USPTO Releases Fiscal Year-End Numbers

The USPTO FY2008 report is out, and, unsurprisingly, "the USPTO met and, in some cases, exceeded its patent pendency, production, and quality targets."

According to the report,

- Patents "maintained a high level of patent quality by achieving an allowance compliance rate of 96.3 percent, exceeding its goal."

- Patents increased production by an additional 14 percent over FY 2007 by examining 448,003 applications—the highest number in history.

- Production has increased by 38.6 percent over the past four years, compared to a 21.3 percent increase in application filings during the same period.

- Patents received a record number of utility patent applications filed electronically (332,617), and achieved a record rate (72.1 percent) of applications filed electronically as well.

- Patents achieved an average first action pendency of 25.6 months and an average total pendency of 32.2 months.

- Patents received 1,765 patent application filings through the Accelerated Examination Program, 173 percent more than in the program’s introductory year of FY 2007. A 12-month or less pendency rate was also maintained for every application, with an average time to final action or allowance of 186 days.

Read/download the 162-page report here