Bill Gates, a name synonymous with the PC revolution, illustrates those who need no introduction.
Bill Gates is an American computer programmer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who co-founded Microsoft Corporation, a globally renowned software company. As per Forbes, his net worth is $129.9 B as of April, 2024. Apart from this, he is also known for his charitable work through the organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for funding the global health programs. He has also been awarded as the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the year 2016 along with several other awards. For detailed list of the awards and recognition, click here.
Bill Gates’s portfolio has 365 patents belonging to 106 unique patent families. His patents belong to diverse technological domains such as Data Processing, Healthcare, Networking & Communication, Vehicle Technology and Renewable Energy.
Key Patents of Bill Gates
“The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life”
This quote by Bill Gates summarizes the innovations and technological advancements brought to reality by the man himself. Given below are some of the key inventions by Bill Gates:
| S.No. | Publication Number | Title | First Filing Year | Tech Area |
| 1 | US7930197B2 | Personal data mining | 2006 | Data Processing |
| 2 | US20080080396A1 | Marketplace for cloud…. | 2006 | Cloud Computing |
| 3 | US20080004951A1 | Web-based targeted…. | 2006 | Marketing |
| 4 | US20110282415A1 | Wearable wireless power…. | 2010 | Wearable |
| 5 | US20080005313A1 | Using offline activity to…. | 2006 | Data Processing |
Join us in this venture to uncover the diverse technological areas Bill Gates has patented inventions in. This article also discloses the patent filing trend, worldwide filing and research centers along with several other insights mined through the patent data set for the renowned inventor.
The data of inventors patents made available here is solely intended for informational purposes. Although we make every effort to maintain the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the provided information, we cannot guarantee that all data is completely free of errors or entirely up-to-date. If you happen to be the Inventor and wish to contribute additional data for your respective portfolio, kindly get in touch with us.
How Many Patents did Bill Gates 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 | Bill Gates Applications Filed | Bill Gates Patents Granted |
| 2022 | – | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | – | 3 |
| 2019 | 4 | 7 |
| 2018 | 6 | 8 |
| 2017 | 7 | 11 |
| 2016 | 15 | 11 |
| 2015 | 24 | 4 |
| 2014 | 15 | 10 |
| 2013 | 30 | 6 |
| 2012 | 35 | 3 |
How Many Bill Gates patents are Alive/Dead?
Worldwide Patents
How Many Patents did Bill Gates File in Different Countries?
Countries in which Bill Gates Filed Patents
| Country | Patents |
| United States of America | 286 |
| Europe | 19 |
| China | 12 |
| Korea (South) | 4 |
| India | 4 |
| Japan | 2 |
| United Kingdom | 2 |
| Canada | 1 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Hong Kong (S.A.R.) | 1 |
Which Technologies are covered by Bill Gates’s Patents?
Our analysis of the Bill Gates patent portfolio revealed no design patents owned by Bill Gates. However, the patents span diverse technological domains as illustrated in the chart below.
We also came across few intriguing inventions in the Bill Gates patent portfolio. Read the summary of these ingenious innovations that showcase the incredible diversity of Bill Gates’s technological ventures.
A surprising method for generating electricity from plants is hidden in the patent, US20140187425A1. Imagine plants which use less water and capture more carbon dioxide from air to produce electricity. That’s the idea behind this invention. By giving the plants a special solution with at least 0.1% CO2, the plants can capture carbon dioxide which is then used for generation of electricity.
This patent, US9648309B2, describes a display that creates 3D images without any special glasses. The display screen is packed with millions of tiny pixels where each pixel shows two separate images for each eye. Then, the optical deflection system, comes in to direct the left eye image to the left eye and the right eye image to the right eye transforming the flat screen into 3D visuals.
A clever invention for controlling vehicle tire pressure is disclosed in the patent, US9511634B2. The system uses a built-in road sensor, a pressure regulator and a controller. By analysing the road conditions, the system automatically adjusts the air pressure in the car tires. This means smoother rides and increased safety thanks to the tires which are inflated just right.
Imagine a futuristic bandaid which helps in efficient release and absorption of the medicine on the skin. Well, this is exactly what the patent, US20170319841A1, discloses. The special patch includes a built-in ultrasound emitter which generates gentle soundwaves for opening up the skin a little bit for allowing absorption of the medicine and it all comes without any side-effects too!
Well, this sums up the interesting summaries of the fascinating patents we discovered during our analysis. Keep reading to get more informative insights we mined through the Bill Gates patent portfolio.
The chart below distributes patents filed by Bill Gates in different countries on the basis of the technology protected in patents. It also represents the markets where Bill Gates thinks it’s important to protect particular technology inventions.
R&D Focus: How Bill Gates Research Focus Changes Over the Years?
10 Best Bill Gates Patents
US7930197B2 is the most popular patent in the Bill Gates’s portfolio. It has received 568 citations so far from companies like Apple, Philips and IBM.
Below is the list of 10 most cited patents of Bill Gates:
| Publication Number | Citation Count |
| US7930197B2 | 568 |
| US20080080396A1 | 410 |
| US20080004951A1 | 295 |
| US20110282415A1 | 291 |
| US20080005313A1 | 281 |
| US20150242091A1 | 275 |
| US20080004884A1 | 270 |
| US20080005057A1 | 268 |
| US20080005223A1 | 240 |
| US20080091613A1 | 233 |
How Many Inventions of Other Companies were rejected due to Bill Gates’s Patents?
The statistics below share strategic R&D insights. It tells the companies that were trying to protect inventions similar to Bill Gates’s invention. They couldn’t because Bill Gates had protected those before them.
Examiners at the USPTO referred 163 Bill Gates patents in 1191 rejections (35 USC § 102 or 35 USC § 103 types).
The top citing companies in the Bill Gates patent portfolio are IBM, Google and Red Hat Inc.
List of the Companies whose Patents were rejected citing Bill Gates–
| Company | Number of Patent Applications that faced Rejection Citing Bill Gates Patents | Number of Rejections (102 & 103) |
| IBM | 41 | 100 |
| 33 | 59 | |
| Red Hat Inc | 15 | 45 |
| Samsung | 11 | 28 |
| Amazon | 8 | 24 |
| Ebay Inc | 7 | 11 |
| Intel Corporation | 7 | 16 |
| Nokia | 7 | 16 |
| Ford | 6 | 12 |
| Kyndryl Inc | 6 | 13 |
Count of 102 and 103 Type Rejections based on Bill Gates Patents
Top Bill Gates Patents used in Rejecting Most Patent Applications
| Patent Number | Count of Rejected Applications |
| US20080004951A1 | 24 |
| US20080080396A1 | 23 |
| US20130144603A1 | 22 |
| US8725567B2 | 16 |
| US20130141576A1 | 15 |
| US8474027B2 | 13 |
| US20080005072A1 | 13 |
| US8705746B2 | 13 |
| US20080005313A1 | 13 |
| US20080104393A1 | 11 |
| US8601598B2 | 10 |
| US20150336578A1 | 10 |
| US20080005068A1 | 10 |
| US20140040039A1 | 9 |
| US20080005223A1 | 9 |
Interested in learning more about Microsoft patents? We’ve got you covered. Click here to explore our informative articles.