What Once Was Lost Is Now Found

The misplacement or unintended loss of personal possessions is a universal phenomenon. Looking to provide a new solution to this age-old problem, Tokyo-based startup MAMORIO, Inc. developed a smart tracking tag and app to help people keep track of their belongings.

Tokyo-based startup MAMORIO, Inc. has developed a smart tracking tag and app to help people keep track of their belongings. (Photo: © Courtesy of MAMORIO, Inc.)

Since 2012, MAMORIO Inc. has been striving to develop user-friendly products to assist its customers with keeping track of their items, under its mission statement of “Forget about Forgetting.” From the creation and marketing of various products and services, often developed through partnerships with big players such as Disney and Sony, MAMORIO Inc. has found its place.

The basic concept behind the products of MAMORIO, Inc. links their smart tracking tag with a smartphone via the Bluetooth function. Users receive push notifications as soon as the tag is separated from the smartphone, losing connection. The company’s success is largely based on three main points: design, function and branding.

MAMORIO, Inc. has made effective use of the intellectual property (IP) system, protecting its exclusive technology while building goodwill through its successful branding campaigns. Nearly 10 years later, the company has amassed a solid IP portfolio, becoming a leader in its field.

The concept behind the products of MAMORIO, Inc. links their smart tracking tag with a smartphone via the Bluetooth function. Users receive push notifications as soon as the tag is separated from the smartphone, losing connection. (Photo: © Courtesy of MAMORIO, Inc.)

The original MAMORIO smart tracking tag has a simple but sleek appearance. With the shape of a common luggage tag, MAMORIO was designed to be as small as possible with a hole for attaching the tag to a large array of frequently misplaced items such as keys. Customers can easily recognize the shape of the tag, contributing to the company’s larger branding strategy.

Recognizing the lack in available technology at the time, the company developed its own app that works with the GPS function of a smartphone, altering users with the time and last-known location of the tag. This “upgrade” in product functionality helps MAMORIO, Inc. set itself apart from its competitors.

Specific traits, unforgettable brand

MAMORIO, Inc. soon recognized the value of protecting its product and service investments with IP. In 2014, the company filed its first trademark application with the Japan Patent Office (JPO) their flagship brand “MAMORIO”. Additional trademark applications have been filed as the company continues to develop new products.

Trademarks are not the only way in which MAMORIO, Inc. takes advantage of the IP system. Building on its unique notification system, the company also developed and released its patented “cloud tracking” system followed by the “MAMORIO Spot”. These are two of the most unique features of the company’s smart tracking tag.

The “cloud tracking” system taps into the ever-growing Internet of Things (IoT), turning its app’s users into simultaneous “searchers.” Based on the concept of crowdsourcing, when a user passes near the location of a lost tag, the app automatically relays the tag’s information to the cloud. The original owner then receives a notification with missing tag’s information. Its effectiveness increases proportionally as the number of users increases.

Technology is an important pillar for start-ups. When looking to develop new technologies or initiatives with business partners, intellectual property can help facilitate negotiations and other activities that utilize a company's technological strengths.
Masuki Daiki, CEO of MAMORIO, Inc.

Masuki Daiki, CEO of MAMORIO, Inc., highlights the importance of intellectual property as a tool to convey his company’s technological capabilities to business partners (Photo: © Courtesy of MAMORIO, Inc.)

The function behind “MAMORIO Spot” is similar but with antennas that receive users’ signals in heavily-trafficked areas. Dedicated “MAMORIO Spot” antennas have already been installed in multiple railway stations throughout Tokyo. Providing services that connect its users is another pivotal way in which MAMORIO, Inc. continues to build upon its brand identity and solidify customer loyalty.

The future is now

The importance of envisioning potential markets also played an important role for the company. The growing success of MAMORIO encouraged the company to develop other products based on the same technology. “MAMORIO FUDA” is a smart tracking tag that functions like a sticker, making it ideal to attach to the surface of items such as laptops and other larger equipment.

Looking forward, MAMORIO, Inc. continues to develop partnerships with other companies. For example, working with one of Japan’s major pharmaceutical companies, Eisai Co., Ltd., the company developed Me-MAMORIO, a line of products targeting the elderly which make up a significant proportion of Japan’s population.

Additional collaborations have been made with other major entities such as Fanimal (aiming to identify lost pets) and Japan Airlines (aiming to track the maintenance equipment of the carrier). MAMORIO, Inc. is a prime example of how IP can be used to develop a company’s initial idea into a larger line of products and services, as well as create new sources of revenue through partnerships or the licensing of IP out to third parties.

Intellectual property is important, because it allows us to convey our company's high-level technological capabilities to our external stakeholders in an easy-to-understand manner.
Masuki Daiki, CEO of MAMORIO, Inc.