The 2019 Patent 300™ Report details the top 300 companies, organizations, and universities obtaining patents in the United States. Data from the report shows that nearly 70% of the U.S. patents obtained in 2018 were for electrical, software, or computer-related technologies. The top 10 technology areas, which represent 49% of the 167,164 U.S. patents obtained by Patent 300 companies in 2018, are dominated by electrical technologies.
Chart 1 shows the Electrical Circuits and Systems technology area ranked 2rd largest in 2018. There were 13,215 patents issued for Patent 300 companies in the U.S. Electrical Circuits and Systems technology covers multiple United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) technology classifications.
Included are electrical systems and devices, covering a broad spectrum of electrical and electromagnetic systems, devices, and circuitry, as well as electrical connectors.
Chart 1 – Top 10 Technology Areas for Patent 300 (2018 U.S. Patents)
Rank
Patent 300 Technology Area
2018 U.S. Patents
Percentage of Total 2018 U.S. Patents
1
Semiconductors/Memory
15,153
9%
2
Electrical Circuits and Systems
13,215
8%
3
Multiplex and VoIP
9,875
6%
4
Optics
9,003
5%
5
Printing/Measuring and Testing
8,641
5%
6
Thermal & Combustion Technology, Motive & Fluid Power Systems
7,017
4%
7
Selective Visual Display Systems
4,855
3%
8
Telecommunications: Analog Radio Telephone; Satellite and Power Control; Transceivers, Measuring and Testing; Bluetooth; Receivers and Transmitters; Equipment Details
4,761
3%
9
Computer Networks
4,544
3%
10
Cryptography and Security
4,311
3%
The top 20 companies in the Electrical Circuits and Systems area, shown in Chart 2. They include Murata (#1), Samsung (#2), Mitsubishi Electric (#3), GE (#4), and others. Murata tops the list having obtained 458 U.S. patents, up 6% from 2017. Samsung had 456 U.S. patents, down 11% from 2017. Mitsubishi Electric, at 337, was down 4% from 2017. The top 20 companies represent a cross-section of the technology sector. Included are device makers, chip makers, and auto makers, and various manufacturing companies.
Chart 2 – Top 20 Companies by U.S. Patents in Electrical Circuits and Systems
Patent 300 Company Name
Patent 300 Rank
Patents 2018
Percentage of 2018 Patents
Patents 2017
Change from 2017 Patents
Murata Manufacturing
1
458
61%
432
6%
Samsung
2
456
6%
507
-11%
Mitsubishi Electric
3
337
28%
349
-4%
GE
4
285
11%
334
-17%
Intel
5
283
8%
333
-18%
Panasonic
6
280
15%
356
-27%
Apple Inc.
7
278
13%
246
12%
IBM
8
249
3%
239
4%
Toyota
9
246
10%
200
19%
Yazaki
10
238
73%
272
-14%
Sumitomo Electric
11
226
47%
248
-10%
Denso
12
226
19%
273
-21%
Infineon
13
221
25%
266
-20%
Samsung Electro-mechanics
14
214
65%
178
17%
Qualcomm
15
213
9%
246
-15%
Texas Instruments
16
211
27%
239
-13%
Siemens
17
209
15%
231
-11%
TE Connectivity
18
208
67%
246
-18%
Toshiba
19
196
12%
152
22%
Hon Hai
20
188
39%
296
-57%
For more detailed information about this technology area, or any other data related to the 2019 Patent 300™ Report, please visit harrityllp.com/patent300/ or contact Rocky Berndsen directly via email at rberndsen@harrityllp.com.
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