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U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Patent Technology Monitoring Team (PTMT)

# PATENTING TRENDS
CALENDAR YEAR 2012

(document dated 31-JAN-2012)

In calendar year 2012, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted 253,155 utility, 21,951 design, 860 plant, and 822 reissue patents, and 8 statutory invention registrations for a total of 276,796 patent documents for the year. Annual grants of all patent documents increased by 11.7 percent when compared to the total for calendar year 2011 (247,728 grants in 2011). Calendar year 2012 grants of utility patents ('patents for inventions') numbered 253,155, a 12.8 percent increase above the total for 2011 (224,505).

In 2012, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident inventors was 48.5 percent, a decrease from the U.S. share for 2011 (48.9%). California-resident inventors claimed a 25.8 percent share (34,660 patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by resident inventors from Texas (6.7 percent, 8,930 patents), New York (6.4 percent, 8,557 patents), Massachusetts (4.6 percent, 6,119 patents), Washington (4.5 percent, 5,985 patents), Illinois (3.8 percent, 5,078 patents), Michigan (3.7 percent, 4,997 patents), New Jersey (3.5 percent, 4,656 patents), and Florida (3.3 percent, 4,453 patents). U.S.-resident inventors of the following areas had the largest percentage increases in patent receipts from 2011 to 2012: Wyoming, District of Columbia, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Kansas, and Nebraska.

There were 16,115 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2012, up from the 2011 count of U.S. independent inventor patents (14,869). The independent inventor share of all patents issued to U.S.-resident inventors dropped to 12.0 percent in 2012 from a 12.3 percent share in 2011.

Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 51.5 percent share of all U.S. patents issued in 2012. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2012 was 19.1 percent, down from 19.5 in 2011. The 2012 share of U.S. patents that were issued to Germany-resident inventors was 5.4 percent, up from 5.2 percent in 2011. For South Korean-resident inventors, the 2012 share was 5.1 percent, down from 5.3 percent in 2011 and the share for Taiwan-resident inventors was 4.2 percent for 2012, up from 4.0 in 2011. Countries with notable increases in patent receipts for 2012 include Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Greece, People's Republic of China, India, Czech Republic, Portugal, and Slovenia.

The foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2012 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 2011 to 2012.

This table displays the fourteen foreign countries of origin receiving the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2012. 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. Patent origin is based on the residence of the first-named inventor.
Rank in 2012 | Number of Patents in 2012 | Share of All Patents in 2012 | Country | (Rank in 2011) | (Number of patents in 2011) | (2011 to 2012) (Change in Number of patents)
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | 52773 | 19.1% | Japan | (1) | (48256) | (9.4%)
2 | 15041 | 5.4% | Germany | (3) | (12967) | (16.0%)
3 | 14168 | 5.1% | South Korea | (2) | (13239) | (7.0%)
4 | 11624 | 4.2% | Taiwan | (4) | (9907) | (17.3%)
5 | 6459 | 2.3% | Canada | (5) | (5756) | (12.2%)
6 | 5876 | 2.1% | United Kingdom | (7) | (4910) | (19.7%)
7 | 5857 | 2.1% | France | (6) | (5023) | (16.6%)
8 | 5341 | 1.9% | China, People's Rep. | (8) | (3786) | (41.1%)
9 | 2598 | 0.9% | Israel | (11) | (2108) | (23.2%)
10 | 2546 | 0.9% | Italy | (9) | (2333) | (9.1%)
11 | 2264 | 0.8% | Sweden | (14) | (1863) | (21.5%)
12 | 2193 | 0.8% | Netherlands | (12) | (2048) | (7.1%)
13 | 2039 | 0.7% | Switzerland | (13) | (1865) | (9.3%)
14 | 1786 | 0.6% | Australia | (10) | (2215) | (-19.4%)
| 134194 | 48.5% | United States |  | (121,257) | (10.7%)
| 142602 | 51.5% | All Foreign |  | (126,471) | (12.8%)
| 276796 | 100.0% | All Countries |  | (247,728) | (11.7%)

