FedInvent™ Patents

New Taxpayer Funded Patents for Tuesday, December 08, 2009 

This page was updated on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 01:29 AM GMT

FedInvent analyzed 102 taxpayer-funded patents this week.

On Tuesday, December 08, 2009, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted 102 taxpayer-funded patents; including 95 patents containing government interest statements and 20 patents where federal government agencies were an assignee or applicant. Together, 102 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 07627938
 
Tapered hollow metallic microneedle array assembly and method of making and using the same 
002 07627941
 
Fixture for aligning motor assembly 
003 07628007
 
Onboard diagnostics for anomalous cylinder behavior 
004 07628019
 
Fuel injector bearing plate assembly and swirler assembly 
005 07628239
 
Adaptable remote control driving system 
006 07628254
 
Passive magneto-rheological vibration isolation apparatus using a shielding sleeve 
007 07628352
 
MEMS control surface for projectile steering 
008 07628507
 
Radiance output and temperature controlled LED radiance source 
009 07628509
 
Variable color LED optical source 
010 07628579
 
Gear train variable vane synchronizing mechanism for inner diameter vane shroud 
011 07628766
 
Lower extremity enhancer 
012 07628836
 
Rotary drum separator system 
013 07628839
 
Method and system for producing metallic iron nuggets 
014 07628878
 
Ceramic material suitable for repair of a space vehicle component in a microgravity and vacuum environment, method of making same, and method of repairing a space vehicle component 
015 07628935
 
Controlled actuated membranes and methods of making same 
016 07628942
 
Resin infiltration transfer technique 
017 07628944
 
Spinning, doping, dedoping and redoping polyaniline fiber 
018 07628951
 
Process for making ceramic insulation 
019 07628959
 
Hydrogen gas sensor 
020 07628969
 
Multifunctional abatement of air pollutants in flue gas 
021 07628972
 
Nanostructure devices and fabrication method 
022 07628973
 
Simultaneous production of high density carbon foam sections 
023 07628975
 
Compositions and methods for detecting and quantifying COX-2 activity and 2-arachidonylgycerol metabolites 
024 07628977
 
Particles for inhalation having sustained release properties 
025 07628979
 
Use of calco oil blue V in bait formulations for marking and controlling subterranean termites 
026 07628985
 
Therapeutic enzyme formulations and uses thereof in celiac sprue and/or dermatitis herpetoformis 
027 07628993
 
Compositions and methods for vaccinating against HSV-2 
028 07629004
 
Composition and process for removing and preventing mildew and fungal growth 
029 07629028
 
Methods of making monolayers 
030 07629080
 
Electrode materials for electrochemical cells 
031 07629116
 
Type I interferon-inducible proteins to detect viral infection 
032 07629120
 
Method for assembling PCR fragments of DNA 
033 07629121
 
Notch1 variants associated with cardiovascular disease 
034 07629122
 
Methods and compositions for the diagnosis of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome 
035 07629123
 
Compositions and methods for diagnosing autism 
036 07629128
 
Methods of identifying respondents to hypoxia inducible factor 1-α inhibitors 
037 07629129
 
Hair follicle bulb as a biodosimeter 
038 07629133
 
Controlled transport through multiple reversible interaction point membranes 
039 07629134
 
Sour taste receptor compositions and methods 
040 07629135
 
Toll-like receptor agonists and antagonists and methods of use thereof 
041 07629137
 
Methods and apparatus for detecting bacteria using an acoustic device 
042 07629146
 
Truncated 24kDa basic fibroblast growth factor 
043 07629156
 
Ethanol production in fermentation of mixed sugars containing xylose 
044 07629162
 
Materials and methods for efficient lactic acid production 
045 07629163
 
Methods for producing modified glycoproteins 
046 07629179
 
Surfaces coated with target-induced fluorescent compounds for detection of target elements 
047 07629181
 
Molecular tag reader 
048 07629236
 
Method for passivating crystal silicon surfaces 
049 07629240
 
Controlling dopant diffusion in a semiconductor region 
050 07629258
 
Method for one-to-one polishing of silicon nitride and silicon oxide 
051 07629285
 
Carbon-based composite electrocatalysts for low temperature fuel cells 
052 07629291
 
Surface-stabilized gold nanocatalysts 
053 07629292
 
Composite media for ion processing 
054 07629308
 
Methods relating to muscle selective calcineurin interacting protein (MCIP) 
055 07629310
 
RhoB as a suppressor of cancer cell growth, cell transformation, and metastasis 
056 07629314
 
Methods for making proteins containing free cysteine residues 
057 07629315
 
Compositions for blocking the inhibitory effect of human CRP on human leptin 
058 07629317
 
