The Patent Act of 1836, passed on July 4, ushered in a number of changes to the U.S. patent system. Issued patents were assigned numbers for the first time. Patent No. 1 issued on July 13, 1836 to Senator John Ruggles of Maine, who was one of the chief architects of patent reform and modernization.
Table 1. U.S. Patents, 1882-present
| Year | 1st Application | 1st Patent |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | – | 10,172,271 | 2018 | – | 9,854,721 |
| 2017 | – | 9,532,496 |
| 2016 | 757,791 | 9,226,437 |
| 2015 | 544,379 | 8,925,112 |
| 2014 | 998,975 | 8,621,662 |
| 2013 | 694,748 | 8,341,762 |
| 2012 | 374,487 | 8,087,094 |
| 2011 | 930,166 | 7,861,317 |
| 2010 | 655,475 | 7,640,598 |
| 2009 | 317,884 | 7,472,428 |
| 2008 | 5,841 | 7,313,829 |
| 2007 | 646,743 | 7,155,746 |
| 2006 | 320,178 | 6,981,282 |
| 2005 | 23,305 | 6,836,899 |
| 2004 | 746,297 | 6,671,884 |
| 2003 | 334,164 | 6,502,244 |
| 2002 | 32,443 | 6,334,220 |
| 2001 | 740,756 | 6,167,569 |
| 2000 | 471,932 | 6,009,555 |
| 1999 | 219,723 | 5,855,021 |
| 1998 | 1 | 5,704,062 |
| 1997 | 777,991 | 5,590,420 |
| 1996 | 581,739 | 5,479,658 |
| 1995 | 367,542 | 5,377,359 |
| 1994 | 176,047 | 5,274,846 |
| 1993 | 1 | 5,175,886 |
| 1992 | 815,501 | 5,077,836 |
| 1991 | 636,609 | 4,980,927 |
| 1990 | 459,413 | 4,890,335 |
| 1989 | 292,671 | 4,794,652 |
| 1988 | 140,321 | 4,716,594 |
| 1987 | 1 | 4,633,526 |
| 1986 | 815,454 | 4,562,596 |
| 1985 | 688,174 | 4,490,855 |
| 1984 | 567,457 | 4,423,523 |
| 1983 | 454,954 | 4,366,579 |
| 1982 | 336,510 | 4,308,622 |
| 1981 | 221,957 | 4,242,757 |
| 1980 | 108,971 | 4,180,867 |
| 1979 | 1 | 4,131,952 |
| 1978 | 866,211 | 4,065,812 |
| 1977 | 756,051 | 4,000,520 |
| 1976 | 645,931 | 3,930,271 |
| 1975 | 537,821 | 3,858,241 |
| 1974 | 429,701 | 3,781,914 |
| 1973 | 319,971 | 3,707,729 |
| 1972 | 214,538 | 3,631,539 |
| 1971 | 103,000 | 3,551,909 |
| 1970 | 1 | 3,487,470 |
| 1969 | 788,000 | 3,419,907 |
| 1968 | 695,000 | 3,360,800 |
| 1967 | 606,000 | 3,295,143 |
| 1966 | 518,000 | 3,226,729 |
| 1965 | 423,000 | 3,163,865 |
| 1964 | 335,000 | 3,116,487 |
| 1963 | 248,000 | 3,070,801 |
| 1962 | 163,000 | 3,015,103 |
| 1961 | 80,000 | 2,966,681 |
| 1960 | 1 | 2,919,443 |
| 1959 | 784,000 | 2,866,973 |
| 1958 | 706,000 | 2,818,567 |
| 1957 | 632,000 | 2,775,762 |
| 1956 | 557,000 | 2,728,913 |
| 1955 | 479,000 | 2,698,434 |
| 1954 | 401,000 | 2,664,562 |
| 1953 | 329,000 | 2,624,046 |
| 1952 | 264,000 | 2,580,379 |
| 1951 | 204,000 | 2,536,016 |
| 1950 | 136,000 | 2,492,944 |
| 1949 | 68,000 | 2,457,797 |
| 1948 | 1 | 2,433,824 |
| 1947 | 719,000 | 2,413,675 |
| 1946 | 638,000 | 2,391,856 |
| 1945 | 570,000 | 2,366,154 |
| 1944 | 516,000 | 2,338,081 |
| 1943 | 471,000 | 2,307,007 |
| 1942 | 425,000 | 2,268,540 |
| 1941 | 372,000 | 2,227,418 |
| 1940 | 312,000 | 2,185,170 |
| 1939 | 249,000 | 2,142,080 |
| 1938 | 183,000 | 2,104,004 |
| 1937 | 119,000 | 2,066,309 |
| 1936 | 57,000 | 2,026,516 |
| 1935 | 1 | 1,985,878 |
| 1934 | 705,000 | 1,941,449 |
| 1933 | 650,000 | 1,892,663 |
| 1932 | 584,000 | 1,839,190 |
| 1931 | 506,000 | 1,787,424 |
| 1930 | 418,000 | 1,742,181 |
| 1929 | 330,000 | 1,696,897 |
| 1928 | 244,000 | 1,654,521 |
| 1927 | 158,000 | 1,612,700 |
| 1926 | 78,000 | 1,568,040 |
| 1925 | 1 | 1,521,590 |
| 1924 | 684,000 | 1,478,996 |
| 1923 | 610,000 | 1,440,362 |
| 1922 | 526,000 | 1,401,948 |
| 1921 | 435,000 | 1,364,063 |
| 1920 | 349,000 | 1,326,899 |
| 1919 | 270,000 | 1,290,027 |
| 1918 | 210,000 | 1,251,458 |
| 1917 | 140,000 | 1,210,389 |
| 1916 | 70,000 | 1,166,419 |
| 1915 | 1 | 1,123,212 |
| 1914 | 810,000 | 1,083,267 |
| 1913 | 740,000 | 1,049,326 |
| 1912 | 669,000 | 1,013,095 |
| 1911 | 600,000 | 980,178 |
| 1910 | 536,000 | 945,010 |
| 1909 | 470,000 | 908,436 |
| 1908 | 409,000 | 875,679 |
| 1907 | 350,000 | 839,799 |
| 1906 | 294,000 | 808,618 |
| 1905 | 239,000 | 778,834 |
| 1904 | 188,000 | 748,567 |
| 1903 | 137,000 | 717,521 |
| 1902 | 87,000 | 690,385 |
| 1901 | 41,000 | 664,827 |
| 1900 | 1 | 640,167 |
| 1899 | 700,000 | 616,871 |
| 1898 | 665,000 | 596,467 |
| 1897 | 618,000 | 574,369 |
| 1896 | 574,000 | 552,502 |
| 1895 | 533,000 | 531,619 |
| 1894 | 495,000 | 511,744 |
| 1893 | 457,000 | 488,976 |
| 1892 | 417,000 | 466,315 |
| 1891 | 376,000 | 443,987 |
| 1890 | 335,000 | 418,665 |
| 1889 | 295,000 | 395,305 |
| 1888 | 260,000 | 375,720 |
| 1887 | 223,000 | 355,291 |
| 1886 | 187,000 | 333,494 |
| 1885 | 152,000 | 310,163 |
| 1884 | 115,000 | 291,016 |
| 1883 | 84,000 | 269,820 |
| 1882 | 50,000 | 251,685 |
Table 2. U.S. Patents, 1836-1881
| Year | 1st Patent |
|---|---|
| 1881 | 236,137 |
| 1880 | 223,211 |
| 1879 | 211,078 |
| 1878 | 198,733 |
| 1877 | 185,813 |
| 1876 | 171,641 |
| 1875 | 158,350 |
| 1874 | 146,120 |
| 1873 | 134,504 |
| 1872 | 122,304 |
| 1871 | 110,617 |
| 1870 | 98,460 |
| 1869 | 85,503 |
| 1868 | 72,959 |
| 1867 | 60,658 |
| 1866 | 51,784 |
| 1865 | 45,685 |
| 1864 | 41,047 |
| 1863 | 37,266 |
| 1862 | 34,045 |
| 1861 | 31,005 |
| 1860 | 26,642 |
| 1859 | 22,477 |
| 1858 | 19,010 |
| 1857 | 16,324 |
| 1856 | 14,009 |
| 1855 | 12,117 |
| 1854 | 10,358 |
| 1853 | 9,512 |
| 1852 | 8,622 |
| 1851 | 7,865 |
| 1850 | 6,981 |
| 1849 | 5,993 |
| 1848 | 5,409 |
| 1847 | 4,914 |
| 1846 | 4,348 |
| 1845 | 3,873 |
| 1844 | 3,395 |
| 1843 | 2,901 |
| 1842 | 2,413 |
| 1841 | 1,923 |
| 1840 | 1,465 |
| 1839 | 1,061 |
| 1838 | 546 |
| 1837 | 110 |
| 1836 | 1 |
Patent Librarian's Notebook 