ABOUT   
Collage showing the new U S P T O building after construction as well as images of fiscal 2004 U S P T O activities. Image is part of the header for the U S P T O Performance and Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2004
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Performance and Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2004
Other Accompanying Information

Table of Contents |  Management |  Financial |  Supplemental |  Auditor |  IG |  Other

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITIES
(As of September 30 of each fiscal year)
PATENT EXAMINING ACTIVITY 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Applications filed, total 311,807 344,717 353,394 355,418 376,810
Utility Read Footnote 11 291,653 324,211 331,580 331,729 351,431
Reissue     805     956     974     938     800
Plant     786     914   1,134     785   1,111
Design  18,563  18,636  19,706  21,966  23,468
Provisional Applications Filed Read Footnote 22  78,963  86,123  89,537  92,517 102,278
First actions
Design  17,856  17,748  19,029  19,013  17,328
Utility, Plant, and Reissue 237,421 241,770 275,054 283,111 288,315
PCT/Chapter Read Footnote 11  16,331  17,972  19,460  23,277  17,935
Patent application disposals, total 252,871 257,467 279,297 303,635 304,921
Allowed patent applications, total 182,888 183,394 189,191 205,879 195,611
Design  16,688  16,526  17,377  17,596  16,262
Utility, Plant, and Reissue 166,200 166,868 171,814 188,283 179,349

Abandoned, total

 69,895  74,014  90,092  97,745 109,295
Design   1,839   1,448   1,675   1,569   1,471
Utility, Plant, and Reissue  68,056  72,566  88,417  96,176 107,824
Statutory invention registration disposals, total      88      59      14      11      15
PCT/Chapter II examinations completed  15,471  18,859  16,456  21,005  19,439
Applications Published 3    25,359 169,729 243,007 248,561
Patents issued 4 182,223 187,822 177,317 189,597 187,170
Utility 164,490 169,576 160,843 171,500 169,296
Reissue     561     504     466     394     343
Plant     453     563     912   1,178     998
Design  16,719  17,179  15,096  16,525  16,533
Pendency time of average patent application 5    25.0    24.7    24.0    26.7    27.6
Reexamination certificates issued     276     287     200     193     138
PCT international applications received by USPTO as receiving office  36,671  43,322  42,889  42,969  45,396
National requirements received by USPTO as designated/elected office  23,628  26,821  29,846  32,753  37,173
Patents renewed under Public Law (P.L.) 102-204 6 206,255 205,117 194,143 253,475 269,815
Patents expired under P.L. 102-204 6  47,958  49,077  53,724  57,770  63,552

Notes:

1: Utility patents include chemical, electrical and mechanical applications. (back to text)

2: Provisional applications provided for in P.L. 103-465. (back to text)

3: Eighteen-month publication of patent applications provided for in the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, P.L. 106-113. (back to text)

4: Excludes withdrawn numbers. (back to text)

5: Average time (in months) between filing and issuance or abandonment of utility, plant, and reissue applications. This average does not include design patents. (back to text)

6: The provisions of P.L. 102-204 regarding the renewal of patents superceded P.L. 96-517 and P.L. 97-247. (back to text)

< Previous Page | Next Page >

Is there a question about what the USPTO can or cannot do that you cannot find an answer for? Send questions about USPTO programs and services to the USPTO Contact Center (UCC). You can suggest USPTO webpages or material you would like featured on this section by E-mail to the webmaster@uspto.gov. While we cannot promise to accommodate all requests, your suggestions will be considered and may lead to other improvements on the website.


.|HOME | SITE INDEX| SEARCH | eBUSINESS | HELP | PRIVACY POLICY