Canon #2 on USPTO's 2005 list

Canon received 1,828 patents in 2005, which makes it the second-most active company on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Top 10 Rankings for 2005. The company was in third place last year, and has now been on the "Top 10 List" for 14 consecutive years.

Congratulations, Canon!

Canon Captures Number Two Position on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Top 10 Rankings for 2005; Canon Celebrates Its 14th Consecutive Year as One of the Top Three Patent-Receiving Organizations

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. --(Business Wire)-- Jan. 13, 2006 -- Underscoring its commitment to pioneering information and imaging technologies and innovations that revolutionize workstyles and lifestyles, Canon Inc. today announced that it has captured the number two position on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Top 10 Rankings for 2005.

In 2005, Canon received 1,828 patents(1), rising one position from its 2004 third-place ranking. Canon has been one of the top three patent-receiving organizations for the past 14 consecutive years, and number two for the total number of patents received in the past 10 years. Canon spends nearly eight percent of its yearly sales on research and development, allowing the company to constantly be a leading innovator in many consumer and business markets.

"Canon has a long heritage of imaging excellence and innovation that has helped us earn the trust of customers around the world," said Joe Adachi, president and chief executive officer, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "With that heritage as our foundation, Canon leads the market in bringing quality and original digital imaging technology to a broad range of consumers, businesses and industries."

Canon's heritage of innovation extends back to the company's founding in the 1930's. Canon released the first 35mm camera in 1936 and the first Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera in 1959. In addition, Canon's AE-1 (1976), which was the first SLR with a built-in microprocessor, was the best selling 35mm SLR camera in history. Also, in the mid-1970's, Canon's innovative Bubble Jet printing technology was born in the Canon Labs.

From the original laser-based copier to the networking and digitalization of the workplace to today's shift to color documents, Canon has set the standard for digital imaging in departmental, workgroup environments and high-end production applications. Canon entered the business machines industry in the 1960s, and went on to achieve world-class status for its technological innovations. In 1968, Canon introduced a plain-paper copying machine. Canon also further improved electrophotography technologies to create the full-color copying machine family - the CLC Series - and the award-winning imageRUNNER Series of networked digital MFPs, both benchmarks for imaging innovation.