Patent confusion on new Toyota hybrid

An article in Nitrobahn titled Leaked Patent Drawings Point to a New Toyota Hybrid suggests to the reader that some kind of secret was leaked to the public from patents.

Green autoblog put it this way: It would seem that Toyota has an interesting and hitherto unknown concept vehicle up its sleeves, judging by a European patent that L'Automobile in France was somehow able to dig up.

The source for the multitude of internet posts, L'Automobile, had the following text:

Obtenir des renseignements sur les futurs modèles d'un responsable de constructeur japonais n'est pas chose aisée. La barrière linguistique est difficile à franchir, et la culture, voire le culte du secret, extrêmement bien développé. Pour contrer les questions les plus indiscrètes, le monsieur (car c'est toujours un homme, jamais une femme) va répéter inlassablement les phrases que le service marketing aura préparées. En souriant gentiment, il fera profil bas, craignant que l'entretien ne dévie sur le rappel géant en cours, qui nuit à la réputation du constructeur. Et pourtant, ils pourraient nous apprendre des choses, les responsables de Toyota ! Par exemple sur cette voiture, dont le japonais vient de déposer des dessins auprès de l'Office européen d'enregistrement des marques.

Yahoo Babelfish translated this:

To obtain information on the future models d' a person in charge of Japanese constructor n' is not easy matter to achieve. The linguistic barrier is difficult to cross, and the culture, even the worship of the secrecy, developed extremely well. To counter the most indiscreet questions, the Mister (because c' is always a man, never a woman) inlassablement will repeat the sentences which the service marketing will have prepared. While smiling nicely, it will make low profile, fearing that l' maintenance does not deviate on the giant recall in progress, which harms the reputation of the manufacturer. And yet, they could learn to us from the things, the persons in charge of Toyota! For example on this car, from which Japanese comes to lodge drawings with l' European office d' recording of the marks.

Google obtained:

To obtain information on the future models d' a person in charge of Japanese constructor n' is not easy matter to achieve. The linguistic barrier is difficult to cross, and the culture, even the worship of the secrecy, developed extremely well. To counter the most indiscreet questions, the Mister (because c' is always a man, never a woman) inlassablement will repeat the sentences which the service marketing will have prepared. While smiling nicely, it will make low profile, fearing that l' maintenance does not deviate on the giant recall in progress, which harms the reputation of the manufacturer. And yet, they could learn to us from the things, the persons in charge of Toyota! For example on this car, from which Japanese comes to lodge drawings with l' European office d' recording of the marks.

One suspects we are NOT dealing with a patent here [ l'Office européen d'enregistrement des marques ] but more like a trademark. Whatever information is involved is related to appearance, not to technology.