FedInvent™ Patents

New Taxpayer Funded Patents for Tuesday, March 20, 2007 

This page was updated on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 08:41 PM GMT

FedInvent analyzed 97 taxpayer-funded patents this week.

On Tuesday, March 20, 2007, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted 97 taxpayer-funded patents; including 75 patents containing government interest statements and 31 patents where federal government agencies were an assignee or applicant. Together, 97 patents granted this week are the result of US government-funded research & development.

Learn More About Taxpayer Funded Patents Here

The List of This Week's Patents

Just a list — patent number with a link and the title, for those patentistas who like to browse.

About The Icons On the List Below

  • The icon takes you to the full text version of the patent at USPTO;
  • The icon takes you to the PDF version of the patent at USPTO; and
  • The icon takes you to the details about the patent on the FedInvent Details page.
  • When you use the icon the patent you are interested appears at the top of the list on the details page.
Patent Title
001 07191558
 
Dynamic process for enhancing the wear resistance of ferrous articles 
002 07191602
 
Storage of H2 by absorption and/or mixture within a fluid medium 
003 07191605
 
Floating loop method for cooling integrated motors and inverters using hot liquid refrigerant 
004 07191639
 
On-chip magnetic force actuation of microcantilevers by coplanar coils 
005 07191643
 
Sensor system to distinguish frozen and non-frozen liquid particulates 
006 07191694
 
Edge reinforced brittle armor system 
007 07191698
 
System and technique for ultrasonic determination of degree of cooking 
008 07191706
 
Optically triggered fire set/detonator system 
009 07191709
 
Enhanced performance reactive composite projectiles 
010 07191851
 
Unattended ground sensor assembly 
011 07192001
 
Thermopneumatic microvalve 
012 07192217
 
Baffle apparatus 
013 07192480
 
Ion exchange waveguides and methods of fabrication 
014 07192491
 
Increased damping of magnetization in magnetic materials 
015 07192567
 
Precursor soot synthesis of fullerenes and nanotubes without formation of carbonaceous soot 
016 07192579
 
Methods of gene therapy using nucleic acid sequences for ATP-binding cassette transporter 
017 07192593
 
Use of recombinant parainfluenza viruses (PIVs) as vectors to protect against infection and disease caused by PIV and other human pathogens 
018 07192629
 
Devices utilizing self-assembled gel and method of manufacture 
019 07192642
 
Single-wall carbon nanotube film having high modulus and conductivity and process for making the same 
020 07192644
 
Non-aqueous borate routes to boron nitride 
021 07192649
 
Passivation layer on aluminum surface and method thereof 
022 07192661
 
Rare earth metal compounds for use in high critical temperature thin film super-conducting antennas 
023 07192693
 
Methods for photopatterning hydrogels 
024 07192698
 
EphA2 as a diagnostic target for metastatic cancer 
025 07192702
 
Modulators of the interaction between Arp2/3 and cortactin or HS-1 
026 07192705
 
Transductin-1 and applications to hereditary deafness 
027 07192708
 
Nucleic acid enzyme biosensors for ions 
028 07192711
 
Compositions and methods involving methyladenosine phosphorylase in the diagnosis and treatment of proliferative disorders 
029 07192713
 
Stabilized compounds having secondary structure motifs 
030 07192714
 
LDL receptor signaling assays 
031 07192715
 
Diagnostics and therapy of epstein-barr virus in autoimmune disorders 
032 07192728
 
Screening assays for agents that alter inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein regulation of caspase activity 
033 07192735
 
Phosphopantetheinyl transferases and uses thereof 
034 07192739
 
Ligand-dependent protein splicing 
035 07192761
 
Actinobacillus succinogenes shuttle vector and methods of use 
036 07192772
 
Recombinant cells that highly express chromosomally-integrated heterologous gene 
037 07192773
 
Method of reducing neuronal electrical activity with a potassium channel subunit 
038 07192779
 
Diagnosis of Smith-Lemli-Optiz syndrome 
039 07192785
 
Water-soluble luminescent quantum dots and biomolecular conjugates thereof and related compositions and methods of use 
040 07192787
 
Highly nonlinear magnetic tunnel junctions for dense magnetic random access memories 
041 07192816
 
