Canon Honored as One of the Top Ten Most Innovative Companies of the 20th Century

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--Jan. 12, 2000--Canon U.S.A., Inc. today announced that its parent company, Canon, Inc., has been recognized as one of the top ten most innovative companies of the 20th Century, according to an analysis by MicroPatent LLC. The ranking, which lists the companies that have received the most U.S. patents in the last 100 years, places Canon as No. 9. Canon is one of only two Japan-based companies in the top ten.

With a total of 18,876 U.S. patents granted in its 63-year corporate history, Canon broke through the top ten with a No. 5 ranking during the 1980s. The company then rose to its current No. 2 position, which it has held since 1990. As one of the most prolific inventors of consumer and professional imaging solutions, Canon consistently invests over one billion annually in research and development.

Among some of the most notable products developed from Canon patented technology are the laser beam print engine, bubble jet printing systems, plain-paper copying devices, eye-control focus systems for cameras and camcorders, and optical image stabilization for video cameras, broadcast lenses, and binoculars.