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U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Office of Electronic Information Products
Patent Technology Monitoring Division (PTMD)

# PATENTING TRENDS
CALENDAR YEAR 2004

(document dated 09-FEB-2005)

In calendar year 2004, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted 164,293 utility, 15,695 design, 1,016 plant, and 298 reissue patents, and 20 statutory invention registrations for a total of 181,322 patent documents for the year. Annual grants of all patent documents decreased by 3.1 percent over the total for calendar year 2003 (187,052 grants in 2003). Calendar year 2004 grants of utility patents (‘patents for inventions’) numbered 164,293, a 2.8 percent decrease over the total for 2003 (169,027).

In 2004, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident inventors was 51.9 percent, a decrease from the U.S. share for 2003 (52.7%). California-resident inventors claimed a 22.9 percent share (21,602 patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by resident inventors from New York (7.0 percent, 6,618 patents), Texas (6.6 percent, 6,241 patents), Michigan (4.4 percent, 4,123 patents), Massachusetts (4.1 percent, 3906 patents), Illinois (4.0 percent, 3,754 patents), Ohio (3.6 percent, 3,418 patents) and New Jersey (3.6 percent, 3,354 patents). U.S.- resident inventors of the following areas had large percentage increases in patent receipts from 2003 to 2004: District of Columbia, Alaska, Rhode Island, Kansas, Delaware, Utah, North Dakota, Oregon, Montana and Nevada.

There were 15,173 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2004, down from the 2003 count of U.S. independent inventor patents (16,895). The independent inventor share of all patents issued to U.S.-resident inventors dropped to 16.1 percent in 2004 from a 17.1 percent share in 2003.

Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 48.1 percent share of all U.S. patents issued in 2004. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2004 was 20.4 percent, up from 19.9 percent in 2003. The 2004 share of U.S. patents that were issued to Germany-resident inventors was 6.3 percent, down from 6.5 percent in 2003.

In calendar year 2004, among the countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents, Taiwan and South Korea displayed large increases in the number of patents granted to their residents while France and Sweden displayed larger than average declines. Other countries with large percentage increases in annual patent receipts for 2004 include Indonesia, Malaysia, People's Republic of China, Liechtenstein, Ukraine, Iceland and Slovenia.

The eleven foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2004 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 2003 to 2004.

This table displays the eleven foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2004. Figures for the United States and for all countries overall are listed at the end of the table.
Rank in 2004 | Number of Patents in 2004 | Share of All Patents in 2004 | Country * | (Rank in 2003) | (Number of patents in 2003) | (2003 to 2004) (Change in Number of patents
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | 37,034 | 20.4% | Japan | (1) | (37,249) | ( -0.6% )
2 | 11,367 | 6.3% | Germany | (2) | (12,140) | ( -6.4% )
3 | 7,207 | 4.0% | Taiwan | (3) | (6,676) | ( 8.0% )
4 | 4,671 | 2.6% | South Korea | (4) | (4,132) | ( 13.0% )
5 | 3,905 | 2.2% | United Kingdom | (6) | (4,036) | ( -3.2% )
6 | 3,781 | 2.1% | Canada | (7) | (3,893) | ( -2.9% )
7 | 3,686 | 2.0% | France | (5) | (4,127) | (-10.7% )
8 | 1,946 | 1.1% | Italy | (8) | (2,022) | ( -3.8% )
9 | 1,537 | 0.8% | Netherlands | (10) | (1,570) | ( -2.1% )
10 | 1,405 | 0.8% | Switzerland | (11) | (1,433) | ( -2.0% )
11 | 1,388 | 0.8% | Sweden | (9) | (1,629) | (-14.8% )
| 94,129 | 51.9% | United States |  | (98,598) | ( -4.5% )
| 181,322 | 100.0% | All Countries |  | (187,052) | ( -3.1% )

## Notes:

> Counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registrations.

