Beyond what is patented and by whom, the dynamics of innovation -- its speed, breadth, and collaborative nature -- reveal deeper patterns. How long does it take for an invention to move from application to grant? Are technologies converging across traditional boundaries? Is innovation becoming more international?
Grant Lag by Technology Sector (5-Year Periods)
Average days from application filing to patent grant, by WIPO sector.
Technology-specific backlogs reflect both the complexity of patent examination in certain fields and the USPTO's resource allocation challenges.
The time from application to grant varies by technology sector and has fluctuated significantly over the decades. Patent office backlogs, examination complexity, and policy reforms all leave their mark on the grant lag curve.
Number of patents classified in a single section, two sections, or three or more CPC sections (excluding Y). Stacked from bottom: Single Section, Two Sections, Three+ Sections.
Rising cross-domain innovation suggests that technological boundaries are blurring, with breakthroughs increasingly occurring at the intersection of multiple fields.
The share of patents spanning multiple CPCCPCCooperative Patent Classification — a hierarchical system jointly managed by the USPTO and EPO that categorizes patents by technology area (e.g., H = Electricity, G = Physics). sections has grown over time, reflecting increasing technological convergence. Modern inventions increasingly draw on knowledge from multiple domains -- a hallmark of the digital age where software, electronics, and traditional engineering intersect.
Global Collaboration
International Collaboration in Patenting
Patents with inventors from two or more countries: annual count and percentage of all patents.
The growth of international co-invention reflects both the globalization of corporate R&D and the increasing mobility of scientific talent.
The growth of international collaboration in patenting reflects the globalization of corporate R&D. Multinational firms increasingly distribute their research activities across multiple countries, leveraging local talent pools and regulatory environments. The result is a growing web of cross-border co-invention that transcends traditional national innovation systems.
Corporate Technology Portfolios
The technology portfolios of major patent holders reveal how companies diversify their innovation across fields. IBM and Samsung maintain broadly diversified portfolios spanning physics, electricity, and chemistry, while companies like Intel concentrate heavily in semiconductor-related physics and electricity classes.
Velocity
Innovation Velocity: Year-over-Year Growth by Sector
Annual percentage change in patent grants by WIPO sector.
Faster citation accumulation in digital fields confirms the accelerating pace of knowledge creation and obsolescence in computing and electronics.
Year-over-year growth rates reveal the cyclical nature of patenting activity. All sectors tend to move together in response to macroeconomic conditions and patent policy changes, but electrical engineering has consistently shown stronger growth momentum since the 1990s.
Patent Examination Friction
Not all technologies move through the patent office at the same speed. The "friction map" reveals which technology areas systematically face longer examination times, measured as the median duration from filing to grant. These differences reflect both the complexity of examination and USPTO resource allocation across technology centers.
Median Examination Duration by Technology Area
Median time from application filing to patent grant, by CPC section and 5-year period.
Examination duration patterns reveal the institutional friction that shapes innovation timelines, with technology-specific backlogs reflecting USPTO resource allocation across its technology centers.
Design vs. Utility Patents
While utility patents protect functional inventions, design patentsdesign patentA patent granted for a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Protects appearance, not function. protect ornamental appearance. The balance between these two types reveals shifting innovation strategies -- from pure engineering to design-driven innovation.
Design vs. Utility Patent Trends
Annual counts of utility and design patents, with design patent share (right axis).
Design patents have grown significantly faster than utility patents since the 2000s, driven by consumer electronics, automotive design, and fashion. Apple, Samsung, and Nike are among the largest design patent filers.
Top Design Patent Filers
Organizations with the most design patents granted (all time).
Patent Claims Analysis
The number of claims in a patent defines the scope of legal protection. Trends in claim counts reveal how patent strategy has evolved -- from relatively concise early patents to the claim-heavy patents of the modern era.
Claim Count Trends Over Time
Median and 90th percentile claim counts for utility patents by grant year.
Both median and 90th percentile claim counts have increased substantially since the 1990s, reflecting more sophisticated patent drafting strategies and broader claim scopes in software and biotech.
Median Claims by Technology Area
Median claim count by CPC section and decade.Having explored the dynamics of innovation -- its speed, convergence, and collaborative nature -- the next chapter examines how we measure the quality and impact of individual patents. Understanding velocity and scope sets the stage for asking a deeper question: are more patents necessarily better patents?
Grant lag uses the difference between patent grant date and application filing date. Cross-domain analysis counts distinct CPC sections per patent (excluding section Y). International collaboration identifies patents with inventors in 2+ different countries. Examination duration is measured as the time from application filing date to patent grant date, aggregated by CPC section and 5-year period. Design patent analysis includes all patent types. Claims analysis uses the patent_num_claims field from g_patent for utility patents only.