7 million patents issued by the U.S. Patent Office. Number of patents issued by the U.S. Patent Office as of February 2006. “The year 2006 has been a busy one for patent protection and litigation in the United States. In February 2006, the United States Patent Office issued its seven millionth patent, and continues to issue hundreds of thousands of patents per year.” (Amy Christensen Chun, Japan Inc., September 22, 2006) Find more detailed information about the U.S. patent & trademark office
. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Discover the 21st Century Complete Guide for Inventors with Federal Government Information on Patents and Inventions: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
7 million patents issued by the U.S. Patent Office. “Patent No. 7 million was issued on Valentine's Day 2006 to John P. O'Brien at the DuPont Co. for cotton-like, biodegradable "polysaccharide fibers" used in textile applications.” (Kathleen Davidson, “U.S. patent process takes time, money and guidance,” The Business Journal of Phoenix, July 7, 2006)
6 million patents issued since 1790. “Over 6 million patents have been issued since the first patent in 1790. Last year [1998] PTO issued 155,000 patents and registered 106,000 trademarks.” (Q. Todd Dickinson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office press release, October 1, 1999). first patent inventionFirst patent invention. Who received the first patent issued in the U.S.? Can you name historical first patents from the airplane to the zipper?
244,341 (2010). Number of patents granted by the USPTO in 2010. In 2010 the U.S. patent office issued 244,341 patents – fifty (50) percent of these patents were made to companies or organizations of foreign origin. In 1970 only 26 percent were to foreign origin enterprises. (U.S. Patent And Trademark Office, Electronic Information Products Division, Patent Technology Monitoring Team, “U.S. Patent Statistics Chart - Calendar Years 1963 – 2010,” Washington, D.C., retrieved July 1, 2011)
How many patent applications were filed with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office in the year 2010?
To find data on the number of patents issued by year see the full report "U.S. Patent Statistics Chart - Calendar Years 1963 - 2010," Electronic Information Products Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, DC, April 20, 2010) For questions or further USPTO information: 571-272-5600 - Fax: 571-273-0110 or Email: oeip@uspto.gov
187,000. Number of patents issued per year by the USPTO (or 719 patents issued per day assuming a 260 work day year). “When the [children’s playground side-to-side swing] patent was granted in April, intellectual property experts blasted it and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [USPTO], saying it showed how overworked the patent office had become. The patent office, which patent attorneys have for years described as underfunded and understaffed, issues more than 187,000 patents a year. The less staff, the less likely patents such as this are challenged.” Patents per day. Patents per year. (Mark Reilly & Jim Martyka, “Inventions reflect innovation, patience, even humor,” Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, August 16, 2002)
185,224 (2008). Number of patents issued by the USPTO in 2008. “U.S. Patent And Trademark Office, Electronic Information Products Division, Patent Technology Monitoring Team, “U.S. Patent Statistics Chart - Calendar Years 1963 – 2008,” Washington, D.C., Last modified May 5, 2009)
What percent of patents make money? What are the odds of an inventor having a patent approved by the patent office? What are the odds of a patented invention becoming commercially viable?
What percent of patent applications are approved each year?
54%. Percent of patent applications approved. “Only 54 percent of patent applications receive approval, according to the patent office.” (Julia Feldmeier - Washington Post Staff Writer,, “Any Bright Ideas?; How Local Inventors Try to Capitalize on That 'Aha!' Moment,” The Washington Post, March 4, 2007)
41%. Percent of U.S. patent applications approved in 2006. “Patents themselves don't come easily. In 2006, the patent office received 443,652 patent applications, but only 183,187 were issued that year.” 183,187/443,652 = 41%. Percent of patents that get approved. (Joyce Smith, Business Columnist, “Seeing your invention through: Entrepreneur week helps highlight some success stories of those who dream big,” Kansas City Star, February 27, 2007)
Over 100,000 per year. Number of inventions patented each year. “Over 100,000 of these novel ideas [inventions] are patented each year.” (Rich Donaldson, senior vice president and general patent counsel for Texas Instruments, cited in “Great Ideas Turn Into Palatable Investments”, Dallas Business Journal, by Lisa M. Whitley, March 9, 1998)
82,296. Number of patents issued to corporations in 1992. “In 1992, individuals accounted for 25,237 issued patents, while corporations accounted for 82,296.” (Caryne Brown, “Making money making toys: how black inventors are bringing innovative ideas to the toy market”, Black Enterprise, November 1, 1993)
27,000. Number of patents in the intellectual property portfolio of Intellectual Ventures. “Intellectual Ventures [a $5 billion startup company founded by Nathan Myhrvold and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington] was created to amass and license intellectual property: inventions, but more specifically, patents that can be used to collect royalties from companies that use the patented concepts in their products. So far it's built a portfolio of about 27,000 patents, the bulk of which it has accumulated by acquiring them from other companies or individuals.” (Brier Dudley, Seattle Times senior technology reporter, “Bellevue lab is an inventor's real dream,” The Seattle Times, Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - Page updated at 06:01 PM) Discover the latest DVDs and books about Nathan Myhrvold.