Self-aligned body tie for a partially depleted SOI device structure 
042 07192905
 
Organophosphate insecticide synergists for fly and tick control 
043 07192914
 
Prevention of atherosclerosis and undesired blood clotting by reducing von Willebrand factor 
044 07192916
 
Gene encoding MNR2 and uses thereof 
045 07192921
 
Peptides that home to tumor lymphatic vasculature and methods of using same 
046 07192930
 
Method and peptide for regulating cellular activity 
047 07192934
 
Vaccines for blocking transmission of Plasmodium vivax  
048 07192939
 
Pestalotiopsis microsporia isolates and compounds derived therefrom 
049 07192993
 
Self-healing coating and microcapsules to make same 
050 07193034
 
Synthetic peptides, conjugation reagents and methods 
051 07193037
 
Method and apparatus for use of thermally switching proteins in sensing and detecting devices 
052 07193053
 
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha variants and methods of use 
053 07193072
 
Compositions to identify swine genetically resistant to F18 E. coli associated diseases 
054 07193077
 
Exocyclic amine triaryl methyl protecting groups in two-step polynucleotide synthesis 
055 07193098
 
Process for producing semiconductor nanocrystal cores, core-shell, core-buffer-shell, and multiple layer systems in a non-coordinating solvent utilizing in situ surfactant generation 
056 07193100
 
Haloaluminoxane compositions, their preparation, and their use in catalysis 
057 07193125
 
Screening systems and methods for identifying modulators of xenobiotic metabolism 
058 07193126
 
Method for generating overexpression of alleles in genes of unknown function 
059 07193128
 
Methods for generating or increasing revenues from crops 
060 07193175
 
High precision, rapid laser hole drilling 
061 07193187
 
Feedback control system and method for maintaining constant resistance operation of electrically heated elements 
062 07193214
 
Sensor having differential polarization and a network comprised of several such sensors 
063 07193215
 
System and method for imaging of coated substrates 
064 07193350
 
Electroactive polymer structure 
065 07193352
 
Thin film bulk acoustic wave sensor suite 
066 07193415
 
Magnetic lens, method and focus volume imaging MRI 
067 07193446
 
Dynamic logic circuit incorporating reduced leakage state-retaining devices 
068 07193526
 
Downhole tool 
069 07193527
 
Swivel assembly 
070 07193548
 
Switching arrangement and DAC mismatch shaper using the same 
071 07193556
 
System and method for the measurement of full relative position and orientation of objects 
072 07193558
 
Radar processor system and method 
073 07193567
 
TM microstrip antenna with GPS frequency coverage 
074 07193578
 
Horn antenna array and methods for fabrication thereof 
075 07193691
 
Active sensor receiver detector array for countermeasuring shoulder-fired missiles 
076 07193771
 
Power scalable optical systems for generating, transporting, and delivering high power, high quality laser beams 
077 07193774
 
Sub-diffraction limit resolution in microscopy 
078 07193782
 
System and method for manipulating micro-particles using electromagnetic fields 
079 07193892
 
Magnetic switching with expanded hard-axis magnetization volume at magnetoresistive bit ends 
080 07194019
 
Multi-pulse multi-delay (MPMD) multiple access modulation for UWB 
081 07194063
 
Methods for implementing microbeam radiation therapy 
082 07194111
 
Hyperspectral remote sensing systems and methods using covariance equalization 
083 07194114
 
Object finder for two-dimensional images, and system for determining a set of sub-classifiers composing an object finder 
084 07194117
 
System and method for performing a three-dimensional virtual examination of objects, such as internal organs 
085 07194120
 
Methods and systems for image-guided placement of implants 
086 07194124
 
Reconstruction and motion analysis of an embryo 
087 07194132
 
Method and system for detecting anomalies in multispectral and hyperspectral imagery employing the normal compositional model 
088 07194161
 
Wavelength-conserving grating router for intermediate wavelength density 
089 07194175
 
3D photonic bandgap device in SOI 
090 07194197
 
Nozzle-based, vapor-phase, plume delivery structure for use in production of thin-film deposition layer 
091 07194385
 
Performance level setting of a data processing system 
092 07194389
 
Fusion of data from differing mathematical models 
093 07194390
 
Predictor of minimal noise figure for wideband amplifier 
094 07194395
 
System and method for hazardous incident decision support and training 
095 07194463
 
Systems and methods for constrained anisotropic diffusion routing within an ad hoc network 
096 07194769
 
Network security planning architecture 
097 D538537
 
Sorting tray 

Up to Start Of Table

Patent Count By Department

This is the count of taxpayer-funded patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) this week. These patents contain a Government Interest Statement in the body of the patent document or are patents where the government is an assignee. Agency numbers are aggregated by the agency named in the Government Interests Statement and the contract number cited in the government interest section of the patent.

