IBM Corp. won the most U.S. patents...

IBM Corp. won the most U.S. patents for the sixth consecutive year in 1998, beating its previous record by 40%, as it once again topped a list led largely by Asian firms, according to a survey being released today. IBM received 2,682 U.S. patents in 1998, roughly 750 more than in 1997 and nearly 40% more than No. 2 Canon Inc. of Japan, patent tracking firm IFI/Plenum Data Corp said.