Regional Invention Awards

The Regional Invention Awards were established in 1921 to encourage and foster innovation in regional areas to contribute to the advancement of science and technology and the development of local industries. The awards recognize and honor individuals who have created outstanding inventions, devices or designs, whose efforts to facilitate the practical use of these innovations have been significant, and who have contributed to the guidance, development and encouragement of inventive activities in the eight regions of Japan: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu.

Organization Name: Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation
Established: Founded in May 1904 as the Industrial Property Protection Association
Head office: Toranomon 3-chome Building, 3-1-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

This invention is used in image interpretation, the process by which specialists analyze medical images captured using Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and prepare reports that include observations and other relevant information. It is possible to interpret images at the medical institution where the examination is conducted, or by other institutions or specialized image interpretation service providers, to interpret them remotely on request.
When images are interpreted remotely, this invention enables service providers to calculate the suitability of each radiologist's assignment based on their expertise and image interpretation capabilities of multiple radiologists and automatically assign tasks to them. It makes it possible to fully leverage the expertise of individual radiologists and appropriately distribute workloads to ensure images are interpreted with a high degree of accuracy, which increases diagnostic accuracy and facilitates people's efforts to reform workstyles in the field of image interpretation.

This technology makes it possible for users to print documents in multi-printer environments without server equipment, enabling users to send print jobs without specifying a particular device and to print anytime and anywhere from any available printer.
This invention is used in Canon Marketing Japan's Server-less Anyplace Print for MEAP ADVANCE application, which enhances the functionality of printers. When installed on Canon multifunctional products and laser printers, it allows users to print anytime and anywhere, helping reduce unnecessary printing, enhance security and improve operational efficiency.

When a job execution error occurs in an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) related system used to transmit order and other transaction data, this technology displays the execution order of processes that make up the job, together with the execution results of each process, and it enables users to restart the execution of the job from any selected process. This makes it possible for users to promptly make decisions in response to jobs being interrupted due to errors, and it supports people's flexible management of operations, which helps improve the efficiency of the integrated operation and management of the EDI system as a whole.

This technology enhances inspection accuracy by evaluating data that may be personal information using factors such as data type, quantity, and positional relationships within an email in addition to keywords. Emails that exceed a predefined score threshold can be automatically held or deleted.
The use of credit card numbers and My Number information as inspection criteria makes it possible to appropriately detect a broader range of personal information and helps prevent information leaks. This invention is used within the Personal Information Inspection feature of Canon Marketing Japan's GUARDIANWALL Mail Security email security solution.

This technology, incorporated into an automatic Java application generation tool, reduces errors associated with code size limitations and facilitates the efficient development of Java applications. By using this technology, the tool supports the delivery of reliable products that our customers can use with peace of mind, promotes the tool's broader adoption in Japan, and expands the benefits of the improvement of development productivity through no-code development activities. This technology is implemented on the WebPerformer low-code development platform to facilitate the shortening of development lead times, the enhancement of quality, and the reduction of the cost of developing Java applications.

This technology uses multiple candidate forecasting models tailored to demand characteristics to generate forecasts over a defined historical period and evaluates forecast errors against actual demand to identify the most suitable forecasting model. It enables users to determine optimal forecasting models for individual products and flexibly respond to changes in demand patterns. In addition to improving the accuracy of forecasts, it also reduces the workload associated with forecasting model determination.
This technology is implemented in the FOREMAST demand forecasting and supply–demand planning solution, where it has earned strong support from users as “a demand forecasting system that can be effectively used in real-world operations.”

In rapidly expanding teleworking environments, this technology automatically detects whether teleworkers are present or away from their desks. If a third party is impersonating a user or looking at the screen over the user's shoulder, it captures a camera image using the computer of the person working remotely and links it to a captured image of the computer's screen as one set of evidence data at the time to transmit and record it to a management server. This enables administrators to quickly determine who viewed what information and when, reducing the time it takes to verify the facts about incidents. By transmitting and recording only necessary evidentiary data, the feature also helps reduce implementation and operational costs.
This technology is incorporated into the Telework Supporter cloud-based remote work support service that the Canon Marketing Japan Group has been developing and providing since February 2017. It not only enhances the efficiency of corporate information security measures but also increases the awareness of security that people working remotely have, which strengthens the information security practices of both users and companies.