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U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Office of Electronic Information Products
Patent Technology Monitoring Division (PTMD)


PATENTING TRENDS
CALENDAR YEAR 2002

(document dated 4-FEB-2003)

In calendar year 2002, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a record number of patent documents including 167,334 utility, 15,451 design, 1133 plant, and 461 reissue patents, and 49 statutory invention registrations for a total of 184,428 patent documents for the year. Annual grants of all patent documents increased by .2 percent over the total for calendar year 2001 (184,048 grants in 2001). Calendar year 2002 grants of utility patents ('patents for inventions') numbered 167,334, a .8 percent increase over the total for 2001 (166,045).

In 2002, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident inventors was 52.7 percent, down from the 53.6 percent U.S. share for 2001. California-resident inventors claimed a 21.9 percent share (21,238 patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by resident inventors from New York (7.3 percent, 7,075 patents), Texas (6.5 percent, 6,342 patents), Michigan (4.4 percent, 4,235 patents), New Jersey (4.2 percent, 4,098 patents), Ohio (4.1 percent, 3,973 patents) and Illinois (4.1 percent, 3,938 patents). U.S.- resident inventors of the following areas had large percentage increases in patent receipts from 2001 to 2002: Puerto Rico, Kansas, Oregon, South Carolina, Indiana, Idaho, Maine and South Dakota.

There were 17,494 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2002, down from the 2001 count of U.S. independent inventor patents (18,837). The independent inventor share of all patents issued to U.S.-resident inventors dropped to 18.0 percent in 2002 from a 19.1 percent share in 2001.

Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 47.3 percent share of all U.S. patents issued in 2002. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2002 was 19.7 percent, up from 19.0 percent in 2001. The 2002 share of U.S. patents that were issued to Germany-resident inventors was 6.5 percent, the same share as in 2001.

In 2002, the number of patent grants to Netherlands residents increased by 12.5 percent over the total for 2001. Among the countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents, South Korea and Japan also displayed large increases in the number of patents granted to their residents. Other countries with large percentage increases in annual patent receipts for 2001 include India, the People's Republic of China, Singapore, Mexico, and Finland.

The eleven foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2002 are displayed in the table below. Following the table is a detail table that lists states and countries and the percentage change in patenting by their residents from 2001 to 2002.

This table displays the eleven foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2002. Figures for the United States and for all countries overall are listed at the end of the table.
Rank
in 2002
Number
of Patents
in 2002
Share of
All Patents
in 2002
Country * (Rank
in 2001)
(Number
of patents
in 2001)
(2001 to 2002)
(Change in Number
of patents
1 36,340 19.7% Japan (1) (34,890) ( 4.2% )
2 11,954 6.5% Germany (2) (11,893) ( 0.5% )
3 6,730 3.6% Taiwan (3) (6,545) ( 2.8% )
4 4,421 2.4% France (4) (4,456) ( -0.8% )
5 4,197 2.3% United Kingdom (5) (4,356) ( -3.7% )
6 4,009 2.2% South Korea (7) (3,763) ( 6.5% )
7 3,856 2.1% Canada (6) (4,063) ( -5.1% )
8 1,961 1.1% Italy (8) (1,978) ( -0.9% )
9 1,824 1.0% Sweden (9) (1,933) ( -5.6% )
10 1,681 0.9% Netherlands (11) (1,494) ( 12.5% )
11 1,532 0.8% Switzerland (10) (1,557) ( -1.6% )
            
  97,135 52.7% United States   (98,661) ( -1.5% )
  184,428 100.0% All Countries  (184,048) ( 0.2% )

Notes:

Counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registrations.

* Please note that the country of origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor.


Annual Percentage Change in Patent Counts
By U.S. State and Country of Origin *
Calendar Year 2001 to 2002

