Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

Global manufacturing is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the need for increased automation, higher precision, and greater operational flexibility. Rising labor costs, skilled worker shortages, and demands for consistent product quality are pushing industries to adopt advanced material handling solutions. This technology directly supports these trends by offering a robust, adaptable system for long material processing, enabling manufacturers to meet market demands for diverse products while optimizing their production footprint and reducing waste.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Achieves Full Automation and Labor Savings: Automates the winding and unwinding processes for long materials, significantly reducing manual labor. Could contribute to up to ~30% annual labor cost reduction.

02

Maintains Stable Material Quality: Radial movement control by the guide member reduces material slack and damage risk. Contributes to uniform product quality and improved yield.

03

Adapts to Diverse Material Diameters: Radial movement of the cylindrical wall member allows flexible handling of long materials with varying thicknesses and widths. Could facilitate high-mix, low-volume production.

Market Opportunity
Film and Sheet Manufacturing
$300M–$400M globally (AI est.)
Increased demand for high-performance films and large sheets necessitates automated, high-precision, and high-speed winding and unwinding processes.
Advanced film producers Large-format sheet manufacturers Packaging material suppliers
Wire and Cable Manufacturing
$200M–$300M globally (AI est.)
The growth of EVs and data centers is driving increased production of diverse wires and cables, requiring efficient winding and packaging solutions.
EV cable manufacturers Data center infrastructure suppliers Specialty wire producers
Textile and Non-woven Fabric Manufacturing
$150M–$250M globally (AI est.)
Stable demand for medical and industrial specialty fibers creates a need for automation to maintain quality and improve productivity.
Medical textile manufacturers Industrial fabric producers Technical textile specialists
Building Materials Manufacturing
$150M–$250M globally (AI est.)
For long building materials like insulation and waterproofing sheets, labor savings and quality stabilization are critical production priorities.
Insulation material producers Waterproofing membrane manufacturers Construction material suppliers
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects an automated winding apparatus featuring a drive system for a rotating shaft, a partial cylindrical wall member, a support member, and a guide member that directs the wall member radially. The claims are robust, having overcome a rejection notice with a single prior art reference, indicating strong enforceability and a clear scope of protection.

Competitive White Space

This patent focuses on the core winding apparatus. White space exists in integrating this technology with upstream material preparation or downstream packaging systems, or developing advanced sensor-driven material tension control beyond the scope of the current claims.

Economic Impact
~$150K/year estimated cost reduction per facility (AI est.).
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

Implementing this technology could eliminate labor costs for 2 operators involved in long material winding and unwinding (estimated $80K/operator/year). Additionally, improving material damage rates by ~5% compared to manual processes could reduce material loss by ~$50K annually (AI est.). A ~20% increase in production efficiency is also expected, leading to an estimated ~$50K annual productivity gain (AI est.).

Speed to Market
6× faster than in-house development
This technology is already patented, with its core technical concept fully established. The patent specification details key components such as the drive system, cylindrical wall member, and guide member, significantly reducing the effort required for prototype development and validation testing. While developing a similar automated winding apparatus from scratch would take multiple years for design, prototyping, and evaluation, licensing this technology allows for rapid transition to an early commercialization phase by leveraging existing knowledge.
Competitive Positioning

X: Automation Level
Y: Material Versatility

Business Models & Applications
🤝 Product Integration Licensing
A model where licensees integrate this technology into their existing product lines or new devices, selling them as high-performance automated winding apparatuses. Revenue could be maximized through royalty agreements.
🛠️ Joint Development & Customization
Collaborate to develop specialized winding apparatuses tailored to specific industry or customer needs, offering customized solutions. This could lead to new market penetration.
📦 Direct Product Sales
Develop an automated winding and unwinding apparatus with this technology as its core, selling it directly to manufacturers as a proprietary branded product. This positions it as a high-value offering.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🏥 Medical Devices
Precision Winding for Medical Tubes & Sheets
This technology could be adapted for manufacturing medical materials like catheters and sheets, where high-precision winding is critical. Automated winding and unwinding in sterile environments could enhance quality stability and boost production efficiency by up to ~25%.
📦 Logistics & Packaging
Automated Packaging Material Supply System
Applicable to automated packaging lines in logistics warehouses for automatically supplying and winding long packaging materials such as cushioning and stretch film. This could reduce manual labor in packaging operations by ~30% and accelerate processing speeds.
🔋 Battery Manufacturing
Precision Electrode Sheet Winding
This technology could be applied to the high-quality, high-precision winding and unwinding required in electrode sheet manufacturing for EV batteries. It has the potential to reduce defect rates by ~10-15% and improve overall production efficiency.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 12-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Technology Evaluation & Design
Duration: 3 months
Evaluate the patent details and compatibility with existing licensee equipment. Conduct conceptual design, define system requirements, and formulate an implementation plan.
Phase 2: Prototype Development & Validation
Duration: 6 months
Based on the design, select key components and develop a prototype device. Conduct operational validation and performance evaluation in a real environment, identify issues, and consider improvements.
Phase 3: Production Line Integration & Optimization
Duration: 3 months
Integrate the validated prototype into existing production lines. Optimize the apparatus and maximize production efficiency based on actual operational data.
Technical Feasibility
This technology is highly feasible, with clearly defined mechanical elements such as the rotating shaft, drive system, cylindrical wall member, support member, and guide member, allowing for the application of existing industrial machine design expertise. Its modular structure suggests relatively easy integration into existing production line supply and winding stations for long materials. Composed of general-purpose mechanical parts, it could be implemented without requiring significant capital investment.
Success Scenario
Implementing this technology could significantly reduce manual labor in long material winding and unwinding processes, potentially increasing overall production line utilization by ~20%. This could enable companies to expand production capacity without additional staffing, increasing annual output by 1.2 times. Furthermore, the reduced risk of material damage is estimated to cut quality defect costs by approximately ~15% annually.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2021-108051
REGISTRATION NO.
7636791
FILING DATE
2021/06/29
GRANT DATE
2025/02/18
EXPIRATION DATE
2041/06/29
PATENT HOLDER
東京都公立大学法人
Examination History
2024年03月29日
出願審査請求書
2024年10月29日
拒絶理由通知書
2024年11月27日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2024年11月27日
意見書
2025年02月04日
特許査定