Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office  

Release: U.S. Granted Patents by States, Territories, and Countries  

Units:  Number, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Annual

Notes:

Patent origin is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor.

A design consists of the visual ornamental characteristics embodied in, or applied to, an article of manufacture. Since a design is manifested in appearance, the subject matter of a design patent application may relate to the configuration or shape of an article, to the surface ornamentation applied to an article, or to the combination of configuration and surface ornamentation. A design for surface ornamentation is inseparable from the article to which it is applied and cannot exist alone. It must be a definite pattern of surface ornamentation, applied to an article of manufacture.

See PTMT Products and Services Brochure and Types of patent applications and proceedings for more information.