IBM, the worlds biggest computer-services provider, gained 6,180 patents last year Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) was second, its growth outpacing IBM, and Canon Inc. replaced Microsoft as third.Panasonic Corp. (6752) moved up to No. 4 and Toshiba Corp. (6502)advanced to fifth spot. Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, gained 4,894 patents last year, while Canon won 2,821. Microsoft dropped …
