U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Office of Electronic Information Products
Technology Assessment and Forecast (TAF) Program

Statistical Reports Available For Viewing

Notes for Users

The Table of Contents provides links to brief descriptions of each TAF report which may be viewed. A direct link to each viewable report is located with the brief description of that report.
TAF statistical reports display calendar year data (1 January to 31 December).
TAF statistical reports which have a PDF file extension (e.g., "topo_97.pdf") require free Adobe Acrobat ® software, version 2.1 or higher, for document viewing and printing.

New and Updated Reports since 04 February 1998 (updated 08 July 1998)

All reports have been updated through December of 1997.

In addition, several new reports have been added to this site:

Prolific Inventors Receiving Utility Patents, 1988-1997 (12/97)
U.S. Patent Activity, 1790-1997 (12/97)
Historic Data, All Technologies Report-- utility patents by country of origin and by patenting organization, 1963-1984 (12/97)
Historic Patent Counts By Country/State and Year, Utility Patents-- utility patents by geographic origin, 1963-1983 (12/97)
Issue Years and Patent Numbers Since 1836 (12/97)

This web page has been reorganized with the intention of making it easier to read.

TAF General Statistical Reports, By Report Category

By Type of Patent Document
(please note that for most users, TAF reports displaying utility patent statistics will be the ones of interest- - utility patents are also known as "patents for inventions")
By Geographic Origin
By Patenting Organization
By Patented Technology
- Patent Counts by Class by Year Report (12/97)
- Patent Counts by Class by Year, Independent Inventors (12/97)
By Inventor
Historical Statistics
Miscellaneous Reports

Miscellaneous Information

Other TAF Reports
Other Sources of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Statistical Data
Statistical Data From Other Intellectual Property Offices
File Formats For Viewable and Downloadable TAF Reports
Frequency of Updating of TAF Reports
TAF Contacts

TAF General Statistical Reports, By Report Category

By Type of Patent Document

U.S. Patent Statistics Report - one page summary table (viewable report file: us_stat.pdf)

This chart shows the yearly number of applications and grants for utility, design, plant, and reissue patents granted since 1963. Utility counts are divided into U.S. and foreign origin. (updated annually)

All Patents, All Types Report (viewable report file: apat.pdf)

This report counts utility patents as well as other types of U.S. documents (i.e., design patents, plant patents, reissue patents, defensive publications, and statutory invention registrations) granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1977.

Parts A1 and A2 of this report provide yearly totals for patents granted during the most recent 14 years. Part A1 distributes the patents by their dates of grant and Part A2 distributes the patents by their dates of patent application. The totals are broken down by origin (origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor), either U.S. or foreign. Yearly counts are shown for the 36 foreign countries receiving the most U.S. patents during the period. Totals are also divided according to general category of ownership, e.g., corporate-owned, government-owned, or individual-owned.

Part B of this report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received 1,000 or more patent documents since 1977. It ranks these organizations in terms of total patent receipts and profiles their annual patenting activity for the most recent 14 year period. Patent grants are distributed in two ways, by year of grant and by year of patent application.

All Technologies (Utility Patents) Report (viewable report file: all_tech.pdf)

This report counts only utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Parts A1 and A2 of this report show the number of utility patents granted since 1963. Yearly totals are provided for the most recent 14 years. Part A1 distributes patent grants by their dates of grant and Part A2 distributes patent grants by their dates of patent application. The totals are broken down by origin (patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor), either U.S. or foreign. Yearly counts are shown for the 36 foreign countries receiving the most U.S. patents during the period. Totals are also divided according to general category of ownership, e.g., corporate-owned, government-owned, or individual-owned.

Part B of this report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received 1,000 or more patents since 1969. It ranks these organizations in terms of total patent receipts and profiles their annual patenting activity for the most recent 14 year period. Patent grants are distributed in two ways, by year of grant and by year of patent application.

