The 100 known most prolific inventors based on worldwide utility patents are shown in the following table. While in many cases this is the number of utility patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it may include utility patents granted by other countries, as noted by the source references for an inventor.

Prolific Inventors

Inventor		Pats	Fams	Fam %	Pat Yrs	Yrs	Pat /Yr	Inv /Pat	Pat Residence	Majority Assignment
Shunpei Yamazaki	[1]	6231	2790	44.8%	1972—2023	51.6	121	3.6	Japan	Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
Kia Silverbrook	[2]	4747	1311	27.6%	1994—2014	20	237	1.6	Australia	Silverbrook Research
Kangguo Cheng	[3]	2700	1471	54.5%	2004—2023	19.1	141	3.9	USA	IBM
Tao Luo	[4]	2700	2269	84.0%	2006—2023	17.5	154	5.6	USA	Qualcomm
Frederick E. Shelton IV	[5]	2103	1033	49.1%	2005—2023	18.4	114	4.5	USA	Ethicon
Lowell L. Wood, Jr.	[6]	1990	1323	66.5%	1971—2023	52	38	8.8	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Roderick A. Hyde	[7]	1888	1252	66.3%	2001—2023	22.5	84	8.7	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Peter Gaal	[8]	1888	1461	77.4%	2002—2023	21.3	89	5.9	USA	Qualcomm
Junyi Li	[9]	1839	1560	84.8%	2002—2023	21	88	5.2	USA	Qualcomm
Wanshi Chen	[10]	1819	1425	78.3%	2009—2023	14.6	125	5.7	USA	Qualcomm
Chen-Hua Yu	[11]	1610	911	56.6%	1996—2023	27.5	59	4.9	Taiwan	TSMC
Hanbyul Seo	[12]	1515	1125	74.3%	2012—2023	11.6	131	3.8	South Korea	LG
Jun Koyama	[13]	1475	619	42.0%	1991—2023	32.4	46	3.1	Japan	Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
Gurtej Singh Sandhu	[14]	1413	584	41.3%	1991—2023	32.2	44	2.5	USA	Micron
Paul Lapstun	[15]	1304	247	18.9%	2000—2023	23	57	2.5	Australia	Silverbrook Research
Xiaoxia Zhang	[16]	1297	1146	88.4%	2009—2023	14.8	88	5.5	USA	Qualcomm
Shou-Shan Fan	[17]	1292	1080	83.6%	2006—2023	17.5	74	4.2	China	Hon Hai
Esmael H. Dinan	[18]	1281	586	45.7%	2006—2023	17.4	74	3.6	USA	Ofinno
Clarence T. Tegreene	[19]	1244	902	72.5%	2000—2023	22.9	54	10.1	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Alexander Reznicek	[20]	1213	724	59.7%	2006—2023	17.6	69	3.9	USA	IBM
Sarbajit K. Rakshit	[21]	1164	953	81.9%	2013—2023	10.9	107	3.4	India	IBM
Satoshi Seo	[22]	1112	533	47.9%	2002—2023	20.9	53	4.1	Japan	Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
Leonard Forbes	[23]	1109	411	37.1%	1975—2019	43.3	26	2.6	USA	Micron
Edward K. Y. Jung	[24]	1109	794	71.6%	1996—2023	27.4	40	8.0	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Kijun Kim	[25]	1092	775	71.0%	2013—2023	9.9	110	4.6	South Korea	LG
Thomas Edison	[26]	1084	NA	NA	1869—1933	63.9	17	1.0	USA	Thomas Edison
Jing Sun	[27]	1080	929	86.0%	2012—2023	10.9	99	5.9	USA	Qualcomm
Rick Allen Hamilton II	[28]	1060	713	67.3%	1999—2023	24.7	43	4.2	USA	IBM
Joonkui Ahn	[29]	1030	675	65.5%	2013—2023	10.4	99	4.7	South Korea	LG
Suckchel Yang	[30]	1019	657	64.5%	2013—2023	10.4	98	4.7	South Korea	LG
Donald E. Weder	[31]	1000	395	39.5%	1978—2015	37.1	27	1.1	USA	Weder Family Trust
Marta Karczewicz	[32]	995	824	82.8%	2000—2023	22.9	43	4.0	USA	Qualcomm
George Albert Lyon	[33]	993	NA	NA	1901—1965	64.5	15	1.0	Canada	Lyon George Albert
Michael J. Sullivan	[34]	989	532	53.8%	1989—2023	34.2	29	3.8	USA	Acushnet Holdings
Jordin T. Kare	[35]	986	640	64.9%	1992—2023	30.7	32	9.1	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Jay S. Walker	[36]	977	421	43.1%	1998—2023	25.1	39	5.2	USA	Walker Digital
Jason K. Resch	[37]	967	493	51.0%	2009—2023	14.2	68	4.2	USA	IBM
Ruilong Xie	[38]	955	709	74.2%	2013—2023	10.8	88	4.2	USA	IBM
John F. O'Connor	[39]	949	NA	NA	1901—1935	33.9	28	NA	USA	William H. Miner
Yunjung Yi	[40]	944	680	72.0%	2015—2023	8	118	3.3	South Korea	LG
Shan Liu	[41]	941	675	71.7%	2013—2023	10.2	92	3.4	USA	Tencent
Ahmadreza Rofougaran	[42]	937	457	48.8%	2002—2023	21.4	44	6.4	USA	Broadcom
Melvin De Groote	[43]	925	NA	NA	1924—1966	41.8	22	NA	USA	Petrolite
Juan Montojo	[44]	915	739	80.8%	2004—2023	19.7	46	6.9	USA	Qualcomm
Nathan Myhrvold	[45]	904	612	67.7%	1994—2023	29.1	31	11.1	USA	Intellectual Ventures
