IBM tops patents list, taps three from Malaysia

By Digital News Asia January 29, 2014

IBM inventors receive nearly 7,000 US patents, tops list for 21^st straight year
Three inventions from Malaysia help clients improve business processes

IBM tops patents list, taps three from Malaysia IBM inventors received a record-setting 6,809 patents for 2013, making it the 21st consecutive year the company topped the annual list of US patent leaders.

The 6,809 patents included three that were awarded to Malaysian teams whose inventions have helped its clients improve their business processes, the company said in a statement.

The three local patents were for automated paper consumption tracking and auditing; a message-oriented construction of web services; and an innovation related to integrated circuits.

“IBMers in Malaysia are proud with the recognition that … when talent and creativity are combined with teamwork, the results are immeasurable,” said IBM Malaysia managing director Paul Moung (pic).

IBM's 2013 patent total exceeded the combined totals of Amazon, Google, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, 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 US states and 41 countries, it said.

“We take pride in being recognised as the US patent leader, but patents are only one gauge of innovation,” said Bernie Meyerson, IBM Fellow and vice president 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.

“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,” he added.

The Top 10 list of 2013 US patent recipients, according to IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, 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

US Patent #8,621,041 message oriented construction of web services: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to Web services construction and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for message-oriented Web services construction. A method for the message oriented construction of a Web service can include graphically assembling a selection of message flow primitives defining an operation for a Web service, interconnecting selected ones of the message flow primitives to represent a flow of messages from one interconnected message flow primitive to another interconnected message flow primitive, and generating Web service logic from the selection of message flow primitives. The method further can include interpreting or executing the Web service logic in response to receiving a request to invoke the Web service.

US Patent #8,461,009 spacer and process to enhance the strain in the channel with stress liner: Process for enhancing strain in a channel with a stress liner, spacer, process for forming integrated circuit and integrated circuit. A first spacer composed of a first oxide and first nitride layer is applied to a gate electrode on a substrate, and a second spacer composed of a second oxide and second nitride layer is applied. Deep implanting of source and drain in the substrate occurs, and removal of the second nitride, second oxide, and first nitride layers.

US Patent #8,396,590 automated paper consumption tracking and auditing: A method for managing paper consumption. Responsive to dispensing a first amount of paper from a set of paper dispensers in which the first amount of paper is dispensed for an account, the set of paper dispensers updates the account based on the first amount of paper dispensed. Responsive to receiving a second amount of paper at a set of paper disposers in which the second amount of paper is received for the account, the set of disposers updates the account based on the second amount of paper received.