In a prior post, I discussed the Tesla-Patent Commons. Further to that piece and the other media attention around Elon Musk’s announcement, there have been a couple of notable follow-on lists and analyses of the Tesla patents, which now belong to all of us.
First, Envision IP published this infographic, which provides a nice breakdown of the Tesla patent portfolio. According to their count (as of June 12, 2014), Tesla had 172 issued U.S. patents and 123 published U.S. applications.
By far the largest group is batteries & charging technology, which makes up 120 patents and 71 applications. Motor & drive controls is next with 20 patents and 15 applications, followed by 10 patents and 4 applications directed to frame & chassis inventions. Bringing up the rear are doors & latches, HVAC tech, and sunroofs.
Cleantechnica offers a footnote of sorts in a recent piece noting that 25 Tesla patents and applications relate to battery fire & hazard risk reduction technologies. An example of an issued patent is U.S. Patent No. 8,445,126, entitled “Hazard mitigation within a battery pack using metal-air cells.”
I figure it’s good for us to know more details about these patents. After all, they belong to us.