William H. Eby	[46]	897	893	99.6%	1994—2023	29.5	30	1.2	USA	Monsanto
David R. Hall	[47]	897	742	82.7%	1985—2023	38.4	23	3.8	USA	Hall Labs
Francis H. Richards	[48]	894	NA	NA	1899—1930	30.8	29	NA	USA	Francis H. Richards
Tingfang Ji	[49]	893	666	74.6%	2006—2023	17.3	52	6.9	USA	Qualcomm
Mark Malamud	[50]	885	690	78.0%	1997—2023	25.9	34	7.5	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Jason L. Harris	[51]	884	553	62.6%	2011—2023	12.9	69	6.0	USA	Ethicon
Robert W. Lord	[52]	865	681	78.7%	2003—2023	19.4	45	7.6	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Royce A. Levien	[53]	854	666	78.0%	1997—2023	25.9	33	6.8	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Takahiro Nishi	[54]	850	326	38.4%	2001—2023	22.2	38	6.3	Japan	Panasonic
Hajime Kimura	[55]	846	279	33.0%	2002—2023	21	40	2.6	Japan	Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
Muriel Y. Ishikawa	[56]	838	560	66.8%	2002—2023	21.2	40	11.1	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Michael K. Gschwind	[57]	834	442	53.0%	2001—2023	22	38	2.6	USA	IBM
Clifford A. Pickover	[58]	828	546	65.9%	1992—2023	31.6	26	3.9	USA	IBM
Hongyuan Zhang	[59]	825	463	56.1%	2009—2023	14.5	57	3.9	USA	Marvell
Lee D. Whetsel	[60]	818	128	15.6%	1991—2023	32.6	25	1.1	USA	Texas Instruments
Chih-Chao Yang	[61]	814	502	61.7%	2003—2023	19.9	41	3.4	USA	IBM
Devendra K. Sadana	[62]	801	450	56.2%	1983—2023	40.8	20	4.3	USA	IBM
Seungmin Lee	[63]	787	587	74.6%	2014—2023	9.1	86	3.5	South Korea	LG
Salman Akram	[64]	781	289	37.0%	1995—2023	28.1	28	2.9	USA	Micron
SungDuck Chun	[65]	776	470	60.6%	2007—2023	15.9	49	3.8	South Korea	LG
Warren M. Farnworth	[66]	774	289	37.3%	1990—2020	24.4	32	2.8	USA	Micron
Bruce B. Doris	[67]	763	434	56.9%	1995—2023	28.7	27	4.2	USA	IBM
Jeyhan Karaoguz	[68]	756	371	49.1%	1996—2020	23.8	32	4.6	USA	Broadcom
Carleton Ellis	[69]	753	NA	NA	1902—1946	43.1	17	NA	USA	Ellis Foster Co
Ali Khakifirooz	[70]	749	405	54.1%	2011—2023	12	62	4.2	USA	IBM
John M. Santosuosso	[71]	737	466	63.2%	2001—2023	21.4	34	3.9	USA	IBM
Hideo Ando	[72]	733	123	16.8%	1983—2020	36.7	20	3.1	Japan	Toshiba
George Spector	[73]	723	723	100%	1974—1998	24.6	29	2.1	USA	George Spector
Hsien-Wei Chen	[74]	719	367	51.0%	2005—2023	18.7	38	3.5	Taiwan	TSMC
Austin L. Gurney	[75]	718	182	25.3%	1999—2022	21.6	33	2.9	USA	Genentech
Xue Dong	[76]	717	705	98.3%	2010—2023	12.9	56	7.4	China	BOE
Justin T. Mason	[77]	703	699	99.4%	2008—2023	15	47	1.0	USA	MS Technologies
Youngdae Lee	[78]	701	553	78.9%	2014—2023	9.6	73	3.1	South Korea	LG
Tetsujiro Kondo	[79]	700	528	75.4%	1987—2021	34	21	3.8	Japan	Sony
Lisa Seacat DeLuca	[80]	699	506	72.4%	2009—2023	14.8	47	2.7	USA	IBM
Elihu Thomson	[81]	696	NA	NA	1899—1935	35.9	19	NA	USA	GE
Stuart C. Salter	[82]	695	651	93.7%	2009—2023	13.8	50	4.8	USA	Ford
Gregory J. Boss	[83]	694	475	68.4%	2008—2023	15.7	44	4.2	USA	IBM
Jean-Philippe M. Vasseur	[84]	694	562	81.0%	2006—2023	17.5	40	2.6	France	Cisco Systems
Shougo Sato	[85]	693	274	39.5%	1992—2023	31.1	22	1.8	Japan	Brother
Irwin Gerszberg	[86]	680	312	45.9%	1994—2023	29.2	23	6.8	USA	AT&T
Eric C. Leuthardt	[87]	674	457	67.8%	2006—2023	16.7	40	9.1	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Frederick A. Ware	[88]	673	225	33.4%	1981—2023	42	16	2.8	USA	Rambus
Chung-Shi Liu	[89]	657	373	56.8%	2000—2023	23.8	28	6.1	Taiwan	TSMC
Paul S. Henry	[90]	656	301	45.9%	1978—2023	44.9	15	6.3	USA	AT&T
William I. Wood	[91]	653	259	39.7%	1981—2013	32.2	20	5.2	USA	Genentech
Simon R. Walmsley	[92]	651	171	26.3%	1995—2012	17.2	38	3.2	Australia	Silverbrook Research
Jae Hoon Chung	[93]	650	381	58.6%	2010—2023	13	50	4.5	South Korea	LG
Satoshi Nagata	[94]	643	613	95.3%	2011—2023	12.1	53	4.0	Japan	NTT
Edward J. Nowak	[95]	635	410	64.6%	1979—2021	41.1	15	3.0	USA	IBM
Audrey D. Goddard	[96]	630	154	24.4%	1997—2023	26.2	24	5.3	USA	Genentech
Hui-Ling Lou	[97]	628	343	54.6%	1997—2023	26.2	24	3.9	USA	Marvell
Woosuk Ko	[98]	625	235	37.6%	2015—2023	8.6	73	3.4	South Korea	LG
Xiaochuan Chen	[99]	623	613	98.4%	2014—2023	9.4	66	7.0	China	BOE
Kie Y. Ahn	[100]	622	234	37.6%	1970—2013	42.7	15	1.9	USA	Micron

