U.S. Patent Statistics and Numbers for 2017

Posted on December 28, 2017 by mjwhitekingston

The USPTO issued approximately 318,849 utility patents in 2017, an increase of about 5.2 percent over 2016, and published 380,450 utility and plant patent applications, slightly fewer than 2016.

Table 1 shows the number of documents by type. Design patents and plant patents increased by 6.9 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. Reissue patents declined 7.5 percent over 2016. The total number of patent documents published in 2017 was 726,218.

Table 1. US Patents by Type Issued in 2017*

Type 2017 2016 % Change
Utility patents 318,849 303,051 5.2
Reissue patents 394 426 -7.5
Design patents 30,872 28,874 6.9
Plant patents 1,311 1,235 6.2
Applications 380,450 381,792 0.4

*Based on preliminary data from the USPTO website. Totals may change after the fact due to withdrawn patents and published applications.

The USPTO is on track to issue patent number 10,000,000 in 2018, probably by May or June.

Table 2. US Patent Number Ranges, Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2017

Type First Number Last Number
Utility patents 9,532,496 9,854,720
Reissue patents RE46,259 RE46,653
Design patents D775,450 D806,349
Plant patents PP27,530 PP28,830
Applications 2017/0000001 2017/0374792
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U.S. Patent Statistics and Numbers for 2016

Posted on January 29, 2017 by mjwhitekingston

The USPTO issued 303,051 patents in 2016, an increase of 1.5 percent over 2015. It also published approximately 381,792 utility and plant patent applications, essentially unchanged from last year. Table 1 shows the number of documents by type. Design patents and plant patents increased by 11 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Reissue patents declined 16.8 percent over 2015.

Table 1. US Patents by Type Issued in 2016*

Type 2016 2015 % Change
Utility patents 303,051 298,446 1.5
Reissue patents 426 512 -16.8
Design patents 28,874 25,987 11.1
Plant patents 1,235 1,074 15.0
SIRs 0 0 0
Applications 381,792 380,450 0.35

*Based on preliminary data from the USPTO website. Totals may change after the fact due to withdrawn patents and published applications.

The USPTO reached another patent milestone on November 16 when it issued patent no. 9,500,000.

Table 2. US Patent Number Ranges, Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2016

Type First Number Last Number
Utility patents 9,226,437 9,532,495
Reissue patents RE45,832 RE46,258
Design patents D746,541 D775,449
Plant patents PP26,285 PP27,519
SIRs None None
Applications 2016/0000001 2016/0381857
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Top 100 Universities with US Patents Granted in 2015

Posted on July 16, 2016 by mjwhitekingston

The National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association have published a list of the top 100 worldwide universities granted U.S. utility patents in 2015. Topping the list are the University of California, MIT, Stanford, University of Texas and Tsinghua University (China).

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Obit: Leonard Lee, Canadian innovator and entrepreneur

Posted on July 16, 2016 by mjwhitekingston

Leonard Lee, founder of Lee Valley Tools, a woodworking and gardening tool supply company, has died at the age of 77. Lee started selling woodworking tools by mail order in the late 1970s and then branched out into gardening tools, kitchen equipment, home hardware, clothes and books. LVT has 850 employees, $150 million  annually in revenue and 19 retail locations. Lee was also an inventor who held more than forty patents for improvements in woodworking tools, jigs and devices.

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Patent Act of 1836 Celebrates 180th Anniversary

Posted on July 4, 2016 by mjwhitekingston

Today is the Fourth of July, the 240 birthday of the United States of America. It also marks the 180th anniversary of the modern U.S. patent system. On this date in 1836, a new patent statute went into effect. A week or so later, on July 13, the first patent issued under the new act was granted to John Ruggles of Thomaston, Maine. In addition to being an inventor, Ruggles was a senator and one of the principal authors of the new law.

