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U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Patent Technology Monitoring Team (PTMT)


PATENTING TRENDS
CALENDAR YEAR 2011

(document dated 17-JAN-2011)

In calendar year 2011, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted 224,505 utility, 21,356 design, 823 plant, 1,029 reissue patents, and 15 statutory invention registrations for a total of 247,728 patent documents for the year. Annual grants of all patent documents increased by 1.4 percent when compared to the total for calendar year 2010 (244,358 grants in 2010). Calendar year 2011 grants of utility patents ('patents for inventions') numbered 224,505, a 2.2 percent increase above the total for 2010 (219,614).

In 2011, the share of all patents that were issued to U.S.-resident inventors was 48.9 percent, a decrease from the U.S. share for 2010 (49.6%). California-resident inventors claimed a 25.4 percent share (30,750 patents) of these U.S.-resident inventor patents, followed by resident inventors from Texas (6.6 percent, 8,045 patents), New York (6.5 percent, 7,842 patents), Massachusetts (4.6 percent, 5,526 patents), Washington (4.3 percent, 5,266 patents), Illinois (3.8 percent, 4,594 patents), Michigan (3.6 percent, 4,397 patents), New Jersey (3.5 percent, 4278 patents), and Minnesota (3.5 percent, 4227 patents). U.S.-resident inventors of the following areas had the largest percentage increases in patent receipts from 2010 to 2011: South Dakota, South Carolina, District of Columbia, Delaware, and Kansas.

There were 14,869 patents granted to U.S. independent inventors in 2011, down from the 2010 count of U.S. independent inventor patents (16,049). The independent inventor share of all patents issued to U.S.-resident inventors dropped to 12.3 percent in 2011 from a 13.2 percent share in 2010.

Foreign-resident inventors claimed a 51.1 percent share of all U.S. patents issued in 2011. The share of all U.S. patents that were issued to Japan-resident inventors in calendar year 2011 was 19.5 percent, up from 19.2 in 2010. The 2011 share of U.S. patents that were issued to South Korean-resident inventors was 5.3 percent, up from 5.1 percent in 2010. For Germany-resident inventors, the 2011 share was 5.2 percent, down from 5.6 percent in 2010 and the share for Taiwan-resident inventors was 4.0 percent for 2011, up from 3.9 in 2010. Countries with notable increases in patent receipts for 2011 include Poland, Slovenia, Chile, Thailand, Czech Republic, Sweden, Ireland, Brazil, and Turkey.

The foreign countries whose residents received the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2011 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 2010 to 2011.

 

This table displays the fourteen foreign countries of origin receiving the most U.S. patents during calendar year 2011. 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. Patent origin is based on the residence of the first-named inventor.
Rank
in 2011
Number
of Patents
in 2011
Share of
All Patents
in 2011
Country (Rank
in 2010)
(Number
of patents
in 2010)
(2010 to 2011)
(Change in Number
of patents)
1 48256 19.5% Japan (1) (46977) ( 2.7% )
2 13239 5.3% South Korea (3) (12508) ( 5.8% )
3 12968 5.2% Germany (2) (13633) ( -4.9% )
4 9907 4.0% Taiwan (4) (9636) ( 2.8% )
5 5754 2.3% Canada (5) (5513) ( 4.4% )
6 5022 2.0% France (6) (5100) ( -1.5% )
7 4924 2.0% United Kingdom (7) (5038) ( -2.3% )
8 3786 1.5% China, People's Rep. (8) (3303) ( 14.6% )
9 2333 0.9% Italy (9) (2254) ( 3.5% )
10 2213 0.9% Australia (10) (2079) ( 6.4% )
11 2108 0.9% Israel (12) (1917) ( 10.0% )
12 2049 0.8% Netherlands (11) (1919) ( 6.8% )
13 1865 0.8% Switzerland (13) (1889) ( -1.3% )
14 1864 0.8% Sweden (14) (1594) ( 16.9% )
             
  121,261 48.9% United States  (121,179) ( 0.1% )
  126,467 51.1% All Foreign  (123,179) ( 2.7% )
  247,728 100.0% All Countries  (244,358) ( 1.4% )

Annual Percentage Change in Patent Counts
By U.S. State and Country of Origin
Calendar Year 2010 to 2011

