The data compiled by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services show that 304,126 US utility patents were granted in 2016, which is the most on record in a single year. IBM retains its record for the most patents in a year for the 24th time in a row.
IBM secured 8,088 US patents in 2016, which is an average of 22 patents a day. Many of those patents relate to artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, and cloud computing. Samsung ranked second with 3,665 patents. Other top patent recipients include: Qualcomm (2,897), Google (2,835), Intel (2,784), LG (2,428), Microsoft (2,398), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2,288) and Sony (2,181).