IBM again tops lists of US patent recipients

IBM has received a record 7,534 patents in 2014 -- marking the 22nd consecutive year that the company topped the annual list of US patent recipients, a company statement said here Monday.

IBM inventors earned an average of more than 20 patents per day in 2014, propelling the company to become the first to surpass more than 7,000 patents in a single year, it said.

"IBM's continued investment in research and development is key to driving the transformation of our company, as we look to capture the emerging opportunities represented by cloud, big data and analytics, security, social and mobile," said Ginni Rometty, IBM's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

"IBM's patent leadership over more than two decades demonstrates our enduring commitment to the kind of fundamental R&D that can solve the most daunting challenges facing our clients and the world," Rometty added.

The company's record-setting 2014 patent output was led by more than 3,000 patents - 40 percent of its annual total - covering a range of cloud computing, analytics, mobile, social and security inventions.

"Over the past five years, IBM has more than doubled its output of patents within these strategic growth areas and was the leading recipient of cloud, analytics, mobile, social and security patents during this period. IBM inventors also received more than 500 patents for inventions that will usher in the era of cognitive systems, including new Watson related cognitive technologies," the statement said.