TABLE 1: Summary of Patent Examining Activities

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITIES
(As of September 30 of each fiscal year)

PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITY	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Applications filed, total	311,807	344,717	353,394	355,418	376,810
Utility 1	291,653	324,211	331,580	331,729	351,431
Reissue	805	956	974	938	800
Plant	786	914	1,134	785	1,111
Design	18,563	18,636	19,706	21,966	23,468
Provisional Applications Filed 2	78,963	86,123	89,537	92,517	102,278
First actions
Design	17,856	17,748	19,029	19,013	17,328
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	237,421	241,770	275,054	283,111	288,315
PCT/Chapter 1	16,331	17,972	19,460	23,277	17,935
Patent application disposals, total	252,871	257,467	279,297	303,635	304,921
Allowed patent applications, total	182,888	183,394	189,191	205,879	195,611
Design	16,688	16,526	17,377	17,596	16,262
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	166,200	166,868	171,814	188,283	179,349
Abandoned, total	69,895	74,014	90,092	97,745	109,295
Design	1,839	1,448	1,675	1,569	1,471
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	68,056	72,566	88,417	96,176	107,824
Statutory invention registration disposals, total	88	59	14	11	15
PCT/Chapter II examinations completed	15,471	18,859	16,456	21,005	19,439
Applications Published 3		25,359	169,729	243,007	248,561
Patents issued 4	182,223	187,822	177,317	189,597	187,170
Utility	164,490	169,576	160,843	171,500	169,296
Reissue	561	504	466	394	343
Plant	453	563	912	1,178	998
Design	16,719	17,179	15,096	16,525	16,533
Pendency time of average patent application 5	25.0	24.7	24.0	26.7	27.6
Reexamination certificates issued	276	287	200	193	138
PCT international applications received by USPTO as receiving office	36,671	43,322	42,889	42,969	45,396
National requirements received by USPTO as designated/elected office	23,628	26,821	29,846	32,753	37,173
Patents renewed under Public Law (P.L.) 102-204 6	206,255	205,117	194,143	253,475	269,815
Patents expired under P.L. 102-204 6	47,958	49,077	53,724	57,770	63,552

Notes:

1: Utility patents include chemical, electrical and mechanical applications. (back to text)

2: Provisional applications provided for in P.L. 103-465. (back to text)

3: Eighteen-month publication of patent applications provided for in the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, P.L. 106-113. (back to text)

4: Excludes withdrawn numbers. (back to text)

5: Average time (in months) between filing and issuance or abandonment of utility, plant, and reissue applications. This average does not include design patents. (back to text)

6: The provisions of P.L. 102-204 regarding the renewal of patents superceded P.L. 96-517 and P.L. 97-247. (back to text)

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