TABLE 1: Summary of Patent Examining Activities

Performance and Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2007
Other Accompanying Information

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITIES
(FY 2003 - FY 2007)
PRELIMINARY FOR FY 2007¹
Patent Examining Activity	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Applications filed, total²	355,418	378,984	409,532	445,613	467,243
Utility³	331,729	353,319	381,797	417,453	438,576
Reissue	938	996	1,143	1,204	994
Plant	785	1,212	1,288	1,103	1,047
Design	21,966	23,457	25,304	25,833	26,626
Provisional Applications Filed⁴	92,517	102,268	111,753	121,471	132,352
First actions
Design	19,013	17,328	20,108	23,291	29,029
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	283,111	288,315	297,287	320,349	367,953
PCT/Chapter	23,277	17,935	22,795	25,034	24,741
Patent application disposals, total	303,635	304,921	298,838	332,535	362,227
Allowed patent applications, total	205,879	195,611	182,254	186,593	195,530
Design	17,596	16,262	18,161	20,721	25,747
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	188,283	179,349	164,093	165,872	169,783
Abandoned, total	97,745	109,295	116,564	145,912	166,690
Design	1,569	1,471	1,332	2,125	2,661
Utility, Plant, and Reissue	96,176	107,824	115,232	143,787	164,029
Statutory invention registration disposals, total	11	15	20	30	7
PCT/Chapter II examinations completed	21,005	19,439	12,594	7,295	5,336
Applications Published⁵	243,007	248,561	291,221	291,259	302,678
Patents issued⁶	189,590	187,170	165,483	183,187	184,377
Utility	171,493	169,296	151,077	162,509	160,308
Reissue	394	343	195	500	546
Plant	1,178	998	816	1,106	979
Design	16,525	16,533	13,395	19,072	22,544
Pendency time of average patent application⁷	26.7	27.6	29.1	31.1	31.9
Reexamination certificates issued	193	138	223	329	367
PCT international applications received by USPTO as receiving office²	42,969	45,396	46,926	52,524	52,214
National requirements received by USPTO as designated/elected office² ,⁸	32,753	37,173	41,256	48,158	52,339
Patents renewed under Public Law (P.L.) 102-204⁹	253,475	269,815	268,935	324,913	343,894
Patents expired under P.L. 102-204⁹	57,770	63,552	67,534	72,654	67,122
Notes: 1: FY 2007 data are preliminary and will be finalized in the FY 2008 PAR. (back to text) 2: FY 2006 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: FY 2005 data has been updated. (back to text) 9: 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)

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