> * 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 2003 to 2004

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 registractions) from calendar year 2003 to 2004. 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 2003 | Number of Patents in 2004 | Number of Patents in 2003-2004 | Annual Percent Increase
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
ALABAMA | 459 | 412 | 871 | -10.2%
ALASKA | 43 | 49 | 92 | 14.0%
ARIZONA | 1714 | 1730 | 3444 | 0.9%
ARKANSAS | 176 | 160 | 336 | -9.1%
CALIFORNIA | 22079 | 21602 | 43681 | -2.2%
COLORADO | 2304 | 2290 | 4594 | -0.6%
CONNECTICUT | 1844 | 1723 | 3567 | -6.6%
DELAWARE | 372 | 406 | 778 | 9.1%
FLORIDA | 3119 | 2991 | 6110 | -4.1%
GEORGIA | 1537 | 1492 | 3029 | -2.9%
HAWAII | 96 | 86 | 182 | -10.4%
IDAHO | 1850 | 1822 | 3672 | -1.5%
ILLINOIS | 3964 | 3754 | 7718 | -5.3%
INDIANA | 1679 | 1485 | 3164 | -11.6%
IOWA | 711 | 736 | 1447 | 3.5%
KANSAS | 491 | 540 | 1031 | 10.0%
KENTUCKY | 495 | 463 | 958 | -6.5%
LOUISIANA | 439 | 387 | 826 | -11.8%
MAINE | 165 | 138 | 303 | -16.4%
MARYLAND | 1579 | 1440 | 3019 | -8.8%
MASSACHUSETTS | 4192 | 3906 | 8098 | -6.8%
MICHIGAN | 4220 | 4123 | 8343 | -2.3%
MINNESOTA | 3262 | 2996 | 6258 | -8.2%
MISSISSIPPI | 184 | 159 | 343 | -13.6%
MISSOURI | 946 | 895 | 1841 | -5.4%
MONTANA | 125 | 131 | 256 | 4.8%
NEBRASKA | 240 | 229 | 469 | -4.6%
NEVADA | 455 | 476 | 931 | 4.6%
NEW HAMPSHIRE | 731 | 681 | 1412 | -6.8%
NEW JERSEY | 3923 | 3354 | 7277 | -14.5%
NEW MEXICO | 405 | 383 | 788 | -5.4%
NEW YORK | 6921 | 6618 | 13539 | -4.4%
NORTH CAROLINA | 2174 | 2075 | 4249 | -4.6%
NORTH DAKOTA | 62 | 66 | 128 | 6.5%
OHIO | 3894 | 3418 | 7312 | -12.2%
OKLAHOMA | 563 | 490 | 1053 | -13.0%
OREGON | 1867 | 1967 | 3834 | 5.4%
PENNSYLVANIA | 3555 | 3224 | 6779 | -9.3%
RHODE ISLAND | 325 | 368 | 693 | 13.2%
SOUTH CAROLINA | 650 | 581 | 1231 | -10.6%
SOUTH DAKOTA | 89 | 88 | 177 | -1.1%
TENNESSEE | 975 | 874 | 1849 | -10.4%
TEXAS | 6378 | 6241 | 12619 | -2.1%
UTAH | 724 | 784 | 1508 | 8.3%
VERMONT | 465 | 428 | 893 | -8.0%
VIRGINIA | 1250 | 1182 | 2432 | -5.4%
WASHINGTON | 2516 | 2442 | 4958 | -2.9%
WEST VIRGINIA | 141 | 111 | 252 | -21.3%
WISCONSIN | 2082 | 1975 | 4057 | -5.1%
WYOMING | 84 | 55 | 139 | -34.5%
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 50 | 80 | 130 | 60.0%
PUERTO RICO | 29 | 20 | 49 | -31.0%
UNITED STATES | 2 | 1 | 3 | -50.0%
VIRGIN (U.S.) ISLANDS | 3 | 2 | 5 | -33.3%
U.S. TOTALS | 98598 | 94129 | 192727 | -4.5%
ALGERIA | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2003 Patents
ANDORRA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
ANGOLA | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2003 Patents
ARAB EMIRATES | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.0%
ARGENTINA | 70 | 50 | 120 | -28.6%
ARMENIA | 2 | 1 | 3 | -50.0%
ARUBA | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2003 Patents
AUSTRALIA | 1047 | 1093 | 2140 | 4.4%
AUSTRIA | 639 | 575 | 1214 | -10.0%
AZERBAIJAN | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
THE BAHAMAS | 11 | 8 | 19 | -27.3%
BANGLADESH | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
BARBADOS | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
BELARUS | 5 | 2 | 7 | -60.0%
BELGIUM | 727 | 678 | 1405 | -6.7%
BERMUDA | 8 | 1 | 9 | -87.5%
BULGARIA | 11 | 4 | 15 | -63.6%
BRAZIL | 180 | 161 | 341 | -10.6%
CANADA | 3893 | 3781 | 7674 | -2.9%
CAYMAN ISLANDS | 6 | 1 | 7 | -83.3%
CHILE | 15 | 18 | 33 | 20.0%
CHINA,HONG KONG S.A.R. | 681 | 641 | 1322 | -5.9%
CHINA P.REP. | 424 | 597 | 1021 | 40.8%
COLOMBIA | 11 | 11 | 22 | 0.0%
COSTA RICA | 10 | 10 | 20 | 0.0%
CROATIA | 13 | 9 | 22 | -30.8%
CUBA | 7 | 2 | 9 | -71.4%
CYPRUS | 0 | 2 | 2 | No 2003 Patents
CZECH REPUBLIC | 43 | 32 | 75 | -25.6%
CZECHOSLOVAKIA | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
DENMARK | 611 | 530 | 1141 | -13.3%
ECUADOR | 5 | 3 | 8 | -40.0%
EGYPT | 6 | 4 | 10 | -33.3%
