                                 Patenting Trends
                                Calendar Year 2001

    In calendar year 2001, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted
    a record number of patent documents including 166,045 utility, 16,872
    design, 584 plant, and 480 reissue patents, and 76 statutory invention
    registrations for a total of 184,057 patent documents for the year.
    Annual grants of all patent documents increased by 4.5 percent over
    the total for calendar year 2000 (176,085 grants in 2000). Calendar
    year 2001 grants of utility patents ('patents for inventions') numbered
    166,045, a 5.4 percent increase over the total for 2000 (157,495).

    In 2001, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident
    inventors was 53.6 percent, down from the 55.1 percent U.S. share for
    2000. California-resident inventors claimed a 21.1 percent share (20,863
    patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by resident
    inventors from New York (7.3 percent, 7,181 patents), Texas (6.9 percent,
    6,764 patents), New Jersey (4.3 percent, 4,286 patents), Illinois (4.3
    percent, 4273 patents) and Michigan (4.3 percent, 4,237 patents).
    U.S.- resident inventors of the following areas had large percentage
    increases in patent receipts from 2000 to 2001: Vermont, Iowa, Hawaii,
    Alabama, New Mexico, Montana, District of Columbia, Maryland, and
    Washington.

    There were 18,843 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2001,
    down from the 2000 count of U.S. independent inventor patents (20,352).
    The independent inventor share of all patents issued to U.S.-resident
    inventors dropped to 19.1 percent in 2001 from a 21.0 percent share in
    2000.

    Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 46.4 percent share of all U.S.
    patents issued in 2001. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued
    to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2001 was 19.0 percent, up
    from 18.7 percent in 2000 but below the 19.2 and 19.7 percent shares in
    1999 and 1998, respectively.  The 2001 share of U.S. patents that were
    issued to Germany-resident inventors was 6.5 percent, up from the 6.1
    percent share in 2000.

    In 2001, the number of patent grants to Taiwan residents increased by
    12.7 percent over the total for 2000. Among the countries whose residents
    received the most U.S. patents, Sweden and Germany 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 the People's Republic of China, India, Russian Federation,
    Israel, and Australia.

    The eleven foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S.
    patents during calendar year 2001 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 2000 to 2001.

    2001           Share of                    (Rank in) (2000)      (2000 - 2001)
    Rank # Patents All Patents Country *       (2000)    (# Patents) (Change in #
                                                                       of Patents)
    ---- --------- ----------- --------------- --------- ----------- -------------
     1     34,891  19.0%       Japan                (1)     (32,924)    ( + 6.0% )
     2     11,895   6.5%       Germany              (2)     (10,822)    ( + 9.9% )
     3     6,545    3.6%       Taiwan               (3)      (5,806)    ( +12.7% )
     4     4,456    2.4%       France               (4)      (4,173)    ( + 6.8% )
     5     4,356    2.4%       United Kingdom       (5)      (4,090)    ( + 6.5% )
     6     4,063    2.2%       Canada               (6)      (3,925)    ( + 3.5% )
     7     3,763    2.0%       South Korea          (7)      (3,472)    ( + 8.4% )
     8     1,978    1.1%       Italy                (8)      (1,967)    ( + 0.6% )
     9     1,935    1.1%       Sweden               (9)      (1,738)    ( +11.3% )
    10     1,557    0.8%       Switzerland         (10)      (1,458)    ( + 6.8% )
    11     1,494    0.8%       Netherlands         (11)      (1,410)    ( + 6.0% )

          98,666   53.6%       United States                (97,014)    ( + 1.7% )
         184,057  100.0%       All Countries               (176,085)    ( + 4.5% )

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

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regional Patenting, Annual Percentage Change in Patenting, Calendar Year
    2000 to 2001 (counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents,
    and statutory invention registrations)

    STATE *                  2000   2001   TOTAL        Annual %
                                           00-01        Increase