23,579. Number of patents issued to California residents. California residents were issued 23,579 patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2006 making it the number one ranked State in the nation in patents issued. The state's total was more than three and half times that of second-ranked Texas residents with 6,345 issued patents, and third-ranked New York with 6,075 issued patents. California residents filed 46,592 patent applications in 2006. (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Performance and Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2006, pp. 128, 129)
25,237. Number of patents issued to individuals in 1992. “In 1992, individuals accounted for 25,237 issued patents, while corporations accounted for 82,296.” (Caryne Brown, “Making money making toys: how black inventors are bringing innovative ideas to the toy market”, Black Enterprise, November 1, 1993)
24,998. Number of patent issued to independent inventors in 2001. “Independent inventors claimed 24,998 patents, about 13.5 percent of the total. Companies and individuals outside the United States received 46 percent of the patents.” (Doug Cooley, “A bent to invent,” Puget Sound Business Journal, July 26, 2002)
20,854. Number of patents issued to California inventors and corporations in 2001. “Yet Washington lags far behind California, the nation's most populated and patent-happy state. The Golden State tallied 20,854 patents, almost tripling second-place New York at 7,180.” (Doug Cooley, “A bent to invent,” Puget Sound Business Journal, July 26, 2002)
6,600. Number of active inventions in the invention portfolio of the University of California. In FY 2003-04, nearly 1,200 new inventions were disclosed by UC faculty and researchers. Overall, the UC system's invention portfolio is comprised of more than 6,600 active inventions. Total licensing revenues, the income received from UC agreements with industry, was $93.2 million in FY 2003-04, a portion of which is re-invested back into research and education on UC campuses. Many of these cutting-edge R&D projects are in fields directly related to the knowledge industry clusters and thus amplify many of the productivity gains arising from UC research.” (University of California, “University of California Tops Annual List of Universities Receiving Patents,” AScribe Business & Economics News Service, March 22, 2005)
3,411. Number of patents issued to IBM in 2001. “On the corporate front, IBM is the country's leading patent procurer for the ninth consecutive year. The computing giant was granted 3,411 patents, an increase of 18 percent from its 2000 total and an average of almost 100 a day [sic]. Equally notable was that seven of the top 10 U.S. patent winners were Japanese corporations.” (Doug Cooley, “A bent to invent,” Puget Sound Business Journal, July 26, 2002)
3300 patent applications per week. Number of patent applications filed per week with the U.S. patent office. “The patent office receives about 3,300 applications every week and registers 200,000 patents and trademarks every year.” (Jane Applegate, “Don't let patent law trip up your firm,” Chicago Sun-Times, December 8, 1998)
3,125. Number of patents issued to IBM in 2007. “Bolstered by employee efforts at IBM's Essex Junction plant, IBM earned the top spot in the U.S. patent rankings for the 15th consecutive year. Not only does the Essex Junction facility have IBM's most prolific inventor [Edward Nowak, an engineer and technology strategy manager for Essex Junction's semiconductor solutions organization], but the facility ranked third among the 41 states with IBM patents last year, IBM spokesman Jeff Couture said. The Vermont facility, for example, helped invent a sensor designed to make it easier for digital cameras to take brighter and sharper pictures, [Couture] said. In 2007, the Essex Junction facility was responsible for 357 patents, or more than 11 percent of IBM's total of 3,125 patents for the year. (Dan McLean, Free Press Staff Writer, “IBM tops patent list,” Burlington Free Press, January 19, 2008)
1,500 patents issued per week. "Always believing that few of us ever go to the trouble and expense of developing and patenting our ideas, I was surprised to find that approximately fifteen hundred patents are issued in the United States per week for both new products and improvements on old ones. [1500*52=78,000 per year]." (Patricia L. Fry, California freelance writer, "Modern-Day Inventors," The World & I, Vol. 13, June 1, 1998, p. 330)
1,346. Approximate number of patent applications filed per work day in 2003 assuming 260 work days per year. “Last year, the PTO received around 350,000 [patent] applications and currently has a backlog of over half a million to review. It is a global concern: foreigners account for around half of all patents granted.” (“The Cost of Ideas: Intellectual”, The Economist, November 13, 2004)
719. Number of patents issued per day by the USPTO assuming a 260 work day year and 187,000 patents are issued annually. “When the [children’s playground side-to-side swing] patent was granted in April, intellectual property experts blasted it and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [USPTO], saying it showed how overworked the patent office had become. The patent office, which patent attorneys have for years described as underfunded and understaffed, issues more than 187,000 patents a year. The less staff, the less likely patents such as this are challenged.” (Mark Reilly & Jim Martyka, “Inventions reflect innovation, patience, even humor,” Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, August 16, 2002)
500 to 600. Annual patent output of Nathan Myhrvold’s Intellectual Ventures lab. “After Nathan Myhrvold left Microsoft in 2000, he created [Intellectual Ventures, a $5 billion startup headquartered in Bellevue, Washington], something that would make the British Royal Society drool — a vast laboratory and intellectual salon where some of the smartest and richest people in the world get together and invent stuff. … Since the company was started in 2000, it has become one of the top 25 research institutions in the country and the top 50 in the world, based on its annual output of 500 to 600 patents… Intellectual Ventures was created to amass and license intellectual property: inventions, but more specifically, patents that can be used to collect royalties from companies that use the patented concepts in their products.” (Brier Dudley, Seattle Times senior technology reporter, “Bellevue lab is an inventor's real dream,” The Seattle Times, Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - Page updated at 06:01 PM) Discover the latest DVDs and books about Nathan Myhrvold.