Department This Week This Year
Department of Defense (DOD) 42 336
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 24 261
Department of Energy (DOE) 16 177
National Science Foundation (NSF) 12 120
Department of Agriculture (USDA) 5 26
Small Business Administration (SBA) 2 15
Department of Commerce (DOC) 1 22
Department of Transportation (USDOT) 1 7
Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) 1 5
Department of the Interior (DOI) 1 1
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 1 40
National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) 1 6
United States Postal Service (USPS) 1 9
Government Rights Acknowledged 3 21

Patents By Funding Agency

FedInvent Patents are patents funded by US taxpayers. Taxpayer-funded patents have Government Interest Statements in the body of the patent or are patents where an agency of the US federal government has retained the title to the patent and is listed as an assignee. The presence of a government interest statement, as required by the Bayh-Dole Act, indicates the holder of a federal contract, grant, or cooperative research agreement has elected to retain the title of inventions conceived and reduced to practice during that contract.

About The Icons On the List Below

  • The icon takes you to the full text version of the patent at USPTO;
  • The icon takes you to the PDF version of the patent at USPTO; and
  • The icon takes you to the details about the patent on the FedInvent Details page.
  • When you use the icon the patent you are interested appears at the top of the list on the details page.

Click the Panel to See The Patents for Each Agency

Take Me To The Details

Department of Defense (DOD) Agencies

Patent Title
001 07192491
 
Increased damping of magnetization in magnetic materials 
002 07192728
 
Screening assays for agents that alter inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein regulation of caspase activity 
003 07192787
 
Highly nonlinear magnetic tunnel junctions for dense magnetic random access memories 
004 07193446
 
Dynamic logic circuit incorporating reduced leakage state-retaining devices 
005 07193771
 
Power scalable optical systems for generating, transporting, and delivering high power, high quality laser beams 
006 07194114
 
Object finder for two-dimensional images, and system for determining a set of sub-classifiers composing an object finder 

Department of the ARMY (DOA)

Patent Title
001 07191558
 
Dynamic process for enhancing the wear resistance of ferrous articles 
002 07191694
 
Edge reinforced brittle armor system 
003 07192629
 
Devices utilizing self-assembled gel and method of manufacture 
004 07192661
 
Rare earth metal compounds for use in high critical temperature thin film super-conducting antennas 
005 07192993
 
Self-healing coating and microcapsules to make same 
006 07193214
 
Sensor having differential polarization and a network comprised of several such sensors 
007 07193352
 
Thin film bulk acoustic wave sensor suite 
008 07193556
 
System and method for the measurement of full relative position and orientation of objects 
009 07193782
 
System and method for manipulating micro-particles using electromagnetic fields 
010 07194389
 
Fusion of data from differing mathematical models 
011 07194395
 
System and method for hazardous incident decision support and training 

Department of the Navy (DON) | United States Marine Corps (USMC)

Patent Title
001 07191709
 
Enhanced performance reactive composite projectiles 
002 07191851
 
Unattended ground sensor assembly 
003 07192642
 
Single-wall carbon nanotube film having high modulus and conductivity and process for making the same 
004 07192649
 
Passivation layer on aluminum surface and method thereof 
005 07193077
 
Exocyclic amine triaryl methyl protecting groups in two-step polynucleotide synthesis 
006 07193350
 
Electroactive polymer structure 
007 07193548
 
Switching arrangement and DAC mismatch shaper using the same 
008 07193558
 
Radar processor system and method 
009 07193567
 
TM microstrip antenna with GPS frequency coverage 
010 07193771
 
Power scalable optical systems for generating, transporting, and delivering high power, high quality laser beams 
011 07194111
 