## Annual Percentage Change in Patent Counts
By U.S. State and Country of Origin
Calendar Year 2011 to 2012

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 2011 to 2012. U.S., foreign, and overall totals are displayed at the beginning of the table. Patent origin is based on the residence of the first-named inventor.
State or Country |  | Number of Patents in 2011 | Number of Patents in 2012 | Number of Patents in 2011-2012 | Annual Percent Increase
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Total, U.S. And Foreign Origin |  | 247728 | 276796 | 524524 | 11.7%
-- Subtotal -- U.S. Origin |  | 121257 | 134194 | 255451 | 10.7%
-- Subtotal -- Foreign Origin |  | 126471 | 142602 | 269073 | 12.8%
ALABAMA |  | 416 | 478 | 894 | 14.9%
ALASKA |  | 32 | 46 | 78 | 43.8%
ARIZONA |  | 2248 | 2370 | 4618 | 5.4%
ARKANSAS |  | 188 | 238 | 426 | 26.6%
CALIFORNIA |  | 30750 | 34660 | 65410 | 12.7%
COLORADO |  | 2397 | 2745 | 5142 | 14.5%
CONNECTICUT |  | 2121 | 2297 | 4418 | 8.3%
DELAWARE |  | 457 | 485 | 942 | 6.1%
FLORIDA |  | 3841 | 4453 | 8294 | 15.9%
GEORGIA |  | 2206 | 2501 | 4707 | 13.4%
HAWAII |  | 128 | 131 | 259 | 2.3%
IDAHO |  | 1089 | 979 | 2068 | -10.1%
ILLINOIS |  | 4594 | 5078 | 9672 | 10.5%
INDIANA |  | 1633 | 1963 | 3596 | 20.2%
IOWA |  | 856 | 914 | 1770 | 6.8%
KANSAS |  | 805 | 1100 | 1905 | 36.6%
KENTUCKY |  | 551 | 620 | 1171 | 12.5%
LOUISIANA |  | 368 | 445 | 813 | 20.9%
MAINE |  | 202 | 222 | 424 | 9.9%
MARYLAND |  | 1641 | 1715 | 3356 | 4.5%
MASSACHUSETTS |  | 5526 | 6119 | 11645 | 10.7%
MICHIGAN |  | 4397 | 4997 | 9394 | 13.6%
MINNESOTA |  | 4227 | 4278 | 8505 | 1.2%
MISSISSIPPI |  | 172 | 161 | 333 | -6.4%
MISSOURI |  | 1004 | 1165 | 2169 | 16.0%
MONTANA |  | 114 | 133 | 247 | 16.7%
NEBRASKA |  | 247 | 336 | 583 | 36.0%
NEVADA |  | 673 | 882 | 1555 | 31.1%
NEW HAMPSHIRE |  | 806 | 791 | 1597 | -1.9%
NEW JERSEY |  | 4276 | 4656 | 8932 | 8.9%
NEW MEXICO |  | 412 | 444 | 856 | 7.8%
NEW YORK |  | 7842 | 8557 | 16399 | 9.1%
NORTH CAROLINA |  | 2884 | 3252 | 6136 | 12.8%
NORTH DAKOTA |  | 95 | 98 | 193 | 3.2%
OHIO |  | 3903 | 4110 | 8013 | 5.3%
OKLAHOMA |  | 529 | 521 | 1050 | -1.5%
OREGON |  | 2372 | 2462 | 4834 | 3.8%
PENNSYLVANIA |  | 3652 | 3894 | 7546 | 6.6%
RHODE ISLAND |  | 351 | 415 | 766 | 18.2%
SOUTH CAROLINA |  | 793 | 978 | 1771 | 23.3%
SOUTH DAKOTA |  | 106 | 129 | 235 | 21.7%
TENNESSEE |  | 1080 | 1065 | 2145 | -1.4%
TEXAS |  | 8044 | 8930 | 16974 | 11.0%
UTAH |  | 1214 | 1327 | 2541 | 9.3%
VERMONT |  | 536 | 506 | 1042 | -5.6%
VIRGINIA |  | 1744 | 1817 | 3561 | 4.2%
WASHINGTON |  | 5264 | 5985 | 11249 | 13.7%
WEST VIRGINIA |  | 109 | 142 | 251 | 30.3%
WISCONSIN |  | 2154 | 2289 | 4443 | 6.3%
WYOMING |  | 74 | 125 | 199 | 68.9%
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA |  | 102 | 148 | 250 | 45.1%
PUERTO RICO |  | 28 | 39 | 67 | 39.3%
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS |  | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.0%
U.S. UNSPECIFIED REGION |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
