How many worldwide patents are credited to Thomas Edison?

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman, who has been described as America's greatest inventor. Thomas Edison accumulated 2,332 patents worldwide for his inventions. 1,093 of Edison's patents were in the United States, but other patents were approved in countries around the globe.

Edison is credited for contributing to various inventions, including the phonograph, the kinetoscope, the dictaphone, the electric lamp (in particular the incandescent light bulb), and the autographic printer. He also greatly improved the telephone by inventing the carbon microphone. Most of these inventions were not completely original but improvements of earlier inventions. However, one of Edison's major innovations was the first industrial research and development lab, which was built in Menlo Park and West Orange.

Throughout the 20th century, Edison was the world's most prolific inventor. At the beginning of the century, he held 736 U.S. patents. His final count was 1,093 U.S. patents, including 1084 utility patents (patents for inventions) and 9 artistic design patents. It was not until June 17, 2003 that he was passed by Japanese inventor Shunpei Yamazaki. Yamazaki was subsequently passed by Australian inventor Kia Silverbrook on February 26, 2008.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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17 Comments

John Moore

I was sure the answer was incorrect. I checked. He had 512 Worldwide Patents. He had 1093 patents in the US. There were patents pending but the number isn't given. Some of the patents were applied for in other countries but not worldwide. This is a complex question which has been dealt with clumsily, the answers available are all incorrect

Phil Whitley

As is alluded to in the write up, it could be more accurately said that Edison was a prolific patenter, as very few if any of his inventions were original work. It also should be said that most of His devices were built at menlo park by a backroom team of skilled (and, by all accounts underpaid) engineers. Edison had a network of worldwide offices which monitored developments across the wordl so that Edison could build his own version and get the first US patent.

Richard G. Gomsrud

None of the options are correct according to multiple sources that I have researched. None came close to the number put forth as "correct" for this question. Isn't anyone watching the store????? Misinformation put forth as accurate and unchallenged, the bane of the internet.

dick aspel

These figures are very highly disputable indeed. Very poor question and very poor diligence.

Beverley

Not sure this is true

Albeck1994

Phil Whitley, so agree he was a business man first and foremost, he purloined from Tesla, and employed a research team who's ideas he patented, he invented fairly little if anything.