3M has a total of 69622 patents globally, out of which 36373 have been granted. Of these 69622 patents, more than 43% patents are active. United States of America is where 3M has filed the maximum number of patents, followed by Europe and China and it also seems reasonable as the biggest market for 3M is USA. Parallelly, USA seems to be the main focused R&D center and is also the origin country of 3M.
3M was founded in the year 1902. The Company conducts operations in electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office, health care, safety and other markets. The Company businesses share technologies, manufacturing operations, marketing channels and other resources.
Do read about some of the most popular patents of 3M which have been covered by us in this article and also you can find 3M patents information, the worldwide patent filing activity and its patent filing trend over the years, and many other stats over 3M patent portfolio.
How many patents does the CEO of 3M have?
The CEO Mike Roman has 0 patent.
How many patents does 3M have?
3M has a total of 69622 patents globally. These patents belong to 14882 unique patent families. Out of 69622 patents, 29861 patents are active.
How Many Patents did 3M File Every Year?
Are you wondering why there is a drop in patent filing for the last two years? It is because a patent application can take up to 18 months to get published. Certainly, it doesn’t suggest a decrease in the patent filing.
| Year of Patents Filing or Grant | 3M Applications Filed | 3M Patents Granted |
| 2014 | 6548 | 3374 |
| 2015 | 6127 | 3275 |
| 2016 | 5587 | 3730 |
| 2017 | 5283 | 3903 |
| 2018 | 4822 | 4013 |
| 2019 | 4716 | 3554 |
| 2020 | 3984 | 3253 |
| 2021 | 2601 | 3043 |
| 2022 | 1609 | 2442 |
| 2023 | 613 | 1876 |
| 2024 | 36 | 678 |
How many 3M patents are Alive/Dead?
How Many Patents did 3M File in Different Countries?
Countries in which 3M Filed Patents
| Country | Patents |
| United States Of America | 11919 |
| China | 8485 |
| Europe (EPO) | 8356 |
| Japan | 7024 |
| South Korea | 3884 |
| Germany | 3877 |
| Austria | 3640 |
| Brazil | 2543 |
| Taiwan | 2260 |
| Canada | 1574 |
| India | 1556 |
| Australia | 1439 |
| Mexico | 734 |
| United Kingdom | 685 |
| Europe | 655 |
| Singapore | 581 |
| Russia | 525 |
| Spain | 337 |
| Poland | 241 |
| Thailand | 143 |
| Malaysia | 120 |
| Turkey | 88 |
| Chile | 85 |
| Israel | 83 |
| Italy | 79 |
| Indonesia | 77 |
| Denmark | 65 |
| Saudi Arabia | 62 |
| Hong Kong (S.A.R.) | 58 |
| Viet Nam | 47 |
| New Zealand | 45 |
| Argentina | 38 |
| Norway | 37 |
| Philippines | 30 |
| Portugal | 30 |
| Eurasian Patent Organization | 29 |
| South Africa | 24 |
| Gulf Cooperation Council | 20 |
| Colombia | 16 |
| Slovenia | 12 |
| Egypt | 11 |
| Hungary | 9 |
| Peru | 9 |
| Cyprus | 9 |
| France | 4 |
| Malta | 4 |
| Czech Republic | 3 |
| Slovakia | 3 |
| Brunei | 2 |
| Croatia | 2 |
| Sweden | 2 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 |
| Bolivia | 1 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 |
| Serbia | 1 |
| Nicaragua | 1 |
| Costa Rica | 1 |
| Ukraine | 1 |
| Lithuania | 1 |
| El Salvador | 1 |
| Panama | 1 |
| Guatemala | 1 |
| Estonia | 1 |
| Macao | 1 |
Where are Research Centres of 3M Patents Located?
10 Best 3M Patents
US20190112711A1 is the most popular patent in the 3M portfolio. It has received 268 citations so far from company like Asm Ip Holding.
