This analysis has been done by considering the Filing Year of the Total US patents filed by the Inventors of Washington State of the US, ranging from year 2017 to 2024. We have taken into account the addresses of Inventors from Washington obtained from the patents application data sourced from USPTO database.
In the last 7 years (2017 – 2024), a total number of 70227 (Excluding PCT’s) patents were filed by the Washington inventors at the USPTO, highlighting the state’s growing innovation trend. Also 3139 PCT’s were filed during this time period.
Here’s some trivia for you:
Washington is the headquarters of some of the most patent-heavy companies in the world, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing. These companies consistently file thousands of patents each year, covering technologies ranging from cloud computing to advance aerospace systems.
Do read about some interesting highlights on Illinois Patent Statistics, North Carolina Patent Statistics, Florida Patents Statistics, California Patent Statistics, Ohio Patent Statistics, Kentucky Patent Statistics & Tennessee Patent Statistics.
When we talk about the top inventors from Washington, Andrew John Ouderkirk, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, and Venson M Shaw take the lead. Keep reading to find out more about the businesses active in Washington, how many patents these inventors have filed over the years, which companies they’ve worked with, the institutions in Washington filing the most patents, and much more.
Type of Patent Applications
The chart below provides a breakdown of the types of patent applications filed in Washington between 2017 and 2024.
The utility & PCT filings represent approximately 91% & 4% respectively of the total patent filings while design patents account for 5% of the total patent filings.
How many patents did the Inventors of Washington 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.
Who are the key Inventors from the Washington State?
Andy Ouderkirk, Sr. Research Director at Meta, is a renowned materials science expert with over 30 years of experience. He leads innovations in optical materials for augmented and virtual reality. Previously at 3M, he developed the groundbreaking Multilayer Optical Film platform. A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Andy has received prestigious awards like the ACS Award for Creative Invention. He holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Northwestern University.
Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, a visionary inventor based in Bellevue, has revolutionized technology with 263 groundbreaking patents, including the innovative Image Acquisition System and Cable Detection System, which showcase his expertise in precision imaging and advanced detection. With a career at leading companies like Tyco Electronics and TE Connectivity Solutions, Roberto has developed transformative solutions that shape how we interact with technology.
List of Top 50 Inventors from Washington
| Inventor | Gender | Patents |
| Andrew John Ouderkirk | Male | 321 |
| Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu | Male | 263 |
| Venson M Shaw | Male | 231 |
| Sachin G Deshpande | Male | 219 |
| Roderick A Hyde | Male | 216 |
| Lowell L Wood | Male | 212 |
| Amer A Hassan | Male | 199 |
| Raymond Kirk Price | Male | 181 |
| Gary E Georgeson | Male | 171 |
| Reda Harb | Male | 171 |
| Gerald Dale Morrison | Male | 164 |
| Christopher A Segall | Male | 163 |
| Michael Bleyer | Male | 159 |
| Zhanping Yin | Unknown | 156 |
| Jacques Gollier | Male | 153 |
| Ying Geng | Male | 144 |
| Lu Lu | Female | 144 |
| Clarence T Tegreene | Male | 131 |
| Hatem I Zeine | Male | 131 |
| Lawrence Y Yang | Male | 131 |
| Kiran Mukesh Misra | Male | 122 |
| Ming Shan Kwok | Male | 121 |