Number of Utility Patent Applications Filed in the United States By Country of Origin, Calendar Years 1965 to Present (viewable report file: appl_yr.pdf)

This report consists of a series of tables which show the yearly number of utility patent applications filed at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1965. Application counts are separated by country of origin based on the residence of the first-named inventor. (updated annually)

Design Patents Report (viewable report file: design.pdf)

This report counts only design patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1977.

Part B of this report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received 50 or more design patents since 1977. It ranks these organizations in terms of total patent receipts and profiles their annual patenting activity for the most recent 14 year period. Patent grants are distributed in two ways, by year of grant and by year of patent application. (updated annually)

Plant Patents Report (viewable report file: plant.pdf)

This report counts only plant patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1977.

Part B of this report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received 3 or more plant patents since 1977. It ranks these organizations in terms of total patent receipts and profiles their annual patenting activity for the most recent 14 year period. Patent grants are distributed in two ways, by year of grant and by year of patent application. (updated annually)

Reissue Patents Report (viewable report file: reissues.pdf)

This report counts only reissue patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1977.

Part B of this report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received 10 or more reissue patents since 1977. It ranks these organizations in terms of total patent receipts and profiles their annual patenting activity for the most recent 14 year period. Patent grants are distributed in two ways, by year of grant and by year of patent application. (updated annually)

Statutory Invention Registrations and Defensive Publications Report (viewable report file: sir.pdf)

This report counts only statutory invention registrations and defensive publications granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1977.

Parts A1 and A2 of this report provide yearly totals for the patent documents granted during the most recent 14 years. Part A1 distributes the documents by their dates of grant and Part A2 distributes the documents by their dates of patent application. The totals are broken down by origin (origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor), either U.S. or foreign. Yearly counts are shown for the 36 foreign countries receiving the most U.S. documents during the period. Totals are also divided according to general category of ownership, e.g., corporate-owned, government-owned, or individual-owned.

Part B of this report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received 1 or more statutory invention registrations or defensive publications since 1977. It ranks these organizations in terms of total patent receipts and profiles their annual activity for the most recent 14 year period. Documents are distributed in two ways, by year of grant and by year of patent application. (updated annually)

Patent Counts (single year reports with counts by patent document type and by geographic origin)

1997 (viewable report file: st_co_97.htm)
1996 (viewable report file: st_co_96.htm)
1995 (viewable report file: st_co_95.htm)
1994 (viewable report file: st_co_94.htm)
1993 (viewable report file: st_co_93.htm)
1992 (viewable report file: st_co_92.htm)

: For each calendar year, a list of the U.S. states and countries from which U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patents originated is presented. Separate counts are provided for each state and country and for each patent type (i.e., utility patents, design patents, etc.). (updated annually)

By Geographic Origin

Patent Counts by Country/State and Year, All Patents, All Types Report (viewable report file: cst_all.pdf)

This report shows the number of U.S. patent documents (i.e., utility patents, design patents, plant patents, reissue patents, defensive publications, and statutory invention registrations) granted since 1977, broken down by the state or country of origin (patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor). Yearly totals are provided for the most recent years.

Patent Counts by Country/State and Year, Utility Patents Report (viewable report file: cst_utl.pdf)

This report shows the number of U.S. utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") granted since 1963, broken down by the state or country of origin (patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor). Yearly totals are provided for the most recent 21 years.

U.S. Patent Grants by State, County, and Metropolitan Area, (1990 to the present) (viewable report file: county.pdf)

This report presents the number of utility patents awarded to residents of each state, county (or county equivalent), and metropolitan area in the United States. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) codes for each geographic area are also provided. Only utility patents granted since 1990 are currently represented in this report, but data for prior years will be included as the data become available. The current report lists data for each year since and including 1990. Distribution of other types of patents, e.g., plant, design, reissue, and distributions of inventors by county and metropolitan area are available upon request (see also Custom Reports). (updated annually)

By Patenting Organization

Top 10 or 11 Patenting Organizations (single year reports)