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 2010 to 2011. U.S., foreign, and overall totals are displayed at the beginning of the table. Patent origin is based on the residence of the first-named inventor.
State or Country   Number
of Patents
in 2010
Number
of Patents
in 2011
Number
of Patents
in 2010-2011
Annual Percent
Increase
Total, U.S. And Foreign Origin   244358 247728 492086 1.4%
-- Subtotal -- U.S. Origin   121179 121261 242440 0.1%
-- Subtotal -- Foreign Origin   123179 126467 249646 2.7%
           
ALABAMA   538 416 954 -22.7%
ALASKA   32 32 64 0.0%
ARIZONA   2169 2248 4417 3.6%
ARKANSAS   217 188 405 -13.4%
CALIFORNIA   30080 30750 60830 2.2%
COLORADO   2436 2397 4833 -1.6%
CONNECTICUT   2111 2121 4232 0.5%
DELAWARE   391 457 848 16.9%
FLORIDA   3724 3841 7565 3.1%
GEORGIA   2194 2206 4400 0.5%
HAWAII   144 128 272 -11.1%
IDAHO   1162 1089 2251 -6.3%
ILLINOIS   4374 4594 8968 5.0%
INDIANA   1697 1633 3330 -3.8%
IOWA   809 856 1665 5.8%
KANSAS   728 805 1533 10.6%
KENTUCKY   601 551 1152 -8.3%
LOUISIANA   355 368 723 3.7%
MAINE   220 202 422 -8.2%
MARYLAND   1732 1639 3371 -5.4%
MASSACHUSETTS   5261 5526 10787 5.0%
MICHIGAN   4277 4397 8674 2.8%
MINNESOTA   4005 4227 8232 5.5%
MISSISSIPPI   172 172 344 0.0%
MISSOURI   1140 1004 2144 -11.9%
MONTANA   118 114 232 -3.4%
NEBRASKA   253 247 500 -2.4%
NEVADA   639 674 1313 5.5%
NEW HAMPSHIRE   802 805 1607 0.4%
NEW JERSEY   4345 4278 8623 -1.5%
NEW MEXICO   455 412 867 -9.5%
NEW YORK   8095 7842 15937 -3.1%
NORTH CAROLINA   2922 2884 5806 -1.3%
NORTH DAKOTA   112 95 207 -15.2%
OHIO   3983 3903 7886 -2.0%
OKLAHOMA   582 529 1111 -9.1%
OREGON   2340 2372 4712 1.4%
PENNSYLVANIA   3889 3652 7541 -6.1%
RHODE ISLAND   354 351 705 -0.8%
SOUTH CAROLINA   652 793 1445 21.6%
SOUTH DAKOTA   82 106 188 29.3%
TENNESSEE   1037 1080 2117 4.1%
TEXAS   8027 8045 16072 0.2%
UTAH   1145 1215 2360 6.1%
VERMONT   668 536 1204 -19.8%
VIRGINIA   1726 1744 3470 1.0%
WASHINGTON   5810 5266 11076 -9.4%
WEST VIRGINIA   134 109 243 -18.7%
WISCONSIN   2232 2154 4386 -3.5%
WYOMING   89 74 163 -16.9%
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA   87 102 189 17.2%
PUERTO RICO   28 28 56 0.0%
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS   2 3 5 50.0%
U.S. UNSPECIFIED   2 1 3 -50.0%
U.S. TOTALS   121179 121261 242440 0.1%
           
