IBM was granted more patents in the US than any other company last year, the 22nd consecutive time the company has managed the feat.
A total of 7,534 patents were awarded to the company during the period, with more than 3,000 filed as part of IBM’s pivot away from the server market towards cloud, analytics, cybersecurity, mobile and social technology.
Ginni Rometty, chief executive of IBM, 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."
"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’s firm was far ahead of rivals in the patent race, with electronics vendor Samsung accruing a mere 4,952 patents throughout the year, and camera specialist Canon collecting 4,055.
Other firms in the top ten included Sony, Microsoft, Toshiba, Qualcomm, Google, LG Electronics and Panasonic, all of which are in the technology sector.
Since it first topped the list in 1993, IBM has received more than 81,500 patents from the US.
