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# Filing Years and Patent Application Serial Numbers Since 1882

## Table of Filing Years and Patent Application Serial Numbers,
for Patent Applications Filed Since 1882 -- for selected document types *

The following table allows a user to determine the approximate year when a patent application was filed based on its application series code and serial number. This table is intended to be used only as a rough guide and some application serial numbers (e.g., those based on patent filings under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)) have filing dates that may not fall within the time periods indicated by this table.
Please note that an application serial number is not the same as a patent number.
Filing Year | 1st Utility Application (approximate) | 1st Design Application (approximate) | 1st Provisional Application (approximate)
--- | --- | --- | ---
- | Series Code | Serial Number | Series Code | Serial Number | Series Code | Serial Number
1882 | n/a | 050,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1883 | n/a | 084,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1884 | n/a | 115,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1885 | n/a | 152,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1886 | n/a | 187,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1887 | n/a | 223,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1888 | n/a | 260,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1889 | n/a | 295,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1890 | n/a | 335,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1891 | n/a | 376,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1892 | n/a | 417,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1893 | n/a | 457,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1894 | n/a | 495,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1895 | n/a | 533,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1896 | n/a | 574,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1897 | n/a | 618,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1898 | n/a | 665,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1899 | n/a | 700,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1900 | n/a | 000,001 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1901 | n/a | 041,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1902 | n/a | 087,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1903 | n/a | 137,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1904 | n/a | 188,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1905 | n/a | 239,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1906 | n/a | 294,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1907 | n/a | 350,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1908 | n/a | 409,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1909 | n/a | 470,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1910 | n/a | 536,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1911 | n/a | 600,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1912 | n/a | 669,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1913 | n/a | 740,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1914 | n/a | 810,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1915 | 1 | 000,001 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1916 | 1 | 070,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1917 | 1 | 140,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1918 | 1 | 210,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1919 | 1 | 270,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1920 | 1 | 349,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1921 | 1 | 435,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1922 | 1 | 526,000 | n/a | 000,001 | n/a | n/a
1923 | 1 | 610,000 | n/a | 004,700 | n/a | n/a
1924 | 1 | 684,000 | n/a | 008,200 | n/a | n/a
1925 | 1 | 000,001 | n/a | 011,900 | n/a | n/a
1926 | 1 | 078,000 | n/a | 015,900 | n/a | n/a
1927 | 1 | 158,000 | n/a | 020,200 | n/a | n/a
1928 | 1 | 244,000 | n/a | 024,700 | n/a | n/a
1929 | 1 | 330,000 | n/a | 029,400 | n/a | n/a
1930 | 1 | 418,000 | n/a | 034,000 | n/a | n/a
1931 | 1 | 506,000 | n/a | 038,000 | n/a | n/a
1932 | 1 | 584,000 | n/a | 042,300 | n/a | n/a
1933 | 1 | 650,000 | n/a | 046,700 | n/a | n/a
1934 | 1 | 705,000 | n/a | 050,300 | n/a | n/a
1935 | 2 | 000,001 | n/a | 054,700 | n/a | n/a
1936 | 2 | 057,000 | n/a | 060,400 | n/a | n/a
1937 | 2 | 119,000 | n/a | 066,800 | n/a | n/a
1938 | 2 | 183,000 | n/a | 074,000 | n/a | n/a
1939 | 2 | 249,000 | n/a | 082,100 | n/a | n/a
1940 | 2 | 312,000 | n/a | 089,200 | n/a | n/a
1941 | 2 | 372,000 | n/a | 097,800 | n/a | n/a
1942 | 2 | 425,000 | n/a | 105,000 | n/a | n/a
1943 | 2 | 471,000 | n/a | 109,200 | n/a | n/a
1944 | 2 | 516,000 | n/a | 112,100 | n/a | n/a
1945 | 2 | 570,000 | n/a | 117,200 | n/a | n/a
1946 | 2 | 638,000 | n/a | 125,200 | n/a | n/a
1947 | 2 | 719,000 | n/a | 135,900 | n/a | n/a
1948 | 3 | 000,001 | n/a | 143,000 | n/a | n/a
1949 | 3 | 068,000 | n/a | 000,001 | n/a | n/a
1950 | 3 | 136,000 | n/a | 007,000 | n/a | n/a
1951 | 3 | 204,000 | n/a | 013,600 | n/a | n/a
1952 | 3 | 264,000 | n/a | 017,900 | n/a | n/a
1953 | 3 | 329,000 | n/a | 023,000 | n/a | n/a
1954 | 3 | 401,000 | n/a | 028,300 | n/a | n/a
1955 | 3 | 479,000 | n/a | 033,700 | n/a | n/a
1956 | 3 | 557,000 | n/a | 039,500 | n/a | n/a
1957 | 3 | 632,000 | n/a | 044,300 | n/a | n/a
1958 | 3 | 706,000 | n/a | 049,100 | n/a | n/a
1959 | 3 | 784,000 | n/a | 054,000 | n/a | n/a
1960 | 4 | 000,001 | n/a | 058,900 | n/a | n/a
1961 | 4 | 080,000 | n/a | 063,400 | n/a | n/a
1962 | 4 | 163,000 | n/a | 068,100 | n/a | n/a
1963 | 4 | 248,000 | n/a | 073,000 | n/a | n/a
1964 | 4 | 335,000 | n/a | 078,000 | n/a | n/a
1965 | 4 | 423,000 | n/a | 083,200 | n/a | n/a
1966 | 4 | 518,000 | n/a | 000,001 | n/a | n/a
1967 | 4 | 606,000 | n/a | 005,200 | n/a | n/a
1968 | 4 | 695,000 | n/a | 010,000 | n/a | n/a
1969 | 4 | 788,000 | n/a | 015,200 | n/a | n/a
1970 | 5 | 000,001 | n/a | 020,700 | n/a | n/a
1971 | 5 | 103,000 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1972 | 5 | 214,538 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1973 | 5 | 319,971 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1974 | 5 | 429,701 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1975 | 5 | 537,821 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1976 | 5 | 645,931 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1977 | 5 | 756,051 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1978 | 5 | 866,211 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1979 | 6 | 000,001 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1980 | 6 | 108,971 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1981 | 6 | 221,957 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1982 | 6 | 336,510 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1983 | 6 | 454,954 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1984 | 6 | 567,457 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1985 | 6 | 688,174 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1986 | 6 | 815,454 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1987 | 7 | 000,001 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1988 | 7 | 140,321 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1989 | 7 | 292,671 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1990 | 7 | 459,413 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1991 | 7 | 636,609 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
1992 | 7 | 815,501 | n/a | (see Utility serial numbers) | n/a | n/a
10/01/92 | n/a | n/a | 29 | 000,001 | n/a | n/a
1993 | 8 | 000,001 | 29 | 003,180 | n/a | n/a
1994 | 8 | 176,047 | 29 | 016,976 | n/a | n/a
1995 | 8 | 367,542 | 29 | 032,919 | n/a | n/a
06/08/95 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 60 | 000,001
1996 | 8 | 581,739 | 29 | 48,507 | 60 | 009,474
1997 | 8 | 777,991 | 29 | 64,454 | 60 | 034,487
12/30/97 | 9 | 000,001 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a
1998 | n/a | n/a | 29 | 081,426 | 60 | 70,310
1999 | 9 | 219,723 | 29 | 098,302 | 60 | 113,787
2000 | 9 | 471,932 | 29 | 116,135 | 60 | 173,038
2001 | 9 | 740,756 | 29 | 134,406 | 60 | 256,730
2002 | 10 | 032,443 | 29 | 152,739 | 60 | 343,564
2003 | 10 | 334,164 | 29 | 173,499 | 60 | 437,173
2004 | 10 | 746,297 | 29 | 196,307 | 60 | 532,638
2005 | 11 | 023,305 | 29 | 220,177 | 60 | 639,450
2006 | 11 | 320,178 | 29 | 245,663 | 60 | 754,464