    ALABAMA                   395    453     848          14.7%
    ALASKA                     57     58     115           1.8%
    ARIZONA                  1756   1702    3458          -3.1%
    ARKANSAS                  248    222     470         -10.5%
    CALIFORNIA              19845  20863   40708           5.1%
    COLORADO                 2075   2110    4185           1.7%
    CONNECTICUT              2086   2071    4157          -0.7%
    DELAWARE                  427    426     853          -0.2%
    FLORIDA                  3128   3149    6277           0.7%
    GEORGIA                  1542   1601    3143           3.8%
    HAWAII                     93    107     200          15.1%
    IDAHO                    1614   1737    3351           7.6%
    ILLINOIS                 4514   4273    8787          -5.3%
    INDIANA                  1701   1595    3296          -6.2%
    IOWA                      676    815    1491          20.6%
    KANSAS                    475    382     857         -19.6%
    KENTUCKY                  517    547    1064           5.8%
    LOUISIANA                 579    562    1141          -2.9%
    MAINE                     151    156     307           3.3%
    MARYLAND                 1483   1641    3124          10.7%
    MASSACHUSETTS            3841   3972    7813           3.4%
    MICHIGAN                 4112   4237    8349           3.0%
    MINNESOTA                2993   2926    5919          -2.2%
    MISSISSIPPI               211    228     439           8.1%
    MISSOURI                  969    966    1935          -0.3%
    MONTANA                   144    162     306          12.5%
    NEBRASKA                  298    253     551         -15.1%
    NEVADA                    406    371     777          -8.6%
    NEW HAMPSHIRE             679    671    1350          -1.2%
    NEW JERSEY               4399   4286    8685          -2.6%
    NEW MEXICO                347    391     738          12.7%
    NEW YORK                 7036   7181   14217           2.1%
    NORTH CAROLINA           2197   2267    4464           3.2%
    NORTH DAKOTA               98    107     205           9.2%
    OHIO                     4028   3995    8023          -0.8%
    OKLAHOMA                  616    633    1249           2.8%
    OREGON                   1462   1504    2966           2.9%
    PENNSYLVANIA             4003   3842    7845          -4.0%
    RHODE ISLAND              389    334     723         -14.1%
    SOUTH CAROLINA            629    644    1273           2.4%
    SOUTH DAKOTA               98     85     183         -13.3%
    TENNESSEE                 962    962    1924           0.0%
    TEXAS                    6789   6764   13553          -0.4%
    UTAH                      791    803    1594           1.5%
    VERMONT                   416    507     923          21.9%
    VIRGINIA                 1286   1281    2567          -0.4%
    WASHINGTON               2048   2257    4305          10.2%
    WEST VIRGINIA             158    161     319           1.9%
    WISCONSIN                2078   2253    4331           8.4%
    WYOMING                    67     59     126         -11.9%
    DIST. OF COLUMBIA          65     73     138          12.3%
    GUAM                        2      5       7         150.0%
    PUERTO RICO                31     12      43         -61.3%
    UNITED STATES **            1      1       2           0.0%
    VIRGIN (U.S.) ISLANDS       3      3       6           0.0%

    U.S. TOTALS             97014  98666  195680           1.7%

    *       Please note that the state of origin is determined by the
            residence of the first-named inventor.
    **      No state indicated in database.

    Patenting Trends, Annual Percentage Change in Patenting, Calendar
    Year 2000 to 2001
    (counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents,
    and statutory invention registrations)

    COUNTRY *                2000   2001   TOTAL        Annual %
                                           00-01        Increase

