U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE Office for Patent and Trademark Information Technology Assessment and Forecast (TAF) Program TAF Products and Services Brochure ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table of Contents * Introduction o Background o Patents and Patent Activity o Patent Data - Use, Meaning, and Limitations * TAF Reports Available From the Office for Patent and Trademark Information o TAF General Statistical Reports, By Report Category + Frequency of Updating of General Statistical Reports + 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") + U.S. Patent Statistics Report - one page summary table (12/98) + All Patents, All Types Report (12/98); Midyear update (6/99) + All Technologies (Utility Patents) Report (12/98); Midyear update (6/99) + Number of Utility Patent Applications Filed in the United States by Country of Origin, Calendar Years 1965 to Present (12/98) + Design Patents Report (12/98); Midyear update (6/99) + Plant Patents Report (12/98); Midyear update (6/99) + Reissue Patents Report (12/98) + Statutory Invention Registrations and Defensive Publications Report (12/98) + Patent Counts, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992 (single year reports with counts by patent document type and by geographic origin) + By Geographic Origin + Patent Counts by Country/State and Year, All Patents, All Types Report (12/98); Midyear update (6/99) + Patent Counts by Country/State and Year, Utility Patents Report (12/98); Midyear update (6/99) + Drill-down Utility Patent Reports By State and Country of Origin => + Patenting by Geographic Origin (State and Country)- Breakout By Organization (12/98) + Patenting by Geographic Origin (State and Country)- Breakout By Technology Class (12/98) + U.S. Patent Grants by State, County, and Metropolitan Area (1990 to the present) (12/98) + Drill-down Utility Patent Reports By U.S. Metropolitan Area => + Patenting in Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Areas of the United States- Breakout By Organization (12/98) + Patenting in Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Areas of the United States- Breakout By Technology Class (12/98) + By Patenting Organization + Top 10 or 11 Patenting Organizations, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991 (single year reports) + Patenting by Organizations Report, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995 (single year reports providing an extended list of prolific patenting organizations receiving patents) + U.S. (Federal) Government Patenting Report (12/98) + US Colleges and Universities- Utility Patent Grants, 1969-1997 (report excerpt) + By Patented Technology + Patent Counts by Class by Year Report (12/98); Midyear update (6/99) + Patent Counts by Class by Year, Independent Inventors (12/98) + Selected Technology Reports + Chemical Class Patents (12/98) + Electrical Class Patents (12/98) + Mechanical Class Patents (12/98) + By Inventor + Independent Inventors by State by Year, All Patents, All Types Report (12/98) + Independent Inventors by State by Year, Utility Patent Report (12/98) + Prolific Inventors Receiving Utility Patents, 1988-1997 (12/97) + Historical Statistics + U.S. Patent Activity, 1790-1998 (12/98) + Historic Data, All Technologies Report-- utility patents by country of origin and 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) + Miscellaneous Reports + Issue Years and Patent Numbers Since 1836 (12/98) + Issue Dates and Patent Numbers Since 1836 (12/98) + Patenting Trends, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991 (single year reports) + Buttons to Biotech- US Patenting By Women, 1977-1996 (report excerpt with selected data through 12/98) o Other Selected Reports + Activity Index Report + Activity Index Report, Corporate Patenting + Patenting Trends in the United States + Patenting Trends in the United States, State Country Report + Selected Technology Reports (e.g., Acid Rain, Ceramics, etc.) o Custom Patent Reports + Technology Assessment and Forecast Database + Data Elements Included in the TAF Database + Custom Technology Profile Report Format + Custom Organizational Profile Report Format + Custom Patent Counts by Class by Year Report Format + Custom Activity Index Profile Format + Custom SIC Product Field Report Based Formats + Other Custom Report Formats + Sample Custom Reports (available for free Internet downloading) + Custom Report Output Media + How to Obtain TAF Custom Reports + Cost + Whom to Contact o Other Products and Services + Inventor Mailing Labels + Concordance Between the Standard Industrial Code (SIC) Classification System and the U.S. Patent Classification (USPC) System + Subclass Listings + Digital Media Having Information Contained in the TAF Database * TAF Publications and Products Available From NTIS o Industrial Patent Activity in the United States Report (updated annually) o Patent Profiles (various reports dated 1979 to 1985) o Technology Assessment and Forecast Reports (various reports dated 1973 to 1981) o Other Publications (various reports dated 1982 to 1983) o Microfiche (1984 report) o Other Products o Order Information * Obtaining TAF Products, Reports, and Services From the Office for Patent and Trademark Information o Reports Available for Free Internet Downloading o Price List o Whom To Contact [Top] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Introduction Background The patent system has long been recognized as an incentive for innovation in the U.S. free enterprise system. Often overlooked, however, is a second great benefit of the patent system: the enormous, continually expanding patent file. This file includes more than 6 million distinct U.S. patents. These patents are classified and cross-referenced among the approximately 145,000 categories of technology that make up the U.S. Patent Classification System. Along with similarly categorized foreign patents and other technical publications, they make up a collection totaling more than 33 million documents -- a collection which grows by over half a million documents annually. Patent law requirements for a full disclosure of invention (which is then published as part of a patent grant) have resulted in a unique assemblage of technological information. The patent file embodies the most comprehensive collection of technical information of its kind in the world. The information is presented in a manner such that nearly every significant development in almost all technical fields flows in a natural time-series sequence. It virtually welcomes monitoring and analysis. In its own unique way, this file represents a national resource. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recognizes the heavy responsibility not only to preserve, maintain, and improve the file, but, also to maximize its use for the greatest public benefit. It was as part of the effort to discharge this latter responsibility that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office established, in 1971, its Technology Assessment and Forecast (TAF) program. The TAF Program is part of the USPTO's Information Dissemination Organizations/ Office for Patent and Trademark Information. In its most general terms, the mission of the program is to stimulate the use and enhance the usability of the patent file, and to assemble, analyze and make available meaningful data about the file. To carry out this mission, the USPTO has assembled the TAF master database covering all U.S. patents. The TAF Program uses the database to generate statistical reports profiling various characteristics of U.S. patents. Periodically, the TAF program will also produce general publications which examine patenting trends. Two series of publications were published in the 1970 to 1985 time period which studied U.S. patenting in some detail. One series of publications, the Technology Assessment and Forecast Reports, included: reviews of highly active technological areas and areas experiencing high levels of patenting by foreign residents; profiles of the patenting patterns of the residents of selected foreign countries and U.S. states; reviews of the patent activity of the most active patent assignees; and comparisons of patent activity with economic activity in selected Standard Industrial Classification categories. In addition, several of the publications examined the patenting in high-interest energy technologies. A second series of publications, called PATENT PROFILES, surveyed the U.S. patenting activity in specific technologies. Subjects of PATENT PROFILES reports include: Solar Energy, Microelectronics, Biotechnology and Telecommunications. A list of TAF publications and information on obtaining them is included in a subsequent section of this document. The TAF program uses the database in two principal ways: First, it periodically issues general distribution publications. One series of publications, the Technology Assessment and Forecast Reports, have included: reviews of highly active technological areas and areas experiencing high levels of patenting by foreign residents; profiles of the patenting patterns of the residents of selected foreign countries and U.S. states; reviews of the patent activity of the most active patent assignees; and comparisons of patent activity with economic activity in selected Standard Industrial Classification categories. In addition, several of the publications have examined the patenting in high-interest energy technologies. A second series of publications, called PATENT PROFILES, has surveyed the U.S. patenting activity in specific technologies. Subjects of PATENT PROFILES reports include: Solar Energy, Microelectronics, Biotechnology and Telecommunications. A list of TAF publications and information on obtaining them is included in a subsequent section of this document. The second principal use of the TAF database is to prepare custom data reports, tailored to individual needs. These reports, which are provided on a cost reimbursable basis, are used by other government agencies and many private sector organizations. Patents and Patent Activity Over 6 million United States patents have issued since the first was granted on July 31, 1790. To facilitate the use of this large body of technology, these documents have been "classified" (categorized) into roughly 430 broad technological categories (called classes) and approximately 145,000 specific technological categories (called subclasses). Together, these classes and subclasses form the structure of the classified patent file. Copies of a patent are placed in more than one subclass of this file when the patent contains significant technology pertinent to more than one subclass. With such multiple placement or "cross-referencing", the patent file has grown to contain nearly 16 million U.S. patent documents spanning the entire technological spectrum. In addition, the patent file contains roughly 16 million patents from other nations and 1.5 million pieces of non-patent literature. Since a patent obtained in the United States conveys no protection outside this country, and vice versa, it is common in this age of the "international market place", for inventors to obtain patents in more than one country. As a result, significant foreign inventions are usually patented in the U.S. because it presents such an important market. Thus, U.S. patent activity represents not only U.S. technological effort but, to a large extent, foreign technological effort as well. For example, the growth of foreign technological capabilities since the early 1960's has been mirrored by the growth, over the same period, of the share of U.S. patent documents which were issued to residents of foreign countries. In 1963, only 18% of U.S. patent documents were issued to residents of foreign countries. However, by the end of 1987, the foreign share had increased to 47%. In 1998, the foreign share was 44%. This apparent interrelationship between technological and patent activity gave rise to the basic premise of the Technology Assessment and Forecast Program - that patent activity is an indicator of technological activity, both foreign and domestic. Patent Data - Use, Meaning, and Limitations Patent data represent a comprehensive, in-depth technological activity information resource. The value of patent data is enhanced by the rarity of quantitative indicators which span the entire technological spectrum and which are available in time series going back to the very beginnings of the United States. Patents, perhaps, are the only such indicator. Consequently, the potential uses of patent data are many and intriguing. It has been only in recent years, however, that these data have begun to be considered for use to any significant extent. This is the case because patent data, on any but a gross or aggregate basis, were simply not reasonably available to those who might like to use them. With the advent of TAF computerized data base as well as other electronic patent databases, this inhibiting barrier to the use of patent statistics has, to a large extent, been eliminated and workers in many fields have been presented with a new tool. As a new tool, the parameters of appropriate use of patent data, the limitations and strong points, have not been well established and are themselves the subject of discussion and study. This is necessary and beneficial. It is one of TAF's program goals to advance and facilitate efforts to learn more about the legitimate implications that can be drawn from patent statistics. It is obvious that in the analysis of these statistics, many factors need to be considered. Among these are the variance between patents in importance and degree of invention. Also, the propensity to patent, as opposed to relying on patent alternatives (e.g., lead time in the market place and trade secrets) may vary over time, within an industry, and between industries. These factors and others may well affect any use of, or conclusions drawn from patent statistics. The more disaggregated the data, perhaps, the more important each of these factors becomes. Yet, like the mountain, patent data are "there" and cannot (and we strongly believe, should not) be ignored. The data are becoming more available, more detailed, and more useable every year. In the final analysis, it cannot be denied that each patent represents, to some degree, a new piece of technology and, inferentially, some increment of technological activity. Together (in hundreds, thousands and tens-of-thousands), patents reveal the "who, where, what, and when" about substantial amounts of new technology and technological activity. It seems intuitively obvious then, that clear trends in patenting, especially within a given industry or technology, must be capable of telling us something. It may be, as some allege, that patenting trends are more indicative of the health of the patent system than of the health of technology. Or it may be that the trends reveal more about the shifts in domestic technological development than about the relative balance between domestic and foreign technology. On the other hand, perhaps they can indeed tell us much about where the U.S. stands overall or in any specific technology as compared to all other foreign countries or to any specific foreign country. Most probably patent data tell us something about all these things, in some mixture yet to be determined. It will require investigation and study to establish, to any widely accepted degree, the true meanings of trends suggested by the patent data. We are confident, however, that the data's comprehensiveness and availability will stimulate continuing investigation and study. Use of the data by the TAF Program and others for a wide variety of purposes continues to increase. For just as patents offer substantive technological information available nowhere else, so do patent data offer a unique indicator of worldwide technological activity -- an indicator which, wisely used, may permit new insight into the complex interactions of technology and the economy. [Top] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TAF Reports Available From The Office for Patent and Trademark Information 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) • June 1999 midyear update report: (viewable report file: apat_mid.