Jan 30 2010
Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) received 706 U.S. patents last year, a 16 percent increase from 2008 and a gain that places the company among the world's top 25 corporate patent recipients in 2009.
The 2009 patent tally included those from PARC, the Palo Alto Research Center, and XMPie®, wholly-owned Xerox subsidiaries. Many of the 2009 Xerox patents already are fueling new technologies embedded in recently released products, solutions and services, while others provide the foundation for the next generation of products, services and software.
"It's critical to our customers' success that we continue to innovate," said Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group. "We innovate today to secure the future. It is at the very core of what Xerox does. More than 2,400 employees, past and present, have been granted five or more patents - an extraordinary accomplishment."
Backed by more than 361 patents and patent applications, Xerox's new ColorQube™ 9200 multifunction printer is an example of Xerox's continued commitment to innovation. It uses cartridge-free solid ink technology to reduce the cost of color pages by up to 62 percent and cut supplies waste by 90 percent.
Xerox's joint venture in Japan, Fuji Xerox Co. Ltd., received 425 U.S. patents, an increase of 28 percent over 2008. When taken together, the Xerox group garnered 1,131 patents total. That accomplishment pushes Xerox into the No. 12 spot worldwide. Fuji Xerox patents were not included in the ranking compiled by U.S. patent analysis firm IFI Patent Intelligence.
Xerox and Fuji Xerox collectively invest about $1.5 billion annually in research, development and engineering. The 2009 inventions covered a number of technological areas ranging from nanotechnology, and materials synthesis to control systems, software systems and smart document technologies.
Xerox has received approximately 55,000 global patents since its inception.