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Table 1: Summary of Patent Examining Activities

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITIES
(FY 2007 - FY 2011)
(PRELIMINARY FOR FY 2011)1
Patent Examining Activity 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Applications filed, total1, 2 468,330 496,886 486,499 510,060 536,604
Utility3 439,578 466,258 458,901 479,332 504,089
Reissue 1,057 1,080 1,035 1,138 1,139
Plant 1,002 1,331 988 1,013 1,106
Design 26,693 28,217 25,575 28,577 30,270

Provisional applications filed2, 4		 132,459 143,034 134,438 140,561 150,173

First actions		          
Design 29,029 28,756 27,858 26,051 25,042
Utility, Plant, and Reissue 367,953 422,065 469,946 447,485 505,651
PCT/Chapter 24,741 51,300 20,797 15,574 13,297

Patent application disposals, total		 362,227 396,228 487,140 553,549 533,943

Allowed patent applications, total		 195,530 187,607 214,523 264,119 266,580
Design 25,747 24,735 25,403 23,681 22,683
Utility, Plant, and Reissue 169,783 162,872 189,120 240,438 243,897

Abandoned, total		 166,690 208,610 272,607 289,419 267,353
Design 2,661 2,936 3,840 3,101 2,701
Utility, Plant, and Reissue 164,029 205,674 268,767 286,318 264,652

Statutory invention registration disposals, total		 7 11 10 11 10

PCT/Chapter II examinations completed		 5,336 2,937 3,468 2,265 3,191
Applications Published5 302,678 309,194 325,988 338,452 321,115
Patents issued2, 6 184,376 182,556 190,122 233,127 244,430
Utility 160,306 154,699 165,213 207,915 221,350
Reissue 548 662 398 861 969
Plant 979 1,179 1,096 978 816
Design 22,543 26,016 23,415 23,373 21,295

Pendency time of average patent application7		 31.9 32.2 34.6 35.3 33.7
Reexamination certificates issued 367 575 698 776 909
PCT international applications received by USPTO as receiving office 54,214 54,488 47,572 45,701 48,285
National requirements received by USPTO as designated/elected office 52,339 57,345 57,879 61,587 65,463
Patents renewed under Pub. L. No. 102-2048 343,894 353,923 304,096 361,668 378,830
Patents expired under Pub. L. No. 102-2048 67,122 67,127 66,330 79,993 82,146

Notes:

1: FY 2011 data are preliminary and will be finalized in the FY 2012 PAR. (back to text)

2: FY 2010 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 AIPA 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: 01/03/2012 14:04:42