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U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Electronic Information Products Division
Patent Technology Monitoring Branch (PTMB)


PATENTING TRENDS
CALENDAR YEAR 2005

(document dated 08-FEB-2006)

In calendar year 2005, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted 143,806 utility, 12,950 design, 716 plant, and 245 reissue patents, and 23 statutory invention registrations for a total of 157,740 patent documents for the year. Annual grants of all patent documents decreased by 13.0 percent when compared to the total for calendar year 2004 (181,320 grants in 2004). Calendar year 2005 grants of utility patents ('patents for inventions') numbered 143,806, a 12.5 percent decrease below the total for 2004 (164,291).

In 2005, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident inventors was 52.4 percent, an increase from the U.S. share for 2004 (51.9%). California-resident inventors claimed a 23.8 percent share (19,662 patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by resident inventors from Texas (6.7 percent, 5,526 patents), New York (6.4 percent, 5,306 patents), Michigan (4.4 percent, 3,665 patents), Massachusetts (4.0 percent, 3,303 patents), Illinois (4.0 percent, 3,297 patents), New Jersey (3.5 percent, 2,868 patents), Ohio (3.3 percent, 2,731 patents) and Florida (3.3 percent, 2,707 patents). U.S.-resident inventors of the following areas had increases in patent receipts from 2004 to 2005: Puerto Rico, North Dakota, Maine and Washington.

There were 12,781 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2005, down from the 2004 count of U.S. independent inventor patents (15,173). The independent inventor share of all patents issued to U.S.-resident inventors dropped to 15.5 percent in 2005 from a 16.1 percent share in 2004.

Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 47.6 percent share of all U.S. patents issued in 2005. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2005 was 20.2 percent, down from 20.4 percent in 2004. The 2005 share of U.S. patents that were issued to Germany-resident inventors was 6.1 percent, down from 6.3 percent in 2004. For Taiwan-resident inventors, the 2005 share was 3.8 percent, down from 4.0 percent in 2004 and the share for South Korean-resident inventors jumped from 2.6 percent for 2004 to 2.9 percent for 2005. Countries with notable increases in patent receipts for 2005 include Poland, Saudi Arabia, Greece, India, Malaysia, Iceland and Spain.

The twelve foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2005 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 2004 to 2005.

This table displays the twelve foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2005. 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.
Rank
in 2005
Number
of Patents
in 2005
Share of
All Patents
in 2005
Country * (Rank
in 2004)
(Number
of patents
in 2004)
(2004 to 2005)
(Change in Number
of patents
1 31,834 20.2% Japan (1) (37,032) (-14.0% )
2 9,575 6.1% Germany (2) (11,367) (-15.8% )
3 5,993 3.8% Taiwan (3) (7,207) (-16.8% )
4 4,591 2.9% South Korea (4) (4,671) ( -1.7% )
5 3,560 2.3% United Kingdom (5) (3,905) ( -8.8% )
6 3,177 2.0% Canada (6) (3,781) (-16.0% )
7 3,106 2.0% France (7) (3,686) (-15.7% )
8 1,591 1.0% Italy (8) (1,946) (-18.2% )
9 1,200 0.8% Netherlands (9) (1,537) (-21.9% )
10 1,189 0.8% Sweden (11) (1,388) (-14.3% )
11 1,106 0.7% Switzerland (10) (1,405) (-21.3% )
12 1,033 0.7% Australia (12) (1,093) ( -5.5% )
             
  82,585 52.4% United States   (94,129) (-12.3% )
  157,740 100.0% All Countries  (181,320) (-13.0% )

Notes:

* 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 2004 to 2005

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 2004 to 2005. 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 2004
Number
of Patents
in 2005
Number
of Patents
in 2004-2005
Annual Percent
Increase
ALABAMA 412 359 771 -12.9%
ALASKA 49 36 85 -26.5%
ARIZONA 1730 1598 3328 -7.6%
ARKANSAS 160 153 313 -4.4%
CALIFORNIA 21602 19662 41264 -9.0%
COLORADO 2290 1972 4262 -13.9%
CONNECTICUT 1723 1677 3400 -2.7%
DELAWARE 406 341 747 -16.0%
FLORIDA 2991 2707 5698 -9.5%
GEORGIA 1492 1358 2850 -9.0%
HAWAII 86 58 144 -32.6%
IDAHO 1822 1549 3371 -15.0%
ILLINOIS 3754 3297 7051 -12.2%
INDIANA 1485 1246 2731 -16.1%
IOWA 736 629 1365 -14.5%
KANSAS 540 456 996 -15.6%
KENTUCKY 463 377 840 -18.6%
LOUISIANA 387 298 685 -23.0%
MAINE 138 159 297 15.2%
MARYLAND 1440 1284 2724 -10.8%
MASSACHUSETTS 3906 3303 7209 -15.4%
MICHIGAN 4122 3665 7787 -11.1%
MINNESOTA 2996 2582 5578 -13.8%
MISSISSIPPI 160 127 287 -20.6%
MISSOURI 895 732 1627 -18.2%
MONTANA 131 119 250 -9.2%
NEBRASKA 229 205 434 -10.5%
NEVADA 476 443 919 -6.9%
NEW HAMPSHIRE 681 538 1219 -21.0%
NEW JERSEY 3354 2868 6222 -14.5%
NEW MEXICO 383 273 656 -28.7%
NEW YORK 6618 5306 11924 -19.8%
NORTH CAROLINA 2075 1839 3914 -11.4%
NORTH DAKOTA 66 81 147 22.7%
OHIO 3418 2731 6149 -20.1%
OKLAHOMA 490 429 919 -12.4%
OREGON 1967 1849 3816 -6.0%
PENNSYLVANIA 3224 2546 5770 -21.0%
RHODE ISLAND 368 312 680 -15.2%
SOUTH CAROLINA 581 539 1120 -7.2%
SOUTH DAKOTA 88 68 156 -22.7%
TENNESSEE 874 713 1587 -18.4%
TEXAS 6241 5526 11767 -11.5%
UTAH 784 644 1428 -17.9%
VERMONT 428 411 839 -4.0%
VIRGINIA 1182 1030 2212 -12.9%
WASHINGTON 2442 2482 4924 1.6%
WEST VIRGINIA 111 98 209 -11.7%
WISCONSIN 1975 1756 3731 -11.1%
WYOMING 55 55 110 0.0%
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 80 59 139 -26.3%
PUERTO RICO 20 33 53 65.0%
UNITED STATES 1 2 3 100.0%
VIRGIN (U.S.) ISLANDS 2 4 6 100.0%
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 0 1 1 No 2004 Patents
         