Hyperspectral remote sensing systems and methods using covariance equalization 
012 07194132
 
Method and system for detecting anomalies in multispectral and hyperspectral imagery employing the normal compositional model 
013 07194175
 
3D photonic bandgap device in SOI 
014 07194390
 
Predictor of minimal noise figure for wideband amplifier 

Department of the Air Force (DAF)| United States Space Force (USSF)

Patent Title
001 07191639
 
On-chip magnetic force actuation of microcantilevers by coplanar coils 
002 07192480
 
Ion exchange waveguides and methods of fabrication 
003 07192642
 
Single-wall carbon nanotube film having high modulus and conductivity and process for making the same 
004 07193037
 
Method and apparatus for use of thermally switching proteins in sensing and detecting devices 
005 07193098
 
Process for producing semiconductor nanocrystal cores, core-shell, core-buffer-shell, and multiple layer systems in a non-coordinating solvent utilizing in situ surfactant generation 
006 07193691
 
Active sensor receiver detector array for countermeasuring shoulder-fired missiles 
007 07194385
 
Performance level setting of a data processing system 
008 07194463
 
Systems and methods for constrained anisotropic diffusion routing within an ad hoc network 
009 07194769
 
Network security planning architecture 

Up to Start Of Table

Take Me To The Details
Patent Title
001 07192579
 
Methods of gene therapy using nucleic acid sequences for ATP-binding cassette transporter 
002 07192593
 
Use of recombinant parainfluenza viruses (PIVs) as vectors to protect against infection and disease caused by PIV and other human pathogens 
003 07192693
 
Methods for photopatterning hydrogels 
004 07192705
 
Transductin-1 and applications to hereditary deafness 
005 07192708
 
Nucleic acid enzyme biosensors for ions 
006 07192711
 
Compositions and methods involving methyladenosine phosphorylase in the diagnosis and treatment of proliferative disorders 
007 07192713
 
Stabilized compounds having secondary structure motifs 
008 07192714
 
LDL receptor signaling assays 
009 07192715
 
Diagnostics and therapy of epstein-barr virus in autoimmune disorders 
010 07192728
 
Screening assays for agents that alter inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein regulation of caspase activity 
011 07192735
 
Phosphopantetheinyl transferases and uses thereof 
012 07192739
 
Ligand-dependent protein splicing 
013 07192779
 
Diagnosis of Smith-Lemli-Optiz syndrome 
014 07192914
 
Prevention of atherosclerosis and undesired blood clotting by reducing von Willebrand factor 
015 07192916
 
Gene encoding MNR2 and uses thereof 
016 07192921
 
Peptides that home to tumor lymphatic vasculature and methods of using same 
017 07192930
 
Method and peptide for regulating cellular activity 
018 07192934
 
Vaccines for blocking transmission of Plasmodium vivax  
019 07192939
 
Pestalotiopsis microsporia isolates and compounds derived therefrom 
020 07193053
 
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha variants and methods of use 
021 07193125
 
Screening systems and methods for identifying modulators of xenobiotic metabolism 
022 07193126
 
Method for generating overexpression of alleles in genes of unknown function 
023 07194117
 
System and method for performing a three-dimensional virtual examination of objects, such as internal organs 
024 07194124
 
Reconstruction and motion analysis of an embryo 

Up to Start Of Table

Emerging Technology

Emerging Climate Change Technologies

Patents containing 'Y" CPC symbols indicate emerging climate change and clean technology inventions.

About The Icons On the List Below

  • The icon takes you to the full text version of the patent at USPTO;
  • The icon takes you to the PDF version of the patent at USPTO; and
  • The icon takes you to the details about the patent on the FedInvent Details page.
  • When you use the icon the patent you are interested appears at the top of the list on the details page.
Class

About Y Emerging Technology Symbols

Patent documents that contain a Y02 or Y04 CPC symbol are already classified elsewhere. USPTO adds the Y symbols to the classification data to monitor new technological developments covering clean technology and inventions impacting climate change, important American science and technology interests.

