Apple successfully won 563 patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office during 2010, says IFI Claims Patent Services. The number is roughly double the 289 seized by Apple in 2009, and has allowed the company to crack the top 50 businesses with a rank of 46th. Most of the patents awarded were originally submitted by Apple in 2004 or 2005, meaning that the company's position could rise still further in coming years as patents are granted for an expanding range of technology.
