As tech companies start to stockpile patents so that they can see off their rivals IFI Claims Patent Services, a company that maintains global patent databases, has clocked the outfits with the most weapons in any patent war.

More than 224,505 utility patents were awarded in the U.S. last year, jumping two percent over the previous year's record-breaking tally of 219,614 patents. IBM has always had the most patents, probably because it has been around the longest.  The company was granted 6,180 utility patents, up nearly five percent from 2010. Samsung was the number two 4,894 patents, followed by Canon at 2,821 patents, Panasonic with 2,559 and Toshiba with 2,483 utility patents.

Microsoft, which held on to the third spot in 2010, is in the sixth place with 2,311 utility patents granted last year, According to  IFI CEO Mike Baycroft global companies, and especially Asian ones, are collecting U.S patents at a dizzying pace, and now Asian firms hold eight of the top 10 slots in the 2011 ranking.

In the case of Samsung this might be because Apple or Microsoft will use one their patents against it.