by Dennis Crouch
The chart below shows the number of design patents granted each calendar year (orange) going back to 1993. The figures for 2018 are current through the end of August 2018. 2018 figures have also been extrapolated to the end of the calendar year — predicting an all-time-high of 31,000+ design patents issued in 2018. In the shadow-grey background the chart also shows the number of design patent applications filed each year as reported by the PTO (These applications are ordinarily kept secret unless the application results in a patent).
Take away: More design patents than ever, but I don’t know if we are progressing?