Y02 — Green House Gas Mitigation

Y02 covers selected technologies, that control, reduce, or prevent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), in the framework of the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, and technologies that allow adapting to the adverse effects of climate change. Y02A covers technologies for adaptation to climate change, — technologies that allow adapting to the adverse effects of climate change in human, industrial (including agriculture and livestock), and economic activities. Y02P covers climate change mitigation technologies in any kind of industrial processing or production activity, including the agroalimentary industry (relating to agriculture and food), agriculture, fishing, ranching and the like.

Y04 — Enabling Technologies

Y04 is focused on the information and communications inventions that facilitate climate change technology. Y04S covers systems integrating technologies related to power network operation, communication, or information technologies for improving electrical power generation, transmission, distribution, management, or usage. Examples of the art covered here are technologies related to smart grids, home appliances, and systems supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles.

The Health Complex

This section contains the count of patents funded by The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) organized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) institute; and HHS subagencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and others. These agencies together are called the Health Complex.

Department | Agency This Week This Year
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)24261
National Institutes of Health (NIH)20237
National Cancer Institute (NCI)428
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)15
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)14
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)12
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)18
U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)17

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Higher Education Research and Development (HERD)

FedInvent follows the HERD the Higher Education Research and Development institutions — the colleges and universities; research institutions, and medical schools that benefit from federal funding and rely on it to make important discoveries that drive American innovation. Taxpayer-funded patents coming from American and sometimes foreign universities are an important indicia of the vitality of the American innovation ecosphere.

MEMBERS OF THE HERD

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey is the primary source of information on R&D expenditures at 916 US colleges and universities that expended at least $150,000 in separately accounted for R&D in the fiscal year. We use the NSF list to keep track of which colleges and universities are receiving taxpayer-funded patents and filing patent applications.

WATCH This SPACE

We're working on our data analytics and will be reporting taxpayer-funded patents and patent applications shortly. In the meantime, FedInvent will post interesting information about the HERD Innovation Ecosphere here.

Top Ten Universities By R&D Expenditures
  1. Johns Hopkins University
  2. University of Michigan
  3. University of Washington
  4. University of California, San Diego
  5. University of California, San Francisco
  6. Columbia University in the City of New York
  7. Stanford University
  8. University Pittsburgh
  9. University Pennsylvania
  10. Duke University

Count By Tech Center

Patents organized by count and Technology Center where the patent was examined.

Tech Center Count
1600 Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry 33
2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components 21
1700 Chemical and Materials Engineering 14
2600 Communications 9
3600 Transportation, Electronic Commerce, Construction, Agriculture, Licensing and Review 9
2100 Computer Architecture Software and Information Security 5
3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Gaming and Medical Devices/Processes 5
2900 Design 1

For more information on the types of inventions examined in each Technology Center, see the About Tech Centers section of this page.

Patents By Scientific Domain.

This section contains the number of patents by high level scientific and technical domain. The data is arranged by the first Cooperative Patent Classification System (CPC) patent symbol assigned to the patent. This indicates the scope and nature of the invention for a patent or a patent application.

Global patent offices use patent classification as their lingua franca — the common language — for exchanging information about inventions and what scientific and technical art a patent contains. The classifications assigned to a patent are used by patent examiners to find prior art and to determine if a particular patent's claims are novel. Patent classifications are also used for global enforcement of patent rights, treaties, and agreements.

