IBM inventors deliver innovation in emerging areas of tech
Armonk, NY (Jan. 10, 2013) – IBM today announced that it received a record 6,478 patents in 2012 for inventions that will enable fundamental advancements across key domains including analytics, Big Data, cybersecurity, cloud, mobile, social networking and software defined environments, as well as industry solutions for retail, banking, healthcare, and transportation. These patented inventions also will advance a major shift in computing, known as the era of cognitive systems.
This is the 20th consecutive year that IBM topped the annual list of U.S. patent recipients.
“We are proud of this new benchmark in technological and scientific creativity, which grows out of IBM�s century-long commitment to research and development,” said Ginni Rometty, chairman and CEO, IBM. “Most concretely, our 2012 patent record and the two decades of leadership it extends are a testament to thousands of brilliant IBM inventors — the living embodiments of our devotion to innovation that matters, for our clients, for our company and for the world.”
IBM’s record-setting 2012 patent tally was made possible by more than 8,000 IBM inventors residing in 46 different U.S. states and 35 countries. IBM inventors residing outside the U.S. contributed to nearly 30% of the company’s 2012 U.S. patent output.
From 1993-2012, IBM inventors received nearly 67,000 U.S. patents. The company’s 2012 patent count exceeded the combined totals of Accenture, Amazon, Apple, EMC, HP, Intel, Oracle/SUN and Symantec.
The Top Ten list of 2012 U.S. patent recipients* includes:
| Company | Patents |
| 1. IBM | 6,478 |
| 2. Samsung | 5,081 |
| 3. Canon | 3,174 |
| 4. Sony | 3,032 |
| 5. Panasonic | 2,769 |
| 6. Microsoft | 2,613 |
| 7. Toshiba | 2,447 |
| 8. Hon Hai | 2,013 |
| 9. General Electric | 1,652 |
| 10. LG Electronics | 1,624 |
*Data provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services
IBM’s record 2012 patent output featured inventions that are reshaping how companies are applying technology in today’s world of a Smarter Planet and those that are laying the groundwork for the new era of cognitive systems.
Examples of interesting and important patented inventions from IBM’s record-breaking 2012 patent output can be found at http://ibm.co/WreuUl.
For more information about IBM’s patent and innovation leadership, please see the IBM 20 Years of Patent Leadership press kit (US) and Patent Leadership social media Tumblr.
Follow IBM’s patent news on Twitter at #think20 & #innovation, or visit www.ibm.com/research (US).
About IBM
IBM is one of the largest technology, services and consulting organizations. We help clients of all sizes and in all industries transform their operations through the use of technology, infusing intelligence into the systems that run our businesses, our society and the world. Visit www.ibm.ca.
Source: IBM.
Tags: IBM, patent
