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An Innovation Destination
Connecticut patents soar almost by half in ‘97
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Business New Haven
4/6/1998
By: BNH
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The number of Connecticut residents receiving patents climbed sharply in 1997 as the economy of the state, and the nation, surged forward.
A total of 1,624 patents were awarded to Connecticut citizens by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office last year, up a remarkable 48.7 percent from 1,092 the previous year.
Nationwide, the patent office issued 69,294 patents in 1997, a 3.8 percent hike from 1996's total of 66,716.
California led the pack again last year with a total of 12,676 patents, up from 11,923 in 1996.
Among New England states, Massachusetts led the way with 2,799 patents in 1997, up 8.4 percent from the 2,580 awarded the year before. Connecticut was second, followed by New Hampshire (468 patents, down from 473 in 1996), Rhode Island (289, up from 286) and Maine (122, up from 108).
Government records indicate that more than two-thirds of all patents are awarded to research labs and larger corporations. Also, according to the patent office, less that five percent of patents received by small inventors culminate in a commercial product.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign residents who are receiving U.S. patents is rapidly growing. South Koreans received 1,828 patents last year, compared with 789 just four years ago. Also Taiwan residents were granted almost 2,500 patents in 1997, up from some 1,400 four years ago.
During the 1996-97 patent year, more than 81 percent of all patent applications were for products related to the Internet.
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