Patents
Intellectual Property and Innovation in Times of Transition
The automotive industry is changing rapidly. Not only are drive types changing and emission levels dropping, but cars are also increasingly becoming fully connected smart devices on wheels. Innovation has always been of great importance, especially for suppliers and tech companies like Continental.
In the current phase of transformation, it is more important than ever. After all, only a company that delights its customers with a constant stream of new ideas and products will secure long-term growth and jobs. Continental holds the top position worldwide in the European Patent Office's patent index for transport technologies in 2020. Already in 1996, Continental was the first company to connect vehicles. Since that, we have connected more than 50 million vehicles....
Find out more about innovation and intellectual property at Continental.
Milestones
Continental's major innovations
(1875) Success with horse power: The hoof buffers, soft rubber inserts for horseshoes, gave horses a safer footing on smooth surfaces. The trademark wild horse on its hind legs, became a world-famous part of the Continental logo. 
(1895) Acella – a classic: To this day, the artificial leather developed by Benecke is the epitome of innovative Continental surface solutions for vehicle interiors. 
(1904) Pneumatic tires with a profile: Continental developed the world’s first automobile tire with a patterned tread. Thanks to their better adhesion, they greatly increased driving safety. 
(1921) Smooth fabric: “Drive on cord and save on tires”: That was the slogan when Continental started making tires of cord fabric in 1921. 
(1921) Electric light in your car: With the “endless V-belt,” Continental set a standard for driving alternators and became the driving force behind electrification. 
(1953) Accelerate – with music: Continental will make you sit up and listen with its almost seven decades of car radio experience. It all began in 1953, when the Siemens VDO, which was later purchased, produced the popular entertainment device for the first time. 
(1955) Air springs for heavyweights: Air is the perfect suspension element. In 1955, Continental took advantage of this property and presented the first air spring for commercial vehicles. 
(1960) Tachographs pick up speed: Continental became a tachograph manufacturer in 2007 and developed the technologies of the purchased tachograph pioneers, Kienzle and VDO. 
(1992) Rethinking for the environment: Continental was the first producer to bring a tire onto the market that combined higher performance with a better environmental footprint. The “EcoContact” lowered fuel consumption and used less rubber. 
(1995) ESC – more driving safety: In 1998, ITT-Teves became a part of Continental. Shortly before this, the company had brought the electronic stability control (ESC) to series production. Uncontrolled skids were therefore a thing of the past. 
(1997) Telematics: That’s the way! Satellite-assisted GPS tracking saw its breakthrough as telematics in the late 1990s. The high-tech solution from VDO was acquired by Continental in 2007, and would revolutionize navigation. 
(1999) Increasingly digital: The world’s first long-range radar was a milestone on the road to automated driving. Continental presented its sixth generation at the Shanghai 2021 auto show. 
(2020) For top performance in cars: Continental’s intelligent high-performance computers (HPC) provide enormous computing power for vehicle networking and autonomous driving. This kind of computer fits on a board about the size of a sheet of paper.
„Innovation needs new rules of the game“
Proper handling of intellectual property plays an important role for highly innovative companies like Continental. Patent expert Dr. Roman Bonn, Head of Intellectual Property at Continental, explains in an interview what is particularly important in the age of the Connected Car.
Read the interview.