IBM inventors received a record 8,088 patents in 2016 representing a diverse range of inventions, as well as a strong and growing focus on cognitive solutions and the cloud platform as the company positions itself for leadership in a new era of computing. This is the 24th consecutive year that IBM topped the annual list of U.S. patent recipients.
“Leading the world in innovation for 24 years in a row is a result of IBM’s unmatched commitment to innovation and R&D–reflected in this year’s new U.S. patent record, breaking the 8,000 barrier for the first time,” said Ginni Rometty, IBM’s chairman, president and CEO. “We are deeply proud of our inventors’ unique contributions to discovery, science and technology that are driving progress across business and society and opening the new era of cognitive business.”

 

More than 8,500 IBM inventors residing in 47 states and territories and 47 countries are responsible for IBM’s record-setting 2016 patent tally. IBM inventors based in New York received over 2,700 patents, while IBMers based in California and Texas were granted over 1,000 patents each. The United States is home to more than half of IBM’s $5.4 billion annual investment in research and development. This substantial commitment to unlocking new technologies is what has long propelled IBM into new markets, allowing it to create value for clients and opportunity for its employees, including the 25,000 Americans the company has pledged to hire over the next four years.
The Top Ten list of 2016 U.S. patent recipients* includes:
IBM – 8,088
Samsung Electronics – 5,518
Canon – 3,665
Qualcomm – 2,897
Google – 2,835
Intel – 2,784
LG Electronics – 2,428
Microsoft – 2,398
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. – 2,288
Sony – 2,181

1. 9,565,533: Crowd congestion detection
An approach for crowd congestion detection, the approach determines one or more selected locations. The approach determines a frequency spectrum history of one or more users within the one or more selected locations. The approach determines a location of the one or more users within the one or more selected locations. The approach determines a frequency spectrum of the one or more users within the one or more selected locations. The approach determines a crowding measure for the one or more selected locations based, at least in part, on the frequency spectrum history and the frequency spectrum of the one or more users within the one or more selected locations. The approach ranks the one or more selected locations based, at least in part, on the crowding measure.

2. 9,565,635: Activating a mobile terminal from mobile network side
Disclosed is a method of activating a mobile terminal from mobile network side and a mobile application gateway system. The method comprises: receiving, by a mobile application gateway, a request for activating the mobile terminal, the request including an unique identification number of the mobile terminal; querying, by the mobile application gateway, a HLR for address of a SGSN where the mobile terminal is located; returning, by the HLR, the queried address of SGSN to the mobile application gateway; sending, by the mobile application gateway, the request for activating the mobile terminal to the SGSN; issuing, by the SGSN, a request to the mobile terminal, requiring the mobile terminal to issue a mobile terminal initiated PDP context activation request. The method enables an instant messaging user at a mobile terminal to automatically open an IP connection if there is any message to be received after the IP connection is closed.

3. 9,565,579: Sampling of device states for mobile software applications
A method for monitoring software application performance and one or more device states affecting a software application on a periodic basis on a mobile device. The method includes one or more computer processors identifying a software application on a mobile device. The method further includes the one or more computer processors identifying a plurality of sampling plans and one or more respective triggers within the plurality of sampling plans that are respectively associated with the software application and are stored on the mobile device. The method further includes the one or more computer processors determining a first value associated with the one or more respective triggers. The method further includes the one or more computer processors selecting a first sampling plan from the plurality of sampling plans for the software application based, at least in part, on the value associated with the one or more respective triggers.

4. 9,565,533: Crowd congestion detection
An approach for crowd congestion detection, the approach determines one or more selected locations. The approach determines a frequency spectrum history of one or more users within the one or more selected locations. The approach determines a location of the one or more users within the one or more selected locations. The approach determines a frequency spectrum of the one or more users within the one or more selected locations. The approach determines a crowding measure for the one or more selected locations based, at least in part, on the frequency spectrum history and the frequency spectrum of the one or more users within the one or more selected locations. The approach ranks the one or more selected locations based, at least in part, on the crowding measure.

A method for notifying a viewer of content relevant to the viewer’s interests is provided. A computer identifies an identity of a viewer of a display device, wherein the display device is displaying a first video feed. A computer retrieves a profile of the viewer, wherein the profile includes a plurality of preferences of the viewer. A computer, in response to a determination that a content of a second video feed that is available for viewing on the display device matches at least one of the plurality of preferences of the viewer, generates a notification of the second video feed. A computer, in response to receiving an acceptance of the notification, sends a command to the display device to display the second video feed.