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) • June 1999 midyear update report: (viewable report file: allt_mid.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) • June 1999 midyear update report: (viewable report file: des_mid.pdf) This report counts only design patents 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 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) • June 1999 midyear update report: (viewable report file: plt_mid.pdf) This report counts only plant patents 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 5 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. 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 5 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) * 1998 (viewable report file: st_co_98.htm) * 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) • June 1999 midyear update report: (viewable report file: csta_mid.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) • June 1999 midyear update report: (viewable report file: cstu_mid.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. Drill-down Utility Patent Reports By State and Country of Origin => o Patenting by Geographic Origin (State and Country)- Breakout By Organization (viewable report file: regions.htm) For utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") originating from a selected state or country during the last 5 years, this series of reports displays the major organizations receiving those patents. Organizations receiving 5 or more patents during the period are listed with annual totals provided for each year. Patent ownership information reflects ownership at the time of patent grant. Patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor. Please note that paper copies of these reports are not available. o Patenting by Geographic Origin (State and Country)- Breakout By Technology Class (viewable report file: regions.htm) For utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") originating from a selected state or country during the last 5 years, this series of reports displays the technology classes of those patent grants. Patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor. Technology class is determined by the primary classification (often referred to as the ORIGINAL classification, in Patent Office specific terminology), within the US Patent Classification System, which has been assigned to each patent. Yearly totals are provided for each of the 5 years. Please note that paper copies of these reports are not available. 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) Drill-down Utility Patent Reports By U.S. Metropolitan Area => o Patenting in Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Areas of the United States- Breakout By Organization (viewable report file: mregions.htm) For utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") originating from a selected U.S. metropolitan or non-metropolitan area during the last 5 years, this series of reports displays the major organizations receiving those patents. Organizations receiving 5 or more patents during the period are listed with annual totals provided for each year. Patent ownership information reflects ownership at the time of patent grant. Patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor. Please note that paper copies of these reports are not available. o Patenting in Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Areas of the United States- Breakout By Technology Class (viewable report file: mregions.htm) For utility patents (i.e., "patents for invention") originating from a selected U.S. metropolitan or non-metropolitan area during the last 5 years, this series of reports displays the technology classes of those patent grants. Patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor. Technology class is determined by the primary classification (often referred to as the ORIGINAL classification, in Patent Office specific terminology), within the US Patent Classification System, which has been assigned to each patent. Yearly totals are provided for each of the 5 years. Please note that paper copies of these reports are not available. By Patenting Organization Top 10 or 11 Patenting Organizations (single year reports) * 1998 (viewable report file: top98cos.htm) * 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) * 1998 (viewable report file: topo_98.pdf) * 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 40 or more patents during the year (for pre-1998 reports, listed organizations include those 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. 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. 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) US Colleges and Universities- Utility Patent Grants, 1969-1997 (report excerpt) (viewable report file: univ_97.pdf) Updated yearly, this report profiles the patent activity of U.S. colleges and universities since 1969. Tabular presentations show the number of utility patents awarded annually to each U.S. college and university. Separate tables show the numbers of patents awarded within each technology class of the U.S. Patent Classification System. Institutions that are ranked in the top 100 based on total research and development expenditures are separately identified. The patent activity of these institutions is also summarized apart from the patent activity of all colleges and universities. A limited excerpt of this report is available at the TAF web site. By Patented Technology Patent Counts by Class by Year Report (viewable report file: cbcby.pdf) • June 1999 midyear update report: (viewable report file: cbcbymid.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. 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. (updated annually) Selected Technology Reports These reports profile patent activity in selected technologies. Not all TAF Selected Technology Reports are available at this site. For a more comprehensive list of available TAF Selected Technolology Reports, please refer to the TAF Program Brochure. Parts A1 and A2 of each Selected Technology Report show the number of patents granted in the selected technology during a recent period, usually 1977 to the present. 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 each Selected Technology Report shows the national and international corporations, government agencies and other organizations which have received the most patents during the period. 