US automaker General Motors has remained the top innovator among 184 companies ranked by the Patent Board in its quarterly automotive and transportation industry scorecard.

It is the third consecutive quarter that GM occupies the top spot, a statement said.

The Patent Board analyzes intellectual property performance across 17 industries and determines the leader in each sector based on measurements that include the number of patents, impact on the industry and technology and science strength.

It tracks the US and European Patent Office patent portfolios of more than 2,700 of the world’s top technology firms.

“We are busy reinventing the automobile, and we’re doing it sustainably with our customers and the environment in mind,” said Alan Taub, GM vice president of Research & Development.

“One person’s vehicle needs can be quite different from the next, so we’re creating designs for various lifestyles – building in technology that delivers a fun, safe, and efficient ride.”

GM engineers imagine what is possible and turn that vision into tangible advanced technologies that can drive the industry.

A majority of GM’s patents are tied to improving fuel economy and reducing emissions. Earlier this year, the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index of US patents ranked GM No. 1 in clean-energy patents across all industries for 2010, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service