2014年获得技术专利最多的8大公司

    6. 东芝

    专利数量：2608项

    代表性专利：“半导体设备”

    国家：日本

    科技巨头东芝名列第六位。尽管在过去五年，这家日本公司在美国获得的专利比例下降了2.5%，但在商业专利数据库2014年的排行榜中，它仍表现出强劲的实力。（东芝在美国、韩国与中国申请的专利比例继续稳步增长，中国更是提高了一倍，但却仅占全年专利总数的2%，而日本与欧洲的比例则在持续下降。卡迪将这一趋势归因于“这两个市场的紧缩政策”。）东芝公司最主要的专利类别为半导体设备，其中包括这项挑衅意味十足的专利“半导体设备”。专利申请文件中提到其用途是生产“在数据保持和读取性能上均获得提升的”设备。

    6. Toshiba

    Patents earned: 2,608

    Representative patent: "Semiconductor Device"

    Country: Japan

    With tech conglomerate Toshiba clocking in at sixth place, Japanese companies retain a strong showing on IFI Claims' 2014 list—despite Japan's share of U.S. patent grants having declined 2.5% over the past five years. (While the U.S., Korea and China's share of patent grants continues to grow steadily—China's share actually doubled, though it still only accounts for a meager 2% of the year's total—Japan and Europe's shares are in decline. Cady attributes this trend to "general belt-tightening in those markets.") The company's most popular patent category is semiconductor devices, where one may find the provocatively titled patent "Semiconductor Device." The filing mentions its purpose as producing a device "improved both in data retention characteristics and read characteristics."