ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that its inventors received a record-setting 6,809 patents in 2013 - the 21(st) consecutive year the company topped the annual list of U.S. patent leaders.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

IBM's 2013 patent results represent a diverse range of inventions poised to enable significant innovations that will position the company to compete and lead in strategic areas-such as IBM's Watson, cloud computing, Big Data and analytics. These inventions will also advance the new era of cognitive systems where machines will learn, reason and interact with people in more natural ways.

"We take pride in being recognized as the U.S. patent leader, but patents are only one gauge of innovation. Equally significant is the impact that our patented inventions have when they are used to enable solutions that help clients and societies solve problems," said Bernie Meyerson, IBM Fellow and VP of Innovation. "Furthermore, the broad range of inventions that these patents represent underscores the need for a patent system that equally and fairly promotes and supports innovation across all technical fields."

IBM's 2013 patent total exceeded the combined totals of Amazon, Google, EMC, HP, Intel, Oracle/SUN and Symantec.

The company's record 2013 patent count was made possible by more than 8,000 IBM inventors residing in 47 different U.S. states and 41 countries.

The Top Ten list of 2013 U.S. patent recipients* includes:

    1. IBM                            6,809
    2. Samsung                    4,676
    3. Canon                         3,825
    4. Sony                           3,098
    5. Microsoft                     2,660
    6. Panasonic                   2,601
    7. Toshiba                       2,416
    8. Hon Hai                       2,279
    9. Qualcomm                   2,103
    10. LG Electronics             1,947

*Data provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services

In 2013, IBM patented inventions that will transform how companies use technology across a Smarter Planet and to embrace the cognitive computing era, such as:

    --  U.S. Patent #8,510,296 Lexical answer type confidence estimation and
        application - This patented invention enables IBM Watson to more
        accurately assess questions posed in natural language and determine
        confidence in the accuracy of potential answers. To accelerate the
        impact of patented Watson inventions, IBM has formed the Watson Group, a
        new business unit that will tap the company's software, services,
        research, industry experts and sellers to advance development and
        delivery of a new class of Watson-enabled cognitive computing apps and
        technologies to the marketplace.
    --  U.S. Patent #8,515,885: Neuromorphic and synaptronic spiking neural
        network with synaptic weights learned using simulation - This patented
        invention describes breakthrough brain-inspired computers that lay the
        foundation for a new generation of cognitive systems via hardware and
        software co-design. As part of a DARPA-funded Systems of Neuromorphic
        Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE) project, IBM is
        developing a chip architecture that aspires to emulate the human brain's
        cognitive capabilities while rivaling its energy and volume efficiency.
    --  U.S. Patent #8,422,686: Automated validation and execution of
        cryptographic key and certificate deployment and distribution - This
        patented invention automates the lifecycle of cryptographic keys used to
        encrypt and secure data - from creation and deployment to deletion and
        can also enhance security for cloud computing applications.
    --  U.S. Patent #8,352,953: Dynamically Provisioning Virtual Machines - This
        invention solves the "noisy neighbor" problem that reduces online system
        availability and constrains cloud computing network bandwidth when
        websites, such as online retailers or auction sites encounter unexpected
        dramatic spikes in demand.
    --  U.S. Patent #8,387,065: Speculative popcount data creation - This patent
        describes an approach for Big Data and analytics computing where a small
        region or population of analyzed data -- known as a popcount -- is
        counted, sorted, and speculatively analyzed in real time for trends or
        outliers. The idea is based on a counter intuitive premise: that Big
        Data analysis is small. The method improves data analysis performance,
        reduces processor resources needed to analyze the data and is based upon
        modern graph theories. Built into IBM's POWER processors -- the chip
        within IBM's Watson and IBM's Power Systems servers -- speculative
        popcount is advancing cryptanalysis, real-time error correction for
        streaming data and the cognitive computing era.
    --  U.S. Patent #8,423,339: Visual analysis of a protein folding process -
        This patented invention describes a method for discovering and viewing
        common patterns in protein folding simulation, which aids in
        understanding the protein folding process and can lead to significant
        advances in computer based drug discovery, among other applications.
    --  U.S. Patent #8,572,274: Estimating load shed data in streaming database
        application - This patented invention describes a technique that
        addresses the challenge of analyzing real-time streaming Big Data
        traffic jams by shedding or reducing the data pool without compromising
        accuracy of the insights.
    --  U.S. Patent #8,402,041: Analytics of historical conversations in
        relation to present communication  - This patented invention uses Big
        Data analytics to establish relationships between past and present
        electronic conversations (social or business) that have similar
        attributes and provide relevant results in real-time.

Examples of other interesting and important patented inventions from IBM's record-breaking 2013 patent output can be found at: http://ibm.co/1kr8i0y

Editors' Note: Photos are available via the Associated Press Photo Network and on the Internet at Feature Photo Service's link through http://www.newscom.com

Journalists and bloggers can download b-roll and videos about IBM's patent leadership at http://bit.ly/1dkNi65

CONTACT:
Chris Andrews
914-499-4045
candrews@us.ibm.com

SOURCE IBM