Class Class Definition First
(Original)
Inventive
(CrossRef)
USPC 435 Chemistry: Molecular biology and microbiology 14 0
USPC 382 Image analysis 6 0
USPC 514 Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions 6 0
USPC 428 Stock material or miscellaneous articles 5 0
USPC 359 Optical: Systems and elements 3 0
USPC 530 Chemistry: Natural resins or derivatives; peptides or proteins; lignins or reaction products thereof 3 0
USPC 703 Data processing: Structural design, modeling, simulation, and emulation 3 0
USPC 800 Multicellular living organisms and unmodified parts thereof and related processes 3 0
USPC 062 Refrigeration 2 0
USPC 073 Measuring and testing 2 0
USPC 102 Ammunition and explosives 2 0
USPC 219 Electric heating 2 0
USPC 250 Radiant energy 2 0
USPC 310 Electrical generator or motor structure 2 0
USPC 340 Communications: Electrical 2 0
USPC 342 Communications: Directive radio wave systems and devices 2 0
USPC 343 Communications: Radio wave antennas 2 0
USPC 385 Optical waveguides 2 0
USPC 424 Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions 2 0
USPC 436 Chemistry: Analytical and immunological testing 2 0
USPC 438 Semiconductor device manufacturing: Process 2 0
USPC 536 Organic compounds 2 0
USPC 556 Organic compounds 2 0
USPC D03 Travel goods and personal belongings 2 0
USPC 042 Firearms 1 0
USPC 089 Ordnance 1 0
USPC 099 Foods and beverages: Apparatus 1 0
USPC 117 Single-crystal, oriented-crystal, and epitaxy growth processes; non-coating apparatus therefor 1 0
USPC 148 Metal treatment 1 0
USPC 175 Boring or penetrating the earth 1 0
USPC 251 Valves and valve actuation 1 0
USPC 324 Electricity: Measuring and testing 1 0
USPC 326 Electronic digital logic circuitry 1 0
USPC 341 Coded data generation or conversion 1 0
USPC 356 Optics: Measuring and testing 1 0
USPC 365 Static information storage and retrieval 1 0
USPC 375 Pulse or digital communications 1 0
USPC 378 X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices 1 0
USPC 392 Electric resistance heating devices 1 0
USPC 405 Hydraulic and earth engineering 1 0
USPC 423 Chemistry of inorganic compounds 1 0
USPC 430 Radiation imagery chemistry: Process, composition, or product thereof 1 0
USPC 504 Plant protecting and regulating compositions 1 0
USPC 523 Synthetic resins or natural rubbers 1 0
USPC 702 Data processing: Measuring, calibrating, or testing 1 0
USPC 707 Data processing: Database and file management or data structures 1 0
USPC 726 Information security 1 0

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Count of Inventors by Country and U.S. State

Patent count by country and state based on the location information of first named inventors and of all inventors on the patent.

Country First Named Inventors All Inventors
United States of America 94 265
Finland 1 2
United Kingdom 1 2
Netherlands 1 1
Japan 0 3
Switzerland 0 1
China PRC 0 1
South Korea 0 1
U.S. State First Named Inventors All Inventors
California 20 52
Maryland 8 30
New York 7 25
Massachusetts 7 16
Texas 5 19
Colorado 4 9
Virginia 4 5
Illinois 3 10
New Jersey 3 10
Michigan 3 8
Utah 2 15
Washington 2 10
Arizona 2 6
Tennessee 2 5
Indiana 2 3
Minnesota 2 2
North Carolina 2 2
Pennsylvania 2 2
Louisiana 1 5
Florida 1 3
Iowa 1 3
Ohio 1 3
Alabama 1 2
Connecticut 1 2
District of Columbia 1 2
Georgia 1 2
New Mexico 1 2
Oklahoma 1 2
Oregon 1 2
Montana 1 1
New Hampshire 1 1
Vermont 1 1
Nevada 0 2
Alaska 0 1
Nebraska 0 1
Rhode Island 0 1

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Count of Assignees and Applicants by Country and U.S. State

Patent count by country and state based on location information of Assignees and Applicants.

Country Assignees Applicants
United States of America 1060
Switzerland 10
United Kingdom 10
U.S. State Assignees Applicants
District of Columbia 290
California 200
New York 80
Illinois 50
Massachusetts 50
Texas 40
Maryland 30
Michigan 30
Utah 30
Arizona 20
Colorado 20
Connecticut 20
Indiana 20
New Jersey 20
Tennessee 20
Washington 20
Alabama 10
Florida 10
Georgia 10
Iowa 10
Montana 10
Nevada 10
New Hampshire 10
New Mexico 10
Oklahoma 10
Oregon 10
Pennsylvania 10
Virginia 10

Up to Start Of Table

Technology Center Explainer

How Tech Centers and Art Units Are Organized And Why It Matters

Patents travel from Technology Center to Art Unit to Group Art Unit to Patent Examiner.

The USPTO's patent corps is organized into Technology Centers (TCs), groups of patent examiners with specific scientific and technical domain expertise. Technology Centers are further divided into Art Units (AUs) organized by major types of inventive art within a scientific or technical domain. Art Units are organized into Group Art Units, even more specialized and granular teams of examiners.

Group Art Units (GAUs) are where patent examiners prosecute patent applications. Patent applications are docketed to examiners based on specific subject matter classifications of a particular GAU.

Understanding Technology Centers, Art Units, and Group Art Units helps you understand what type of inventions are being prosecuted within each scientific and technical domain, how long it takes from the date a patent application is filed to the time a final decision on the patentability of the invention is made.

Technology Centers and Art Units

Click or touch the accordion panel to open it and see the way different types of inventions are grouped together within Art Units.

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
1610 Organic Compounds: Bio-affecting, Body Treating, Drug Delivery, Steroids, Herbicides, Pesticides, Cosmetics, and Drugs
1620 Organic Chemistry
1630 Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Nucleic Acids, Recombinant DNA and RNA, Gene Regulation, Nucleic Acid Amplification, Animals and Plants, Combinatorial/ Computational Chemistry
1640 Immunology, Receptor/Ligands, Cytokines Recombinant Hormones, and Molecular Biology
1650 Fermentation, Microbiology, Isolated and Recombinant Proteins/Enzyme
1660 Plants

About Plant Patents

Plant Patents are granted to an inventor who has invented, or discovered and asexually reproduced a distinct and new variety of plant, other than a tuber propagated plant or a plant found in an uncultivated state. If you've ever eaten a pluot, you've enjoyed the fruit of a plant patent.

Plant patent numbers begin with a "PP" followed by a five digit number. The first Plant Patent was issued in 1931. Plant patents are valid for 20 years from the filing date.

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
1710 Coating, Etching, Cleaning, Single Crystal Growth
1720 Fuel Cells, Batteries, Solar Cells, Liquid Crystal Composition
1730 Metallurgy, Metal Working, Inorganic Chemistry, Catalysts, Electrophotography, Photolithography
1740 Tires, Adhesive Bonding, Glass/Paper making, Plastics Shaping & Molding
1760 Organic Chemistry, Polymers, Compositions
1770 Chemical Apparatus, Separation and Purification, Liquid and Gas Contact Apparatus
1780 Miscellaneous Articles, Stock Material, Adhesive Composition, Fabrics
1790 Food, Analytical Chemistry, Sterilization, Biochemistry, Electrochemistry

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
2110 Coating, Etching, Cleaning, Single Crystal Growth
2120 Miscellaneous Articles, Stock Material, Adhesive Composition, Fabrics
2130 Fuel Cells, Batteries, Solar Cells, Liquid Crystal Composition
2140/2170 Metallurgy, Metal Working, Inorganic Chemistry, Catalysts, Electrophotography, Photolithography
2150/2160 Tires, Adhesive Bonding, Glass/Paper making, Plastics Shaping & Molding
2180 Organic Chemistry, Polymers, Compositions
2190 Chemical Apparatus, Separation and Purification, Liquid and Gas Contact Apparatus

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
2410/2460/2470 Multiplex, VoIP
2420 Cable and Television
2430/2490 Cryptography and Security
2440/2450 Computer Networks
2480 Recording and Compression

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
2610 Computer Graphic Processing, 3D Animation, Display Color Attribute, Object Processing, Hardware and Memory
2620 Selective Visual Display Systems
2630 Digital and Optical Communications
2640 Telecommunications: Analog Radio Telephone; Satellite and Power Control; Transceivers, Measuring and Testing; Bluetooth; Receivers and Transmitters; Equipment Details
2650 Videophones and Telephonic Communications; Audio Signals; Digital Audio Data Processing; Linguistics, Speech Processing and Audio Compression
2660 Digital Cameras; Image Analysis; Applications; pattern Recognition; Color and Compression; Enhancement and Transformation
2670 Facsimile; Printer; Color; halftone; Scanner; Computer Graphic Processing; 3-D Animation; Display Color; Attributes; Object Processing; Hardware and Memory
2680 Telemetry and Code Generation; Vehicles and System Alarms; Selective Communication; Dynamic Storage Systems; Mechanical parts of Disk Drives; Signal Processing and Control Processing in Disk Drives
2690 Selective Visual Display Systems

More broadly TC 2800 Art Units cover Semiconductors/Memory, Circuits/Measuring and Testing, Optics/Photocopying, Printing/Measuring and Testing.