ALBANIA   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
ALGERIA   1 0 1 -100.0%
ANDORRA   7 2 9 -71.4%
ANGUILLA   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA   1 1 2 0.0%
ARGENTINA   59 51 110 -13.6%
ARMENIA   2 7 9 250.0%
AUSTRALIA   2079 2213 4292 6.4%
AUSTRIA   905 927 1832 2.4%
AZERBAIJAN   0 2 2 No 2010 Patents
THE BAHAMAS   9 10 19 11.1%
BAHRAIN   1 0 1 -100.0%
BARBADOS   3 0 3 -100.0%
BELARUS   7 3 10 -57.1%
BELGIUM   896 958 1854 6.9%
BERMUDA   3 6 9 100.0%
BOLIVIA   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
BRAZIL   219 254 473 16.0%
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
BULGARIA   60 43 103 -28.3%
CAMEROON   4 0 4 -100.0%
CANADA   5513 5754 11267 4.4%
CAYMAN ISLAND   4 3 7 -25.0%
CHILE   27 35 62 29.6%
CHINA, HONG KONG   716 658 1374 -8.1%
CHINA, MACAU   1 6 7 500.0%
CHINA, PEOPLE'S REP.   3303 3786 7089 14.6%
COLOMBIA   9 21 30 133.3%
COSTA RICA   11 16 27 45.5%
CROATIA   9 18 27 100.0%
CUBA   8 6 14 -25.0%
CYPRUS   4 2 6 -50.0%
CZECH REPUBLIC   81 97 178 19.8%
DENMARK   766 838 1604 9.4%
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   2 2 4 0.0%
ECUADOR   2 3 5 50.0%
EGYPT   20 21 41 5.0%
EL SALVADOR   1 0 1 -100.0%
ESTONIA   15 13 28 -13.3%
FINLAND   1232 1023 2255 -17.0%
FRANCE   5100 5022 10122 -1.5%
GEORGIA (REPUBLIC OF)   2 3 5 50.0%
GERMANY   13633 12968 26601 -4.9%
GHANA   1 1 2 0.0%
GIBRALTAR   0 4 4 No 2010 Patents
GREECE   54 62 116 14.8%
GUATEMALA   2 0 2 -100.0%
GUERNSEY   1 0 1 -100.0%
HAITI   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
HONDURAS   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
HUNGARY   98 111 209 13.3%
ICELAND   25 24 49 -4.0%
INDIA   1137 1259 2396 10.7%
INDONESIA   6 11 17 83.3%
IRAN   8 17 25 112.5%
IRELAND   275 319 594 16.0%
ISLE OF MAN   4 2 6 -50.0%
ISRAEL   1917 2108 4025 10.0%
ITALY   2254 2333 4587 3.5%
JAMAICA   4 1 5 -75.0%
JAPAN   46977 48256 95233 2.7%
JERSEY   1 2 3 100.0%
JORDAN   1 5 6 400.0%
KAZAKHSTAN   1 0 1 -100.0%
KENYA   1 3 4 200.0%
KOREA, NORTH   1 0 1 -100.0%
KOREA, SOUTH   12508 13239 25747 5.8%
KUWAIT   14 24 38 71.4%
LATVIA   4 3 7 -25.0%
LEBANON   5 21 26 320.0%
LIECHTENSTEIN   17 15 32 -11.8%
LITHUANIA   8 9 17 12.5%
LUXEMBOURG   44 47 91 6.8%
MACEDONIA   0 2 2 No 2010 Patents
MALAYSIA   224 181 405 -19.2%
MALTA   3 4 7 33.3%
MEXICO   115 117 232 1.7%
MONACO   9 8 17 -11.1%
MOROCCO   1 4 5 300.0%
NETHERLANDS   1919 2049 3968 6.8%
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES   1 0 1 -100.0%
NEW ZEALAND   232 255 487 9.9%
NIGERIA   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
NORWAY   448 412 860 -8.0%
OMAN   2 3 5 50.0%
PAKISTAN   2 4 6 100.0%
PANAMA   3 1 4 -66.7%
PARAGUAY   1 0 1 -100.0%
PERU   2 5 7 150.0%
PHILIPPINES   40 30 70 -25.0%
POLAND   56 81 137 44.6%
PORTUGAL   34 35 69 2.9%
QATAR   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
ROMANIA   16 34 50 112.5%
RUSSIAN FEDERATION   287 307 594 7.0%
SAMOA   2 0 2 -100.0%
SAUDI ARABIA   58 61 119 5.2%
SENEGAL   1 0 1 -100.0%
SERBIA   4 8 12 100.0%
SEYCHELLES   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
SINGAPORE   633 696 1329 10.0%
SLOVAKIA   19 19 38 0.0%
SLOVENIA   26 35 61 34.6%
SOUTH AFRICA   142 144 286 1.4%
SPAIN   492 565 1057 14.8%
SRI LANKA   5 7 12 40.0%
SWEDEN   1594 1864 3458 16.9%
SWITZERLAND   1889 1865 3754 -1.3%
SYRIA   0 1 1 No 2010 Patents
TAIWAN   9636 9907 19543 2.8%
THAILAND   60 73 133 21.7%
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO   5 2 7 -60.0%
TUNISIA   2 3 5 50.0%
TURKEY   45 52 97 15.6%
UKRAINE   14 18 32 28.6%
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES   9 13 22 44.4%
UNITED KINGDOM   5038 4924 9962 -2.3%
URUGUAY   6 2 8 -66.7%
VANUATU   1 0 1 -100.0%
VENEZUELA   18 18 36 0.0%
VIET NAM   2 0 2 -100.0%
TOTAL   244358 247728 492086 1.4%

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