IT enterprise vendor IBM has received the most U.S. patents in 2013, according to data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and IFI Claims patent service. IBM is well ahead of Samsung and Canon.
Samsung, Canon, Sony and Microsoft, Panasonic, Panasonic, Toshiba, Hon Hai, Qualcomm and LG Electronics are the other major vendors in the 2013 list.
Google and Apple are in 11th and 13th place, respectively, in the annual list.
This is the 21st consecutive year that IBM has led the ranking of U.S. patent leaders. The N.Y.-based company was awarded 6,809 patents in 2013, up slightly from 6,478 in 2012.
Here’s the top 10 list of 2013 patent winners:
IBM 6,809
Samsung 4,676
Canon 3,825
Sony 3,098
Microsoft 2,660
Panasonic 2,601
Toshiba 2,416
Hon Hai 2,279
Qualcomm 2,103
LG Electronics 1,947
Online search vendor Google received 1,851 patents in 2013 against 1,151 in 2012, when it took 21st place on the list. Apple added 1,775 patents last year compared with 1,136 in 2012, when it held 22nd place.
Intel, HP and BlackBerry were in 18th, 19th and 20th place, respectively, in the 2013 list.
PC chipmaker Intel received 1,455 patents in 2013 against 1,290 in the previous year.
Enterprise vendor HP added 1,360 patents, down slightly from 1,394 in 2012.
Smartphone maker BlackBerry received 1,334 patents in 2013, a significant increase from 986 in 2012.
A number of IBM’s 2013 patents are in a technology area the company describes as “cognitive computing” in which computers can learn and interact with people in a natural fashion. One of the best examples of this is IBM’s Watson supercomputer, which made a headline-grabbing debut on quiz show Jeopardy in 2011.
