Company patents
NIFCO INC.
NIFCO INC. demonstrates a strong, albeit fluctuating, focus on automotive components, with "Vehicle Body Fittings" comprising 41.7% of its portfolio and experiencing a significant 200.0% YoY growth in 2024 before a decline. Surprisingly, the company is also showing an emerging interest in "Valves," with a 50.0% YoY growth in 2026 so far, indicating a potential diversification beyond its core automotive and manufacturing strengths, while categories like "Fasteners" saw a dramatic 500.0% YoY increase in 2024 but then a 100.0% decline in 2025.
Patent Trend by Technology Area
Yearly patent publications since 2023
Product themes
Product-level themes inferred from filings since 2023, with category chips showing where each theme appears. Select a theme to filter the patents below.
84 US filings (since 2023) · 12 categories · 19 themes
Devices and structural elements within the vehicle cabin or attached to the vehicle body designed to organize, secure, or support various articles, equipment, or even pets, often featuring customizable compartments or robust attachment mechanisms.
Safety features built into or around vehicle seats to protect occupants during various accident scenarios, including airbags, pre-crash positioning, and blast attenuation.
Camera assemblies specifically designed for integration into vehicles, addressing challenges like mounting, field of view coverage, environmental robustness, and specialized imaging (e.g., near-infrared) for autonomous driving or safety.
Methods, tools, and component designs that facilitate the efficient and robust manufacturing, assembly, and attachment of vehicle seat structures, covers, and internal mechanisms.
Systems designed for rapid and secure attachment and detachment of devices or components to a main support structure, often employing snap-fit, clamping, or magnetic mechanisms for convenience and flexibility.
Techniques for combining multiple materials or layers, often with specialized surface treatments, coatings, or assembly methods, to create functional or aesthetically enhanced plastic articles, including consumer goods and encapsulated electronics.
Valves specifically designed for managing fluid power in hydraulic or pneumatic systems, including components for pressure regulation, flow direction, and system centering.
Valves engineered to automatically open or close based on pressure differentials, preventing over-pressurization, controlling flow direction, or suppressing backflow in fluid systems.
Seat designs and mechanisms that allow for dynamic adjustment, folding, removal, or repositioning of seats or seat components to adapt to various passenger, cargo, or vehicle usage scenarios.
Fasteners designed to release or change state under specific triggers, such as a predefined force, pressure differential, or through active mechanical control.
Focuses on the structural integrity, housing, mounting, and physical integration of battery cells into robust and protected packs within electric vehicles, including manufacturing considerations.
Mechanical structures and devices designed to support, stabilize, or mount cameras and related photographic equipment, often featuring quick-release mechanisms, damping, or adjustable components.
Membrane and depth filtration for industrial separation, gas purification, and bioprocess clarification including cross-flow, dead-end, tangential flow filtration, and oil/water separation.
Focuses on novel heating elements, power delivery, and thermal management for efficient and controlled aerosol generation. This includes resistive, inductive, and other heating methods, as well as heat distribution and retention.
Systems designed to manage the temperature of multiple components in electric or hybrid vehicles, such as batteries, electric motors, power electronics, and the passenger cabin, often using shared or interconnected cooling/heating circuits.
Software, algorithms, and associated hardware for monitoring, controlling, and optimizing battery performance, safety, and lifespan, including charge/discharge cycles, thermal regulation, and system integration.
Integration and control of electronic components within the vehicle, including power distribution, thermal management for integrated circuits, and advanced user interfaces such as voice assistants, often involving specialized housings or trim.
Techniques for building three-dimensional metal objects layer-by-layer using metal powders, including powder bed fusion, binder jetting, and directed energy deposition. This theme encompasses process mechanics, equipment design, and operational control for AM systems.
Processes involving the application of heat and pressure to shape thermoplastic or elastomeric materials, often using molds or presses, to achieve specific forms or material properties.
Patents
Showing 1-10 of 29
Interior Storage & Mounting Solutions