    ALGERIA                     0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    ARAB EMIRATES               2      6       8         200.0%
    ARGENTINA                  63     58     121          -7.9%
    ARMENIA                     0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    ARUBA                       2      1       3         -50.0%
    AUSTRALIA                 859   1031    1890          20.0%
    AUSTRIA                   537    632    1169          17.7%
    AZERBAIJAN                  1      0       1        -100.0%
    THE BAHAMAS                14     10      24         -28.6%
    BAHRAIN                     1      0       1        -100.0%
    BARBADOS                    0      4       4 No 2000 Patents
    BELARUS                     3      7      10         133.3%
    BELGIUM                   756    796    1552           5.3%
    BERMUDA                     2      4       6         100.0%
    BOLIVIA                     2      0       2        -100.0%
    BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA        0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    BRAZIL                    113    125     238          10.6%
    BRUNEI                      0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    BULGARIA                    1      5       6         400.0%
    CANADA                   3925   4063    7988           3.5%
    CAYMAN ISLANDS              8      4      12         -50.0%
    CHILE                      16     15      31          -6.3%
    CHINA,HONG KONG SAR       548    620    1168          13.1%
    CHINA P.REP.              163    266     429          63.2%
    COLOMBIA                   11     14      25          27.3%
    COSTA RICA                  8     12      20          50.0%
    CROATIA                     6      8      14          33.3%
    CUBA                        3      4       7          33.3%
    CYPRUS                      1      1       2           0.0%
    CZECH REPUBLIC             41     23      64         -43.9%
    CZECHOSLOVAKIA             10      7      17         -30.0%
    DENMARK                   509    556    1065           9.2%
    DOMINICA                    1      2       3         100.0%
    DOMINICAN REPL.             5      0       5        -100.0%
    ECUADOR                     0      4       4 No 2000 Patents
    EGYPT                       8      6      14         -25.0%
    EL SALVADOR                 0      3       3 No 2000 Patents
    ESTONIA                     4      2       6         -50.0%
    FINLAND                   649    769    1418          18.5%
    FR. POLYNESIA               0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    FRANCE                   4173   4456    8629           6.8%
    GEORGIA (REPL. OF)          0      2       2 No 2000 Patents
    GERMANY                 10822  11895   22717           9.9%
    GIBRALTAR                   1      0       1        -100.0%
    GREECE                     18     26      44          44.4%
    GUATEMALA                   2      0       2        -100.0%
    GUINEA                      1      0       1        -100.0%
    HONDURAS                    1      0       1        -100.0%
    HUNGARY                    38     61      99          60.5%
    ICELAND                    18     21      39          16.7%
    INDIA                     131    179     310          36.6%
    INDONESIA                  14     10      24         -28.6%
    IRAN                        0      2       2 No 2000 Patents
    IRELAND                   139    166     305          19.4%
    ISRAEL                    836   1031    1867          23.3%
    ITALY                    1967   1978    3945           0.6%
    JAMAICA                     2      1       3         -50.0%
    JAPAN                   32924  34891   67815           6.0%
    JORDAN                      0      3       3 No 2000 Patents
    KAZAKHSTAN                  4      3       7         -25.0%
    KENYA                       3      4       7          33.3%
    KUWAIT                      8      6      14         -25.0%
    KYRGYZSTAN                  1      1       2           0.0%
    LATVIA                      1      1       2           0.0%
    LEBANON                     4      2       6         -50.0%
    LIECHTENSTEIN              19     24      43          26.3%
    LITHUANIA                   2      4       6         100.0%
    LUXEMBOURG                 55     48     103         -12.7%
    MADAGASCAR                  0      2       2 No 2000 Patents
    MALAYSIA                   47     56     103          19.1%
    MALTA                       2      2       4           0.0%
    MEXICO                    100     87     187         -13.0%
    MONACO                     15     18      33          20.0%
    MOROCCO                     2      1       3         -50.0%
    NAMIBIA                     1      0       1        -100.0%
    NETH. ANTILLES              2      0       2        -100.0%
    NETHERLANDS              1410   1494    2904           6.0%
    NEW ZEALAND               136    160     296          17.6%
    NIGERIA                     2      1       3         -50.0%
    NORWAY                    266    283     549           6.4%
    PAKISTAN                    5      2       7         -60.0%
    PANAMA                      2      1       3         -50.0%
    PERU                        3      6       9         100.0%
    PHILIPPINES                12     15      27          25.0%
    POLAND                     13     16      29          23.1%
    PORTUGAL                   12     16      28          33.3%
    PALAU                       1      0       1        -100.0%
    QATAR                       1      0       1        -100.0%
    ROMANIA                     4     10      14         150.0%
    RUSSIAN FEDERATION        185    239     424          29.2%
    SAINT KITTS & NEVIS         1      2       3         100.0%
    SAUDI ARABIA               19     12      31         -36.8%
    SINGAPORE                 242    304     546          25.6%
    SLOVAKIA                    4      1       5         -75.0%
    SLOVENIA                   18     21      39          16.7%
    SOUTH AFRICA              125    137     262           9.6%
    SOUTH KOREA              3472   3763    7235           8.4%
    SPAIN                     318    340     658           6.9%
    SRI LANKA                   5      3       8         -40.0%
    SURINAME                    0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    SWEDEN                   1738   1935    3673          11.3%
    SWITZERLAND              1458   1557    3015           6.8%
    SYRIA                       4      1       5         -75.0%
    TAIWAN                   5806   6545   12351          12.7%
    TANZANIA                    0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    THAILAND                   30     47      77          56.7%
    TRINIDAD/TOBAGO             0      4       4 No 2000 Patents
    TURKEY                      6     14      20         133.3%
    TURKS & CAICOS ISL.         1      1       2           0.0%
    U.S.S.R.                    1      0       1        -100.0%
    UGANDA                      0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    UKRAINE                    17     21      38          23.5%
    UNITED KINGDOM           4090   4356    8446           6.5%
    URUGUAY                     1      0       1        -100.0%
    UZBEKISTAN                  2      2       4           0.0%
    VENEZUELA                  32     28      60         -12.5%
    VIET NAM                    0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    VIRGIN (BRIT.) ISL.         0      1       1 No 2000 Patents
    YUGOSLAVIA                  4      4       8           0.0%
    ZIMBABWE                    0      1       1 No 2000 Patents

    FOREIGN TOTALS          79071  85391  164462           8.0%

    TOTAL                  176085 184057  360142           4.5%

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

    _______________________________________________________________________________________
    SOURCE:   U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
              Technology Assessment and Forecast database    (2-15-2001)

    ------------------
    Questions regarding this report should be directed to:
    (address as of 4/2002)
                 U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
                 Information Products Division
                   Technology Assessment and Forecast Branch
                 PK3-Suite 441
                 Washington, DC  20231

                 tel (703) 306-2600
                 FAX (703) 306-2737