Canon Sets Corporate Patent Record in Year Marked with Natural Disasters

From Canon USA:

Canon Marks The 26th Consecutive Year Placing In The Top Five Among U.S. Patent Holders

Canon Achieved A New Record in 2011 with 2,813 Patents, Ranking Third Overall

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., March 20, 2012 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced its parent company, Canon Inc., was granted 2,813 new U.S. patents during the 2011 calendar year, surpassing the company record of 2,543 new patents in 2010. Based on weekly patent counts issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for 2011, Canon Inc. placed third overall marking a new milestone in the company's history as one of the top five patent holders worldwide for more than a quarter of a century.

"Maintaining a solid dedication to research and development enables us to maximize efficiency, increase precision and ensure a diversified lineup of future products that will continue to solidify our brand," said Seymour Liebman, executive vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel, Canon U.S.A. "2011 was a year we overcame numerous challenges; yet our commitment to research and development enabled us to set new records."

Patents granted in 2011 continue to drive innovation for Canon Inc. well into the future. To date, Canon Inc. has created core product technologies in fields such as image capture, electrophotography, inkjet printing, lithography, and display as well as common platform technologies including digital processing, production engineering, quality management and environmental technologies.

In addition to strengthening and expanding existing businesses, Canon Inc. is committed to the future with a focus on promoting research and development in areas such as medical imaging, intelligent manufacturing and mixed reality. Achieving new advancements throughout a variety of technologies helps to produce a wide range of synergies between products, delivering new value and solutions to customers.