This table displays states and countries of origin * along with the annual percentage change in patent counts (including utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registractions) from calendar year 2001 to 2002. U.S. and foreign totals are displayed at the end of each corresponding section of the table. U.S., foreign, and overall totals are displayed at the end of the table.
State or Country * Number
of Patents
in 2001
Number
of Patents
in 2002
Number
of Patents
in 2001-2002
Annual Percent
Increase
ALABAMA 453 441 894 -2.6%
ALASKA 58 50 108 -13.8%
ARIZONA 1701 1699 3400 -0.1%
ARKANSAS 223 213 436 -4.5%
CALIFORNIA 20861 21238 42099 1.8%
COLORADO 2110 2130 4240 0.9%
CONNECTICUT 2071 1991 4062 -3.9%
DELAWARE 425 386 811 -9.2%
FLORIDA 3149 2854 6003 -9.4%
GEORGIA 1601 1534 3135 -4.2%
HAWAII 107 91 198 -15.0%
IDAHO 1737 1876 3613 8.0%
ILLINOIS 4273 3938 8211 -7.8%
INDIANA 1595 1745 3340 9.4%
IOWA 815 681 1496 -16.4%
KANSAS 382 503 885 31.7%
KENTUCKY 547 496 1043 -9.3%
LOUISIANA 562 484 1046 -13.9%
MAINE 156 168 324 7.7%
MARYLAND 1640 1612 3252 -1.7%
MASSACHUSETTS 3972 3837 7809 -3.4%
MICHIGAN 4236 4235 8471 0.0%
MINNESOTA 2926 2976 5902 1.7%
MISSISSIPPI 228 180 408 -21.1%
MISSOURI 966 963 1929 -0.3%
MONTANA 162 152 314 -6.2%
NEBRASKA 253 248 501 -2.0%
NEVADA 371 368 739 -0.8%
NEW HAMPSHIRE 671 657 1328 -2.1%
NEW JERSEY 4286 4098 8384 -4.4%
NEW MEXICO 391 388 779 -0.8%
NEW YORK 7181 7075 14256 -1.5%
NORTH CAROLINA 2267 2140 4407 -5.6%
NORTH DAKOTA 107 86 193 -19.6%
OHIO 3995 3973 7968 -0.6%
OKLAHOMA 633 518 1151 -18.2%
OREGON 1504 1716 3220 14.1%
PENNSYLVANIA 3842 3642 7484 -5.2%
RHODE ISLAND 334 311 645 -6.9%
SOUTH CAROLINA 644 711 1355 10.4%
SOUTH DAKOTA 85 90 175 5.9%
TENNESSEE 962 1003 1965 4.3%
TEXAS 6764 6342 13106 -6.2%
UTAH 803 747 1550 -7.0%
VERMONT 507 509 1016 0.4%
VIRGINIA 1281 1302 2583 1.6%
WASHINGTON 2257 2301 4558 1.9%
WEST VIRGINIA 161 166 327 3.1%
WISCONSIN 2253 2120 4373 -5.9%
WYOMING 59 61 120 3.4%
DIST. OF COLUMBIA 73 65 138 -11.0%
GUAM 5 2 7 -60.0%
PUERTO RICO 12 22 34 83.3%
UNITED STATES 1 0 1 -100.0%
VIRGIN (U.S.) ISLANDS 3 1 4 -66.7%
         
