Taco recently completed the third annual 2026 Global Patent Training, continuing to advance their commitment to strategic innovation. The event brought together employees worldwide across Taco to further encourage a culture of invention and technical leadership.
The training, held every spring at the Cranston, Rhode Island headquarters and offered virtually to global team members, provides employees with an introduction to the patent process. The program is designed to equip employees from all departments, including engineering, product management, and marketing, with the tools and knowledge to transform their ideas into officially recognized inventions.
Employees are supported at all levels of the process, from initial conception to invention disclosure and filing with assistance from patent attorneys. As a result, since launching the initiative in 2024, Taco has significantly increased the pace of product development, achieving five times the number of annual patent submissions. This growth reflects strong cross-functional engagement and reinforces their continued evolution as an innovation-focused organization.
“Even though this is my third patent training, there’s always something new I’m learning and it always motivates me to think about innovation,” said Bobby Quinn, Industrial Designer, Commercial & Industrial Engineering.
At the beginning of this year’s training, Taco awarded nine inventors for a total of five patents granted by the US Patent Office in 2025. These included four patents related to circulators and one ASME magnetic dirt separator developed by a team of four engineers from the Fall River facility. Inventors were acknowledged for their contributions to advancing performance, efficiency, reliability, and product innovation.
“Starting off the trainings in 2024 and showing what an impact we’ve made, my hope is we’re going to start getting some granted patents from all this work,” said Chris Kampf, EVP, Product Engineering.
By investing in its employees and working across the organization globally, Taco seeks to build on their role as a technology-driven company focused on solving practical, real-world industry challenges.
