Apple awarded 676 patents in 2011, ranks 39th among all companies

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014


Apple was awarded a total of 676 patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2011, ranking it No. 39 among companies awarded inventions in the U.S.



The No. 1 inventor in America, as it has been for years, was IBM, which was awarded a whopping 6,180 patents in 2011. That was well ahead of the second place finisher Samsung, which won 4,894 inventions outside of its home country of Korea, according to IFI Claims Patent Services.



The gap was even wider between second and third place, where Canon came in with 2,821 patents last year. Another company from Japan, Panasonic, was close behind in fourth with 2,559, while Toshiba took fifth with 2,483 inventions.



Apple's 676 patents awarded put it ahead of companies like Research in Motion (663 patents, ranked 40), LG Display (643 patents, ranked 41) and Nokia (585 patents, ranked 47).



Companies ahead of Apple in terms of awarded patents were Microsoft, in sixth place, with 2,311 granted by the USPTO last year, Hewlett-Packard with 1,308 patents in 14th place, Intel with 1,244 patents in 16th place, and AT&T, whose 721 patents put it in 35th.



The 676 patents awarded to Apple were an improvement from 2010, when Apple won 563 patented inventions. In that year, Apple was ranked the No. 46 global company in terms of inventions recognized by the USPTO.



IBM and Samsung also held the top to spots in 2010, while Microsoft ranked third that year. Apple's 2010 patent totals were nearly twice the 289 patents it was awarded in 2009, and significantly higher than the 186 it won in 2008.



Patented inventions have become an increasingly important part of doing business in the mobile technology market, particularly as lawsuits ramp up between smartphone makers. Apple is currently engaged in ongoing patent infringement suits with Samsung, Motorola, and HTC, just to name a few.



As it has done for years, AppleInsider continued its extensive coverage of Apple's patent applications and awards with the USPTO in 2011. Some of the best from last year are included below.








Apple exploring Kinect-like 3D input for controlling Macs



Apple exploring universal power adapter to simultaneously charge MacBook, iPhone



Apple wants to improve OLED technology for potential use in future iPhones



Apple exploring lighter, more efficient hydrogen fuel cells



Apple exploring accelerometer, gyro stabilization for iPhone video recording



Apple interested in creating colorful, durable carbon fiber devices



Apple investigating augmented reality for improved iPhone Maps



Apple looking to simplify Maps on iPhone with dynamic emphasizing, exaggerating



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 34
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Waiting for Slappy's to say Apple will fail because they don't have the patter market share¡
  • Reply 2 of 34
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member
    A very important point made by IBM:



    Quote:

    “Everyone knows that if they attempt to bring their patent portfolio against us that they will be met with an equal and opposite force -- and it will be formidable,” Schecter said.



    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...g-samsung.html





    Also another interesting statistic:



    Quote:

    Still, IBM’s reign may be threatened in coming years by Asian rivals, IFI said. Samsung’s 8 percent growth in patents outpaced IBM’s 5 percent, and in the number of patent applications Samsung has eclipsed IBM for two years, the researcher said. Patent applications are an indication of future patent grants, IFI said.



  • Reply 3 of 34
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    A very important point made by IBM:







    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...g-samsung.html





    Also another interesting statistic:



    1) Equal and opposite force isn't formidable, it's neutralizing.



    2) I thought it would be Slappy who would claim the number of patents is more important than the quality or uniqueness of the patents
  • Reply 4 of 34
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1) Equal and opposite force isn't formidable, it's neutralizing.



    2) I thought it would be Slappy who would claim the number of patents is more important than the quality or uniqueness of the patents



    Now you guys are picking straws here.



    Define "quality" and "unique" patents.
  • Reply 5 of 34
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,153member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1) Equal and opposite force isn't formidable, it's neutralizing.



    2) I thought it would be Slappy who would claim the number of patents is more important than the quality or uniqueness of the patents



    Unique would apply to all the patents awarded to everyone wouldn't it? At least it's supposed to.
  • Reply 6 of 34
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    Unique would apply to all the patents awarded to everyone wouldn't it? At least it's supposed to.



    From the filers PoV... I'd sure hope so.

    From the patent office... it seems likely.

