            Patenting Trends, Calendar Year 1997

In calendar year 1997, the number of patent documents granted by the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reached a record total of 124,147,
including 111,984 utility, 11,414 design, 394 plant, and 277 reissue
patents and 78 statutory invention registrations.  Grants for all
patent documents increased by two percent over the total for calendar
year 1996 (121,806) and grants for utility patents (patents for
invention) increased by two percent over the total for 1996 (109,646).

During 1997, the share of all patent documents which were issued to
U.S.-resident inventors decreased to 56.3 percent from 57.0 percent
for 1996.  California resident inventors claimed a 10.4 percent share
of all patent documents (12,915 patents), followed by New York (4.4
percent, 5,421 patents), Texas (3.6 percent, 4,448 patents), Illinois
(2.9 percent, 3,539 patents), and New Jersey (2.8 percent, 3,463 patents). 

There were 16,285 patent documents granted to U.S. independent
inventors during 1997, a decrease of six percent from the 1996 count
of U.S. independent inventor patents (17,415). The U.S. independent
inventor share of all patent documents granted in 1997 declined to
13.1 percent from the 14.3 percent share in 1996. 

Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 43.7 percent share of all U.S.
patent documents issued in 1997. The share of all U.S. patent
documents issued to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 1997 was
19.5 percent, down from the 19.8 percent share in 1996 and the 20.1
percent share in 1995.  The share of all U.S. patent documents issued
to Germany-resident inventors increased slightly to 5.9 percent for
1997 as compared to 5.8 percent for 1996.

In 1997, South Korea increased its annual patent receipts by 25
percent over its receipts for 1996, the only country to display double
digit annual growth. The United Kingdom, Taiwan, Canada, France, Italy
and Germany also displayed greater than average annual growth for 1997.

The ten foreign countries which received the most patent documents
during calendar year 1997 are displayed below.  
                                                             (1996 to 1997)
1997 1997 #  1997 Share of                        (1996 # )  (Change in   )
Rank Patents  All Patents     Country             (Patents)  (# of Patents)
---- ------- -------------    -------------------- --------  --------------
 1  24,190       19.5%        Japan                (24,058)      ( + 0.5% )
 2   7,292        5.9%        Germany               (7,124)      ( + 2.4% )
 3   3,202        2.6%        France                (3,016)      ( + 6.2% )
 4   2,904        2.3%        United Kingdom        (2,674)      ( + 8.6% )
 5   2,816        2.3%        Canada                (2,639)      ( + 6.7% )
 6   2,597        2.1%        Taiwan                (2,419)      ( + 7.4% )
 7   1,965        1.6%        South Korea           (1,567)      ( +25.4% )
 8   1,417        1.1%        Italy                 (1,384)      ( + 2.4% )
 9   1,179        0.9%        Switzerland           (1,191)      ( - 1.0% )
10     970        0.8%        Sweden                  (971)      ( + 0.1% )

    69,925       56.3%        United States        (69,424)      ( + 0.7% )
   124,147      100.0%        All Countries       (121,806)      ( + 1.9% )
_______________________________________________________________________________________
SOURCE:   U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
          Technology Assessment and Forecast data base    (1-30-98)

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