According to our data, the USPTO granted a total of 345,344 patents in 2023 (FY 2023, spanning from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023).
In this 2023 Patent Roundup series, we looked at patents granted by the USPTO in 2023 and analyzed the patenting trends of the top 10 assignees. Analyzing patent grants provides valuable insights into a company’s technological investment strategy and the broader technological trends within an industry.
In 2022, Samsung surpassed IBM as top assignee in the U.S., after being in the second spot since 2013. In 2023 it solidifies its position yet again. The South Korean tech giant secures 6,687 patents in the US. IBM comes in second with 3,847 patents and Qualcomm with 3,612.
IBM has been the leader in U.S. patent grants since 1993 – 29 years of patent leadership if we go by numbers. However, according to IBM, they decided in 2020 that they will no longer pursue the goal of “numeric patent leadership” and employ a more “selective approach” to patenting.
Our report also thoroughly examined the collaborative partnerships by analyzing entities that emerged as co-assignees. Our analysis reveals that Samsung had the most collaborations, and most of its co-assignees are from Korean universities and research institutions.
2023 Top Patent Technology Areas
Patent grants across various technology domains demonstrate a diverse landscape, with notable trends evident in key CPC subclasses. The G06F subclass, covering electric digital data processing, takes the lead with 60,329 patents, reflecting the continued surge in innovations related to computing technologies.
G06F encompasses a wide range of patents related to computer technology and digital data processing. In simpler terms, it includes inventions and innovations in the field of electronic computing. This subclass covers various aspects of computer systems such as computer hardware, computer software, data processing methods, computer networks, human-computer interaction, cybersecurity and AI.
The top assignee for this subclass is IBM followed by Samsung Electronics and Microsoft. Also in the list is EMC IP holdings which is a subsidiary of Dell Technologies. Find out more in our 2023 Patent Roundup Report: U.S. Patent Grants.
2023 Healthcare patents
There are 16,485 patents granted relating to A61B, which covers “Diagnosis; Surgery; Identification”. Covidien, known for its diverse range of healthcare products, leads with 598 patent grants for the A61B CPC subclass. Covidien combined with Medtronic after being acquired in 2015. A close second is Cilag International with 484 patent grants. Cilag, also known as Janssen-Cilag, is a pharmaceutical company and a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
For a more in-depth analysis of the U.S. patents granted in 2023, the top patent holders, top CPCs and technology areas, and a closer look at the patents with the forward citations, download our 2023 Patent Roundup: U.S. Patent Grants report for free.
