According to the report from research firm IFI, Microsoft was ranked among top 10 US patent winners. IBM topped the list for 20th consecutive year with 6, 478 patents in 2012 alone. IBM generates more than $1 billion a year in licensing revenue from its patents and invests around $6 Billion in R&D each year. Microsoft won 2,613 patents in 2012 with R&D costs around $9 Billion.

The Top 10 U.S. Patent Winners of 2012:

1) IBM 6,478

2) Samsung 5,081

3) Canon 3,174

4) Sony Corp. 3,032

5) Panasonic Corp. 2,769

6) Microsoft Corp. 2,613

7) Toshiba Corp. 2,447

8) Hon Hai Precision 2,013

9) General Electric Co. 1,652

10) LG Electronics Inc. 1,624