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. o Chemical Class Patents (viewable report file: stchem.pdf) o Electrical Class Patents (viewable report file: stelec.pdf) o Mechanical Class Patents (viewable report file: stmech.pdf) 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, 1790-1998 (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 based on 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 based on the patent number. For utility, design, and plant patents granted from 1836 to 1997, this report enables one to identify the issue year based on the patent number. (updated annually) Patenting Trends (single year reports) * 1998 (viewable report file: pat_tr98.htm) * 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) Buttons to Biotech, U.S. Patenting By Women, 1977 to 1996- includes update through 1998 (viewable report file: wom_98.pdf) This report examines US patenting by US-resident women. A limited excerpt of this report is available at the TAF web site. (updated irregularly) [Top] ----------------------- Other Selected Reports Activity Index Report Updated yearly, this report studies U.S. utility patents originating (patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor) from selected countries. For each of these selected countries, the report identifies U.S. Patent Classification System classes receiving relatively greater and lesser patenting emphasis. Selected countries currently include the United States, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea, Switzerland, Sweden, and Taiwan. Activity Index Report, Corporate Patenting This report is similar to the "Activity Index Report", but it examines only utility patents having ownership assigned to a U.S. or foreign corporation at the time of grant. Patenting Trends in the United States Updated yearly, this report profiles U.S. patenting in 55 product fields (41 unique fields, and several fields which are roll-ups of the 41 unique fields) which are based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System. For each product field, the report lists patent counts in the same format as Parts A1 and A2 of the TAF "All Technologies Report". The report consists of two parts, a "fractional count" part and a "whole count" part, which count patents according to different methods. Patenting Trends in the United States, State Country Report This report is similar to Patenting Trends In The United States, but it provides separate totals for U.S. states and for all foreign countries receiving U.S. patents during the period. This report also provides "fractional" and "whole" patent counts. It omits information pertaining to patent ownership and does not include patents as distributed by their year of application. The report includes annual patent counts for each of the most recent 21 years. Selected Technology Reports (e.g., Acid Rain, Ceramics, etc.) These reports provide a detailed patent profile of a specific subject area. Most reports are updated on a fairly regular basis. Individual reports are available for the following subject areas (the date of the most recent available report is indicated in parentheses) : o Acid Rain (4/93) o AIDS; Patents Relating to (02/94) o Biotechnology, Patent Examining Areas 1630-1650 (12/98) o Biotech Healthcare (12/97) o Biotech Pharmaceuticals (12/97) o Ceramics (06/93) o Chemical/Electrical/Mechanical Disciplines (3 separate reports) (12/98) (these 3 reports are also available on the web) o Coherent Light Generators, Class 372 (12/98) o Data Processing: Document Processing- Class 707, Subclasses 500-542 (12/98) o Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, or Cost/Price Determination - Class 705 (6/99) o Drug, Bio-Affecting and Body Treating Compositions (Pharmaceuticals approximation) (12/98) o Dynamic Information Storage and Retrieval - Classes 360, 369 (12/96) o Electrical Computers and Data Processing Systems; Error Detection/Correction and Fault Detection/Recovery; and Information Processing System Organization - Classes 364, 371, 395 (12/96) o Enzyme Technology (12/97) o Food or Edible Material: Processes, Compositions, and Products- Class 426 (12/94) o Genetic Engineering (12/97) o Hazardous or Toxic Waste Destruction or Containment - Class 588 (12/94) o Immunology (12/97) o Internal Combustion Engines (12/95) o Internet-Related Patents (6/99) o Iron and Steel (06/93) o Jet Engines (12/87) o Machine Tools - Metal Working (04/93) o Medical Devices (12/97) o Molecular Biology and Microbiology (12/98) o Multicellular Organisms and Unmodified Parts Thereof - Class 800 (12/98) o Multicellular Organisms and Unmodified Parts Thereof (Plant, Seedling, or Plant Part) - Class 800, Subclasses 200-255 (12/97) o Needlestick Injury Prevention (12/97) o Nuclear Energy (12/90) o Optical Waveguides, Class 385 (12/98) o Organic Compounds (04/93) o Patents with Nucleotide and Amino Acid Sequence Data in Computer Readable Form (12/98) o Plants, Class PLT and 800/200-255 (12/97) o Robots - Class 901 (06/93) o Semiconductor Devices and Manufacture (12/98) o Superconductors (12/94) o Telecommunications (12/98): Parts A1 and A2 of each report show the number of patents granted over an extended number of years. Yearly totals are provided for the most recent 14 years. Part A1 distributes patent grants by year of grant and Part A2 distributes patent grants by year 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 the most patents during the time period. 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. Some reports additionally include listings of patent numbers and titles for each of the organizations which were assigned ownership of the patents at the time of grant. [Top] ----------------------- Custom Patent Reports Technology Assessment and Forecast Database The Technology Assessment and Forecast (TAF) Program administers the TAF computerized database which contains selected bibliographic data pertaining to U.S. patents granted since 1963. These data can be processed in a variety of ways and presented in several custom report formats to suit a diversity of purposes. The availability of this service is subject to the availability of TAF resources. Cost is determined on a reasonable cost basis. Sample TAF Custom Reports may be downloaded from the Internet. Data Elements Included in the TAF Database The TAF computerized base of data relating to the U.S. patent file includes, at present: o all subclasses of the U.S. Patent Classification (USPC) System, and the classification within this system of all U.S. patents, including utility and design patents; o the relationship of all utility subclasses in the U.S. Patent Classification System to 55 Product Fields and combinations of Product Fields which are based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System; o the category of ownership at time of issue, e.g., U.S. Government, foreign government, U.S. corporation, foreign corporation, U.S. individual, foreign individual (for utility patents issued since 1963 and for design patents issued since 1977); o the country or state of residence of the inventor (for utility patents issued since 1963 and for design patents issued since 1977); for selected years, the county of residence has been identified for U.S. resident inventors; o the date the application for patent was filed in the United States (for utility patents issued since 1967 and for design patents issued since 1977); o the specific (i.e., named) ownership of all patents which, at time of issue, were owned by an organization (for utility patents issued since 1969 and for design patents issued since 1977) -- for patents owned jointly by more than one organization, only the first-named organization is included in the database; o the patent title (for utility patents issued