Calendar Year 1993 Patenting Trends


During calendar year 1993, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
issued a record 109,892 patents (including utility, design,
plant, and reissue patents and statutory invention
registrations). This total represents an increase of 2 percent
over the 1992 total. Of these 1993 patents, 61,226, (55.7
percent) were issued to U.S. - resident inventors while 48,666
(44.3 percent) were issued to inventors residing outside the
United States.

The U.S.- resident inventor share of patents increased for the
fifth straight year. The 55.7 percent U.S. - resident inventor
share in 1993 is a full percent higher than the 54.7 percent
share in 1992. The U.S. share continues its upward trend since
1988 when the U.S. - resident inventor share stood at 53.0
percent.

Although the number of U.S. patents granted to residents of Japan
increased 1 percent in 1993, the Japan - resident inventor share
of all patents is down slightly at 21.3 percent for 1993 versus a
21.5 percent share in 1992. The number of U.S. patents granted to
residents of Germany declined 2 percent in 1993 and the German -
resident inventor share of all patents granted in 1993 is 6.5
percent, down from the 7.1 percent share held in 1992.

The ten foreign countries which received the most patents during
CALENDAR YEAR 1993 are shown below. In general, only slight
changes in ranking will occur from one year to the next. However,
the recent appearance of both China (Taiwan) and South Korea in
this list highlights the emergence of the Pacific rim region in
U.S. patenting.

Rank   (Rank in 1983)  Country               # Patents in 1993

  1        (1)         Japan                     23,411
  2        (2)         Germany                    7,183
  3        (4)         France                     3,154
  4        (3)         United Kingdom             2,520
  5        (5)         Canada                     2,230
  6       (20)         China (Taiwan)             1,510
  7        (8)         Italy                      1,454
  8        (6)         Switzerland                1,197
  9        (9)         Netherlands                  945
 10       (26)         South Korea                  830



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SOURCE:      U.S. Patent and Trademark Office                      (2-7-94)
             Technology Assessment and Forecast Program
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