US trademark office issues 10 millionth patent

(CNN) - The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent number 10 million.

The office announced Tuesday the 10 millionth patent is for a "coherent ladar using intra-pixel quadrature detection."

Yes, it is a mouthful.

It's a surveying device that can be used on everything from vehicles to medical imaging devices.

The patent office says it can also have applications for space and undersea exploration.

Raytheon Company, a defense contractor owns patent number 10-million.

But a good chunk of those issued in the U.S. usually come from the tech industry.

Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Google and Samsung were each granted more than 2,000 patents last year.

They rank among the top 15 patent holders in the country.

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