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U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Electronic Information Products Division
Patent Technology Monitoring Branch (PTMB)

# PATENTING TRENDS
CALENDAR YEAR 2005

(document dated 08-FEB-2006)

In calendar year 2005, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted 143,806 utility, 12,950 design, 716 plant, and 245 reissue patents, and 23 statutory invention registrations for a total of 157,740 patent documents for the year. Annual grants of all patent documents decreased by 13.0 percent when compared to the total for calendar year 2004 (181,320 grants in 2004). Calendar year 2005 grants of utility patents ('patents for inventions') numbered 143,806, a 12.5 percent decrease below the total for 2004 (164,291).

In 2005, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident inventors was 52.4 percent, an increase from the U.S. share for 2004 (51.9%). California-resident inventors claimed a 23.8 percent share (19,662 patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by resident inventors from Texas (6.7 percent, 5,526 patents), New York (6.4 percent, 5,306 patents), Michigan (4.4 percent, 3,665 patents), Massachusetts (4.0 percent, 3,303 patents), Illinois (4.0 percent, 3,297 patents), New Jersey (3.5 percent, 2,868 patents), Ohio (3.3 percent, 2,731 patents) and Florida (3.3 percent, 2,707 patents). U.S.-resident inventors of the following areas had increases in patent receipts from 2004 to 2005: Puerto Rico, North Dakota, Maine and Washington.

There were 12,781 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2005, down from the 2004 count of U.S. independent inventor patents (15,173). The independent inventor share of all patents issued to U.S.-resident inventors dropped to 15.5 percent in 2005 from a 16.1 percent share in 2004.

Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 47.6 percent share of all U.S. patents issued in 2005. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2005 was 20.2 percent, down from 20.4 percent in 2004. The 2005 share of U.S. patents that were issued to Germany-resident inventors was 6.1 percent, down from 6.3 percent in 2004. For Taiwan-resident inventors, the 2005 share was 3.8 percent, down from 4.0 percent in 2004 and the share for South Korean-resident inventors jumped from 2.6 percent for 2004 to 2.9 percent for 2005. Countries with notable increases in patent receipts for 2005 include Poland, Saudi Arabia, Greece, India, Malaysia, Iceland and Spain.

The twelve foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2005 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 2004 to 2005.

This table displays the twelve foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2005. Figures for the United States and for all countries overall are listed at the end of the table. Counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registrations.
Rank in 2005 | Number of Patents in 2005 | Share of All Patents in 2005 | Country * | (Rank in 2004) | (Number of patents in 2004) | (2004 to 2005) (Change in Number of patents
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | 31,834 | 20.2% | Japan | (1) | (37,032) | (-14.0% )
2 | 9,575 | 6.1% | Germany | (2) | (11,367) | (-15.8% )
3 | 5,993 | 3.8% | Taiwan | (3) | (7,207) | (-16.8% )
4 | 4,591 | 2.9% | South Korea | (4) | (4,671) | ( -1.7% )
5 | 3,560 | 2.3% | United Kingdom | (5) | (3,905) | ( -8.8% )
6 | 3,177 | 2.0% | Canada | (6) | (3,781) | (-16.0% )
7 | 3,106 | 2.0% | France | (7) | (3,686) | (-15.7% )
8 | 1,591 | 1.0% | Italy | (8) | (1,946) | (-18.2% )
9 | 1,200 | 0.8% | Netherlands | (9) | (1,537) | (-21.9% )
10 | 1,189 | 0.8% | Sweden | (11) | (1,388) | (-14.3% )
11 | 1,106 | 0.7% | Switzerland | (10) | (1,405) | (-21.3% )
12 | 1,033 | 0.7% | Australia | (12) | (1,093) | ( -5.5% )
| 82,585 | 52.4% | United States |  | (94,129) | (-12.3% )
| 157,740 | 100.0% | All Countries |  | (181,320) | (-13.0% )