Control of growth and repair of gastro-intestinal tissues by gastrokines and inhibitors 
059 07629323
 
Manipulation of neuronal ion channels 
060 07629330
 
Use of zwitterionic polysaccharides for the specific modulation of immune processes 
061 07629387
 
Compounds for pest control and methods for their use 
062 07629388
 
Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable cationic poly(propylene fumarate-co-ethylene glycol) copolymer hydrogels modified with agmatine for enhanced cell adhesion 
063 07629437
 
Fluorogenic materials and uses thereof 
064 07629448
 
Compositions for detection and analysis of polynucleotides using light harvesting multichromophores 
065 07629500
 
Activated vapor treatment for neutralizing warfare agents 
066 07629538
 
Stripline flex circuit 
067 07629588
 
Activation detector 
068 07629640
 
Two bit/four bit SONOS flash memory cell 
069 07629661
 
Semiconductor devices with photoresponsive components and metal silicide light blocking structures 
070 07629664
 
Lateral-moving micromachined thermal bimorph and method for fabricating same 
071 07629691
 
Conductor geometry for electronic circuits fabricated on flexible substrates 
072 07629699
 
System and method for controlling a power generating system 
073 07629736
 
Method and device for preventing junction leakage in field emission devices 
074 07629763
 
Actuator assembly including a single axis of rotation locking member 
075 07629764
 
Nonlinear motor control techniques 
076 07629797
 
Resonance-induced sensitivity enhancement method for conductivity sensors 
077 07629813
 
Dynamic refreshed receiver for proximity communication 
078 07629832
 
Current source circuit and design methodology 
079 07629850
 
Variable-gain image-reject low-noise amplifier 
080 07629881
 
Sensor-based adaptive wearable devices and methods 
081 07629920
 
Entropy method for range alignment for integration of target returns 
082 07629921
 
Resonance confocal imaging of resonance control points 
083 07629938
 
Open Yaggi antenna array 
084 07629986
 
Motion-based visualization 
085 07630067
 
Interferometric analysis method for the manufacture of nano-scale devices 
086 07630073
 
Methods and systems for simultaneous real-time monitoring of optical signals from multiple sources 
087 07630179
 
Protective link for superconducting coil 
088 07630395
 
Apparatus and method for providing a data interface to a plurality of radio transceivers 
089 07630417
 
Crystal whispering gallery mode optical resonators 
090 07630428
 
Fast digital carrier frequency error estimation algorithm using synchronization sequence 
091 07630469
 
Method for on-line evaluation of materials using prompt gamma ray analysis 
092 07630604
 
Dipole induced transparency drop-filter cavity-waveguide system 
093 07630699
 
Systems and methods of scale model correction to account for antenna coupling loss 
094 07630736
 
Method and system for spatial data input, manipulation and distribution via an adaptive wireless transceiver 
095 07630750
 
Computer aided treatment planning 
096 07630798
 
Heading reference command and control algorithm systems and methods for aircraft turn-to-target maneuvers 
097 07630820
 
Feedback control system and method that selectively utilizes observer estimates 
098 07630835
 
Terahertz sensor to measure humidity and water vapor 
099 07630852
 
Method of evaluating integrated circuit system performance using orthogonal polynomials 
100 07630869
 
Method for predicting vibrational characteristics of rotating structures 
101 07630950
 
System and method for learning models from scarce and skewed training data 
102 07631028
 
Statistical control of adaptive ocular filter stability 

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) 37 1462
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 27 1206
Department of Energy (DOE) 13 616
National Science Foundation (NSF) 13 437
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 7 197
Department of Agriculture (USDA) 3 85
Small Business Administration (SBA) 3 50
Department of Commerce (DOC) 2 100
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2 20
National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) 1 26
National Security Agency (NSA) 1 40
U.S. State Government 1 25
Government Rights Acknowledged 7 117

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 07628944
 
Spinning, doping, dedoping and redoping polyaniline fiber 
002 07629813
 
Dynamic refreshed receiver for proximity communication 
003 07630950
 
System and method for learning models from scarce and skewed training data 

Department of the ARMY (DOA)

Patent Title
001 07628766
 
Lower extremity enhancer 
002 07628973
 
Simultaneous production of high density carbon foam sections 
003 07629080
 
Electrode materials for electrochemical cells 
004 07629129
 
Hair follicle bulb as a biodosimeter 
005 07629137
 
Methods and apparatus for detecting bacteria using an acoustic device 
006 07629500
 
Activated vapor treatment for neutralizing warfare agents 
007 07629736
 
Method and device for preventing junction leakage in field emission devices 
008 07629764
 
Nonlinear motor control techniques 
009 07630428
 
Fast digital carrier frequency error estimation algorithm using synchronization sequence 
010 07630604
 
Dipole induced transparency drop-filter cavity-waveguide system 
011 07630798
 
Heading reference command and control algorithm systems and methods for aircraft turn-to-target maneuvers 
012 07631028
 
Statistical control of adaptive ocular filter stability 

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

Patent Title
001 07628019
 
Fuel injector bearing plate assembly and swirler assembly 
002 07628239
 
Adaptable remote control driving system 
003 07628509
 
Variable color LED optical source 
004 07628579
 
Gear train variable vane synchronizing mechanism for inner diameter vane shroud 
005 07628935
 
Controlled actuated membranes and methods of making same 
006 07629004
 
Composition and process for removing and preventing mildew and fungal growth 
007 07629850
 
Variable-gain image-reject low-noise amplifier 
008 07629920
 
Entropy method for range alignment for integration of target returns 
009 07629921
 
Resonance confocal imaging of resonance control points 
010 07629938
 
Open Yaggi antenna array 
011 07630067
 
Interferometric analysis method for the manufacture of nano-scale devices 
012 07630699
 
Systems and methods of scale model correction to account for antenna coupling loss 

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

Patent Title
001 07627938
 
Tapered hollow metallic microneedle array assembly and method of making and using the same 
002 07627941
 
Fixture for aligning motor assembly 
003 07628254
 
Passive magneto-rheological vibration isolation apparatus using a shielding sleeve 
004 07630395
 
Apparatus and method for providing a data interface to a plurality of radio transceivers 
005 07630820
 
Feedback control system and method that selectively utilizes observer estimates 

Up to Start Of Table

Take Me To The Details
Patent Title
001 07628975
 
Compositions and methods for detecting and quantifying COX-2 activity and 2-arachidonylgycerol metabolites 
002 07628977
 
Particles for inhalation having sustained release properties 
003 07628985
 
Therapeutic enzyme formulations and uses thereof in celiac sprue and/or dermatitis herpetoformis 
004 07628993
 
Compositions and methods for vaccinating against HSV-2 
005 07629116
 
Type I interferon-inducible proteins to detect viral infection 
006 07629121
 
Notch1 variants associated with cardiovascular disease 
007 07629122
 
Methods and compositions for the diagnosis of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome 
008 07629123
 
Compositions and methods for diagnosing autism 
009 07629128
 
Methods of identifying respondents to hypoxia inducible factor 1-α inhibitors 
010 07629134
 
Sour taste receptor compositions and methods 
011 07629135
 
Toll-like receptor agonists and antagonists and methods of use thereof 
012 07629137
 
Methods and apparatus for detecting bacteria using an acoustic device 
013 07629146
 
Truncated 24kDa basic fibroblast growth factor 
014 07629163
 
Methods for producing modified glycoproteins 
015 07629308
 
Methods relating to muscle selective calcineurin interacting protein (MCIP) 
016 07629310
 
RhoB as a suppressor of cancer cell growth, cell transformation, and metastasis 
017 07629314
 
Methods for making proteins containing free cysteine residues 
018 07629315
 
Compositions for blocking the inhibitory effect of human CRP on human leptin 
019 07629317
 
Control of growth and repair of gastro-intestinal tissues by gastrokines and inhibitors 
020 07629323
 
Manipulation of neuronal ion channels 
021 07629330
 
Use of zwitterionic polysaccharides for the specific modulation of immune processes 
022 07629387
 
Compounds for pest control and methods for their use 
023 07629388
 
Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable cationic poly(propylene fumarate-co-ethylene glycol) copolymer hydrogels modified with agmatine for enhanced cell adhesion 
024 07629437
 
Fluorogenic materials and uses thereof 
025 07629881
 
Sensor-based adaptive wearable devices and methods 
026 07630073
 
Methods and systems for simultaneous real-time monitoring of optical signals from multiple sources 
027 07630750
 
Computer aided treatment planning 

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)271206
National Institutes of Health (NIH)261099
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)351
National Cancer Institute (NCI)3169
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)215
National Library of Medicine (NLM)14
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)17
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)135
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)18
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)111
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)143
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)111

Up to Start Of Table

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 34
2800 Semiconductors, Electrical and Optical Systems and Components 25
1700 Chemical and Materials Engineering 18
3600 Transportation, Electronic Commerce, Construction, Agriculture, Licensing and Review 9
3700 Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Gaming and Medical Devices/Processes 7
2600 Communications 5
2100 Computer Architecture Software and Information Security 3
2400 Computer Networks, Multiplex, Cable and Cryptography/Security 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 15 0
USPC 514 Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions 9 0
USPC 424 Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions 6 0
USPC 257 Active solid-state devices 4 0
USPC 264 Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: Processes 3 0
USPC 423 Chemistry of inorganic compounds 3 0
USPC 438 Semiconductor device manufacturing: Process 3 0
USPC 502 Catalyst, solid sorbent, or support therefor: Product or process of making 3 0
USPC 029 Metal working 2 0
USPC 060 Power plants 2 0
USPC 318 Electricity: Motive power systems 2 0
USPC 342 Communications: Directive radio wave systems and devices 2 0
USPC 356 Optics: Measuring and testing 2 0
USPC 362 Illumination 2 0
USPC 436 Chemistry: Analytical and immunological testing 2 0
USPC 455 Telecommunications 2 0
USPC 701 Data processing: Vehicles, navigation, and relative location 2 0
USPC 702 Data processing: Measuring, calibrating, or testing 2 0
USPC 055 Gas separation 1 0
USPC 075 Specialized metallurgical processes, compositions for use therein, consolidated metal powder compositions, and loose metal particulate mixtures 1 0
USPC 156 Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture 1 0
USPC 174 Electricity: Conductors and insulators 1 0
USPC 180 Motor vehicles 1 0
USPC 188 Brakes 1 0
USPC 244 Aeronautics and astronautics 1 0
USPC 250 Radiant energy 1 0
USPC 252 Compositions 1 0
USPC 290 Prime-mover dynamo plants 1 0
USPC 313 Electric lamp and discharge devices 1 0
USPC 324 Electricity: Measuring and testing 1 0
USPC 326 Electronic digital logic circuitry 1 0
USPC 327 Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices, circuits, and systems 1 0
USPC 330 Amplifiers 1 0
USPC 340 Communications: Electrical 1 0
USPC 343 Communications: Radio wave antennas 1 0
USPC 345 Computer graphics processing and selective visual display systems 1 0
USPC 361 Electricity: Electrical systems and devices 1 0
USPC 370 Multiplex communications 1 0
USPC 372 Coherent light generators 1 0
USPC 375 Pulse or digital communications 1 0
USPC 376 Induced nuclear reactions: Processes, systems, and elements 1 0
USPC 385 Optical waveguides 1 0
USPC 415 Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps 1 0
USPC 422 Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting, deodorizing, preserving, or sterilizing 1 0
USPC 427 Coating processes 1 0
USPC 429 Chemistry: Electrical current producing apparatus, product, and process 1 0
USPC 530 Chemistry: Natural resins or derivatives; peptides or proteins; lignins or reaction products thereof 1 0
USPC 536 Organic compounds 1 0
USPC 588 Hazardous or toxic waste destruction or containment 1 0
USPC 600 Surgery 1 0
USPC 602 Surgery: Splint, brace, or bandage 1 0
USPC 703 Data processing: Structural design, modeling, simulation, and emulation 1 0
USPC 706 Data processing: Artificial intelligence 1 0
USPC 708 Electrical computers: Arithmetic processing and calculating 1 0

Up to Start Of Table

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 102 313
Belgium 0 1
Czech Republic 0 1
France 0 1
India 0 1
Japan 0 1
U.S. State First Named Inventors All Inventors
California 14 50
Massachusetts 7 21
Texas 7 18
New York 6 20
Illinois 6 14
Pennsylvania 6 10
Maryland 5 24
Minnesota 5 16
Arizona 5 14
Washington 4 15
Florida 4 9
Idaho 4 8
Virginia 4 7
New Mexico 3 15
Connecticut 3 8
New Jersey 3 7
Tennessee 3 5
Colorado 2 10
North Dakota 2 7
South Carolina 1 5
Ohio 1 4
Indiana 1 3
North Carolina 1 3
Alabama 1 2
Mississippi 1 2
New Hampshire 1 2
Utah 1 2
District of Columbia 1 1
Michigan 0 4
Delaware 0 3
Georgia 0 1
Montana 0 1
Oregon 0 1
Wisconsin 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 1070
U.S. State Assignees Applicants
California 170
District of Columbia 160
New Jersey 80
Illinois 70
Massachusetts 60
New York 60
Texas 60
Idaho 40
Colorado 30
Connecticut 30
Florida 30
Maryland 30
Pennsylvania 30
Tennessee 30
Washington 30
Arizona 20
Delaware 20
New Mexico 20
North Dakota 20
Alabama 10
New Hampshire 10
North Carolina 10
Ohio 10
Oregon 10
South Carolina 10
Virginia 10
West 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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