since 1969 and for design patents issued since 1977); o the name and address of inventors of unassigned patents (for utility patents issued since 1975 and for design patents issued since 1977); Data can be retrieved on the basis of any one or any combination of the factors listed above, manipulated on most any given basis and presented in a number of formats, e.g., lists, tables, graphs, and charts. This flexibility is illustrated in TAF publications, such as Technology Assessment and Forecast Reports and PATENT PROFILES, and by the sample custom reports available for downloading either from the Internet. Portions of these sample reports have been attached at the back of the paper version of this brochure. Custom Technology Profile Report Format (sample report: sampl_tp.pdf) This standard format, multi-part report uses most of the elements in the TAF database to provide a detailed patent profile of a specific technology or subject area. Information provided includes rate of patenting, origin (country) of patenting, type of assignment, specific assignment, patent numbers and their titles, and names and addresses of "independent" inventors. There are four parts (parts A, B, C, & D) which comprise a complete report. Part A includes patenting activity percentages, and time series distribution by general assignment category and origin of patents. Part B is a ranked listing of organizations which shows counts of patents granted by both year of application filing and year of grant. Part C lists organizations alphabetically with patent numbers and titles. Part D gives the name and address of the inventors of patents assigned to individuals or unassigned at time of issue, and includes patent numbers and titles. This report can be tailored to specific needs. A sample TAF Custom Technology Profile report is available for download at the USPTO Internet site. Custom Organizational Profile Report Format (sample report: sampl_op.pdf) This report profiles patent activity across all of the classes and subclasses of the USPC System, and gives specific patent numbers and titles. The reports may be limited to specific classifications. This type of report can be prepared for the patents of any organization or grouping of organizations, or for the patents granted to the residents of any state or country or grouping of states or countries. A sample TAF Custom Organizational Profile report is available for download at the USPTO Internet site. Custom Patent Counts by Class by Year Profile Report Format The Patent Counts by Class by Year Profile Report shows the number of patents granted 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 primary (called "original") patent classification only and one which lists patent counts by primary and "cross-reference" classifications with duplicate patent counts eliminated. This report can be generated for specific organizations or populations of patent holders (e.g., foreign origin, U.S. origin, specific countries of origin). The format of this report is similar to the TAF Counts By Class By Year Report (viewable report file: cbcby.pdf) Custom Activity Index Profile Report Format (sample report: sampl_ai.pdf) The Activity Index Profile Report may be generated for any selected subset of utility patents. The report identifies areas of greater and lesser patenting emphasis by means of a patenting activity "index". Separate index values are calculated for each of the approximately 430 classes of technology which make up the U.S. Patent Classification System. Only primary (called "ORIGINAL") patent classifications are considered in this report. This report can be generated for specific organizations or populations of patent holders (e.g., foreign origin, U.S. origin, specific countries of origin). A sample TAF Custom Activity Index Profile report is available for download at the USPTO Internet site. Custom SIC Product Field Report Based Formats The TAF program office maintains a concordance between utility patent subclasses of the United States Patent Classification System and 55 product fields of the 1972 Standard Industrial Classification System. SIC product fields included in the concordance are as follows: PRODUCT FIELD TITLE; SIC CODE ------------------------------ FOOD AND KINDRED PRODUCTS; 20 TEXTILE MILL PRODUCTS; 22 CHEMICALS AND ALLIED PRODUCTS; 28 Chemicals, except drugs and medicines; 281,282,284-289 Basic industrial inorganic and organic chemistry; 281,286 Industrial inorganic chemistry; 281 Industrial organic chemistry; 286 Plastics materials and synthetic resins; 282 Agricultural chemicals; 287 All other chemicals; 284,285,289 Soaps, detergents, cleaners, perfumes, cosmetics and toiletries; 284 Paints, varnishes, lacquers, enamels, and allied products; 285 Miscellaneous chemical products; 289 Drugs and medicines; 283 PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS EXTRACTION AND REFINING; 13,29 RUBBER AND MISCELLANEOUS PLASTICS PRODUCTS; 30 STONE, CLAY, GLASS AND CONCRETE PRODUCTS; 32 PRIMARY METALS; 33,3462,3463 Primary ferrous products; 331,332,3399,3462 Primary and secondary non-ferrous metals; 333-336,339(except 3399),3463 FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS; 34(except 3462,3463,348) MACHINERY, EXCEPT ELECTRICAL; 35 Engines and turbines; 351 Farm and garden machinery and equipment; 352 Construction, mining and material handling machinery and equipment; 353 Metal working machinery and equipment; 354 Office computing and accounting machines; 357 Other machinery, except electrical; 355,356,358,359 Special industry machinery, except metal working; 355 General industrial machinery and equipment; 356 Refrigeration and service industry machinery; 358 Miscellaneous machinery, except electrical; 359 ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES; 36,3825 Electrical equipment, except communications equipment; 361-364,369,3825 Electrical transmission and distribution equipment; 361,3825 Electrical industrial apparatus; 362 Other electrical machinery, equipment and supplies; 363,364,369 Household appliances; 363 Electrical lighting and wiring equipment; 364 Miscellaneous electrical machinery, equipment and supplies; 369 Communications equipment and electronic components; 365-367 Radio and television receiving equipment except communication types; 365 Electronic components and accessories and communications equipment; 366-367 TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT; 37,348 Motor vehicles and other transportation equipment, except aircraft; 348,371,373-376,379 Motor vehicles and other motor vehicle equipment; 371 Guided missiles and space vehicles and parts; 376 Other transportation equipment; 373-375,379(except 3795) Ship and boat building and repairing; 373 Railroad equipment; 374 Motorcycles, bicycles, and parts; 375 Miscellaneous transportation equipment; 379(except 3795) Ordinance except missiles; 348,3795 Aircraft and parts; 372 PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS; 38(except 3825) ALL OTHER SIC'S; 99 ALL INDUSTRIES By means of the concordance, custom patent reports, such as the Technology Profile Report, can be prepared based on patents associated with these Product Fields. Other Custom Report Formats The TAF program has developed the flexibility to prepare other custom format reports designed to meet the needs of a large number of users. These include: (1) Corporate Patenting Report where patents of the designated organization are given in numerical order, and (2) Mailing Labels (see "Inventor Mailing Labels" under "Other Products and Services" elsewhere in this brochure). Sample Custom Reports (available for free