The USPTO issued 303,051 patents in 2016, an increase of 1.5 percent over 2015. It also published approximately 381,792 utility and plant patent applications, essentially unchanged from last year. Table 1 shows the number of documents by type. Design patents and plant patents increased by 11 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Reissue patents declined 16.8 percent over 2015.
Table 1. US Patents by Type Issued in 2016*
| Type | 2016 | 2015 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility patents | 303,051 | 298,446 | 1.5 |
| Reissue patents | 426 | 512 | -16.8 |
| Design patents | 28,874 | 25,987 | 11.1 |
| Plant patents | 1,235 | 1,074 | 15.0 |
| SIRs | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Applications | 381,792 | 380,450 | 0.35 |
*Based on preliminary data from the USPTO website. Totals may change after the fact due to withdrawn patents and published applications.
The USPTO reached another patent milestone on November 16 when it issued patent no. 9,500,000.
Table 2. US Patent Number Ranges, Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2016
| Type | First Number | Last Number |
|---|---|---|
| Utility patents | 9,226,437 | 9,532,495 |
| Reissue patents | RE45,832 | RE46,258 |
| Design patents | D746,541 | D775,449 |
| Plant patents | PP26,285 | PP27,519 |
| SIRs | None | None |
| Applications | 2016/0000001 | 2016/0381857 |
Patent Librarian's Notebook 