After searching the Toyota website under all company info, the Prius links and any other Toyota/Prius/Hybrid websites, I have be unable to source any or even a single patent number relevant to the cars manufacture. Is there a patent provided for the Prius anywhere, and if so, where can it be found? If there is an actual patent for the Prius or any other hybrid that Toyota have released into the commercial market, does it cover the entire vehicle, the 'Synergy Drive System' they incoporate into the car or just individual components used within the Prius, such as the Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries or Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)?
At a guess, I'd say just about every component of the car is probably patented, but not the car as a whole. The HSD system is probably covered by about a thousand separate patents.
What do you want to do, copy the Prius and make a killing in the market? :lol: Of course it is patented up the Ying Yang. Seaching the US Patent Office using only “Toyota and Hybrid†returns 650+ hits . . . and you can bet there are other patents which have noting to do with “hybrid†covering the Prius and other Toyota cars. "Toyota and Hybrid" USPTO search
What's the original link to that document? [the link to the PDF itself, not a link to "toyota-media.com" which is utterly useless] . _H*
I do not remember as I got it over a year ago. Must be either from one of the Prius yahoo group, Prius Online or here. Moderator, please remove it if it is now allowed here. :mellow: Dennis
Not even including the folks that insist that they invented the hybrid and want a cut of the action from Toyota. They just want to "dip their beak" . I would guess that Guido and Nuncio are looking for them even now and will instruct them properly on the niceties of invading Prius turf. Just one persons opinion. I want to keep my knee caps intact.
