Boston Patent Numbers Continue to Rise in First Quarter of 2012

ALBANY, NY (04/12/2012)(readMedia)-- Hoffman Warnick LLC (HW), an intellectual property law firm with offices in Boston, Albany and Rochester, has released the Boston Patent Index for First Quarter of 2012. The "Boston Patent Index" includes patent issuances to inventors and companies residing within the Boston Metro Area*.

Following the continuing trend in the Boston Metro Area, the total number of patent issuances increased year-on-year in the First Quarter of 2012, with a total number of 1,224. This represents an increase over the First Quarter of 2011 (1,156). The number of published patent applications (1,696) in the First Quarter also rose year-on-year from 2011, reaching just shy of 1,700. Published patent applications are an indicator of increased patent filings within the last two years, as patent applications are traditionally published 18 months after filing.

"The first 2012 Quarterly Index illustrates to us that patent filings in Boston have trended upward despite the state of the US economy in recent years. I believe we can take this as an indicator that the Boston region's innovation engine is still running smoothly," states Matthew B. Pinckney, a patent attorney in Hoffman Warnick's Boston Office. "Boston continues to believe in technology investment, which makes it an exciting place to practice patent law."

The "Patent of the Quarter" was awarded to Schlumberger Technology Corporation, a client of Hoffman Warnick, for US Patent Number 8,131,526, entitled, "System and Method for Evaluating Petroleum Reservoir Using Forward Modeling." Schlumberger's sole inventor on this patent is from Cambridge, MA.

Matthew Pinckney further stated: "The First Quarter 2012 data reinforces our belief that Boston-area companies and inventors believe in the US patent system and the returns on these technology investments. We are always happy to see patent numbers remain high, particularly during tough economic times."

To obtain a pdf of this quarter's Patent Index, please e-mail hwemail@hoffmanwarnick.com or visit www.hoffmanwarnick.com.

About Hoffman Warnick LLC: Hoffman Warnick LLC is an intellectual property law firm focusing on biotechnology, nanotechnology, computers and software, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and materials engineering. Hoffman Warnick is committed to providing the highest quality services including: domestic and international property rights procurement, dispute resolution, and licensing.

* - The Boston Metro Area is defined for the purposes of this index as those counties/zip codes located within the Interstate 95/Route 128 corridor. All individuals and companies having at least one inventor residing within this Area, or a registration address within this Area, were part of the Boston Patent Index.