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]	6260	2801	44.7%	1972—2024	51.7	121	3.6	Japan	Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
Kia Silverbrook	[2]	4747	1311	27.6%	1994—2014	20	237	1.6	Australia	Silverbrook Research
Tao Luo	[3]	2826	2379	84.2%	2006—2024	17.6	161	5.6	USA	Qualcomm
Kangguo Cheng	[4]	2705	1475	54.5%	2004—2024	19.2	141	3.9	USA	IBM
Frederick E. Shelton IV	[5]	2148	1058	49.3%	2005—2024	18.5	116	4.5	USA	Ethicon
Lowell L. Wood, Jr.	[6]	1991	1324	66.5%	1971—2024	52.2	38	8.8	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Peter Gaal	[7]	1927	1491	77.4%	2002—2024	21.4	90	5.9	USA	Qualcomm
Junyi Li	[8]	1896	1606	84.7%	2002—2024	21.1	90	5.2	USA	Qualcomm
Roderick A. Hyde	[9]	1888	1252	66.3%	2001—2023	22.5	84	8.7	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Wanshi Chen	[10]	1842	1442	78.3%	2009—2024	14.7	125	5.7	USA	Qualcomm
Chen-Hua Yu	[11]	1652	919	55.6%	1996—2024	27.6	60	4.9	Taiwan	TSMC
Hanbyul Seo	[12]	1537	1136	73.9%	2012—2024	11.7	131	3.8	South Korea	LG
Jun Koyama	[13]	1476	619	41.9%	1991—2023	32.4	46	3.1	Japan	Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
Gurtej Singh Sandhu	[14]	1414	584	41.3%	1991—2023	32.4	44	2.5	USA	Micron
Xiaoxia Zhang	[15]	1361	1206	88.6%	2009—2024	15	91	5.5	USA	Qualcomm
Esmael H. Dinan	[16]	1315	593	45.1%	2006—2024	17.5	75	3.6	USA	Ofinno
Shou-Shan Fan	[17]	1308	1094	83.6%	2006—2023	17.6	74	4.2	China	Hon Hai
Paul Lapstun	[18]	1304	246	18.9%	2000—2023	23	57	2.5	Australia	Silverbrook Research
Clarence T. Tegreene	[19]	1245	903	72.5%	2000—2024	23.1	54	10.1	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Alexander Reznicek	[20]	1220	729	59.8%	2006—2024	17.7	69	3.9	USA	IBM
Sarbajit K. Rakshit	[21]	1182	970	82.1%	2013—2024	11	107	3.4	India	IBM
Jing Sun	[22]	1135	980	86.3%	2012—2024	11	103	5.9	USA	Qualcomm
Satoshi Seo	[23]	1116	535	47.9%	2002—2024	21.1	53	4.1	Japan	Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
Leonard Forbes	[24]	1109	411	37.1%	1975—2019	43.3	26	2.6	USA	Micron
Edward K. Y. Jung	[25]	1109	794	71.6%	1996—2023	27.4	40	8.0	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Kijun Kim	[26]	1098	778	70.9%	2013—2024	10.1	109	4.6	South Korea	LG
Thomas Edison	[27]	1084	NA	NA	1869—1933	63.9	17	1.0	USA	Thomas Edison
Rick Allen Hamilton II	[28]	1061	714	67.3%	1999—2024	24.8	43	4.2	USA	IBM
Suckchel Yang	[29]	1047	673	64.3%	2013—2024	10.5	100	4.7	South Korea	LG
Joonkui Ahn	[30]	1039	677	65.2%	2013—2023	10.5	99	4.7	South Korea	LG
Marta Karczewicz	[31]	1006	832	82.7%	2000—2024	23	44	4.0	USA	Qualcomm
Donald E. Weder	[32]	1000	395	39.5%	1978—2015	37.1	27	1.1	USA	Weder Family Trust
George Albert Lyon	[33]	993	NA	NA	1901—1965	64.5	15	1.0	Canada	Lyon George Albert
Michael J. Sullivan	[34]	992	534	53.8%	1989—2024	34.5	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]	977	500	51.2%	2009—2024	14.4	68	4.2	USA	IBM
Ruilong Xie	[38]	963	716	74.4%	2013—2024	10.9	88	4.2	USA	IBM
Shan Liu	[39]	962	684	71.1%	2013—2024	10.3	93	3.4	USA	Tencent
Yunjung Yi	[40]	952	686	72.1%	2015—2024	8.1	118	3.3	South Korea	LG
John F. O'Connor	[41]	949	NA	NA	1901—1935	33.9	28	NA	USA	William H. Miner
Ahmadreza Rofougaran	[42]	940	456	48.5%	2002—2023	21.5	44	6.4	USA	Broadcom
Juan Montojo	[43]	940	763	81.2%	2004—2024	19.8	47	6.9	USA	Qualcomm
Melvin De Groote	[44]	925	NA	NA	1924—1966	41.8	22	NA	USA	Petrolite
Tingfang Ji	[45]	906	676	74.6%	2006—2024	17.4	52	6.9	USA	Qualcomm
Nathan Myhrvold	[46]	904	612	67.7%	1994—2023	29.1	31	11.1	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Jason L. Harris	[47]	903	564	62.5%	2011—2024	13	69	6.0	USA	Ethicon
William H. Eby	[48]	898	894	99.6%	1994—2024	29.7	30	1.2	USA	Monsanto
David R. Hall	[49]	897	742	82.7%	1985—2023	38.4	23	3.8	USA	Hall Labs
