IBM Tops U.S. Patent List for Tenth Consecutive Year

ARMONK, NY - IBM generated the most U.S. patents in 2002, the tenth consecutive year that it led the world , according to figures released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. IBM was awarded 3,288 patents. In the past decade, IBM inventors have received 22,357 patents. IBM is the only company to be granted 3,000 U.S. patents in a single year, passing that milestone each of the past two years. "Our streak of patent leadership -- and corresponding return to market leadership -- is a testament to decisions we've made to maintain the industry's most robust investment in research and development, and to create a culture that truly values and stimulates innovation," said Nick Donofrio, IBM senior vice president, corporate technology and manufacturing, and holder of seven patents. "But the most important measure of success is the competitive advantage we provide our customers through the advanced technologies and solutions we derive from these inventions." IBM's patent portfolio has helped generate approximately $10 billion in intellectual property (IP) royalties over the past 10 years. "IBM is a technology powerhouse whose patent and IP warehouse will be a real strategic factor and competitive advantage in coming years," said G. Dan Hutchenson, CEO and president, VLSI Research Inc. Among these patents are: --Sharing computing tasks over a network -- This allows a computer to call for "help" and send jobs or tasks to other computers over a network. The "helper" computers will automatically perform the assigned tasks and return the results to the requesting computer. (Patent 6356929: Computer system and method for sharing a job with other computers on a computer network using IP multicast) --Detecting environmental impact on system faults -- An important step toward self-healing computers, this patent details a method for a computer to monitor itself and determine if its environment is causing a fault or failure of components in the system, such as the power supplies or cooling components. (Patent 6345369: Environmental and power error handling extension and analysis for systems with redundant components) ** Automatic network reconnection -- This patent describes how a computer can automatically detect when it has been moved in a work environment and will subsequently establish new network settings to reconnect to the network. (Patent 6412025: Apparatus and method for automatic configuration of a personal computer system when reconnected to a network) ** Manufacturing carbon nanotubes -- Extending IBM's lead in fundamental nanotechnology, this patent describes a method for controllably modifying nanotubes for the fabrication of electronic devices such as field-effect transistors. (Patent 6423583: Methodology for electrically induced selective breakdown of nanotubes) IBM inventors also received numerous patents in 2002 for technologies that can improve everyday life, including a sensor-based system that monitors a vehicle's mechanical health and automatically calls for at-home service--such as an oil change or tune-up. (Patent 6339736: System and method for the distribution of automotive services) In addition, the company recently launched On Demand Innovation Services, applying IBM's top researchers to real-world customer problems, and introduced a patent consulting service to assist customers in managing and exploiting their patent portfolios. The 2002 U.S. patent results were reported by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. An agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the USPTO administers the patent and trademark laws of the U.S., and advises the administration on intellectual property policy and issues patents. Results and rankings also were reported by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, which compiles the CLAIMS(c) patent database and annually reports the number of U.S. patents issued to companies. According to IFI CLAIMS, IBM inventors were listed on 45 additional patents awarded to other primary assignees for a total of 3,333 patents.