Toyota Patent for Vehicle Software Updates

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Networking (H04L)

Published March 24th, 2026

Detected March 27th, 2026

Summary

The USPTO has granted Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha a patent for a server and method for updating vehicle software wirelessly. The system allows for user approval of updates via in-vehicle displays or separate user equipment, with differentiated information granularity.

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What changed

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued patent US12585455B2 to Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha for a system and method related to wireless software updates for vehicle control devices. The patent describes a server configured to manage software updates, including presenting distinct approval requests to the user on both the in-vehicle display and separate user equipment, with the in-vehicle display providing more detailed information.

This patent grant signifies a new intellectual property right for Toyota concerning automotive software update mechanisms. While not a regulatory rule imposing obligations on other entities, it establishes a proprietary technology in this space. Companies developing similar wireless update functionalities for vehicles should be aware of this patent to avoid potential infringement issues.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

Server, non-transitory storage medium, and software update method

Grant US12585455B2 Kind: B2 Mar 24, 2026

Assignee

TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Inventors

Tomoyasu Ishikawa

Abstract

A server is configured to send data for updating software on a vehicle control device through wireless communication. The server includes: a memory storing a program; and a processor configured to execute the program, the processor being configured to set first data and second data, the first data being data to be displayed on an in-vehicle display in order to obtain user's approval to the software update, the second data being data to be displayed on user equipment in order to obtain the user's approval to the software update, and the first data having higher information granularity than the second data.