Internet downloading) Sample reports containing selected excerpts are available for free downloading from the USPTO Internet site as follows. For specific telephone number and address information, please consult the "Whom to Contact" section at the end of this brochure. Portions of these sample reports have been attached at the back of the paper version of this brochure. o Custom Technology Profile Report Format (sample report: sampl_tp.pdf) o Custom Organizational Profile Report Format (sample report: sampl_op.pdf) o Custom Activity Index Profile Report Format (sample report: sampl_ai.pdf) Custom Report Output Media TAF Custom Reports are generally prepared with paper as the output media. For many reports, however, report data elements may be extracted and placed on diskettes in one of a variety of formats (e.g., ASCII delimited, spreadsheet format, etc.). How to Obtain TAF Custom Reports Contact the TAF Program Office to discuss the type of information you need. A TAF Analyst will assist you in determining the report content and format that best suits your needs, and provide you with a free estimate of its cost. If the terms are acceptable to you, the report will be prepared and forwarded to you, usually within seven working days. Cost All Custom Reports are provided on a cost reimbursable basis. These costs may vary widely -- from as low as $50.00 plus $10.00 for every 30 single-sided report pages and $25.00 per diskette of uncompressed electronic file output. More complex or large-scale treatments can range in price to several thousand dollars. The preparation of specially tailored reports, requiring extensive professional time, programming and/or computer time, is subject to the availability of TAF resources. Whom to Contact Contact information is listed at the end of this brochure. [Top] ----------------------- Other Products and Services Inventor Mailing Labels Inventor labels containing full street addresses suitable for mailings can be generated for inventors of U.S. patents which were unassigned at the time of grant. Labels can be limited to a subset of those inventors based on criteria such as the year of grant, the zipcode of inventor residence, the U.S. patent classification, etc. Inventor label information can be placed in various electronic file formats, if required. Concordance Between the Standard Industrial Code (SIC) Classification System and the U.S. Patent Classification (USPC) System Includes concordance information between 41 unique SIC-based product fields and the USPC System as it existed at the end of calendar year 1997. The concordance also includes a product field entitled "All Others," which contains USPC subclasses not concorded to any of the 41 unique product fields. This concordance is used to generate the Patenting Trends In The United States Reports described above. The diskette file is in ASCII delimited format suitable for database software. Subclass Listings Listings of patent numbers according to their classification in the U.S. Patent Classification System can be generated on paper or on floppy diskette. Digital Media Having Information Contained in the TAF Database Bibliographic patent information contained in the TAF data base and used to generate the above reports is available for purchase on a variety of digital media. [Top] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TAF Publications and Products Available From NTIS TAF publications (Patent Profiles, Technology Assessment and Forecast Reports, and others) and products (Industrial Patent Activity Report) are described below. They may be purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). The table which follows presents information for ordering these publications. Industrial Patent Activity in the United States Report (updated annually) Industrial Patent Activity in the United States, Parts 1 and 2 (Updated annually) This two-part publication gives information about the activity, ownership and national origin of patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It identifies those U.S. and foreign organizations (i.e., corporations, government agencies, and universities) which have been most active in the U.S. Patent System during recent years. Each part is described below and may be purchased separately. Please note that this report is a more comprehensive version of Parts A and B of the TAF "All Technologies Report", described elsewhere in this brochure. Industrial Patent Activity in the United States, Part 1 - Time Series Profile by Company and Country of Origin, 1974-present (Updated annually) This publication shows the relative levels of patenting by all nations active in the U.S. Patent System and gives yearly counts of patents (for each of the last 14 years) attributed to corporate, government and unaffiliated, e.g., "independent" inventors. It identifies companies having 15 or more patents during the time period, and ranks them in terms of total patent grants during the period. Patent grant activity for each year is profiled by both year of patent grant and year of patent application. Industrial Patent Activity in the United States, Part 2 - Alphabetical Listing by Company, 1974-present (Updated annually) This publication is an alphabetical list of more than 26,000 U.S. and foreign organizations receiving at least 5 patents during the time period. Included for each organization is the total count for the period. Patent Profiles (various reports dated 1979 to 1985) Patent Profiles - Robots (May 1985) This publication presents data about U.S. patent activity in seven areas of robotics - arm motion controllers, spatial arm movement, drive systems, arm parts, end effectors, sensors,and miscellaneous methods and apparatus. The report identifies 875 U.S. patents issued from 1963 through 1984. Graphs show foreign origin and U.S. origin patent activity per year, tables display the countries of origin of patents, and both rank ordered and alphabetical lists of patent owners are included. Patent Profiles - Telecommunications (August 1984) This publication identifies more than 48,000 Telecommunications patents issued since 1963, divided into seven areas. It analyzes patenting levels and trends, geographic origins and ownership, and reproduces sample front pages. The publication further defines 21 subdivisions of telecommunications technology and presents more detailed U.S. patent activity in profiles of each subdivision. Patent Profiles -Biotechnology: 1982 Update (September 1983) This publication profiles the patenting activity in six areas of biotechnology involving enzymes and microorganisms, their use in the synthesis of certain products, and their preparation or modification. It includes an analysis of legal decisions which have affected the patenting of biotechnology processes and products. It lists recent foreign patent documents which disclose genetic engineering, and includes front pages of recent patents and selected patents of interest. This publication includes a section which updates through 1982 the six biotechnology areas profiled in PATENT PROFILES - Biotechnology. Patent Profiles - Microelectronics - II (January 1983) This publication is the second in the series of profiles on microelectronics, and covers two additional areas of the technology -- Digital Logic Circuits and Semiconductor Memories. A third section -- Speech Analysis and Synthesis -- examines an area dealing with a practical application of microelectronics technology. It includes front pages of 30 patents and briefly describes their particular significance in the art. Also, it provides an analysis of organizational patenting