We've written an awful lot regarding patents in the past 12 months. As it turns out, during that time Apple has been awarded a quite a few new ones for us to spend the next several decades talking about. In fact, The New York Times reports that 1 Infinite Loop was awarded 1,136 new patents in 2012 alone.
That number was up a whopping 68% over 2011, earning Apple the 22nd spot on a list of 50 companies led by IBM, which was awarded 6,478 patents in 2012. Apple rival Samsung came in second with 5,081 patents awarded; Google ranked just one spot ahead of Apple wi
