Patent battles might seem like a rather mundane topic, and to many people they are. But it's a major issue plaguing many top tech companies these days, and the results of these lawsuits could trickle down and affect the smartphones and tablets you see on store shelves.

Building up your patent arsenal now appears to be as important as the products you produce. for Motorola Mobility in part to get its hands on Motorola's portfolio of more than 17,000 patents. Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt that the deal wasn't all about patents, but it was a major consideration.

Just this week, meanwhile, for patent infringement, but all this year, other battles have been heating up: ; ; and Samsung with a countersuit.

The list goes on, but where did this patent battle start? BusinessInsurance.org has a new infographic that charts the history of the patent wars. The first patent in the U.S. was awarded in 1790 to Samuel Hopkins for a method of producing "potash," which is used to make gunpowder. The patent for the telephone, however, is considered to be the most valuable patent ever granted.

Last year alone, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) issued 107,792 patents, and the top five organizations that had the most patents approved are all in tech: IBM (5,866); Samsung (4,518); Microsoft (3,086); Canon (2,551); and Panasonic (2,443). IBM has actually been the top patent awardee for the past 17 years, but as the infographic notes, its portfolio is not considered to be the most valuable. That honor goes to Microsoft.

For more, check out the infographic below. Also see