container than regular Yakult and tastes a little stronger.
I don’t know if it really ” relieving stress ” and ” improving the quality of sleep ” or if it is a placebo effect, but I personally felt that it somehow improved my sleep quality.

Yakult 1000 is a product of Yakult Honsha Co.,Ltd. (Japanese Design Registration No. 1648553)
I try to drink it only on weekdays, because if I continue to drink it every day, I will develop a tolerance to it and will not feel its effects. (Rabbit)

Yakult 1000 / Y1000 (Japanese only)
Japanese Design Registration No.1648553｜J-PlatPat [JPP] (inpit.go.jp)

Electronic Thermometer

  • 2022年10月20日

#design #patent #trademark #utility model

My long-time electronic thermometer broke, so I bought a new one.
The built-in battery seems to have worn out, not only because of infection prevention measures, but also because my elderly family members have more opportunities to take their temperatures regularly.
Without time to do any preliminary research, I went to the sales floor of a local drugstore and was surprised to find several electronic thermometers available and surprisingly inexpensive despite their high functionality.

I remember that in the past, most thermometers did not have replaceable batteries to prevent infants from accidentally ingesting button batteries, but now they sell thermometers with replaceable batteries. I guess they have devised a way to prevent easy removal of the battery.
Some were waterproof and washable, which seems to be in high demand in this day and age, and some had an attached case that could be easily cleaned with alcohol.

After much deliberation, I chose the Terumo thermometer we had been using previously and purchased a thermometer with a sound pressure about twice as loud and easy to hear at the end of a temperature test. It can predict temperature in about 20 seconds and measure temperature as speedily as a temperature check at a hospital.

Terumo's electronic thermometers Terumo's registered trademark

The Terumo logo in the image is naturally a registered trademark (Japanese Registration No. 6191923 Protective No. 01), but a further search on J-PlatPat revealed more than 250 patents, utility models, and designs for Terumo’s electronic thermometers.

By the way, Terumo thermometers have had a 100-year history. What is the 100th anniversary commemorative thermometer sold last year! If you are interested, check the following site♪ (Cacao)
100th anniversary commemorative thermometer website (Japanese only)

The Age of AI Painting?

  • 2022年09月14日

#copyright #design

This is Swimmer.
These days, the social networking sites are talking about an app that lets AI learn and draw pictures.

AI

To make it learn, you have to change the approach many times and make adjustments, and you need to have a good artistic sense to make a proper work. It seems to be very easy to complete a picture if you are not concerned about the final result. It is very interesting.
If the original material to be studied is something to which you own the rights, there is no problem. However, if you use someone else’s work, what happens to the design rights and copyrights of the material? What are the terms and conditions of the app?

We will continue to keep a close eye on the evolution of AI, which has both pros and cons, including the rights to the resulting pictures.

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)

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/

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