U.S. TOTALS 94129 82585 176714 -12.3%
         
ALGERIA 1 0 1 -100.00%
ANDORRA 1 2 3 100.00%
ANGOLA 1 0 1 -100.00%
ARAB EMIRATES 3 5 8 66.67%
ARGENTINA 50 29 79 -42.00%
ARMENIA 1 1 2 0.00%
ARUBA 1 0 1 -100.00%
AUSTRALIA 1093 1033 2126 -5.49%
AUSTRIA 575 491 1066 -14.61%
AZERBAIJAN 1 0 1 -100.00%
THE BAHAMAS 8 8 16 0.00%
BELARUS 2 2 4 0.00%
BELGIUM 678 577 1255 -14.90%
BERMUDA 1 2 3 100.00%
BRAZIL 161 98 259 -39.13%
BULGARIA 4 6 10 50.00%
CANADA 3781 3177 6958 -15.97%
CAYMAN ISLANDS 1 2 3 100.00%
CHILE 18 12 30 -33.33%
CHINA,HONG KONG S.A.R. 641 596 1237 -7.02%
CHINA P.REP. 597 565 1162 -5.36%
COLOMBIA 11 10 21 -9.09%
COSTA RICA 10 13 23 30.00%
CROATIA 9 12 21 33.33%
CUBA 2 3 5 50.00%
CYPRUS 2 6 8 200.00%
CZECH REPUBLIC 32 28 60 -12.50%
DENMARK 530 473 1003 -10.75%
DOMINICAN REPL. 0 2 2 No 2004 Patents
ECUADOR 3 2 5 -33.33%
EGYPT 4 7 11 75.00%
EL SALVADOR 1 3 4 200.00%
ESTONIA 2 5 7 150.00%
FIJI 1 0 1 -100.00%
FINLAND 954 751 1705 -21.28%
FRANCE 3686 3106 6792 -15.74%
GEORGIA (REPUBLIC OF) 4 3 7 -25.00%
GERMANY 11367 9575 20942 -15.76%
GREECE 15 17 32 13.33%
GUATEMALA 0 1 1 No 2004 Patents
HONDURAS 0 1 1 No 2004 Patents
HUNGARY 52 48 100 -7.69%
ICELAND 21 22 43 4.76%
INDIA 376 403 779 7.18%
INDONESIA 23 23 46 0.00%
IRAN 0 1 1 No 2004 Patents
IRELAND 197 169 366 -14.21%
ISRAEL 1092 976 2068 -10.62%
ITALY 1946 1591 3537 -18.24%
IVORY COAST 1 0 1 -100.00%
JAMAICA 1 1 2 0.00%
JAPAN 37032 31834 68866 -14.04%
JORDAN 2 0 2 -100.00%
KAZAKHSTAN 2 2 4 0.00%
KENYA 16 10 26 -37.50%
KUWAIT 4 3 7 -25.00%
LATVIA 2 2 4 0.00%
LEBANON 3 1 4 -66.67%
LIECHTENSTEIN 21 10 31 -52.38%
LITHUANIA 3 5 8 66.67%
LUXEMBOURG 55 49 104 -10.91%
MACAU 0 2 2 No 2004 Patents
MALAYSIA 93 98 191 5.38%
MALTA 1 1 2 0.00%
MEXICO 102 95 197 -6.86%
MOLDOVA, REPUBLIC OF 4 1 5 -75.00%
MONACO 12 8 20 -33.33%
MOROCCO 1 1 2 0.00%
NETHERLANDS 1537 1200 2737 -21.93%
NEW ZEALAND 192 143 335 -25.52%
NIGERIA 1 0 1 -100.00%
NORWAY 255 242 497 -5.10%
OMAN 0 1 1 No 2004 Patents
PAKISTAN 4 4 8 0.00%
PANAMA 2 0 2 -100.00%
PERU 6 3 9 -50.00%
PHILIPPINES 21 18 39 -14.29%
POLAND 19 25 44 31.58%
PORTUGAL 17 13 30 -23.53%
PALAU 1 0 1 -100.00%
QATAR 0 2 2 No 2004 Patents
ROMANIA 9 7 16 -22.22%
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 173 154 327 -10.98%
SAUDI ARABIA 15 18 33 20.00%
SINGAPORE 485 377 862 -22.27%
SLOVAKIA 5 0 5 -100.00%
SLOVENIA 24 14 38 -41.67%
SOUTH AFRICA 115 108 223 -6.09%
SOUTH KOREA 4671 4591 9262 -1.71%
SPAIN 312 318 630 1.92%
SRI LANKA 3 1 4 -66.67%
SWEDEN 1388 1189 2577 -14.34%
SWITZERLAND 1405 1106 2511 -21.28%
SYRIA 1 0 1 -100.00%
TAIWAN 7207 5993 13200 -16.84%
THAILAND 28 25 53 -10.71%
TUNISIA 1 1 2 0.00%
TURKEY 19 10 29 -47.37%
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS 0 7 7 No 2004 Patents
UKRAINE 21 19 40 -9.52%
UNITED KINGDOM 3905 3560 7465 -8.83%
URUGUAY 0 2 2 No 2004 Patents
UZBEKISTAN 1 0 1 -100.00%
VENEZUELA 23 10 33 -56.52%
VIET NAM 1 2 3 100.00%
VIRGIN (BRITISH) ISLANDS 8 7 15 -12.50%
YUGOSLAVIA 1 4 5 300.00%
ZIMBABWE 1 1 2 0.00%
         
FOREIGN TOTALS 87191 75155 162346 -13.8%
         
U.S. TOTALS 94129 82585 176714 -12.3%
FOREIGN TOTALS 87191 75155 162346 -13.8%
TOTAL 181320 157740 339060 -13.00%

Notes:

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


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