| Brian Wheelwright | Male | 119 |
| David Baker | Male | 117 |
| Robin Sharma | Male | 114 |
| Siddhartha Srinivasa | Male | 114 |
| Elya Shechtman | Female | 113 |
| Erie Lai Har Lau | Male | 112 |
| Gust H Bardy | Male | 108 |
| Joseph L Sullivan | Male | 107 |
| Peter Wesley Bristol | Male | 101 |
| Brian T Schowengerdt | Male | 100 |
| Jeremy B Chritz | Male | 100 |
| Gregory A Demopulos | Male | 100 |
| Ramanathan Ramanathan | Male | 99 |
| Jordi Mola | Male | 97 |
| Shu Li | Male | 96 |
| Christopher D Edmonds | Male | 95 |
| Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai | Male | 95 |
| Xinqiao Liu | Unknown | 94 |
| John M Kowalski | Male | 94 |
| Gregory B Roth | Male | 94 |
| Christopher A Wiklof | Male | 94 |
| Giuseppe Calafiore | Male | 93 |
| Wanli Chi | Male | 91 |
| Eric John Wengreen | Male | 91 |
| Diwakar Gupta | Male | 91 |
| Yongjun Wu | Male | 91 |
| Morteza Safai | Male | 91 |
| Jeffery S Roh | Male | 87 |
Companies associated with the Washington Inventors
Top 50 Companies filing patents with Washington Inventors
| Company | Patents |
| Microsoft | 10966 |
| Amazon | 6107 |
| Boeing Co | 3784 |
| Meta Platforms | 3264 |
| T-Mobile | 2034 |
| HP Inc | 1004 |
| Intel | 881 |
| AT&T | 836 |
| 813 | |
| Sharp Corp | 539 |
| Oracle | 439 |
| Adobe | 426 |
| Apple | 400 |
| Nvidia | 350 |
| Philips | 309 |
| Snowflake | 305 |
| Salesforce | 296 |
| Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories | 284 |
| PACCAR Inc | 276 |
| Snap Inc | 268 |
| Honeywell | 256 |
| Advanced Micro Devices | 252 |
| Elwha Llc | 227 |
| Nike | 218 |
| West Affum Holdings | 210 |
| Micron Technology | 210 |
| IBM | 209 |
| EMC Corp | 200 |
| Wells Fargo | 192 |
| Alibaba | 187 |
| ServiceNow | 173 |
| Valve Corporation | 167 |
| Magic Leap | 166 |
| Seagen Inc | 165 |
| SigmaSense Llc | 164 |
| Splunk Inc | 160 |
| FG Innovation Company Ltd | 157 |
| Dolby Labs | 154 |
| VMware | 153 |
| Qualcomm | 151 |
| Rovi Guides | 150 |
| Physio Control | 146 |
| Fluke Corporation | 142 |
| Ossia Inc | 139 |
| TE Connectivity | 139 |
| HPE Inc | 133 |
| nLIGHT Inc | 128 |
| Bank Of America | 120 |
| Juno Therapeutics | 118 |
| Verizon | 115 |
Note: The companies featured in this list have affiliations with Inventors who are residents of Washington.
Patent Leaders by Domain:
Technology & Software:
Microsoft dominates with 10,966 patents, followed by Amazon (6,107) and Meta Platforms (3,264), leading innovation in software, cloud computing, and AR/VR technologies. Emerging players like Snowflake (305) and ServiceNow (173) showcase strong growth in enterprise and data solutions.
Telecommunications:
T-Mobile leads with 2,034 patents, with AT&T (836) and Verizon (115) driving advancements in wireless networks and 5G technologies.
Aerospace & Defense:
Boeing stands out with 3,784 patents, underscoring its leadership in aerospace and defense technologies.
Semiconductors & Hardware:
HP Inc tops with 1,004 patents, followed by Intel (881) and Nvidia (350), pushing boundaries in hardware, semiconductors, and AI processing. Micron Technology (210) and AMD (252) contribute significantly to memory and computing innovations.
Entertainment & Media:
Valve Corporation leads with 167 patents, followed closely by Magic Leap (166) and Dolby Labs (154), showcasing advancements in gaming, AR, and audio-visual technologies.
Medical Devices & Healthcare:
Philips leads with 309 patents, followed by Seagen Inc (165) and Physio Control (146), reflecting strength in healthcare and medical device innovations. Biotech firms like Juno Therapeutics (118) are making notable strides in cell therapies.
Automotive & Transportation:
PACCAR Inc takes the lead with 276 patents, with TE Connectivity (139) contributing to automotive and industrial innovations.