424. Number of patents recorded by University of California in 2004. “For the 11th consecutive year, the University of California is the leader among the nation's universities in developing new patents, according to a report announced last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The report presents a preliminary list of the U.S. universities receiving the most patents for invention (i.e., utility patents) during the 2004 calendar year. Last year, UC recorded a total of 424 patents. The final list is expected in December 2005.” (University of California, “University of California Tops Annual List of Universities Receiving Patents,” AScribe Business & Economics News Service, March 22, 2005) Top ranked universities by number of patents received.
362. Number of patents granted to Microsoft in 2001. “In Washington, Redmond-based Microsoft Corp. again led the patent pack with 362 [patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2001]. Over the last five years, the software goliath has gathered 1,480 patents - more patents than the next seven companies combined. Microsoft inventions include the video codec semiconductor chip (to improve computer video transmission) and "intelligent user assistance facility for a software program." (Doug Cooley, “A bent to invent,” Puget Sound Business Journal, July 26, 2002) Discover popular books about Microsoft.
33. Number of patents earned by IBM inventor Edward Nowak in 2007. “Edward Nowak, an engineer and technology strategy manager for Essex Junction's semiconductor solutions organization, earned the most [IBM] invention patents -- 33 -- of any IBM inventor in 2007, [IBM spokesman Jeff Couture said]. Nowak, who started working at the Essex Junction facility in 1981, could not be reached for comment Friday.” [In 2007] IBM earned the top spot in the U.S. patent rankings for the 15th consecutive year." Inventor issued the most patents. (Dan McLean, Free Press Staff Writer, “IBM tops patent list,” Burlington Free Press, January 19, 2008)
3 per day. Number of new inventions created per day by University of California researchers. “In the last decade, UC campuses reported more than 2,600 inventions that lead to new technologies and products. UC has been the nation’s leading university in the number of patents developed for the past 11 consecutive years and its researchers create an average of three new inventions per day – fueling business innovation and California’s economic competitiveness.” UC system patents. U.S. Patent No. 5,838,906 (Press Release, “U.S. Patent Office reaffirms University’s Web-browser technology patent,” University of California Office of the President, Oakland, California, September 28, 2005)
40 patents per 200,000 persons. “40 patents per year are developed within a population of 200,000” (Michael Orlando, senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Missouri cited by Ilene Olson in The Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyoming, September 1, 2004)
10 patents per 100,000 persons. “Statistically, an average of about 10 patents per year are developed in an area with a population of 100,000…” (Michael Orlando, senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Missouri cited by Ilene Olson in The Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyoming, September 1, 2004)
Over 30% of patents make duplicate claims. “A study by M-CAM [434-979-7240], an intellectual-property consultancy, found that over 30% of patents make duplicate claims, raising questions about their validity. America's PTO dismisses the criticism as anecdotal.” (“The Cost of Ideas: Intellectual”, The Economist, November 13, 2004)
33%. One-third of patents functionally redundant. “David Martin, founder of a data management firm called M-CAM, calls them "thesaurus patents" and says he is stunned by the number of them he finds for his clients. ‘About one third of the time we find patents that are functionally redundant,’ he says. Other experts think Martin's estimates are overstated, but since any piece of prior art missed by the examiner can be used in court by a company to invalidate a competitor's patent, the stakes are high. Patent lawsuits typically cost each party $1 million, and suits costing $4 million to $10 million are not unheard of.” Patent litigation. (Megan Barnett, “Patents pending”, U.S. News & World Report, June 10, 2002)
6%. Annual growth rate in patent applications. “The number of patent applications to the PTO is growing at around 6% a year.” (“The Cost of Ideas: Intellectual”, The Economist, November 13, 2004)