The Patent Act of 1836 was a watershed in U.S. patent history. It introduced (or re-introduced) the concept of examination: Patent examiners were required to search the prior art in order to validate the inventor’s claims that their inventions were new and non-obvious. The term of a patent was 14 years with the possibility of a seven year extension. The term was changed to 17 years in 1861.

Ruggles’ patent was called “Traction Wheels” for a “Locomotive Steam-engine for Rail and Other Roads.” The main idea of the invention was a system of cogs attached to a locomotive’s wheels for improved traction during icy or snowy conditions. Ruggles’ patent probably expired in 1850; there’s no evidence that he requested a seven year extension. He received at least one other patent, no. 202, in 1837 for a “rail for railways.”

Since 1836, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued more than 9.3 million patents.

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USPTO Director is First Woman to Lead Agency

Posted on April 24, 2015 by mjwhitekingston

A few weeks ago Michelle K. Lee was officially appointed Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) director. She is the first woman to hold the position and the 53rd head in the agency’s two-hundred year history.  Ms. Lee served as deputy director since January 13, 2014. The USPTO has been led by acting and deputy heads since the departure on January 31, 2013 of David Kappos, who served about 3.5 years.

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US Patent Milestone: 9,000,000

Posted on April 7, 2015 by mjwhitekingston

The USPTO reached another patent milestone on April 7 by issuing patent no. 9,000,000 to inventor Matthew Carroll of Florida. Mr. Carroll’s invention is a system for collecting and conditioning rainwater from a car’s windshield and channeling it to the vehicle’s windshield washer reservoir.

Patent no. 8,000,000 was issued on August 17, 2011, slightly less than four years ago. See the Patent Milestones page for other milestones in U.S. patent history.

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EPO patent filings up 3.1 percent in 2014

Posted on March 3, 2015 by mjwhitekingston

The EPO reports that patent filings were up 3.1 percent in 2014, to a record of nearly 275,000 applications. Approximately 65 percent of the filings originated from outside Europe with the U.S. accounting for 26 percent.

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Obit: Kenji Ekuan, Designer of Soy Sauce Bottle, Bullet Train

Posted on February 9, 2015 by mjwhitekingston

Japanese industrial designer Kenji Ekuan died a few days ago at the age of 85. Ekuan designed hundreds of products but is best known for creating the red-capped Kikkoman soy sauce dispenser in 1961, followed by the Yamaha VMAS motorcycle and Komachi bullet train. He also designed snowmobiles (US D216389) for Yamaha and computers (US D282844) for Epson.

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U.S. Patent Statistics and Numbers for 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014 by mjwhitekingston

The USPTO issued 326,076 patents in 2014, an increase of 6.7 percent over 2013, and published 380,457 utility and plant patent applications, up 9.6 percent. The total number of U.S. patent documents published in 2014 increased to 706,553, another all-time high. Table 1 shows the number of documents by type.

Table 1. US Patents by Type Issued in 2014*

Type 2014 2013 % Change
Utility patents 300,715 279,899  7.4
Reissue patents 626 844 -25.8
Design patents 23,657 23,479 0.8
Plant patents 1,072 846 26.7
SIRs 6 13 -53.8
Applications 380,457 347,148 9.6

*Based on preliminary data from the USPTO website. Totals may change after the fact due to withdrawn patents and published applications.

The USPTO is rapidly approaching the 9,000,000 mark for utility patents. At the current rate of about 5,700 utility patents per week, it is likely that patent no. 9,000,000 will be issued in March or April of 2015.

The number of Statutory Invention Registrations declined to 6 from 13, a drop of 53.8 percent. The USPTO abolished SIRs in 2013.

Table 2. US Patent Number Ranges, Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2014

Type First Number Last Number
Utility patents 8,621,662 8,925,111
Reissue patents RE44,689 RE45,316
Design patents D696,836 D720,515
Plant patents PP24,135 PP25,206
SIRs H2288 H2293
Applications 2014/0000001 2014/380543
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