Inventor · Santa Clara, CA, US

Ralph C. Merkle

38Patents
15h-index
39Co-inventors
81Inventor score

Filing activity: Sep 6, 1977 → Nov 22, 2021

Most-cited inventions

PatentTitleAreaCited byStatus
US4200770A Cryptographic apparatus and method Electricity 1,048 Expired
US5634012A System for controlling the distribution and use of digital works having a fee reporting mechanism Electricity 998 Expired
US4218582A Public key cryptographic apparatus and method Electricity 598 Expired
US4309569A Method of providing digital signatures Electricity 563 Expired
US5003597A Method and apparatus for data encryption Electricity 170 Expired
US5157726A Document copy authentication Electricity 155 Expired
US6397261B1 Secure token-based document server Physics 146 Expired
US4881264A Digital signature system and method based on a conventional encryption function Electricity 132 Expired
US7400732B2 Systems and methods for non-interactive session key distribution with revocation Electricity 64 Expired
US6601102B2 Secure token-based document server Physics 39 Expired
US6330549A Protected shareware Physics 37 Expired
US8171568B2 Positional diamondoid mechanosynthesis Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 22 Active
US7225160B2 Digital works having usage rights and method for creating the same Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 19 Expired
US8276211B1 Positional diamondoid mechanosynthesis Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 18 Active
US6993655B1 Record and related method for storing encoded information using overt code characteristics to identify covert code characteristics Physics 17 Expired
US9244097B1 Mechanosynthetic tools for a atomic-scale fabrication Physics 11 Active
US7269576B2 Content rendering apparatus Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 10 Expired
US10197597B2 Build sequences for mechanosynthesis Physics 9 Active
US9676677B2 Build sequences for mechanosynthesis Chemistry; Metallurgy 9 Active
US10309985B2 Build sequences for mechanosynthesis Physics 8 Active
US10138172B2 Methods, systems and workpieces using mechanosynthesis Performing Operations; Transporting 8 Active
US10308514B2 Systems and methods for the manufacture of atomically-precise products Performing Operations; Transporting 7 Active
US5357548A Reversible charge transfer and logic utilizing them Electricity 6 Expired
US10481866B2 Mechanical computing systems Electricity 6 Active
US10067160B2 Sequential tip systems and methods for positionally controlled chemistry Physics 6 Active

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Inventor disambiguation is heuristic; counts are objective bibliographic measures.