Followed by Samsung Electronics
LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics ranked first and second in patent applications for smart home appliances in Korea and the United States, according to a report from the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO).
KIPO surveyed 458 domestic patent applications for smart home appliances submitted from 2010 to 2019. LG Electronics came in first with 217 applications (47.4 percent), followed by Samsung Electronics with 84 applications (18.3 percent), Toshiba with 19 applications and Dongbu Daewoo Electronics with seven applications.
The number of patent applications for smart home appliances in Korea had been only 27 in 2010 but tripled to 92 in 2019.
LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics also surpassed other companies in patent applications for smart home appliances in the United States. LG Electronics nabbed first place with 154, accounting for 15.2 percent of the 1,016 applications filed over the past 10 years. Samsung Electronics placed second with 86 applications (8.5 percent). The combined number of patent applications of the two companies eclipsed that of the third- to fifth-ranking companies -- Haier, Google, and Whirlpool.