Energy & Engineering:
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories tops with 284 patents, followed by Honeywell (256) and Fluke Corporation (142), driving advancements in power systems and industrial technologies.
Banking & Financial Services:
Wells Fargo leads with 192 patents, followed by Bank of America (120), demonstrating innovation in financial technologies and digital banking solutions.
Consumer Goods:
Nike dominates with 218 patents, showcasing leadership in sportswear technology and innovation.
This categorization emphasizes Washington inventors’ contributions across diverse industries, led by technology and healthcare advancements.
Inventor Patent Filing Ratios in the last 7 Years (2017 – 2024)
Note: The analysis of patenting by gender is based on the information available at USPTO. The gender of inventors is determined using the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) World Gender-Name Standards Dictionary (WGND) 2.0. Fractional counting of inventors is used, with the credit for each patent divided equally between the inventors.
Patent Filing Trend of Female Inventors of Washington in the last 7 years
This chart highlights both achievements in female representation and challenges in sustaining growth, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to support women in innovation, especially as projections indicate gradual improvement in the coming years.
Patent Filing Patterns for Women Inventors in Washington
Key Female Inventors from Washington State of US
| Inventors | Patents | Currently Associated |
| Lu Lu | 145 | Meta Platforms |
| Yasmin Karimli | 81 | IntelliTek Cyber.ai |
| Emily H Qi | 81 | IEEE 802.11 |
| Hee Yoon Lee | 74 | Meta Platforms |
| Wai Sze Tiffany Lam | 70 | Meta Platforms |
| Donna L Polehn | 67 | Verizon/Freelance |
| Jaimie Emerald Chan | 65 | Pioneer Square Brands |
| Katherine Marie Smyth | 65 | Exo Imaging |
| Elizabeth A Sweeney | 56 | Elwha Llc |
| Laura Marie Gustavson | 56 | Kestra Medical Technologies |
| Amanda A Koh | 55 | Paccar Inc |
| Constantine Hatzilias | 51 | Meta Platforms |
| Karin Strauss | 50 | Microsoft |
| Zoie R Engman | 49 | West Affum Holdings |
| Afsoon Jamali | 47 | Meta Platforms |
| Mengfei Wang | 45 | Meta Platforms |
| Tanya Malhotra | 43 | |
| Jasmine Soria Sears | 43 | Meta Platforms |
| Renate Eva Klementine Landig | 41 | Meta Platforms |
| Yasuko Eckert | 41 | Advanced Micro Devices |
| Consuelo M Blosch | 38 | Seagen Inc |
| Chia-Yiu Maa | 38 | Aleddra Inc |
| Qing Chao | 37 | University Of Washington |
| Rebecca Kern | 36 | Paccar Inc |
| Xiaoxi Wang | 36 | Boeing |
| Xue Jun Wu | 35 | Extrahop Networks |
| Miranda C Hill | 34 | Avanade |
| Leah A Thompkins | 33 | BASF |
| Ginger Chien | 33 | AT&T |
Key Female Inventors from Washington:
Lu Lu is a seasoned innovator with over 15 years of expertise in liquid crystals, polarization holograms, and AR/VR optics and displays, dedicated to developing and commercializing scalable, profitable technologies. With 7+ years of experience building and leading high-performing, cross-disciplinary teams, Lu fosters trust, promotes collaboration, and tailors mentoring to maximize motivation and results. A proven collaborator with 10+ years of experience working across organizational boundaries, Lu excels at aligning stakeholders, defining cohesive goals, and delivering ambitious objectives. Driven by a passion for learning and growth, Lu embodies a strategic, self-starting, and goal-oriented mindset.
