U.S. Patent Number Identification

A wealth of information can be gleaned from patent numbers.

Patent numbers are unique numbers assigned by the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) to identify a particular patent for a new product or invention. By looking to the patent number, you can determine whether it is a utility, design, reissue or plant patent. By taking a broader view of patent numbers, you can also learn how technically active our country was at different times throughout history.

History

The current patent numbering system began in 1836. At that time, everything in the patent office, including all records, were destroyed by fire. Patent historians refer to this as the Great Fire. What we know today about patents before that time is largely from the memory of the single patent examiner employed at that time and a book that a draftsman had borrowed from the PTO. Commenting on that fateful year, Abraham Lincoln said "the patent system added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius."

The Patent Act of 1836 provided that the first patent number would be "1." Patents prior to this date would be indicated by an "X." When this system was enacted, the only type of patents were utility patents. Every utility patent since that date has been sequentially numbered.

Reissue and Design Numbers

Reissue patent numbers begin with the letters "RE." The first reissue patent was issued in 1838. A reissue patent may be assigned to correct an intentional defect.

Design patents were introduced in 1843. Design patents can be distinguished from other patents because they begin with the letter "D." The first design patent was numbered D000001, which was awarded to George Bruce for a new font.

Plant Patents

Plant patent numbers begin with the letters "PP." These were introduced in 1931 to protect new hybrids and other novel varieties. The first plant number, PPOOOO1, was granted to Henry Rosenberg for a trailing rose.

Other Patent Numbers

Numbers beginning with the letter "H" were introduced in 1985. The "H" indicates that the invention is an Statutory Invention Registration (SIR). SIRs are not true patents. By filing an SIR, the inventor can claim the invention as prior art. This has the effect of preventing anyone else from patenting the device.

Insights

Looking at patent numbers gives a general idea how inventive Americans have been in particular fields over time. For example, during the tech boom years between 1995 and 2005, 1,246,479 patents were issued. This is nearly 17 percent of all patents filed since the beginning of the numbering system. To date (as of early 2010), 7,472,428 utility, 584,026 design and 19,613 plant patents have been granted. Additionally, 40,613 patents have been reissued and 2,228 SIRs have been granted.

Important

It is important not to confuse patent numbers with application numbers. Application numbers are assigned when the application is first filed. This is very different from the patent number, which is assigned at issuance.

References

• USPTO: Issue Years and Patent Numbers
• USPTO: The Great Patent Fire
• History of the United States Patent Office