4. Innovation & Research in the EEC Number of patents granted by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) per million inhabitants , Structural Indicators database. EU25 20 20 80 110 140 170 200 230 260 290 320 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Japan United States EU15