           Patenting Trends, Calendar Year 1995                page 1 of 2



Trends in All Patent Documents  (Utility, Design, Plant, Reissue Patents, 

                                 Statutory Invention Registrations)

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

In calendar year 1995, the total number of patent documents granted

by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office increased to a record

113,955, including 101,419 utility, 11,712 design, 387 plant, and

316 reissue patents and 121 statutory invention registrations. 

Utility patent grants (patents for invention) were down slightly

from 1994 (101,676 patents).



U.S. resident inventors continued to display strong patenting

activity in 1995.  During the year, the share of all patent

documents which were issued to U.S. resident inventors remained

unchanged at 56.6 percent (64,410 patent documents).  Foreign

resident inventors claimed a 43.4 percent share of all patent

documents granted (49,445 patent documents).



The share of all U.S. patent documents which were issued to

inventors residing in Japan was 20.1 percent in 1995 (22,871

patent documents), down from a 20.7 percent share in 1994.  The

share of all U.S. patent documents which were issued to inventors

residing in Germany dropped to 6.0 percent (6,875 patent documents)

in 1995 from 6.1 percent in 1994.



There were 16,813 patent documents granted to U.S. independent

inventors during 1995, an increase of 1.7 percent over 1994. The

share of all patent documents which were granted to U.S.independent

inventors increased to 14.8 percent of all patent documents in 1995

from 14.5 percent in 1994. 



The ten foreign countries which received the most patent documents

during calendar year 1995 are displayed below. In general, only

slight changes in ranking and percentage share will occur from one

year to the next. United Kingdom, Taiwan (province of China), South

Korea, and Sweden resident inventors are notable for their increase

in patent documents received while Italy, Switzerland, and Japan

resident inventors are notable for their decrease in patent

documents received.

                                                             (1994 to 1995)

1995 1995 #  1995 Share of                        (1994 # )  (Change in   )

Rank Patents  All Patents     Country             (Patents)  (# of Patents)

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

 1  22,871       20.1%        Japan                (23,517)      ( - 2.8%)

 2   6,875        6.0%        Germany               (6,989)      ( - 1.6%)

 3   3,011        2.6%        France                (2,985)      ( + 0.9%)

 4   2,677        2.3%        United Kingdom        (2,469)      ( + 8.4%)

 5   2,447        2.1%        Canada                (2,380)      ( + 2.8%)

 6   2,087        1.8%        Taiwan, Prov of China (1,814)      ( +15.0%)

 7   1,242        1.1%        Italy                 (1,360)      ( - 8.7%)

 8   1,240        1.1%        South Korea           (1,008)      ( +23.0%)

 9   1,185        1.0%        Switzerland           (1,244)      ( - 4.7%)

10     914        0.8%        Sweden                  (800)      ( +14.3%)



    64,510       56.6%        United States        (64,347)      ( + 0.3%)

   113,955      100.0%        All Patent Documents(113,704)      ( + 0.2%)

___________________________________________________________________________

SOURCE:   U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

          Technology Assessment and Forecast Data Base    (1-25-96)

          Patenting Trends, Calendar Year 1995                page 2 of 2



Utility Patents (Patents for Invention)

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

In calendar year 1995, a total of 101,419 utility patents were

granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, down slightly from

the 101,676 patents granted in 1994.



U.S. resident inventors obtained 55.0 percent (55,740 patents) of

the utility patents granted in 1995, also down slightly from the

55.1 percent share obtained in 1994.



The share of utility patents which were issued to inventors

residing in Japan was 21.5 percent in 1995 (21,764 patents), down

from the 22.0 percent share in 1994.  The share of utility patents

which were issued to inventors residing in Germany also dropped to

6.5 percent (6,600 patents) in 1995 from 6.6 percent in 1994.



There were 12,885 utility patents granted to U.S. independent

inventors during 1995, a slight increase over 1994 (12,805

patents). The share of patents which were granted to U.S.independent

inventors was 12.7 percent in 1995, up from a 12.6 percent share in 1994.



The ten foreign countries which received the most utility patents

during calendar year 1995 are displayed below. In general, only

slight changes in ranking and percentage share will occur from one

year to the next. United Kingdom, Taiwan (province of China), South

Korea, Sweden, and Canada resident inventors are notable for their

increase in patents received while Italy, Switzerland, and Japan

resident inventors are notable for their decrease in patents received.



                                                             (1994 to 1995)

1995 1995 #  1995 Share of                        (1994 # )  (Change in   )

Rank Patents  All Patents     Country             (Patents)  (# of Patents)

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

 1  21,764       21.5%         Japan               (22,384)      ( - 2.8%)

 2   6,600        6.5%        Germany              (6,731)       ( - 1.9%)

 3   2,821        2.8%        France               (2,779)       ( + 1.5%)

 4   2,474        2.4%        United Kingdom       (2,234)       ( +10.7%)

 5   2,104        2.1%        Canada               (2,008)       ( + 4.8%)

 6   1,620        2.1%        Taiwan, Prov of China(1,443)       ( +12.3%)

 7   1,161        1.1%        South Korea            (943)       ( +23.1%)

 8   1,078        1.1%        Italy                (1,215)       ( -11.3%)

 9   1,056        1.0%        Switzerland          (1,169)       ( - 9.7%)

10     806        0.8%        Sweden                 (706)       ( +14.2%)



    55,740       55.0%        United States       (56,067)       ( - 0.6%)

   101,419      100.0%        All Utility Patents(101,676)       ( - 0.3%)

___________________________________________________________________________

SOURCE:   U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

          Technology Assessment and Forecast data base    (1-25-96)

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

Questions regarding this report should be directed to:

(address updated 4/96)

             U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

             Office of Electronic Information Products

             Technology Assessment and Forecast Program

             PK3-Suite 441

             Washington, DC  20231



             tel (703) 306-2600

             FAX (703) 306-2737