## Notes:

> * 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 2004 to 2005

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 registrations) from calendar year 2004 to 2005. 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 2004 | Number of Patents in 2005 | Number of Patents in 2004-2005 | Annual Percent Increase
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
ALABAMA | 412 | 359 | 771 | -12.9%
ALASKA | 49 | 36 | 85 | -26.5%
ARIZONA | 1730 | 1598 | 3328 | -7.6%
ARKANSAS | 160 | 153 | 313 | -4.4%
CALIFORNIA | 21602 | 19662 | 41264 | -9.0%
COLORADO | 2290 | 1972 | 4262 | -13.9%
CONNECTICUT | 1723 | 1677 | 3400 | -2.7%
DELAWARE | 406 | 341 | 747 | -16.0%
FLORIDA | 2991 | 2707 | 5698 | -9.5%
GEORGIA | 1492 | 1358 | 2850 | -9.0%
HAWAII | 86 | 58 | 144 | -32.6%
IDAHO | 1822 | 1549 | 3371 | -15.0%
ILLINOIS | 3754 | 3297 | 7051 | -12.2%
INDIANA | 1485 | 1246 | 2731 | -16.1%
IOWA | 736 | 629 | 1365 | -14.5%
KANSAS | 540 | 456 | 996 | -15.6%
KENTUCKY | 463 | 377 | 840 | -18.6%
LOUISIANA | 387 | 298 | 685 | -23.0%
MAINE | 138 | 159 | 297 | 15.2%
MARYLAND | 1440 | 1284 | 2724 | -10.8%
MASSACHUSETTS | 3906 | 3303 | 7209 | -15.4%
MICHIGAN | 4122 | 3665 | 7787 | -11.1%
MINNESOTA | 2996 | 2582 | 5578 | -13.8%
MISSISSIPPI | 160 | 127 | 287 | -20.6%
MISSOURI | 895 | 732 | 1627 | -18.2%
MONTANA | 131 | 119 | 250 | -9.2%
NEBRASKA | 229 | 205 | 434 | -10.5%
NEVADA | 476 | 443 | 919 | -6.9%
NEW HAMPSHIRE | 681 | 538 | 1219 | -21.0%
NEW JERSEY | 3354 | 2868 | 6222 | -14.5%
NEW MEXICO | 383 | 273 | 656 | -28.7%
NEW YORK | 6618 | 5306 | 11924 | -19.8%
NORTH CAROLINA | 2075 | 1839 | 3914 | -11.4%
NORTH DAKOTA | 66 | 81 | 147 | 22.7%
OHIO | 3418 | 2731 | 6149 | -20.1%
OKLAHOMA | 490 | 429 | 919 | -12.4%
OREGON | 1967 | 1849 | 3816 | -6.0%
PENNSYLVANIA | 3224 | 2546 | 5770 | -21.0%
RHODE ISLAND | 368 | 312 | 680 | -15.2%
SOUTH CAROLINA | 581 | 539 | 1120 | -7.2%
SOUTH DAKOTA | 88 | 68 | 156 | -22.7%
TENNESSEE | 874 | 713 | 1587 | -18.4%
TEXAS | 6241 | 5526 | 11767 | -11.5%
UTAH | 784 | 644 | 1428 | -17.9%
VERMONT | 428 | 411 | 839 | -4.0%
VIRGINIA | 1182 | 1030 | 2212 | -12.9%
WASHINGTON | 2442 | 2482 | 4924 | 1.6%
WEST VIRGINIA | 111 | 98 | 209 | -11.7%
WISCONSIN | 1975 | 1756 | 3731 | -11.1%
WYOMING | 55 | 55 | 110 | 0.0%
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 80 | 59 | 139 | -26.3%
PUERTO RICO | 20 | 33 | 53 | 65.0%
UNITED STATES | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.0%
VIRGIN (U.S.) ISLANDS | 2 | 4 | 6 | 100.0%
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2004 Patents
U.S. TOTALS | 94129 | 82585 | 176714 | -12.3%
ALGERIA | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
ANDORRA | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.00%
ANGOLA | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
ARAB EMIRATES | 3 | 5 | 8 | 66.67%
ARGENTINA | 50 | 29 | 79 | -42.00%
ARMENIA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.00%
ARUBA | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
AUSTRALIA | 1093 | 1033 | 2126 | -5.49%
AUSTRIA | 575 | 491 | 1066 | -14.61%
AZERBAIJAN | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
THE BAHAMAS | 8 | 8 | 16 | 0.00%
BELARUS | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.00%
BELGIUM | 678 | 577 | 1255 | -14.90%
BERMUDA | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.00%
BRAZIL | 161 | 98 | 259 | -39.13%
BULGARIA | 4 | 6 | 10 | 50.00%
CANADA | 3781 | 3177 | 6958 | -15.97%
CAYMAN ISLANDS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.00%
CHILE | 18 | 12 | 30 | -33.33%
CHINA,HONG KONG S.A.R. | 641 | 596 | 1237 | -7.02%
CHINA P.REP. | 597 | 565 | 1162 | -5.36%
COLOMBIA | 11 | 10 | 21 | -9.09%
COSTA RICA | 10 | 13 | 23 | 30.00%
CROATIA | 9 | 12 | 21 | 33.33%
CUBA | 2 | 3 | 5 | 50.00%
CYPRUS | 2 | 6 | 8 | 200.00%
CZECH REPUBLIC | 32 | 28 | 60 | -12.50%
DENMARK | 530 | 473 | 1003 | -10.75%
DOMINICAN REPL. | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2004 Patents
ECUADOR | 3 | 2 | 5 | -33.33%
EGYPT | 4 | 7 | 11 | 75.00%
EL SALVADOR | 1 | 3 | 4 | 200.00%
ESTONIA | 2 | 5 | 7 | 150.00%
FIJI | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
FINLAND | 954 | 751 | 1705 | -21.28%
FRANCE | 3686 | 3106 | 6792 | -15.74%
GEORGIA (REPUBLIC OF) | 4 | 3 | 7 | -25.00%
GERMANY | 11367 | 9575 | 20942 | -15.76%
GREECE | 15 | 17 | 32 | 13.33%
GUATEMALA | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2004 Patents
HONDURAS | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2004 Patents
HUNGARY | 52 | 48 | 100 | -7.69%
ICELAND | 21 | 22 | 43 | 4.76%
INDIA | 376 | 403 | 779 | 7.18%
INDONESIA | 23 | 23 | 46 | 0.00%
IRAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2004 Patents
IRELAND | 197 | 169 | 366 | -14.21%
ISRAEL | 1092 | 976 | 2068 | -10.62%
ITALY | 1946 | 1591 | 3537 | -18.24%
IVORY COAST | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
JAMAICA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.00%
JAPAN | 37032 | 31834 | 68866 | -14.04%
JORDAN | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.00%
KAZAKHSTAN | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.00%
KENYA | 16 | 10 | 26 | -37.50%
KUWAIT | 4 | 3 | 7 | -25.00%
LATVIA | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.00%
LEBANON | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.67%
LIECHTENSTEIN | 21 | 10 | 31 | -52.38%
LITHUANIA | 3 | 5 | 8 | 66.67%
LUXEMBOURG | 55 | 49 | 104 | -10.91%
MACAU | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2004 Patents
MALAYSIA | 93 | 98 | 191 | 5.38%
MALTA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.00%
MEXICO | 102 | 95 | 197 | -6.86%
MOLDOVA, REPUBLIC OF | 4 | 1 | 5 | -75.00%
MONACO | 12 | 8 | 20 | -33.33%
MOROCCO | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.00%
NETHERLANDS | 1537 | 1200 | 2737 | -21.93%
NEW ZEALAND | 192 | 143 | 335 | -25.52%
NIGERIA | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
NORWAY | 255 | 242 | 497 | -5.10%
OMAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2004 Patents
PAKISTAN | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0.00%
PANAMA | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.00%
PERU | 6 | 3 | 9 | -50.00%
PHILIPPINES | 21 | 18 | 39 | -14.29%
POLAND | 19 | 25 | 44 | 31.58%
PORTUGAL | 17 | 13 | 30 | -23.53%
PALAU | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
QATAR | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2004 Patents
ROMANIA | 9 | 7 | 16 | -22.22%
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | 173 | 154 | 327 | -10.98%
SAUDI ARABIA | 15 | 18 | 33 | 20.00%
SINGAPORE | 485 | 377 | 862 | -22.27%
SLOVAKIA | 5 | 0 | 5 | -100.00%
SLOVENIA | 24 | 14 | 38 | -41.67%
SOUTH AFRICA | 115 | 108 | 223 | -6.09%
SOUTH KOREA | 4671 | 4591 | 9262 | -1.71%
SPAIN | 312 | 318 | 630 | 1.92%
SRI LANKA | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.67%
SWEDEN | 1388 | 1189 | 2577 | -14.34%
SWITZERLAND | 1405 | 1106 | 2511 | -21.28%
SYRIA | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
TAIWAN | 7207 | 5993 | 13200 | -16.84%
THAILAND | 28 | 25 | 53 | -10.71%
TUNISIA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.00%
TURKEY | 19 | 10 | 29 | -47.37%
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS | 0 | 7 | 7 | No 2004 Patents
UKRAINE | 21 | 19 | 40 | -9.52%
UNITED KINGDOM | 3905 | 3560 | 7465 | -8.83%
URUGUAY | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2004 Patents
UZBEKISTAN | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.00%
VENEZUELA | 23 | 10 | 33 | -56.52%
VIET NAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.00%
VIRGIN (BRITISH) ISLANDS | 8 | 7 | 15 | -12.50%
YUGOSLAVIA | 1 | 4 | 5 | 300.00%
ZIMBABWE | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.00%
FOREIGN TOTALS | 87191 | 75155 | 162346 | -13.8%
U.S. TOTALS | 94129 | 82585 | 176714 | -12.3%
FOREIGN TOTALS | 87191 | 75155 | 162346 | -13.8%
TOTAL | 181320 | 157740 | 339060 | -13.00%

## Notes:

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

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