Apple Ranks Seventh With Over 2,500 U.S. Patents Granted in 2021

Apple was granted 2,541 patents in the United States last year, surpassed by only six other companies, IFI Claims reports.

In its rankings of the top 50 U.S. patent assignees in 2021 (via Patently Apple), IFI Claims Patent Services shows that Apple was granted 250 fewer patents in 2021 compared to the previous year, a nine percent decrease. Even so, Apple moved one place up the rankings in 2021.

Apple's number of granted patents was surpassed by IBM, Samsung, Canon, TSMC, Huawei, and Intel. Excluding IBM and Samsung, the following top ten companies had 2,000 to 3,000 granted patents. IBM and Samsung dwarfed the other top companies, with 8,682 and 6,366 patents granted respectively.

Out of its direct competitors, Apple still had more patents granted than LG, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung Display, Amazon, Sony, and Google. The top 20 companies with the most patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2021 are as follows:

International Business Machines Corp: 8,682 patents granted

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd: 6,366 patents granted

Canon Inc: 3,021 patents granted

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co TSMC Ltd: 2,798 patents granted

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd: 2,770 patents granted

Intel Corp: 2,615 patents granted

Apple Inc: 2,541 patents granted

LG Electronics Inc: 2,487 patents granted

Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC: 2,418 patents granted

Qualcomm Inc: 2,149 patents granted

BOE Technology Group Co Ltd: 2,135 patents granted

Toyota Motor Corp: 2,028 patents granted

Samsung Display Co Ltd: 1,975 patents granted

Amazon Technologies Inc: 1,942 patents granted

Micron Technology Inc: 1,789 patents granted

Sony Corp: 1,683 patents granted

Ford Global Technologies LLC: 1,626 patents granted

Google LLC: 1,493 patents granted

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB: 1,387 patents granted

Hyundai Motor Co: 1,269 patents granted

IFI Claims' 2021 Global 250 rankings reveal the world's largest patent holders by looking at all of the patents currently held by companies. In these rankings, Apple takes 37th place, with 20,491 active patents. Samsung is currently the world leader for active patents, with 90,416 in total. Microsoft, LG, Sony, Intel, and Qualcomm also beat Apple in terms of global active patents.

Apple's patent filings often reveal interesting insights into the company's specific areas of research and development, but they are not representative of its immediate plans. Recent interesting Apple filings include designs for all-glass iPhones and Apple Watches, a removable MacBook key that works as a mouse, user authentication technology for AirPods, a hydration sensor for the Apple Watch, use of the Mac Pro's 'cheese grater' like design on other Apple devices, periscope camera systems, and deployable MacBook Pro feet to aid cooling.Tags: Samsung, Canon, TSMC, Intel, Microsoft, LG, IBM, Qualcomm, HuaweiThis article, "Apple Ranks Seventh With Over 2,500 U.S. Patents Granted in 2021" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums