The USPTO issued approximately 318,849 utility patents in 2017, an increase of about 5.2 percent over 2016, and published 380,450 utility and plant patent applications, slightly fewer than 2016.
Table 1 shows the number of documents by type. Design patents and plant patents increased by 6.9 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. Reissue patents declined 7.5 percent over 2016. The total number of patent documents published in 2017 was 726,218.
Table 1. US Patents by Type Issued in 2017*
| Type | 2017 | 2016 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility patents | 318,849 | 303,051 | 5.2 |
| Reissue patents | 394 | 426 | -7.5 |
| Design patents | 30,872 | 28,874 | 6.9 |
| Plant patents | 1,311 | 1,235 | 6.2 |
| Applications | 380,450 | 381,792 | 0.4 |
*Based on preliminary data from the USPTO website. Totals may change after the fact due to withdrawn patents and published applications.
The USPTO is on track to issue patent number 10,000,000 in 2018, probably by May or June.
Table 2. US Patent Number Ranges, Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2017
| Type | First Number | Last Number |
|---|---|---|
| Utility patents | 9,532,496 | 9,854,720 |
| Reissue patents | RE46,259 | RE46,653 |
| Design patents | D775,450 | D806,349 |
| Plant patents | PP27,530 | PP28,830 |
| Applications | 2017/0000001 | 2017/0374792 |
Patent Librarian's Notebook 