patterns. Patent Profiles - Microelectronics - I (February 1981) This publication profiles the patenting activity in two representative segments of microelectronics technology relating to integrated circuit structure and information processing devices, e.g., "CPU's." For patents issuing from January to October 1980, it includes front pages which show bibliographic information, an abstract of the disclosure, and a representative drawing. It also includes information about references cited during the examination period. Patent Profiles - Solar Energy (January 1980) This publication profiles the patenting activity in five areas of technology which use energy provided by the sun, and in three areas which use energy derived from other natural sources, such as wind, tide, wave, and geothermal. A cumulative profile of the five solar areas illustrates the dramatic growth in this field Patent Profiles - Synthetic Fuels (December 1979) This publication profiles the patenting activity in ten areas of synthetic fuel technology dealing with the conversion of solid carbonaceous material to liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons. Starting materials include coal, oil shale, bituminous sands, wood and organic wastes. Technology Assessment and Forecast Reports (various reports dated 1973 to 1981) Tenth Report (November 1981) This report updates the "Top 50" most active technologies introduced in the Ninth Report. It reviews the U.S. patent activity of some of the largest European and Japanese foreign multinational corporations -- over time, across technology and relative to one another. It provides an extensive review of the changing standards for computer software patentability, including the 1981 Supreme Court decision, and examines the impacts of such changes on a representative technology -- seismic data processing. It demonstrates, using aerospace technology patenting as an example, how the patent file can be used as a source for bibliographic data. Ninth Report (March 1979) This report presents "Top 50" technologies in three categories -- Most Active, Fastest Growing, and Most Foreign-Active -- for each of three broad groupings of technology -- Chemical, Electrical and Mechanical. It examines trends in domestic patenting and independent inventor patenting. It includes an extensive review of patenting in "Ferrous Metal" technologies. It concludes with a discussion of two experiments in the transfer of "appropriate technology" to small businesses and developing countries. Eighth Report (December 1977) This report reviews U.S. patenting in the context of domestic vs. international patenting and analyzes the balance of patenting between the United States and other countries. It presents an analysis of the extent of disclosure of patented technology in the non-patent literature, showing that much of patented technology is only disclosed in the patent documents. This report concludes with an in depth analysis of patent activity in geophysical exploration for hydrocarbons. Seventh Report (March 1977) This report reviews historical patenting and trademark registration trends, and includes the most extensive collection of historical U.S. patent data ever presented in a single publication. It uses data relating to patents granted by foreign nations for a study of invention sources. It uses pending patent application data for forecasting. It presents brief reviews of 16 technologies experiencing high overall or foreign patent activity. It concludes with a comprehensive assessment of activity in computer memories. Sixth Report (June 1976) This report reviews 15 technologies with unusually high foreign activity and 22 technologies with high overall activity. It updates the 1973 reports on patent activity in solar energy, and adds reports on the use of waste material or wind for energy generation. It presents comparisons of patenting to research and development (R and D) expenditures and R and D manpower allocations in six selected industries. The report concludes with a review of the most often cited patents in 1975, five U.S. and one foreign patent. Fifth Report (August 1975) This report reviews patent activity with unusually high activity overall or unusually high activity by foreign resident inventors. Statistical reports on specific areas of technology include: vehicles, horology, information handling, electronics textile technologies, photography, organic compositions and processes, and inorganic compositions and processes. In addition, patent examiner reports are provided on prostaglandins, color electrophotography, and gas lasers. Fourth Report: A Review of Patent Ownership (January 1975) This report identifies the 73 corporations and government agencies which received 500 or more patents during the five year period 1969-1973, and reviews and compares their patent activity across the spectrum of technology. It also reviews in terms of patent ownership, the patent activity during the same period in nuclear energy technology and oil shale and coal gasification technology. Third Report (June 1974) This report presents an overview of the technological activity, across all technologies, of a group of selected foreign countries and a group of selected U.S. states. It extends energy area treatments to include oil shale and coal gasification technologies. It also reviews additional technological areas having a high level of overall activity. Early Warning Report (December 1973) This report spotlights those technological areas experiencing a high level of overall activity or foreign activity. It reviews patent activity in a number of energy areas, including nuclear, solar, geothermal, and tide, wind and wave energy. Initial Publication (May 1973) This report describes TAF programs and gives sample reports on 24 wide-ranging areas of technology in varying levels of detail. Other Publications (various reports dated 1982 to 1983) Design Patents (1983) This report compiles all available statistics on design patents in the United States. It also profiles major divisions within the design patent file, and identifies the origins and ownership of U.S. design patents. It includes selected patent front pages from each class in the Design Classification System. Industrial Robots: A Survey of Foreign and Domestic U.S. Patents (August 1982) This report analyzes 212 U.S. patents disclosing industrial robot technology, including control and positioning, programming and motion systems, sensors, and grippers. It includes patent front pages and the first pages of the specification, arranged by technology. It discusses countries most active in U.S. patenting robotics. It includes microfiche containing the full text of 212 robot patents. Microfiche (1984 report) Telecommunications - PATENT PROFILES, Microfiche Supplement (August 1984) This supplement contains the patent numbers of all patents included in PATENT PROFILES-Telecommunications, separated according to technology area. It gives the titles for all patents granted since 1969. Patents assigned to organizations are grouped by organization (assignee) name. Other patents are grouped by name of inventor. For unassigned patents, the full address of each inventor is included. Other Products Other products available from NTIS contain patent data as obtained from the Technology Assessment and Forecast Program database such as the "Statistical Abstract of the United States" (prepared by the Department of Commerce and the Bureau of the Census). Contact NTIS for a current catalog of their complete products and services. Order Information Copies of the TAF publications listed below are available from: - National Technical Information Service (NTIS) 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 (703) 605-6000 - NTIS ORDER DOMESTIC FOREIGN TITLE DATE NUMBER* PRICE** PRICE ------------------- ----- ----------- -------- ------- - INDUSTRIAL PATENT ACTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES, PART 1&2 Paper 1998 PB 99-160889 $126.23 $252.46 CD-ROM 1998 PB 99-501942 $112.00 $224.00 (estimated) - INDUSTRIAL PATENT ACTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES, PART 1- TIME SERIES PROFILE BY COMPANY & COUNTRY OF ORIGIN 1974-1998 Paper 1998 PB 99-160897 $83.00 $166.00 (approx. 