Top Patent Holders in 2022

When it comes to technical advancements, the United States has been a driving force since the 19th century. The cotton bud, the telephone, the gramophone, the video camera, the fluorescent bulb, the synthetic heart, the laptop, and the iPad were all invented in the United States of America and contributed to the advancement of humanity. Although most people aren't aware of the many additional US innovations, a few of them have had a similar impact on the manner we live today as the ones listed above. Top Patent Holders are mentioned below:

Types of Patents

Utility, design, & plant patents are all sorts of patents accessible in the (USA). Each one is unique in terms of its requirements and timeframe.

Utility Patents

Inventors who come up with a novel and useful procedure, product, machine, or composition of matter are granted utility patent rights for innovation. And over 90 percent of the patents granted by the US government are utility patents, which are the most prevalent form of patent. 2 Once a utility patent is filed, it will remain valid for 20 years as long as costs are paid. Those utility patent applications submitted on or after December 12, 1981, are subject to a maintenance charge.

Design Patents

For manufactured objects, design patents are given for unique and inventive designs. A design patent is a kind of patent that protects a product's appearance. The design must correspond to unique and beneficial innovation. For those who submit after May 13, 2015, design patents are valid for a period of 15 years. Until May 13, 2014, patents were valid for fourteen years from when the application was submitted. Design patents are exempt from paying annual maintenance costs.

Plant Patents

Any person who creates, discovers, or invents a unique type of plant that is capable of reproducing is eligible for a plant patent. Such patents are awarded for Twenty years from the time of filing, and there are no maintenance costs. It is a common misconception that inventor Thomas Edison has the most patents in history. Many other innovators have out-patented him despite his alleged 1,093 grants, including some with roughly four times as many as Edison's.

Top Patents

The following are some of the most prominent patent holders:

1. Kia Silverbrook

In 2021, Australian-born Silverbrook has 4,748 US patents, making him one of the most productive innovators in history. Inkjet printers, digital paper, and other forms of computer printing have been the focus of most of Silverbrook's innovations. In addition, he has patents in a variety of fields, including 3d printers, DNA testing, & nanotechnology. Canon Inc.'s former research unit employee left the corporation in 1994 to start his independent research, production, and licensing company.

2. Shunpei Yamazaki

For over forty years, Yamazaki has been obtaining patents for what appears to be an ever-growing number of innovations. He has also developed a way of manufacturing cold nuclear fusion with an electronic circuit chip made of glass, which is extensively utilized in electrical and computer apps. He is headed by Semiconductor Power Laboratory Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based research & development organization.

3. Donald Weder

Weder's primary creative interest is floral and beautiful packaging, and he now possesses 1,413 US patents in this area. Because of his father's management abilities and inventiveness, Weder's Highland Supply Corporation, the tiny business he inherited, has grown into a prominent player in the beauty sector. In spite of the fact that the iPad was a game-changer in the industry, Weder's innovations in the field of flower pots and flowery paper have served to support his humanitarian Weder Family Trust. Over 100,000 trees have been planted as a result of the Trust & Highland Supply's efforts to protect timberlands.

4. Paul Lapstun

Around 1,299 US patents are owned or co-owned by Laptsun and his collaborator, Kia Silverbrook, who was previously mentioned. It includes a wide-format printing machine and a gadget that only works if the sender has access to a specific business card that can be used to send and receive emails.

5. Leonard Forbes

Forbes is one of the world's most prolific innovators, with more than 1,118 US patents. Semiconductor devices, memory units, computer applications, and a broad variety of advancements in electrical and thin sheet (microchip) technology are only some of the many innovations he is responsible for. Forbes, a native of Canada, is a retired teacher of electronics engineering at Oregon State University who now runs a consultancy business focused on solar cell technology.

The Bottom Line

Inventors such as Edison, Graham Bell, & Steve Jobs have profoundly impacted how we live, and their work is generally revered. Other innovators, some of whom are unknown outside of their area of expertise, have also contributed significantly to our technological society. Despite the fact that their efforts have gone mostly unnoticed, they have significantly impacted our quality of life and our economic well-being.