    From a legal standpoint... not necessarily, as we've seen with many judges' rulings.



    edit: And then even if you are unique and original it still has to be useful...


    Apple's Optical Drive door underneath chassis of notebook





    ? Cracked.com: The 10 Most Ridiculous Inventions Ever Patented
  • Reply 7 of 34
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    But Apple is the evil one.



    \
  • Reply 8 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msantti View Post


    But Apple is the evil one.



    \



    I don't get your correlation.
  • Reply 9 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post


    I don't get your correlation.



    I think he thinks patents are 'evil'. Seems to be the trend recently, spread by socialists (who think you shouldn't own anything (yet still wish to consume goods that only exist due to the wonders of capitalism)) and companies whose business models are based on the systematic misuse of IP (such as Google).
  • Reply 10 of 34
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    A very important point made by IBM:







    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...g-samsung.html





    Also another interesting statistic:



    That is why RIM and Apple have assigned some of their patents to so patent enforcement companies. you can't countersue a company that doesn't make anything.
  • Reply 11 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    I think he thinks patents are 'evil'. Seems to be the trend recently, spread by socialists (who think you shouldn't own anything (yet still wish to consume goods that only exist due to the wonders of capitalism)) and companies whose business models are based on the systematic misuse of IP (such as Google).



    Let's not make this political. I'm sure there are some socialists who understand why patents are inherently good for progress and I'm sure there are some non-socialists who want the wrong kind of patent reform, too.
  • Reply 12 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Let's not make this political. I'm sure there are some socialists who understand why patents are inherently good for progress and I'm sure there are some non-socialists who want the wrong kind of patent reform, too.



    I'm sure there are. I'm not trying to turn this political. But I sure have noticed that socialist ideologies and Fandroids and (wrong kind)patent reformers go hand in hand.
  • Reply 13 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    But I sure have noticed that socialist ideologies and Fandroids and (wrong kind)patent reformers go hand in hand.



    Oh, me too. That's just not a 100% case. I know you know that; just throwing it out there for those who might read it wrong.
  • Reply 14 of 34
    I expect Apple to meet or exceed 900 patents awarded for 2012. They have already been granted 37 for January which will most likely have them nearing 80-100.
  • Reply 15 of 34
    Quote:

    Another country from Japan, Panasonic,



    LOL. So Panasonic is a country now?
  • Reply 16 of 34
    sleepy3sleepy3 Posts: 244member
    Samsung?



    second most patents for the second year running?



    from a company that people say does nothing but copy?



    could it be people maybe don't have a clue how much research Samsung does on a yearly basis?



    wonder if one of those patents is for a rectangular TV with a clean uncluttered bezel, black border, and packaged in a big rectangular box. lol.
  • Reply 17 of 34
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,712member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    I'm sure there are. I'm not trying to turn this political. But I sure have noticed that socialist ideologies and Fandroids and (wrong kind)patent reformers go hand in hand.



    Generalizations are dangerous, especially when definitions are constrained to a US centric view point in a global economy: http://www.energybulletin.net/node/53448
  • Reply 18 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    I think he thinks patents are 'evil'. Seems to be the trend recently, spread by socialists (who think you shouldn't own anything (yet still wish to consume goods that only exist due to the wonders of capitalism)) and companies whose business models are based on the systematic misuse of IP (such as Google).



    You can be pro-capitalism and anti-software patents btw.



    Software patents should require sourcecode as it is VERY possible to use 2 different codes to achieve the same exact function...function = copied...method =/= copied.



    Or at the very least a significantly lesser term.



    As long as something doesn't look 1:1 like something else nor function using the exact source code it should be allowed...if that's socialism then boy has the rest of the world been using the term wrong.
  • Reply 19 of 34
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    I'm sure there are. I'm not trying to turn this political. But I sure have noticed that socialist ideologies and Fandroids and (wrong kind)patent reformers go hand in hand.



    Please enlighten me on these socialist ideologies.
  • Reply 20 of 34
    hosshoss Posts: 69member
    3-D printers are already creating a direct link from inventor to consumer. These geniuses in the lab are gonna eventually realize that they can go solo and make millions off their patented CAD files a couple of bucks a download. I would imagine that whoever invents the nano factory would own the last necessary patent. How can they possibly protect these other patents?
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