567 pages) - INDUSTRIAL PATENT ACTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES, PART 2- ALPHABETICAL LISTING BY COMPANY 1974-1998 Paper 1998 PB 99-160905 $65.50 $131.00 (approx. 391 pages) - - INITIAL PUBLICATION 1973 COM 73-10767 $27.00 $54.00 EARLY WARNING REPORT 1973 COM 74-10150 $36.50 $73.00 THIRD REPORT 1974 COM 74-11383 $27.00 $54.00 FOURTH REPORT 1975 COM 75-10050 $27.00 $54.00 FIFTH REPORT 1975 COM 75-11142 $27.00 $54.00 SIXTH REPORT 1976 PB 254188 $27.00 $54.00 SEVENTH REPORT 1977 PB 265792 $36.50 $73.00 EIGHTH REPORT 1977 PB 276375 $27.00 $54.00 NINTH REPORT 1979 PB 293380 $27.00 $54.00 TENTH REPORT 1981 PB 82-215658 $27.00 $54.00 - PATENT PROFILES-- SYNTHETIC FUELS 1979 PB 80-128572 $ 6.50 $13.50 SOLAR ENERGY 1980 PB 80-190010 $ 6.50 $13.50 MICROELECTRONICS-I 1981 PB 81-179582 $ 8.50 $17.00 MICROELECTRONICS-II 1983 PB 83-132613 $15.50 $31.00 BIOTECHNOLOGY:1982 1983 PB 83-240937 $15.50 $31.00 BIOTECHNOLOGY UPDATE 1985 PB 85-186153 $27.00 $54.00 ROBOTS 1984 PB 84-211044 $32.00 $64.00 TELECOMMUNICATIONS***1984 PB 84-211051 $15.50 $31.00 - DESIGN PATENTS 1983 PB 83-224063 $15.50 $31.00 - INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS: A SURVEY OF FOREIGN & DOMESTIC U.S. PATENTS Paper 1982 PB 82-169269 $95.00 $190.00 - NTIS MICROFICHE OF SELECTED PUBLICATIONS varies varies - * When ordering from NTIS, please give the publication title and its "COM" or "PB" number. ** Domestic prices are for orders from the U.S. Canada and Mexico. For orders placed with NTIS cooperating organizations, see the NTIS periodical ALERTEC. NOTE: Prices are subject to change. [Top] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obtaining TAF Reports, Products, and Services From the Office for Patent and Trademark Information Reports Available for Free Internet Downloading Many selected TAF statistical reports are available for downloading from the USPTO Internet site free of charge. 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 ). Please note that table data in some of the TAF HTML Hypertext format files can be directly imported into many newer software programs (e.g., newer spreadsheet software). Check your software documentation for details. The reports may also be obtained by contacting the TAF Program Office. For specific TAF Program Office address and telephone number information and for Internet address information, please consult the "Whom to Contact" section at the end of this brochure. Please note that there are some TAF reports that are available only on the web (e.g., the various drill-down reports)! [Top] ----------------------- Price List General statistical Technology Assessment and Forecast Program (TAF) Reports are available free of charge, subject to availability. However, fees are charged for other selected reports, products, and services listed below, due to their large size and specialized nature. Such fees are intended to cover printing and distribution costs. Report Media Price -------------------------------------------- -------------- ------ - PATENTING TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1997 paper $ 50 (approx. 240 pages) CD-ROM $ 25 - (CD-ROM includes data for both reports, PATENTING TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1997 REPORT and PATENTING TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1997, STATE COUNTRY REPORT) - PATENTING TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1997 paper $ 50 STATE COUNTRY REPORT (approx. 380 pages) CD-ROM $ 25 - (CD-ROM includes data for both reports, PATENTING TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1997 REPORT and PATENTING TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1997, STATE COUNTRY REPORT) - U.S. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES -- UTILITY paper $ 50 PATENT GRANTS, 1997 (approx. 300 pgs) diskette (2) $ 25 - ACTIVITY INDEX REPORT, 1997 paper $ 90 (approx. 450 pages) CD-ROM $ 25 - (CD-ROM includes data for both reports, ACTIVITY INDEX REPORT, 1997 and ACTIVITY INDEX REPORT, CORPORATE PATENTING, 1997) - ACTIVITY INDEX REPORT, CORPORATE PATENTING paper $ 90 1997 (approx. 430 pages) CD-ROM $ 25 - (CD-ROM includes data for both reports, ACTIVITY INDEX REPORT, 1997 and ACTIVITY INDEX REPORT, CORPORATE PATENTING, 1997) - BUTTONS TO BIOTECH, U.S. PATENTING BY paper $ 20 WOMEN, 1977 to 1996 - includes update through 1998 (approx. 30 pages) - SELECTED TECHNOLOGIES REPORTS paper $ 20 per (variable lengths) report - GENERAL STATISTICAL REPORTS- Most general statistical reports are free or are available at a nominal charge (the following reports are also available via the TAF Home Page on the Internet). Please note that there are some TAF reports that are available only on the web (e.g., the various drill-down reports)! - Issue Dates and Patent Numbers Since 1836 paper $ 5 - Utility Patent Applications By Country of Origin Since 1965 paper $ 2 - Patent Counts By Class By Year Report (each report) paper $ 2 - Utility Patent Counts By State, County, and Metro Area paper $ 5 - Reissue Patents Report paper $ 2 - - Other Products - CONCORDANCE BETWEEN THE STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM AND THE U.S. PATENT CLASSIFICATION paper $ 80 SYSTEM (1997) (approx. 645 pages) diskette $ 25 (5MB compressed) - DIGITAL MEDIA HAVING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE TAF DATABASE (Prices vary depending on the information wanted. Contact TAF program office for prices and a description of what is available. - INVENTOR MAILING LABELS self-stick labels $50 plus -- $.35 per page of paper output; $.70 per page of label stock output; $ 25 per diskette of uncompressed electronic file output - CUSTOM REPORTS- Prices for custom reports vary according to the size and complexity of the requested report. Generally, report prices will be $50 per request plus $10 for every 30 single-sided report pages and $25 per diskette of uncompressed electronic file output. Custom report availability is subject to the availability of TAF resources. - SUBCLASS LISTINGS- Price is $3 per requested subclass on paper. Additional $25 for diskette. - - Diskettes are PC-compatible, 3 1/2 inch, high density, although other diskette types may be available. Files on the diskettes generally consist of text files in ASCII format and spreadsheet files in LOTUS 1-2-3 ® ; ".wk1" format or in MICROSOFT ® ; Excel ".xls" format although other formats can often be accommodated. - Payment by check, made out to the Commissioner of Patents, is acceptable. - Prices are subject to change. [Top] ----------------------- Whom To Contact Questions and requests pertaining to TAF reports and products should be directed to: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Office for Patent and Trademark Information - 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/ OEIP catalog : http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/index.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Top] [TAF Home Page] [USPTO Home Page] Last modified 17 September 1999