This table is usually updated every Tuesday evening in US Eastern time, and is current as of November 28, 2023.

The columns are defined as follows:

• Inventor: The name of the inventor.
• Pats: The number of utility patents that have been issued. Only utility patents (or the international equivalent) are listed, as a utility patent is a patent for an invention. Not all patents are for inventions. Other patent types include: design patents for the ornamental design of an object; plant patents for plant varieties; and reissue patents, where a correction is made to an already granted patent. This list does not include patent applications (patents pending) as there is no guarantee that a patent application actually describes a novel invention until the patent is granted.
• Fams: The number of patent families, which in USPTO data includes an original or continuation-in-part patent by itself or with one or more continuation or divisional patents based on the original or continuation-in-part patent. This is different than global patent families that represent a patent filed in more than one jurisdiction. "NA" signifies the inventor was active prior to digital records.
• Fam %: The percentage of original and continuation-in-part patents that are in the inventor's patent portfolio [Fams column divided by Pats column, rounded to first decimal as a percentage]. "NA" signifies the inventor was active prior to digital records.
• Pat Yrs: The first and last year in which an inventor received a patent issuance.
• Yrs: The number of years from first issuance to most recent issuance, rounded to first decimal based on dates.
• Pats /Yr: The average number of patents received per year [Pats column divided by Yrs column, rounded].
• Inv / Pat: The average number of inventors listed on the inventor's most recent 50 patents as of September 7, 2021 or on the date the inventor was added to the table if later. "NA" signifies the inventor was active prior to digital records.
• Pat Residence: The country of inventor's residence listed in their most recent patent issuance.
• Majority Assignment: The entity that has the most patents assigned from an inventor's portfolio. This is current and not original assignment. It is usually, but not always an indication of which company the inventor worked at for the majority of their patent activity.

Significance of inventions

This table is a sortable list of the most prolific inventors as measured by utility patents granted. It does not include other types of invention, such as inventions that were never applied for nor granted, for which there is no known source. Nor does the table attempt to measure the significance of an inventor and their inventions. The significance of inventions is often not apparent until many decades after the invention has been made. For recent inventors, it is not yet possible to determine their place in history.

Various published lists

Rankings of prolific inventors have been published at various times. However, until the patent records were digitized, these lists were very tedious to prepare, as many thousands of patent records had to be checked manually. Even after digitization, it is still not a simple process. While the USPTO keeps statistics for annual rankings of inventions assigned to companies, it no longer publishes rankings of individual inventors. The last such list was published by the USPTO in 1998.^{[Info 1]} Also, patents predating 1976 have not yet been digitized in the USPTO records. This means that patents before 1976 will not be included in a USPTO search by inventor name, and the number of patents granted before 1976 must be added to current searches.

See also

• Timeline of historic inventions
• List of inventors
• List of top United States patent recipients

References

References of Inventors' Patents