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Table 1: Summary of Patent Examining Activities

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITIES
(FY 2006 - FY 2010)
(PRELIMINARY FOR FY 2010)1
Patent Examining Activity 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Applications filed, total1, 2 445,613 468,330 496,886 486,499 509,367
Utility3 417,453 439,578 466,258 458,901 478,649
Reissue 1,204 1,057 1,080 1,035 1,144
Plant 1,103 1,002 1,331 988 1,015
Design 25,853 26,693 28,217 25,575 28,559

Provisional applications filed2, 4		 121,471 132,459 143,034 134,438 140,551

First actions		          
Design 23,291 29,029 28,756 27,858 26,051
Utility, Plant, and Reissue 320,349 367,953 422,065 469,946 447,485
PCT/Chapter 25,034 24,741 51,300 20,797 15,574

Patent application disposals, total		 332,535 362,227 396,228 487,140 553,549

Allowed patent applications, total		 186,593 195,530 187,607 214,523 264,119
Design 20,721 25,747 24,735 25,403 23,681
Utility, Plant, and Reissue 165,872 169,783 162,872 189,120 240,438

Abandoned, total		 145,912 166,690 208,610 272,607 289,419
Design 2,125 2,661 2,936 3,840 3,101
Utility, Plant, and Reissue 143,787 164,029 205,674 268,767 286,318

Statutory invention registration disposals, total		 30 7 11 10 11

PCT/Chapter II examinations completed		 7,295 5,336 2,937 3,468 2,265
Applications Published5 291,259 302,678 309,194 325,988 338,452
Patents issued2, 6 183,187 184,376 182,556 190,121 233,127
Utility 162,509 160,306 154,699 165,212 207,915
Reissue 500 548 662 398 861
Plant 1,106 979 1,179 1,096 978
Design 19,072 22,543 26,016 23,415 23,373

Pendency time of average patent application7		 31.1 31.9 32.2 34.6 35.3
Reexamination certificates issued 329 367 575 698 776
PCT international applications received by USPTO as receiving office 52,524 54,214 54,488 47,572 45,701
National requirements received by USPTO as designated/elected office 48,158 52,339 57,345 57,879 61,587
Patents renewed under Public Law (Pub.L.) 102-2048 324,913 343,894 353,923 304,096 361,668
Patents expired under Pub.L. 102-2048 72,654 67,122 67,127 66,330 79,993

Notes:

1: FY 2010 data are preliminary and will be finalized in the FY 2011 PAR. (back to text)

2: FY 2009 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 Pub.L. 103-465. (back to text)

5: Eighteen-month publication of patent applications provided for in the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, Pub.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 Pub.L. 102-204 regarding the renewal of patents superceded Pub.L. 96-517 and Pub.L. 97-247. (back to text)

 

United States Patent and Trademark Office
Last Modified: 01/14/2011 10:59:26