U.S. TOTALS |  | 121257 | 134194 | 255451 | 10.7%
AFGHANISTAN |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2011 Patents
ALBANIA |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
ANDORRA |  | 2 | 3 | 5 | 50.0%
ANGOLA |  | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2011 Patents
ANGUILLA |  | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA |  | 1 | 5 | 6 | 400.0%
ARGENTINA |  | 51 | 67 | 118 | 31.4%
ARMENIA |  | 7 | 2 | 9 | -71.4%
AUSTRALIA |  | 2215 | 1786 | 4001 | -19.4%
AUSTRIA |  | 927 | 987 | 1914 | 6.5%
AZERBAIJAN |  | 2 | 1 | 3 | -50.0%
THE BAHAMAS |  | 10 | 9 | 19 | -10.0%
BAHRAIN |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2011 Patents
BANGLADESH |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2011 Patents
BELARUS |  | 3 | 7 | 10 | 133.3%
BELGIUM |  | 958 | 1004 | 1962 | 4.8%
BERMUDA |  | 6 | 3 | 9 | -50.0%
BOLIVIA |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA |  | 0 | 3 | 3 | No 2011 Patents
BRAZIL |  | 254 | 256 | 510 | 0.8%
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
BULGARIA |  | 43 | 25 | 68 | -41.9%
CAMEROON |  | 0 | 3 | 3 | No 2011 Patents
CANADA |  | 5756 | 6459 | 12215 | 12.2%
CAYMAN ISLANDS |  | 3 | 9 | 12 | 200.0%
CHILE |  | 35 | 38 | 73 | 8.6%
CHINA, HONG KONG |  | 658 | 739 | 1397 | 12.3%
CHINA, MACAU |  | 6 | 3 | 9 | -50.0%
CHINA, PEOPLE'S REP. |  | 3786 | 5341 | 9127 | 41.1%
COLOMBIA |  | 21 | 16 | 37 | -23.8%
COSTA RICA |  | 16 | 10 | 26 | -37.5%
CROATIA |  | 18 | 23 | 41 | 27.8%
CUBA |  | 6 | 5 | 11 | -16.7%
CYPRUS |  | 2 | 5 | 7 | 150.0%
CZECH REPUBLIC |  | 97 | 133 | 230 | 37.1%
DENMARK |  | 840 | 978 | 1818 | 16.4%
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC |  | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.0%
ECUADOR |  | 3 | 4 | 7 | 33.3%
EGYPT |  | 21 | 28 | 49 | 33.3%
ESTONIA |  | 13 | 41 | 54 | 215.4%
FAROE ISLANDS |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2011 Patents
FINLAND |  | 1023 | 1138 | 2161 | 11.2%
FRANCE |  | 5023 | 5857 | 10880 | 16.6%
GEORGIA (REPUBLIC OF) |  | 3 | 2 | 5 | -33.3%
GERMANY |  | 12967 | 15041 | 28008 | 16.0%
GHANA |  | 1 | 3 | 4 | 200.0%
GIBRALTAR |  | 4 | 6 | 10 | 50.0%
GREECE |  | 62 | 93 | 155 | 50.0%
GUATEMALA |  | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2011 Patents
GUERNSEY |  | 4 | 3 | 7 | -25.0%
HAITI |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
HONDURAS |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
HUNGARY |  | 111 | 113 | 224 | 1.8%
ICELAND |  | 24 | 22 | 46 | -8.3%
INDIA |  | 1259 | 1734 | 2993 | 37.7%
INDONESIA |  | 11 | 12 | 23 | 9.1%
IRAN |  | 17 | 28 | 45 | 64.7%
IRELAND |  | 319 | 358 | 677 | 12.2%
ISLE OF MAN |  | 11 | 18 | 29 | 63.6%
ISRAEL |  | 2108 | 2598 | 4706 | 23.2%
ITALY |  | 2333 | 2546 | 4879 | 9.1%
JAMAICA |  | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.0%
JAPAN |  | 48256 | 52773 | 101029 | 9.4%
JERSEY |  | 3 | 6 | 9 | 100.0%
JORDAN |  | 5 | 3 | 8 | -40.0%
KAZAKHSTAN |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2011 Patents
KENYA |  | 3 | 0 | 3 | -100.0%