U.S. TOTALS 98661 97135 195796 -1.5%
         
ALGERIA 1 0 1 -100.0%
ANDORRA 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
ARAB EMIRATES 6 6 12 0.0%
ARGENTINA 58 58 116 0.0%
ARMENIA 1 1 2 0.0%
ARUBA 1 0 1 -100.0%
AUSTRALIA 1031 991 2022 -3.9%
AUSTRIA 632 559 1191 -11.6%
THE BAHAMAS 10 13 23 30.0%
BARBADOS 4 4 8 0.0%
BELARUS 7 2 9 -71.4%
BELGIUM 796 801 1597 0.6%
BERMUDA 4 5 9 25.0%
BOLIVIA 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 1 1 2 0.0%
BRAZIL 125 112 237 -10.4%
BRUNEI 1 0 1 -100.0%
BULGARIA 5 3 8 -40.0%
CANADA 4063 3856 7919 -5.1%
CAYMAN ISLANDS 4 12 16 200.0%
CHILE 15 13 28 -13.3%
CHINA,HONG KONG SAR 621 589 1210 -5.2%
CHINA P.REP. 265 390 655 47.2%
COLOMBIA 14 8 22 -42.9%
COSTA RICA 12 8 20 -33.3%
CROATIA 8 12 20 50.0%
CUBA 4 9 13 125.0%
CYPRUS 1 1 2 0.0%
CZECH REPUBLIC 23 29 52 26.1%
CZECHOSLOVAKIA 7 2 9 -71.4%
DENMARK 556 559 1115 0.5%
DOMINICA 2 0 2 -100.0%
DOMINICAN REPL. 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
ECUADOR 4 0 4 -100.0%
EGYPT 6 5 11 -16.7%
EL SALVADOR 3 0 3 -100.0%
ESTONIA 2 6 8 200.0%
FIJI 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
FINLAND 769 856 1625 11.3%
FR. POLYNESIA 1 1 2 0.0%
FRANCE 4456 4421 8877 -0.8%
GEORGIA (REPL. OF) 2 3 5 50.0%
GERMANY 11893 11954 23847 0.5%
GREECE 26 22 48 -15.4%
GUATEMALA 0 5 5 No 2001 Patents
HONDURAS 0 2 2 No 2001 Patents
HUNGARY 61 48 109 -21.3%
ICELAND 21 15 36 -28.6%
INDIA 179 267 446 49.2%
INDONESIA 10 15 25 50.0%
IRAN 2 0 2 -100.0%
IRELAND 166 147 313 -11.4%
ISRAEL 1031 1108 2139 7.5%
ITALY 1978 1961 3939 -0.9%
JAMAICA 1 2 3 100.0%
JAPAN 34890 36340 71230 4.2%
JORDAN 3 1 4 -66.7%
KAZAKHSTAN 3 2 5 -33.3%
KENYA 4 1 5 -75.0%
KUWAIT 6 8 14 33.3%
KYRGYZSTAN 1 0 1 -100.0%
LATVIA 1 0 1 -100.0%
LEBANON 2 2 4 0.0%
LIECHTENSTEIN 24 17 41 -29.2%
LITHUANIA 4 5 9 25.0%
LUXEMBOURG 48 52 100 8.3%
MACAU 0 2 2 No 2001 Patents
MADAGASCAR 2 0 2 -100.0%
MALAYSIA 56 62 118 10.7%
MALTA 2 1 3 -50.0%
MARSHALL ISLANDS 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
MEXICO 87 105 192 20.7%
MOLDOVA, REPL. OF 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
MONACO 20 21 41 5.0%
MOROCCO 1 0 1 -100.0%
NETH. ANTILLES 0 3 3 No 2001 Patents
NETHERLANDS 1494 1681 3175 12.5%
NEW GUINEA 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
NEW ZEALAND 160 173 333 8.1%
NIGERIA 1 4 5 300.0%
NORWAY 282 261 543 -7.4%
PAKISTAN 2 1 3 -50.0%
PANAMA 1 1 2 0.0%
PERU 6 1 7 -83.3%
PHILIPPINES 15 19 34 26.7%
POLAND 16 13 29 -18.8%
PORTUGAL 16 12 28 -25.0%
ROMANIA 10 4 14 -60.0%
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 239 203 442 -15.1%
SAINT KITTS & NEVIS 2 2 4 0.0%
SAUDI ARABIA 12 10 22 -16.7%
SINGAPORE 304 421 725 38.5%
SLOVAKIA 1 9 10 800.0%
SLOVENIA 21 16 37 -23.8%
SOUTH AFRICA 137 124 261 -9.5%
SOUTH KOREA 3763 4009 7772 6.5%
SPAIN 340 358 698 5.3%
SRI LANKA 3 15 18 400.0%
SURINAME 1 0 1 -100.0%
SWEDEN 1933 1824 3757 -5.6%
SWITZERLAND 1557 1532 3089 -1.6%
SYRIA 1 2 3 100.0%
TAIWAN 6545 6730 13275 2.8%
TANZANIA 1 0 1 -100.0%
THAILAND 47 61 108 29.8%
TRINIDAD/TOBAGO 4 0 4 -100.0%
TUNISIA 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
TURKEY 14 18 32 28.6%
TURKS AND CAICOS ISL. 1 1 2 0.0%
U.S.S.R. 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
UGANDA 1 1 2 0.0%
UKRAINE 21 28 49 33.3%
UNITED KINGDOM 4356 4197 8553 -3.7%
URUGUAY 0 3 3 No 2001 Patents
UZBEKISTAN 2 1 3 -50.0%
VENEZUELA 28 32 60 14.3%
VIET NAM 1 4 5 300.0%
VIRGIN (BRIT.) ISL. 1 3 4 200.0%
YEMEN 0 1 1 No 2001 Patents
YUGOSLAVIA 4 4 8 0.0%
ZIMBABWE 1 1 2 0.0%
         
FOREIGN TOTALS 85387 87293 172680 2.2%
         
U.S. TOTALS 98661 97135 195796 -1.5%
FOREIGN TOTALS 85387 87293 172680 2.2%
TOTAL 184048 184428 368476 0.2%

Notes:

Counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registrations.

* Please note that the country of origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor.


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