Toyota loses patent appeal for technology in Prius

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by Wolfman01

Not necessarily. Technology used in current hybrid cars will see life in fuel cell and full electric vehicles. Designing hybrid cars goes along way to spread out R&D on the systems, improve battery capacity in an incrimental (and likewise economical) maner, and smooth out the changeover for the public.

Yes, or so that article from 2005 said so in depth - originated by Marc? Rechtin?@ Automotive News and picked up by many mainstream newspapers.

As far as the 650 patents alleged to be associated with Toyotas hybrid programs went, that article made it sound almost as if the applications of those technologies for fuel cells was the real, high value target., or 'end game'.

This suit and the next one would seem to gumm that up at least a bit.

Anatonov got screwed but I dunno.......... seems like there just might be another way for them to go at it.

Someone like Seymour Hersh should write the definitive book on Toyota and the real story about all their real methods.

[redimpss5]

WOW...In the old days, Toyota had always posted about how good they were, but now..OMG, sue them or talk bad about them and they have to defend that, this could be the begining of the end of them!! I had a customer recently say " What could so bad about Toyota, they will fix the problem under warranty?" This WAS the same mentality we had about the big 3 all those years ago!! WAKE THE F&*K UP!!!!

[drew630]

Originally Posted by ronald mcretard

I wonder how they came up with $25 per vehicle anyway... is it just the cost of the particular part in question?

Thats what I would guess but not really sure though.

[ericmvest]

Originally Posted by ronald mcretard

by the way, I'm in love with the fact that a huge Japanese company had to copy technology from a small American company to get the best solution. just proves that American ingenuity is still alive and kicking.

It's safe to say that Toyota's Synergy Drive built on the work begun at TRW's Power Systems Division in the late 1960's. In the November 2006 issue of Automotive Design magazine there is an article entitled "Present at the Creation" that states "Contrary to popular opinion, hybrids were not created in Japan. Nor were they created by an automobile company. The hybrid drive system we know today was created in the late 1960's by three researchedrs - Dr. Baruch Berman, Dr. George Gelb, and Dr. Neal Richardson - working for the Power Systems Div. of TRW Inc. ( a predecessor to today's TRW Automotive Inc. that also was a major aerospace and defense contractor) under the leadership of Bob Bromberg." The article further states, "According to Gelb, Toyota didn't infringe in TRW's patents to create its Synergy Drive as they had expired (the first was issued in 1970 with the final revision made in 1974) by the time the Toyota Prius hit the market."

More proof that the Japanese are heavily depend on American creations.

[Buick61]

Originally Posted by ericmvest

It's safe to say that Toyota's Synergy Drive built on the work begun at TRW's Power Systems Division in the late 1960's. In the November 2006 issue of Automotive Design magazine there is an article entitled "Present at the Creation" that states "Contrary to popular opinion, hybrids were not created in Japan. Nor were they created by an automobile company. The hybrid drive system we know today was created in the late 1960's by three researchedrs - Dr. Baruch Berman, Dr. George Gelb, and Dr. Neal Richardson - working for the Power Systems Div. of TRW Inc. ( a predecessor to today's TRW Automotive Inc. that also was a major aerospace and defense contractor) under the leadership of Bob Bromberg." The article further states, "According to Gelb, Toyota didn't infringe in TRW's patents to create its Synergy Drive as they had expired (the first was issued in 1970 with the final revision made in 1974) by the time the Toyota Prius hit the market."

More proof that the Japanese are heavily depend on American creations.

Neat-o. Thanks.

[N8s07ss]

Where's Phishfood to say it's an anti-Prius conspiracy?

[ponchoman49]

Originally Posted by blank disk

Japanese excell at copying.
They have no creativity skills at all.
Look at their designs. Total form following function.

Too bad most of our vehicles are copying there bland plain generic styling cues and colorless, souless interiors. I would think there cars would be the last thing any manufacturer would want to copy.

[tgagneguam]

So, based on last year's record profits, it will take Toyota about one hour and 37 minutes to pay the tab on this award? Where's the punishment, what lesson has been taught to Toyota? And you can bet Toyota will drag its feet meeting the obligation.

But, hey, at least it's a victory for Paice LLC.

[johnny smallblock]

$25 per car is $2.5m per 100K units. How many Priuseses did Toyo sell last year?

By the way, the price for a new Prius just went up $25.

[vxl]

Originally Posted by Generous Motors

VCR's and CDs were invented here in the US but made in Japan.

I thought it was generally accepted the VCR and CD were invented by Philips of the Netherlands.

[ericmvest]

Originally Posted by vxl

I thought it was generally accepted the VCR and CD were invented by Philips of the Netherlands.

The videotape recorder and compact disk were both invented by Americans.

Videotape Recorder
The Ampex VRX-1000 (later renamed the Mark IV) videotape recorder is introduced on March 14, 1956, at the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters in Chicago. This is the world's first practical videotape recorder and is hailed as a major technological breakthrough. CBS goes on air with the first videotape delayed broadcast, Douglas Edwards and The News, on November 30, 1956, from Los Angeles, California, using the Ampex Mark IV.

In 2005, the six inventors of the first practical videotape recorder were honored with the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. They were Charles Anderson, Ray Dolby, Charles Ginsburg, Shelby Henderson, Alex Maxey, and Fred Pfost.

Compact Disk (CD)
James Russell was born in Bremerton, Washington in 1931. His first invention, at six years old, was a remote-control battleship with a storage chamber for his lunch. In 1953, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in physics and graduated from Reed College in Portland. Afterwards he went to work as a Physicist in General Electric’s nearby labs in Richland, Washington. There he started many experimental instrumentation projects. He was one of the first to use a color TV screen and keyboard with a computer. He designed and built the first electron beam welder.
When Bettelle Memorial Institute opened its Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Richland, Washington, James joined as a Senior Scientist. There he introduced his thinking about optical data storage, constructing prototypes of a digital-to-optical recording and playback system and dispersing information about the potential of this technology. He found more interest in this work outside of the company though, so he joined a firm and developed his ideas as vice president for research and member of the board. Here he designed the system architecture for an audio player and directed the development of the hardware and the storage media.
During this time, James listened to a lot of music and was always frustrated by the wear and tear of his phonograph records. He was also unsatisfied with their sound quality. So, one Saturday while he was home alone, he started sketching out a better music recording system.
James wanted a system that would record and replay songs without physical contact between its parts, and he saw the best way to do it would be by using light. He was familiar with digital data recording, in punch card or magnetic tape form. He knew that if you could represent the binary 0 and 1 with dark and light a device could read sounds or any other information without wearing it out and if he could make the binary compact enough he could store a bunch on a small piece of film.
Bettelle let him pursue his project and in 1970, after years of work, he succeeded in inventing the first digital-to-optical recording and playback system, the CD.