TABLE 1: Summary of Patent Examining Activities

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITIES
(FY 2002 - FY 2006) PRELIMINARY FOR FY 2006 ¹

PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITY	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Applications filed, total 2	353,394	355,418	378,984	409,532	443,652
Utility 3	331,580	331,729	353,319	381,797	415,551
Reissue	974	938	996	1,143	1,173
Plant	1,134	785	1,212	1,288	1,095
Design	19,706	21,966	23,457	25,304	25,833
Provisional Applications Filed 4	89,537	92,517	102,268	111,753	121,307
First actions
Design	19,029	19,013	17,328	20,108	23,291
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	275,054	283,111	288,315	297,287	320,349
PCT/Chapter	19,460	23,277	17,935	22,795	25,034
Patent application disposals, total	279,297	303,635	304,921	298,838	332,535
Allowed patent applications, total	189,191	205,879	195,611	182,254	186,593
Design	17,377	17,596	16,262	18,161	20,721
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	171,814	188,283	179,349	164,093	165,872
Abandoned, total	90,092	97,745	109,295	116,564	145,912
Design	1,675	1,569	1,471	1,332	2,125
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	88,417	96,176	107,824	115,232	143,787
Statutory invention registration disposals, total	14	11	15	20	30
PCT/Chapter II examinations completed	16,456	21,005	19,439	12,594	7,295
Applications Published 5	169,729	243,007	248,561	291,221	291,259
Patents issued 6	177,312	189,590	187,170	165,483	183,187
Utility	160,839	171,493	169,296	151,077	162,509
Reissue	465	394	343	195	500
Plant	912	1,178	998	816	1,106
Design	15,096	16,525	16,533	13,395	19,072
Pendency time of average patent application 7	24.0	26.7	27.6	29.1	31.1
Reexamination certificates issued	200	193	138	223	329
PCT international applications received by USPTO as receiving office	42,889	42,969	45,396	46,926	52,911
National requirements received by USPTO as designated/elected office	29,846	32,753	37,173	39,385	45,095
Patents renewed under Public Law (P.L.) 102-204 8 (Preliminary)	194,143	253,475	269,815	268,935	324,913
Patents expired under P.L. 102-204 8 (Preliminary)	53,724	57,770	63,552	67,534	72,654

Notes:

1: FY 2006 data are preliminary and will be finalized in the FY 2007 PAR. (back to text)

2: FY 2005 application data has been updated with final end of year numbers. (back to text)

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

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

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

6: Excludes withdrawn numbers. Past years’ data may have been revised from prior year reports. (back to text)

7: 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)

8: 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)