Shares in specialty graphene materials maker Applied Graphene Materials rose over 4% on the news it gained its first patent approval. Applied Graphene Materials shares were trading at 235p at 10:10 on Wednesday, after the company said it has Japanese patent approval for its graphene production process.The firm, which makes a crystalline form of carbon for a variety of uses, has approval for its process for making graphene nanoplatelets only.In a statement the firm said it was the first of the group's patent applications to be granted, and it has patent applications in five other jurisdictions.Applied Graphene Materials chief executive Jon Mabbitt said the approval confirms the proprietary nature of its process, and Japan will be an important market for the group."We are continuing to build on our existing platform of intellectual property and know how, concerning both the production of graphene and formatting graphene dispersions, to provide the greatest enhancements and performance benefits for our partners and customers."