Francis H. Richards	[50]	894	NA	NA	1899—1930	30.8	29	NA	USA	Francis H. Richards
Mark Malamud	[51]	885	690	78.0%	1997—2023	25.9	34	7.5	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Takahiro Nishi	[52]	870	331	38.0%	2001—2024	22.4	39	6.3	Japan	Panasonic
Robert W. Lord	[53]	865	681	78.7%	2003—2023	19.4	45	7.6	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Royce A. Levien	[54]	854	666	78.0%	1997—2023	25.9	33	6.8	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Hajime Kimura	[55]	854	281	32.9%	2002—2024	21.1	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
Hongyuan Zhang	[58]	832	465	55.9%	2009—2024	14.6	57	3.9	USA	Marvell
Clifford A. Pickover	[59]	829	547	66.0%	1992—2024	31.8	26	3.9	USA	IBM
Lee D. Whetsel	[60]	825	130	15.8%	1991—2024	32.8	25	1.1	USA	Texas Instruments
Chih-Chao Yang	[61]	814	502	61.7%	2003—2023	19.9	41	3.4	USA	IBM
Seungmin Lee	[62]	809	600	74.2%	2014—2024	9.2	88	3.5	South Korea	LG
Devendra K. Sadana	[63]	801	451	56.3%	1983—2023	40.8	20	4.3	USA	IBM
Salman Akram	[64]	782	290	37.1%	1995—2024	28.6	27	2.9	USA	Micron
SungDuck Chun	[65]	779	473	60.7%	2007—2024	16.1	48	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
Hsien-Wei Chen	[72]	737	376	51.0%	2005—2024	18.9	39	3.5	Taiwan	TSMC
Hideo Ando	[73]	733	123	16.8%	1983—2020	36.7	20	3.1	Japan	Toshiba
George Spector	[74]	723	723	100%	1974—1998	24.6	29	2.1	USA	George Spector
Xue Dong	[75]	720	708	98.3%	2010—2024	13	55	7.4	China	BOE
Austin L. Gurney	[76]	718	182	25.3%	1999—2022	21.6	33	2.9	USA	Genentech
Youngdae Lee	[77]	715	562	78.6%	2014—2024	9.7	74	3.1	South Korea	LG
Justin T. Mason	[78]	713	709	99.4%	2008—2024	15.1	47	1.0	USA	MS Technologies
Gregory J. Boss	[79]	701	482	68.8%	2008—2024	15.9	44	4.2	USA	IBM
Tetsujiro Kondo	[80]	700	528	75.4%	1987—2021	34	21	3.8	Japan	Sony
Lisa Seacat DeLuca	[81]	700	507	72.4%	2009—2023	14.8	47	2.7	USA	IBM
Stuart C. Salter	[82]	697	653	93.7%	2009—2024	14	50	4.8	USA	Ford
Jean-Philippe M. Vasseur	[83]	697	563	80.8%	2006—2024	17.7	39	2.6	France	Cisco Systems
Elihu Thomson	[84]	696	NA	NA	1899—1935	35.9	19	NA	USA	GE
Shougo Sato	[85]	696	276	39.7%	1992—2024	31.2	22	1.8	Japan	Brother
Irwin Gerszberg	[86]	680	312	45.9%	1994—2023	29.2	23	6.8	USA	AT&T
Frederick A. Ware	[87]	678	225	33.2%	1981—2024	42.1	16	2.8	USA	Rambus
Eric C. Leuthardt	[88]	674	457	67.8%	2006—2023	16.7	40	9.1	USA	Intellectual Ventures
Chung-Shi Liu	[89]	662	373	56.3%	2000—2023	23.9	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
Satoshi Nagata	[92]	653	621	95.1%	2011—2024	12.2	54	4.0	Japan	NTT
Simon R. Walmsley	[93]	651	171	26.3%	1995—2012	17.2	38	3.2	Australia	Silverbrook Research
Jae Hoon Chung	[94]	650	381	58.6%	2010—2023	13	50	4.5	South Korea	LG
Edward J. Nowak	[95]	635	410	64.6%	1979—2021	41.1	15	3.0	USA	IBM
Hui-Ling Lou	[96]	633	347	54.8%	1997—2024	26.4	24	3.9	USA	Marvell
Xiaochuan Chen	[97]	631	621	98.4%	2014—2024	9.5	66	7.0	China	BOE
Audrey D. Goddard	[98]	630	154	24.4%	1997—2023	26.2	24	5.3	USA	Genentech
Woosuk Ko	[99]	629	237	37.7%	2015—2024	8.7	72	3.4	South Korea	LG
Anthony K. Stamper	[100]	623	342	54.9%	1998—2023	25.4	25	3.4	USA	IBM

This table is usually updated every Tuesday, and is current as of January 9, 2024.

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.

A more extensive list of prolific inventors with additional information and ability to filter on country, gender, time period, patent type, and Nobel laureate title can be found at idiyas.com/top/inventors. There are some discrepancies with this article due to different inventor queries that attempt to account for data issues such as typos and multiple inventors with the same name.

See also

• Timeline of historic inventions
• List of inventors

References

References of Inventors' Patents