## * Notes:

> n/a : Information for blocks labeled as "n/a" is either not available or not applicable.

> In general, patent application serial numbers are assigned chronologically to patent applications filed at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For this reason, application serial numbers and filing dates will generally correspond. Please note, however, that there are some applications for which the serial number and filing date may not fall within the time periods indicated in the above table.

> For example, for applications based on patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the U.S. filing date is the date of filing of the PCT application. For these PCT-based patent applications, the year displayed for a patent application serial number in the "Table of Filing Years and Patent Application Serial Numbers" very generally corresponds to the year when the PCT-based application entered USPTO's internal patent examination process (rather than to the year of U.S. patent filing).

> For more recently filed patent applications, the complete patent application serial number consists of two parts, the application series code and the six digit application serial number. For some earlier years displayed in the table, the application series code is not available.

> During some time periods, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office used a common numbering system for assigning application numbers to design and utility patent applications. During other time periods, separate numbering systems were used for the two types of patent applications. For those years when a common numbering system was in effect, the user should refer to the utility patent application serial numbers in the table.

> For plant patent applications and reissue patent applications, the utility patent application serial number ranges displayed in the table can be used to determine the approximate year when the patent application was filed based on its application serial number.

> Starting on October 1, 1992, design patent applications are assigned separate application serial numbers which are associated with a newly established application series code, "29".

> Starting on June 8, 1995, the PTO began to accept provisional patent applications in accordance with implemented legislation arising from the GATT Uruguay Round World Trade Organization Agreement. Provisional patent applications receive separate serial numbers that are associated with a newly established application series code, "60".

> Please note that this table should not be relied upon to obtain counts of patent applications filed during a particular year. For such statistics, the Patent Technology Monitoring Branch (PTMB) report, U.S. Patent Activity, 1790-YYYY, should be consulted.

> Data Sources:

> - Figures from 1972 to the present are obtained from the PTO applications log and from the Office of Initial Patent Examination.
> - Figures for years prior to 1972 are estimates based on a manual inspection of application serial numbers that appear in the Official Gazette patent publication that is published weekly.

## PTMB Contacts

Questions regarding this report should be directed to:
(as of September 2006)

> U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
> Electronic Information Products Division - PTMB
> MDW 4C18; P.O Box 1450
> Alexandria VA 22313-1450

> tel: (571) 272-5600
> fax: (571) 273-0110
> email: oeip@uspto.gov

> address of PTMB pages at the USPTO Web Site: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/tafp.html
> ftp download of selected PTMB reports and materials from : ftp.uspto.gov/pub/taf/

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