One of the primary measures of innovation is the number of patents someone is granted. For example, Thomas Edison, widely considered to be one of America’s most prolific inventors, held nearly 1,100 patents – a world record for much of the 20th century, though it has since been broken numerous times by others.
The volume of patents is also one of the primary metrics used to compare innovation between companies and countries.
Apple Inc., currently holds more than 70,000 patents globally, for instance, including nearly 2,600 that were filed last year. But the Cupertino, California-based creator of the iPhone didn’t make it onto the top 10 companies with the most patents filed in 2021. Several other major companies, including Toyota, Samsung, Huawei, and IBM all filed more patents than Apple last year. (These are the most popular phones of all time.)
Click here to see the most innovative companies in 2021
Not all patents are the same and many of them are for innovations that are never used. Some patents are for design – the ornamental appearance of a product, like its shape, configuration, or ornamentation. Others are for utility, meaning the way a product is used and works. Many products are covered by both types of patents if the invention’s unique quality resides in both its utility and appearance. Generally speaking, though, a utility patent is considered more valuable because the utility aspect of a product is the hardest part to invent. (Here are 19 commercial products invented by the military.)
To determine the companies with the most patents in 2021, as well as the percentage of patents over or under the number granted in 2020, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2022 Patent 300 report published by the patent insights resource Harrity Patent Analytics. Information on the function of the latest patent for each company came from the legal information retrieval site Justia.
Source: Dan Krauss / Getty Images
40. Cisco Systems, Inc.
> 2021 utility patents: 1,007
> Change from 2020: -12%
> Most recent patent: Cable TV network broadband access system with distributed deployment and centralized control
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Source: Thomas Lohnes / Getty Images
39. Robert Bosch Gmbh
> 2021 utility patents: 1,020
> Change from 2020: -7%
> Most recent patent: Method and device for handling an anomaly in a communication network
Source: Lennart Preiss / Getty Images
38. Siemens AG
> 2021 utility patents: 1,043
> Change from 2020: -22%
> Most recent patent: Method for enriching data in measurement data records of a low-voltage network
Source: drnadig / E+ via Getty Images
37. The United States of America Federal Government
> 2021 utility patents: 1,056
> Change from 2020: -5%
> Most recent patent: N/A
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Source: helen89 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
36. AT&T Inc.
> 2021 utility patents: 1,075
> Change from 2020: -26%
> Most recent patent: Network-assisted secure data access
Source: JHVEPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
35. Toshiba Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 1,100
> Change from 2020: -16%
> Most recent patent: Calculation device, display device, and computer program product
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34. Denso Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 1,103
> Change from 2020: -9%
> Most recent patent: System and method for collaborative centralized latency characterization
33. SK Group
> 2021 utility patents: 1,109
> Change from 2020: +2%
> Most recent patent: N/A
Source: JHVEPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
32. Medtronic Plc
> 2021 utility patents: 1,165
> Change from 2020: -19%
> Most recent patent: Stimulation vector selection using pulse width data
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Source: Derick Hudson / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
31. Meta Platforms, Inc.
> 2021 utility patents: 1,196
> Change from 2020: -22%
> Most recent patent: Systems and methods for message-based interaction
Source: Kiyoshi Ota / Getty Images
30. Honda Motor Company, Ltd.
> 2021 utility patents: 1,216
> Change from 2020: No change
> Most recent patent: Methods and systems for mounting inspection devices
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
29. Seiko Epson Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 1,229
> Change from 2020: -8%
> Most recent patent: Liquid container and liquid ejection system
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
28. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 1,289
> Change from 2020: -2%
> Most recent patent: Gas-insulated bus
Source: sanfel / Getty Images
27. The Boeing Company
> 2021 utility patents: 1,304
> Change from 2020: -11%
> Most recent patent: Private key security in the cloud
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Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
26. Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
> 2021 utility patents: 1,402
> Change from 2020: +2%
> Most recent patent: Methods, network node, and wireless device for discontinuous transmission
Source: Mike Coppola / Getty Images
25. Fujifilm Holdings Corp
> 2021 utility patents: 1,421
> Change from 2020: +2%
> Most recent patent: Solid state imaging device incorporating a light shielding film having openings of different sizes
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Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