1997 (viewable report file: top97cos.htm)
1996 (viewable report file: top96cos.htm)
1995 (viewable report file: top95cos.htm)
1994 (viewable report file: top94cos.htm)
1993 (viewable report file: top93cos.htm)
1992 (viewable report file: top92cos.htm)
1991 (viewable report file: top91cos.htm)

For each calendar year, a list of the top 10 or 11 organizations receiving U.S. utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") is presented. (updated annually)

Patenting by Organizations Report (single year reports providing an extended list of prolific patenting organizations receiving patents)

1997 (viewable report file: topo_97.pdf)
1996 (viewable report file: topo_96.pdf)
1995 (viewable report file: topo_95.pdf)

Part A1 of this report provides the total count for utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") granted during the calendar year (or half year, in the case of mid-year reports). The total is broken down by origin (origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor), either U.S. or foreign. A count is shown for each of the 36 foreign countries receiving the most U.S. patents during the year. The total is also divided according to general category of ownership, e.g., corporate-owned, government-owned, or individual-owned.

Part B1 of this report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received 30 or more patents during the year. It ranks these organizations in terms of patent receipts for the year. (updated annually)

U.S. (Federal) Government Patenting Report (viewable report file: us_gov.pdf)

This report counts all patent documents (i.e., utility patents, design patents, plant patents, reissue patents, defensive publications, and statutory invention registrations) granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1977 for which ownership was assigned to the U.S. Government at the time of grant.

Part B of this report shows the Federal organizations which have received 1 or more patent documents since 1977. It ranks these Federal organizations in terms of total patent receipts and profiles their annual patenting activity for the most recent 14 year period. Patent grants are distributed in two ways, by year of grant and by year of patent application. (updated annually)

By Patented Technology

Patent Counts by Class by Year Report (viewable report file: cbcby.pdf)

This report shows the number of patent documents (i.e., utility patents, design patents, plant patents, reissue patents, defensive publications, and statutory invention registrations) granted since 1977 in each of the approximately 430 U.S. patent classes, the primary divisions of technology within the U.S. Patent Classification System. Yearly totals are provided for the most recent years. The report consists of two parts, one which lists patent counts by "original" classification only and one which lists counts by "original" and "cross-reference" classifications with duplicate patent counts eliminated. A list of the U.S. patent class titles is included in this report.

Patent Counts by Class by Year, Independent Inventors (viewable report file: cbcby_in.pdf)

This report counts only documents granted to independent inventors. Independent inventor patents are those for which ownership is either unassigned or assigned to an individual (i.e., not an organization) at the time of grant.

By Inventor

Independent Inventors by State by Year, All Patents, All Types Report (viewable report file: inv_all.pdf)

This report shows the number of "independent inventors" by state (patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor) for all U.S. patent documents (i.e., utility patents, design patents, plant patents, reissue patents, defensive publications, and statutory invention registrations) granted from 1977 to the present. Independent inventors are the inventors of those patents which are either unassigned or assigned to individuals at the time of patent grant. Yearly totals are provided for the most recent 17 years. (updated annually)

Independent Inventors By State By Year, Utility Patent Report (viewable report file: inv_utl.pdf)

This report shows the number of "independent inventors" by state (patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor) for all U.S. utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") granted from 1975 to the present. Independent inventors are the inventors of those patents which are either unassigned or assigned to individuals at the time of patent grant. Yearly totals are provided for the most recent 17 years. (updated annually)

Prolific Inventors Receiving Utility Patents, 1988-1997 (viewable report file: inv_prol.pdf)

This report identifies prolific inventors who received a large number of utility patents during the 1988 to 1997 period.(updated irregularly)

Historical Statistics

U.S. Patent Activity, 1790-1997 (viewable report file: h_counts.pdf)

This report presents annual counts of utility (invention), design, and plant patents and applications received and issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1790. (updated annually)

Historic Data, All Technologies Report-- utility patents by country of origin and by patenting organization, 1963-1984 (viewable report file: h_at.pdf)

This report counts only utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Part A1 of this report shows the number of utility patents granted from 1963 to 1984. Yearly totals are provided for the most recent 14 years. Part A1 distributes patent grants by their dates of grant. The totals are broken down by origin (patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor), either U.S. or foreign. Yearly counts are shown for the 36 foreign countries receiving the most U.S. patents during the period. Totals are also divided according to general category of ownership, e.g., corporate-owned, government-owned, or individual-owned.