KOREA, NORTH |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2011 Patents
KOREA, SOUTH |  | 13239 | 14168 | 27407 | 7.0%
KUWAIT |  | 24 | 33 | 57 | 37.5%
LATVIA |  | 3 | 5 | 8 | 66.7%
LEBANON |  | 21 | 8 | 29 | -61.9%
LIECHTENSTEIN |  | 15 | 16 | 31 | 6.7%
LITHUANIA |  | 9 | 5 | 14 | -44.4%
LUXEMBOURG |  | 47 | 49 | 96 | 4.3%
MACEDONIA |  | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
MALAYSIA |  | 181 | 219 | 400 | 21.0%
MALTA |  | 4 | 3 | 7 | -25.0%
MEXICO |  | 117 | 153 | 270 | 30.8%
MONACO |  | 8 | 12 | 20 | 50.0%
MOROCCO |  | 4 | 2 | 6 | -50.0%
NETHERLANDS |  | 2048 | 2193 | 4241 | 7.1%
NEW ZEALAND |  | 255 | 293 | 548 | 14.9%
NIGERIA |  | 1 | 3 | 4 | 200.0%
NORWAY |  | 412 | 474 | 886 | 15.0%
OMAN |  | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.0%
PAKISTAN |  | 4 | 13 | 17 | 225.0%
PANAMA |  | 1 | 5 | 6 | 400.0%
PARAGUAY |  | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2011 Patents
PERU |  | 5 | 3 | 8 | -40.0%
PHILIPPINES |  | 30 | 46 | 76 | 53.3%
POLAND |  | 81 | 96 | 177 | 18.5%
PORTUGAL |  | 35 | 47 | 82 | 34.3%
QATAR |  | 1 | 4 | 5 | 300.0%
ROMANIA |  | 34 | 44 | 78 | 29.4%
RUSSIAN FEDERATION |  | 307 | 339 | 646 | 10.4%
SAUDI ARABIA |  | 61 | 173 | 234 | 183.6%
SERBIA |  | 8 | 12 | 20 | 50.0%
SEYCHELLES |  | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
SINGAPORE |  | 696 | 841 | 1537 | 20.8%
SLOVAKIA |  | 19 | 19 | 38 | 0.0%
SLOVENIA |  | 35 | 47 | 82 | 34.3%
SOUTH AFRICA |  | 144 | 158 | 302 | 9.7%
SPAIN |  | 565 | 728 | 1293 | 28.8%
SRI LANKA |  | 7 | 4 | 11 | -42.9%
SWEDEN |  | 1863 | 2264 | 4127 | 21.5%
SWITZERLAND |  | 1865 | 2039 | 3904 | 9.3%
SYRIA |  | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
TAIWAN |  | 9907 | 11624 | 21531 | 17.3%
THAILAND |  | 73 | 46 | 119 | -37.0%
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO |  | 2 | 4 | 6 | 100.0%
TUNISIA |  | 3 | 5 | 8 | 66.7%
TURKEY |  | 52 | 55 | 107 | 5.8%
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2011 Patents
UKRAINE |  | 18 | 42 | 60 | 133.3%
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |  | 13 | 21 | 34 | 61.5%
UNITED KINGDOM |  | 4910 | 5876 | 10786 | 19.7%
URUGUAY |  | 2 | 9 | 11 | 350.0%
UZBEKISTAN |  | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2011 Patents
VENEZUELA |  | 18 | 26 | 44 | 44.4%
VIET NAM |  | 0 | 4 | 4 | No 2011 Patents
ZIMBABWE |  | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2011 Patents
TOTAL |  | 247728 | 276796 | 524524 | 11.7%

## Contact Information -

Questions regarding these reports should be directed to:

> U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
> Electronic Information Products Division - PTMT
> P.O. Box 1450
> Alexandria, VA 22313-1450

> tel: (571) 272-5600
> FAX: (571) 273-0110
> e-mail:oeip@uspto.gov

> address of PTMT pages at the USPTO Web Site: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/tafp.html
> selected PTMT reports available for download at : http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/data/

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