Explanation of Data --
This set of drill-down tables has been prepared from the Technology Assessment and
Forecast (TAF) database and displays utility patent activity (i.e., 'patents for
inventions'), by technology class, for patents having ownership assigned to U.S.
colleges and universities. Technology class of a patent, as identified for these
tables, is based on the PRIMARY classification of each patent in the U.S. Patent
Classification System as of 31 December, 2000 *. Counts of patents granted since 1969
are displayed in each table. Annual counts are available for each of the most
recent 21 years while counts for earlier years are displayed in a single data
column at the left side of each table.
For the purposes of this report and these tables, patent assignee (ownership)
information is determined by the first-named assignee at the time of patent grant,
as listed on the issuing patent.
Displayed patent counts in these tables are
distributed by the year in which the patents were granted. Counts of patent applications
received ARE NOT displayed in these reports.
These tables are divided into three types as follows:
- ALL U.S. UNIVERSITIES:
-
This table displays counts of utility patents (i.e., 'patents
for inventions') by technology class * for the entire group of patents
that has been associated with any and all identified U.S. colleges and
universities.
A total count of patents for all associated technology classes is also provided.
- TOP 100 R&D UNIVERSITIES:
-
This table displays counts of utility patents (i.e., 'patents
for inventions') by technology class * for the entire group of patents
that has been associated with the top 100 academic institutions ranked
according to R&D expenditures in fiscal year 1999 **.
A total count of patents for all associated technology classes is also provided.
- INDIVIDUAL LISTINGS FOR EACH TOP 100 R&D UNIVERSITY:
-
Each of these tables displays counts of utility patents (i.e., 'patents
for inventions') by technology class * for the entire group of patents
that has been associated with a university ranked in the top 100 academic institutions
according to R&D expenditures in fiscal year 1999 **.
A total count of patents for all associated technology classes is also provided.
Footnotes:
* -
The technology class breakouts available in these tables are major divisions of
technology in the U.S. Patent Classification System (USPCS). It should be noted
that each class is further divided into smaller divisions of technology called
subclasses. The USPCS currently contains approximately 460 total classes and 150,000
total subclasses. Technology classes available in these reports are classes of
technology as defined by the U.S. Patent Classification System as it existed on
31 December 2000.
Copies of each patent are placed (classified) in those subclasses that have been
identified as pertinent to the information disclosed in the patent. One, and only
one, of these subclasses is designated as the PRIMARY classification, and the
remainder (if any) are designated as CROSS-REFERENCE classifications.
Counting patents by PRIMARY classification, as has been done for these tables,
will ensure that each patent is counted only once. However, if a patent teaches
more than one concept, e.g., table and chair, only one concept, e.g., table,
will be counted . Please note that a patent's PRIMARY classification is
also referred to as its ORIGINAL classification in U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office specific terminology.
For this table, some classes have been combined together under a single
class identifier. In such cases, combined classes are noted in the accompanying
class titles. In addition, selected class titles have been modified to clarify
technological content. Patent classification is based on the PRIMARY classification
of each patent as of 31 December 2000.
If the record for a patent is incomplete and contains no PRIMARY classification,
then the patent is counted in class 001, titled CLASSIFICATION UNDETERMINED.
For a more detailed description of the technologies encompassed by a U.S. Patent
Classification System class of technology, the Manual of U.S. Patent Classification
and the U.S. Patent Classification System Classification Definitions should be
consulted.
----------
** -
Academic institutions in the top 100, based on R&D expenditures in fiscal year 1999,
are derived from National Science Foundation report,
Academic Research and
Development Expenditures, Fiscal Year 1999 (early release tables, Table 32).
This NSF report, based on NSF's fiscal year 1999
Survey of Research and
Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, depicts science and
engineering expenditures for separately budgeted research and development at
academic institutions:
The term 'separately budgeted R&D expenditures' includes all funds expended
for activities specifically organized to produce research outcomes and
commissioned by an agency either external to the institution or separately
budgeted by an organizational unit within the institution. 'Expenditures'
are funds actually spent by an institution during its fiscal year.
The names of academic institutions in the NSF report are shown in a table, 'Total R&D
Expenditures at U.S. Colleges and Universities: Top 100 Institutions in R&D Expenditures
in Fiscal Year 1999', available elsewhere in this patent report. The NSF report provides a ranking
that includes specific campuses of statewide systems, such as the University of California
at San Diego (
U CA San Diego), which is ranked 6th in R&D expenditures in 1999.
However, it is not always possible to identify the patents associated with a specific
campus; frequently, the name of a larger institution or statewide system-not a specific
campus--appears as the assignee name on a U.S. patent. For example, a patent assigned
to the University of California may or may not be associated with the San Diego campus.
For some academic institutions in the NSF top 100, only patent counts for larger
institutions or statewide systems can be provided.
The table, 'Total R&D Expenditures at U.S. Colleges and Universities: Top 100 Institutions
in R&D Expenditures in Fiscal Year 1999' shows the assignee names on U.S. patents that most
closely correspond to the academic institutions in the NSF top 100, and for which patent
counts are provided in this section. No attempt is made to provide total patent counts for
specific campuses or research facilities, and where they do appear, those figures should not
be considered the total patent count for those campuses or research facilities.
Other Information --
Analyzing the Data
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