Below is the list of 10 most cited patents of 3M:
| Publication Number | Citation Count |
| US20190112711A1 | 268 |
| WO2014011438A1 | 194 |
| US8372049B2 | 189 |
| US10143948B2 | 183 |
| WO2016004003A1 | 167 |
| US8622021B2 | 164 |
| US9201556B2 | 154 |
| US20150185425A1 | 153 |
| US8372050B2 | 149 |
| US8425478B2 | 146 |
How many inventions of other companies were rejected due to 3M patents?
The statistics below share strategic R&D insights. It tells the companies that were trying to protect inventions similar to 3M invention. They couldn’t because 3M had protected those before them.
Examiners at the USPTO referred 2756 3M patents in 12302 rejections (35 USC § 102 or 35 USC § 103 types).
The top citing companies in the 3M patent portfolio are Samsung, BOE Technology and Kci Licensing.
List of the Companies whose Patents were rejected citing 3M –
| Company | Number of Patent Applications that faced Rejection Citing 3M Patents | Number of Rejections (102 & 103) |
| Samsung | 231 | 540 |
| Boe Technology | 87 | 181 |
| Kci Licensing | 86 | 265 |
| Apple | 74 | 150 |
| Smith & Nephew | 61 | 152 |
| Nitto Denko Corporation | 57 | 130 |
| IBM | 51 | 86 |
| Fujifilm | 49 | 84 |
| Lg Display | 48 | 96 |
| Sharp | 28 | 55 |
Count of 102 and 103 Type Rejections based on 3M Patents
Top 3M Patents used in Rejecting Most Patent Applications
| Patent Number | Count of Rejected Applications |
| US9019209B2 | 67 |
| US8493355B2 | 64 |
| US9904393B2 | 47 |
| US8372049B2 | 36 |
| US9753586B2 | 28 |
| US8700118B2 | 24 |
| US8773366B2 | 21 |
| US8970515B2 | 20 |
| US8354160B2 | 18 |
| US8941395B2 | 17 |
| US8361043B2 | 17 |
| US9201556B2 | 16 |
| US10796390B2 | 16 |
| US10437358B2 | 16 |
| US10918618B2 | 15 |
What Percentage of 3M US Patent Applications were granted?
3M (Excluding its subsidiaries) has filed 19965 patent applications at USPTO so far (Excluding Design and PCT applications). Out of these 12977 have been granted leading to a grant rate of 71.93%.
Below are the key stats of 3M patent prosecution at the USPTO.
Which Law Firms Filed Most US Patents for 3M?
| Law Firm | Total Applications | Success Rate |
| 3M (Inhouse IP Department) | 15404 | 66.70% |
| Kinetic Concepts (Inhouse IP Department) | 864 | 98.88% |
| Solventum Intellectual Properties Company | 230 | 90.72% |
| W&T Corning | 165 | 96.97% |
| Hylton Rodic Law Pllc | 121 | 100.00% |
| Office Of Intellectual Property Counsel | 98 | 81.63% |
| Vorys Solventum | 64 | 100.00% |
| Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie Llp | 62 | 96.77% |
| Harrity & Harrity Llp | 61 | 100.00% |
| Mrg Solventum | 52 | 0% |
Personal pleasure, competitiveness, development, and survival are the four primary reasons for innovation, according to 3M. 3M’s lifeblood is new products, and the business incorporates innovation into every aspect of its operations.
3M creates new solutions by combining unique technologies from its portfolio of 55,000 items, such as dental technology used to automobile parts. The company pioneers new ways of innovating by forging these unusual connections. 3M’s plans are geared toward long-term, sustainable innovation.
3M’s plans are geared toward long-term, sustainable innovation. They are as follows:
- Taking use of open innovation
- Organizing brainstorming sessions with people from many departments.
- Providing a safe environment for team members to take chances.
- Encourage and reward creativity.
- To produce and sustain innovation, all ten imperatives in Robert’s Rules of Innovation must be implemented and nurtured.
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!
What are 3M’s key innovation segments?
What Technologies are Covered by 3M?
The chart below distributes patents filed by 3M in different countries on the basis of the technology protected in patents. It also represents the markets where 3M thinks it’s important to protect particular technology inventions.
R&D Focus: How 3M search focus changed over the years?
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!