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
2810/2820/2890 Semiconductors/Memory
2830/2840 Electrical Circuits and Systems
2850/2860 Printing/Measuring and Testing
2870/2880 Optics

About Design Patents

The design FOR an article. Not to the design OF an article.

Patents examined here cover Design patents cover the appearance of an article. The design for an article consists of the visual characteristics embodied in or applied to an article. 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.

Design is inseparable from the article to which it is applied and cannot exist alone merely as a scheme of surface ornamentation. It must be a definite, preconceived thing, capable of reproduction and not merely the chance result of a method.

Design patent numbers begin with a "D" followed by a six digit number. The first Design Patent was issued in 1843. The term of a design patent is 15 years measured from the date of grant, if the design application was filed on or after May 13, 2015 (or 14 years if filed before May 13, 2015).

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
3610 Surface Transportation
3620 Business Methods — Incentive Programs, Coupons; Operations Research; Electronic Shopping; Health Care; Point of Sale, Inventory, Accounting; Cost/Price, Reservations, Shipping and Transportation; Business Processing
3630 Static Structures, Supports and Furniture
3640 Aeronautics, Agriculture, Fishing, Trapping, Vermin Destroying, Plant and Animal Husbandry, Weaponry, Nuclear Systems, and License and Review
3650 Material and Article Handling
3660 Computerized Vehicle Controls and Navigation, Radio Wave, Optical and Acoustic Wave Communication, Robotics, and Nuclear Systems
3670 Wells, Earth Boring/Moving/Working, Excavating, Mining, Harvesters, Bridges, Roads, Petroleum, Closures, Connections, and Hardware
3680 Business Methods — Incentive Programs, Coupons; Electronic Shopping; Business Cryptography, Voting; Health Care; Point of Sale, Inventory, Accounting; Business Processing, Electronic Negotiation
3690 Business Methods — Finance/Banking/ Insurance

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
3710 Amusement and Education Devices
3720 Manufacturing Devices and Processes, Machine Tools and Hand Tools
3730 Sheet Container Making, Package Making, Receptacles, Shoes, Apparel, and Tool Driving or Impacting
3740 Thermal and Combustion Technology, Motive and Fluid Power Systems
3750 Fluid Handling and Dispensing
3760 Refrigeration, Vaporization, Ventilation, and Combustion
3770 Medical & Surgical Instruments, Treatment Devices, Surgery and Surgical Supplies
3780 Body Treatment, Kinestherapy, and Exercising

Patents examined here cover:

Art Unit Technical & Scientific Domains
3970 Express Abandonments
3990 Central Reexamination Unit

FedInvent Patents

Each week FedInvent analyzes newly granted patents and published patent applications whose origins lead back to funding from the US federal government. We assemble a weekly patent catalog and analyze the inventions, the inventors, and the entities who received the patents. We map the patents back to the agency that funded the R&D that led to the new invention. FedInvent uses the funding opportunity descriptions, the grants, and the contracts that define the research areas of interest, and the R&D policies and priorities of that drove and are driving the funding to organize each week's patents.

ABOUT OUR DATA

The weekly patent catalog includes patents with government interest statements indicating federal funding; and patents where the assignee, the owner of the invention, is the federal government. This includes work on federal grants, work on federal contracts, innovation by Federal Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) funded by Federal Departments and University Affiliated Research Centers funded by DoD.

Not every inventor is a government contractor. There are many inventions conceived and patented by scientists and engineers working for the federal government or serving in the military.

THE NUMBERS MAY NOT MATCH THE NUMBER OF PATENTS WE ANALYZE EACH WEEK

The numbers in the tables presented on this page will not add up to the number of patents granted each week because patents are counted by each agency that funded the creation of the invention. Patents and funding have a many-to-many relationship. One patent may have more than one funding grant or contract associated with it. A grant or contract may lead to more than one patent. More than one agency may have funded the inventors or the contract. More than one university or business may have worked together on an invention. When we report the numbers here, we associate a patent with all of the entities and funding that are reflected on the patent and report them to you. This approach presents a more complete picture of what's going on in the federal innovation ecosphere. Put another way, the numbers in the tables presented on this page may not always add up to the number of patents each week because patents are counted by each agency that funded the creation of the invention.

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