Yasmin Karimli, a pioneering inventor based in Kirkland, has transformed telecommunication technology with her remarkable portfolio of 81 patents. Her latest innovations include dynamic primary cell selection for 5G carrier aggregation and advanced subframe allocation for wireless networks, optimizing performance under varying conditions. With a career highlighted by contributions to T-Mobile USA and T-Mobile Innovations, Yasmin has driven groundbreaking advancements in telecommunication networks. Collaborating with esteemed professionals like Gunjan Nimbavikar and Ming Shan Kwok, she continues to push the boundaries of wireless communication systems. Yasmin’s relentless pursuit of innovation and commitment to making a positive impact inspire the next generation of inventors, solidifying her legacy as a visionary in the tech industry.
Emily Qi is a seasoned technical leader and former Principal Engineer who retired from Intel in 2024 after an illustrious 28-year career. Renowned for shaping Intel’s Wireless and Connectivity strategy, Emily played a key role in advancing IEEE 802.11 and Wi-Fi standardization. As a technical editor for IEEE standards 802.11-2016 and 802.11-2020, and chair of the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi Direct Task Group, she has deep expertise in Wi-Fi protocols, wireless network security, and energy-efficient technologies. Her contributions, from research to product implementation, have driven innovations like power saving, location services, and seamless device connectivity in Wi-Fi standards, leaving a lasting impact on the wireless industry.
Universities filing patents with the Inventors from Washington State of US
Note: These are the institutions wherein the key innovators from Washington filed the majority of their patents.
University of Washington, Battelle Memorial Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center —are leading the charge in innovation, collectively filing 1493 patents over the past seven years (2017-2024).
The University of Washington fosters innovation through its CoMotion office, which supports researchers in transforming ideas into impactful products and services. With a strong culture of entrepreneurship, UW consistently produces high-impact discoveries, filing numerous patents annually across diverse disciplines, including electrical and computer engineering, medicine, and AI. The Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering alone reported 65 patents filed and 18 issued in a single year, showcasing its commitment to advancing cutting-edge technologies and fostering campus-wide entrepreneurial ventures.
Battelle Memorial Institute is a leader in applied science and technology, with a legacy of conducting transformative research across biomedical engineering, defense, and energy sectors. It operates the largest privately owned Biosafety Level 3 facility in the U.S., driving innovations in medical countermeasures and device technologies. Battelle’s development of platforms like HIT SCAN™ for gene editing therapy underscores its role in advancing biomedical research, contributing to groundbreaking solutions in health and safety.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is a global leader in cancer research, dedicated to eliminating cancer and related diseases through pioneering studies and patient care innovations. It is renowned for breakthroughs in blood cancer treatment and translational research aimed at applying lab discoveries to clinical care. As part of the Early Detection Research Network, Fred Hutch drives innovation in identifying biomarkers for early cancer detection, solidifying its impact on advancing cancer prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.
Top Companies/Universities filing PCT Applications with the Inventors from Washington
| Top PCT Filers | Patents | Entity |
| Microsoft | 1122 | Company |
| Amazon | 140 | Company |
| University Of Washington | 102 | University |
| T-Mobile | 67 | Company |
| Intel | 62 | Company |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | 61 | Institute |
| HP Inc | 54 | Company |
| Seattle Children’s Hospital | 32 | Hospital |
| Seagen Inc | 27 | Company |
| Elwha Llc | 22 | Company |
| Sharp Corp | 22 | Company |
| Battelle Memorial Institute | 20 | Institute |
| Juno Therapeutics | 20 | Company |
| Sony | 17 | Company |
| nLIGHT Inc | 17 | Company |
| Washington State University | 15 | University |
| Allen Institute | 14 | Institute |
| Tokitae Llc | 14 | Company |
| TerraPower Llc | 13 | Company |
| Systimmune Inc | 13 | Company |
| Baili Pharmaceutical | 13 | Company |
| PACCAR Inc | 12 | Company |
| Advanced Micro Devices | 12 | Company |
| FG Innovation Company Ltd | 12 | Company |
| Kymeta Corporation | 12 | Company |
| Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems | 11 | Company |
| Seattle Gummy Company | 11 | Company |
| University Of California | 10 | University |
| Blaze Bioscience | 10 | Company |
| Vicis Inc | 9 | Company |