IBM Tops U.S. Patent List for 2019
IBM tops U.S. Patent list for 27th consecutive year
Since 1920, IBM has received more than 140,000 U.S. patents. In 2019, more than 8,500 IBM inventors, spanning 45 different U.S. states and 54 countries contributed to the patents awarded to IBM. IBM inventors received a record 9,262 U.S. patents in 2019, achieving a milestone of most patents ever awarded to a U.S. company and marking the company’s 27th consecutive year of patent leadership.
Innovation in key technology areas
In 2019, IBM led the industry in the number of U.S. patents granted across key technology areas such as AI, blockchain, cloud computing, quantum computing and security.
Artificial Intelligence
IBM was awarded more than 1,800 AI patents, including a patent for a method for teaching AI systems how to understand and deduce the nuances and implications behind certain text or phrases of speech by analyzing other related content.
Blockchain
IBM also led in the number of blockchain patents granted, which includes several patents for improving the security of blockchain networks. One patented technique would help in resisting 'replay attacks', where an attacker copies and uses signature information from one transaction on a blockchain to later perform other transactions on the blockchain that are not authorized.
Cloud Computing
IBM inventors were granted more than 2,500 patents in cloud technology, including for example a patent for a method to jointly manage cloud and non-cloud computing platforms. Working with a unified portal, this technique receives, organizes and streamlines incoming cloud and non-cloud tasks and requests, which could help organizations easily migrate to hybrid cloud platforms.
Quantum Computing
IBM’s quantum computing program continued to grow significantly in 2019. Quantum computing innovations by IBM included for example a method to scale a quantum computer to support additional qubits, as well as enabling a breakthrough approach for simulating molecules.
Security
Among the security patents IBM received in 2019, inventors are conducting pioneering work in the area of homomorphic encryption, a technique that allows users to operate on encrypted data, without having to decrypt it first. IBM was granted a patent that developed a signature-based approach for homomorphic message encoding functions - which helps ensure authenticity of the data.
Latest IBM patent news
IBM Joins LOT Network in Major Step to Promote and Protect Open Innovation
IBM today announced a major step in its dedication to open innovation and responsible stewardship of technology by joining LOT Network Inc, a non-profit community of companies that builds a protective barrier for its members against patent assertion entities (PAEs).
January 2020
Visit our blog to stay up to date with the latest news from IBM Research
Continue exploring our innovations and discoveries
Project Debater
Project Debater is the first AI system that can debate humans on complex topics. The goal is to help people build persuasive arguments and make well-informed decisions.
Heavy Metal Free Battery Design
IBM Research is building on a long history of materials science innovation to unveil a new battery discovery. This new research could help eliminate the need for heavy metals in battery production and transform the long-term sustainability of many elements of our energy infrastructure.
IBM Q System One
To make quantum computers more reliable and stable, IBM Q designed and built the world’s first integrated quantum computing system for commercial use: IBM Q System One.