EL SALVADOR | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
ESTONIA | 3 | 2 | 5 | -33.3%
FIJI | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.7%
FINLAND | 944 | 954 | 1898 | 1.1%
FRANCE | 4127 | 3686 | 7813 | -10.7%
GEORGIA (REPUBLIC OF) | 1 | 4 | 5 | 300.0%
GERMANY | 12140 | 11367 | 23507 | -6.4%
GREECE | 23 | 15 | 38 | -34.8%
GUATEMALA | 3 | 0 | 3 | -100.0%
HONDURAS | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
HUNGARY | 72 | 52 | 124 | -27.8%
ICELAND | 16 | 21 | 37 | 31.3%
INDIA | 355 | 376 | 731 | 5.9%
INDONESIA | 12 | 23 | 35 | 91.7%
IRELAND | 182 | 197 | 379 | 8.2%
ISRAEL | 1260 | 1092 | 2352 | -13.3%
ITALY | 2022 | 1946 | 3968 | -3.8%
IVORY COAST | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2003 Patents
JAMAICA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
JAPAN | 37249 | 37034 | 74283 | -0.6%
JORDAN | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.0%
KAZAKHSTAN | 1 | 2 | 3 | 100.0%
KENYA | 10 | 16 | 26 | 60.0%
KUWAIT | 7 | 4 | 11 | -42.9%
LATVIA | 4 | 2 | 6 | -50.0%
LEBANON | 6 | 3 | 9 | -50.0%
LIECHTENSTEIN | 15 | 21 | 36 | 40.0%
LITHUANIA | 1 | 3 | 4 | 200.0%
LUXEMBOURG | 53 | 55 | 108 | 3.8%
MACAU | 6 | 0 | 6 | -100.0%
MACEDONIA | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
MALAYSIA | 63 | 93 | 156 | 47.6%
MALTA | 3 | 1 | 4 | -66.7%
MEXICO | 92 | 102 | 194 | 10.9%
MOLDOVA, REPUBLIC OF | 1 | 4 | 5 | 300.0%
MONACO | 10 | 12 | 22 | 20.0%
MOROCCO | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
NETHERLANDS | 1570 | 1537 | 3107 | -2.1%
NEW ZEALAND | 165 | 192 | 357 | 16.4%
NICARAGUA | 1 | 0 | 1 | -100.0%
NIGERIA | 4 | 1 | 5 | -75.0%
NORWAY | 279 | 255 | 534 | -8.6%
PAKISTAN | 1 | 4 | 5 | 300.0%
PANAMA | 3 | 2 | 5 | -33.3%
PERU | 4 | 6 | 10 | 50.0%
PHILIPPINES | 25 | 21 | 46 | -16.0%
POLAND | 19 | 19 | 38 | 0.0%
PORTUGAL | 12 | 17 | 29 | 41.7%
PALAU | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2003 Patents
ROMANIA | 7 | 9 | 16 | 28.6%
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | 203 | 173 | 376 | -14.8%
SAUDI ARABIA | 19 | 15 | 34 | -21.1%
SINGAPORE | 460 | 485 | 945 | 5.4%
SLOVAKIA | 6 | 5 | 11 | -16.7%
SLOVENIA | 19 | 24 | 43 | 26.3%
SOUTH AFRICA | 131 | 115 | 246 | -12.2%
SOUTH KOREA | 4132 | 4671 | 8803 | 13.0%
SPAIN | 358 | 312 | 670 | -12.8%
SRI LANKA | 4 | 3 | 7 | -25.0%
SWEDEN | 1629 | 1388 | 3017 | -14.8%
SWITZERLAND | 1433 | 1405 | 2838 | -2.0%
SYRIA | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2003 Patents
TAIWAN | 6676 | 7207 | 13883 | 8.0%
TANZANIA | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
THAILAND | 47 | 28 | 75 | -40.4%
TRINIDAD/TOBAGO | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
TUNISIA | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2003 Patents
TURKEY | 32 | 19 | 51 | -40.6%
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS | 3 | 0 | 3 | -100.0%
UKRAINE | 15 | 21 | 36 | 40.0%
UNITED KINGDOM | 4036 | 3905 | 7941 | -3.2%
URUGUAY | 2 | 0 | 2 | -100.0%
UZBEKISTAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | No 2003 Patents
VENEZUELA | 20 | 23 | 43 | 15.0%
VIET NAM | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
VIRGIN (BRITISH) ISLANDS | 7 | 8 | 15 | 14.3%
YUGOSLAVIA | 2 | 1 | 3 | -50.0%
ZIMBABWE | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0%
FOREIGN TOTALS | 88454 | 87193 | 175647 | -1.4%
U.S. TOTALS | 98598 | 94129 | 192727 | -4.5%
FOREIGN TOTALS | 88454 | 87193 | 175647 | -1.4%
TOTAL | 187052 | 181322 | 368374 | -3.1%

## Notes:

> Counts include utility, design, plant, and reissue patents, and statutory invention registrations.

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

## Contact Information -

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> Office of Electronic Information Products - PTMD
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> ftp download of selected PTMD reports and materials from : ftp.uspto.gov/pub/taf/

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