24. Hyundai Motor Company
> 2021 utility patents: 1,483
> Change from 2020: -9%
> Most recent patent: Connector apparatus
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
23. Hitachi, Ltd.
> 2021 utility patents: 1,497
> Change from 2020: +2%
> Most recent patent: Imaging apparatus
Source: JHVEPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
22. Johnson & Johnson
> 2021 utility patents: 1,506
> Change from 2020: +1%
> Most recent patent: Extensible dressings
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Source: jetcityimage / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
21. General Electric Company
> 2021 utility patents: 1,525
> Change from 2020: -37%
> Most recent patent: Method of optimizing the limitation of dust emissions for gas turbines fueled with heavy fuel oil
Source: TennesseePhotographer / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
20. Ford Motor Company
> 2021 utility patents: 1,675
> Change from 2020: -20%
> Most recent patent: Aluminum alloy header plate with ceramic coating for battery assembly
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Source: winhorse / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
19. Panasonic Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 1,715
> Change from 2020: -11%
> Most recent patent: Communication device and radio communication system
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Source: vzphotos / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
18. Micron Technology Inc.
> 2021 utility patents: 1,798
> Change from 2020: +17%
> Most recent patent: Integrated circuitry, a method used in forming integrated circuitry, and a method used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
17. Alphabet Inc.
> 2021 utility patents: 2,015
> Change from 2020: -15%
> Most recent patent: Dynamics processing effect architecture
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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
16. Dell Technologies
> 2021 utility patents: 2,053
> Change from 2020: +2%
> Most recent patent: Modular data center power distribution system
Source: leminuit / Getty Images
15. Amazon.Com, Inc.
> 2021 utility patents: 2,110
> Change from 2020: -11%
> Most recent patent: Management of allocated computing resources in networked environment
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Source: gorodenkoff / iStock via Getty Images
14. Boe Technology Group Co., Ltd.
> 2021 utility patents: 2,141
> Change from 2020: -1%
> Most recent patent: Cap manipulator and cap assembly
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Source: Michael Vi / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
13. Qualcomm
> 2021 utility patents: 2,165
> Change from 2020: -6%
> Most recent patent: Secure global navigation satellite systems
Source: NicolasMcComber / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
12. Microsoft Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 2,453
> Change from 2020: -17%
> Most recent patent: Content sharing with user and recipient devices
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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News via Getty Images
11. Apple Inc.
> 2021 utility patents: 2,591
> Change from 2020: -9%
> Most recent patent: Synchronization signal block based beam failure detection
Source: Junko Kimura / Getty Images
10. Sony Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 2,624
> Change from 2020: -9%
> Most recent patent: To reduce interference between wake-up signalling transmissions from different base stations
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Source: in / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
9. Raytheon Technologies Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 2,694
> Change from 2020: -16%
> Most recent patent: Arcuate seed casting method
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Source: Traimak_Ivan / iStock via Getty Images
8. Toyota Jidosha K.K.
> 2021 utility patents: 2,753
> Change from 2020: -2%
> Most recent patent: Manufacturing method of belt-shaped electrode plate, manufacturing method of cell, and electrode plate manufacturing apparatus
Source: MACRO PHOTO / iStock via Getty Images
7. Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd.
> 2021 utility patents: 2,807
> Change from 2020: -3%
> Most recent patent: Package structure and method of manufacturing the same
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Source: JasonDoiy / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
6. Intel Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 2,835
> Change from 2020: -14%
> Most recent patent: Block cipher encryption for processor-accelerator memory mapped input/output communication
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
5. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
> 2021 utility patents: 2,955
> Change from 2020: -7%
> Most recent patent: Method and apparatus of communications
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4. Canon K.K.
> 2021 utility patents: 3,400
> Change from 2020: -8%
> Most recent patent: Image forming apparatus
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Source: BalkansCat / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
3. LG Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 4,388
> Change from 2020: -14%
> Most recent patent: Method for providing system information to remote UE in wireless communication system and apparatus therefor
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
2. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
> 2021 utility patents: 8,517
> Change from 2020: No change
> Most recent patent: Method for RF communication connection using electronic device and user touch input
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Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
1. International Business Machines Corporation
> 2021 utility patents: 8,540
> Change from 2020: -9%
> Most recent patent: Mixed-reality teleconferencing across multiple locations
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