Part B1 of this report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received 500 or more patents from 1969 to 1984. It ranks these organizations in terms of total patent receipts and profiles their annual patenting activity for the most recent 14 year period. Patent grants are distributed by year of grant.(updated irregularly)

Historic Patent Counts By Country/State and Year, Utility Patents-- utility patents by geographic origin, 1963-1983 (viewable report file: cst_utlh.pdf)

This report shows the number of U.S. utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") granted from 1963 to 1983, broken down by the state or country of origin (patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor). Yearly totals are provided for the most recent 21 years.(updated irregularly)

Miscellaneous Reports

Issue Years and Patent Numbers Since 1836 (viewable report file: issuyear.htm)

For utility, design, plant, and reissue patents and statutory invention registrations granted from 1836 to the present, this report enables one to identify the issue year from the patent number. (updated annually)

Issue Dates and Patent Numbers Since 1836 (viewable report file: issudate.pdf)

For patent documents granted since 1963, this report enables one to identify the issue date from the patent number. For utility, design, and plant patents granted from 1836 to 1997, this report enables one to identify the issue year from the patent number. (updated annually)

Patenting Trends (single year reports)

1997 (viewable report file: pat_tr97.htm)
1996 (viewable report file: pat_tr96.htm)
1995 (viewable report file: pat_tr95.htm)
1994 (viewable report file: pat_tr94.htm)
1993 (viewable report file: pat_tr93.htm)
1992 (viewable report file: pat_tr92.htm)
1991 (viewable report file: pat_tr91.htm)

: For each calendar year, a brief discussion of the patenting trends is presented. (updated annually)

Miscellaneous Information

Other TAF Reports

For a description of other available TAF reports, please consult the TAF Program Brochure.

Other Sources of USPTO Statistical Data

Other statistical data relating to patents may be found in the Commissioner's Annual Reports.

Please note that data contained in the Commissioner's Annual Reports are predominantly fiscal year data covering the period October 1 to September 30.

The Commissioner's Annual Reports as well as other patent data may be accessed from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Home Page (http://www.uspto.gov/).

Statistical Data From Other Intellectual Property Offices

For statistical data profiling patenting activity at intellectual property offices outside the United States, the web sites of those offices should be consulted. Please note that patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provide patent protection only within the United States.

File Formats For Viewable and Downloadable TAF Reports

TAF reports which are available for downloading are either in Adobe Acrobat ® format (".pdf" file extension), in ASCII text format (".txt" file extension), or in HTML Hypertext format (".htm" file extension). Free software for viewing and printing PDF files may be obtained by accessing the USPTO Internet page, (http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/viewers.html).

Frequency of Updating of TAF Reports

Updates to TAF General Statistical Reports are usually generated in March/April of each year to incorporate data through December of the previous year. Midyear updates are generated for some TAF reports with the update reports containing data through June. These update reports are generally available in late July to early August. One exception is the "U.S. Patent Statistics Report", which is fully updated in May/June of each year.

TAF single year reports are usually generated in February of the following year. The "Patenting By Organizations Report", however, is updated once per year in March/April.

TAF Contacts

Questions regarding these reports should be directed to:

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Office of Electronic Information Products - TAF Program
PK3- Suite 441
Washington, DC 20231

tel: (703) 306-2600
FAX: (703) 306-2737
email oeip@uspto.gov

address of TAF Internet pages : http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/tafp.html
ftp download of TAF reports from : ftp.uspto.gov/pub/taf/

Last modified 08 July 1998

Statistical Reports Available For Viewing

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