Smart Bathroom Technology: Home Water Art

Home bathroom is an indispensable equipment in modern life. The continuous integration of high technology and new technology has enabled the sanitary ware industry to advance in a humanized and intelligent way. In particular, the emergence of intelligent sanitary ware has made the overall sanitary ware industry an important part of the smart home industry. Competition point. For patent applicants in this field, the following are taken as examples for Japan's TOTO and Ina for an in-depth analysis.

TOTO intelligent bathroom technology patent solution

TOTO (Toto Machine Co., Ltd.) was established in 1917 and is a multinational company that researches, develops, manufactures and sells bathroom products and related sanitary ware equipment. TOTO's application for patented smart bathroom can be traced back to the mid-1980s. Compared to TOTO's patent applications in the field over the years, TOTO's smart bathroom has developed by leaps and bounds since 1994, and patent applications have fluctuated considerably. This shows that TOTO's research in the field of smart bathroom is not stable, and from the perspective of the target country of patent application, TOTO puts the target market in Japan, and its patent applications for smart bathroom technology overseas still stay in single digits. .

Ina smart bathroom technology patent solution

INAX Corporation is a company engaged in the comprehensive production of sanitary ware and ceramic tiles, founded in 1924. In the 90s of the 20th century, Nai began to develop smart bathroom. Comparing the patent application data of Ina in this field over the years, patent applications have been quiet for several years since 1992. Until 1995, with the gradual emphasis on smart bathroom technology, the amount of patent applications in this field has reached a certain level. Promote. Afterwards and TOTO-like, the number of applications showed a wave of development, ups and downs. In addition, like TOTO’s patent application strategy, Ina’s main target market is also locked in Japan. There are very few overseas technology patents, and there are only 1-2 applications in China, the United States, and South Korea.

TOTO and Inai refraction smart bathroom patent development trend

From the above data, the amount of patents in the smart bathroom sector is significantly smaller than other smart home technologies. The exploration of TOTO and Ina's core technology in the development of smart sanitary ware is influenced by the overall environment of the industry and national policies. The volume of applications has been fluctuating over the years, and the development trend is unstable. From the perspective of overall layout, the patent application for intelligent sanitary ware is seen. Mainly concentrated in the country, the degree of emphasis on overseas markets is not enough, the overall development is still in its infancy.