Patents work much better for some industries (e.g. pharmaceuticals) than others. Software patents are mostly evil, but necessary if only for defensive purposes. I have 26 patents, most of them US patents:
5,757,917: Computerized payment system for purchasing goods and services on the internet
5,826,241: Computerized system for making payments and authenticating transactions over the internet
8,832,203: Single touch e-mail management
9,009,220: Analyzing stored electronic communications
9,294,308: Enhancing communication
9,432,419: Facilitating user communication about a common topic
9,443,488: Image transforming vision enhancement device
9,444,773: Automatic translator identification
9,628,297: Communication authentication using multiple communication media
9,628,419: System for annotation of electronic messages with contextual information
9,634,974: Enhancing communication
9,686,163: Determining Events by Analyzing Stored Electronic Communications
9,838,446: Facilitating user communication about a common topic
10,212,201: Facilitating user communication about a common topic
10,373,583: Image Transforming Vision Enhancement Device
10,547,525: Determining Events by Analyzing Stored Electronic Communications
10,579,617: Displaying Messages Relevant to System Administration
10,728,239: Mediated Access to Resources
11,163,898: Sharing Artifacts in Permission-Protected Archives
11,394,674: System for Annotation of Electronic Messages With Contextual Information
11,595,417: Systems and Methods for Mediating Access to Resources
I also have two international patents.
EP 2498459: Enhancing Communication
EP 2849390: Facilitating user communication about a common topic