China received more than one million applications for invention patents in 2015, setting a new record high in annual filings and retaining its No 1 world ranking for the fifth consecutive year, according to the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). Invention patent applications filed with SIPO increased nearly 20% to more than 1.1 million last year, Gong Yalin, Director of SIPO’s Planning and Development Department, said at a news conference. It was the first time annual filings surpassed the benchmark of one million. In the same year, SIPO granted about 359,000 invention patents, 263,000 of which were filed by domestic applicants, a 61.9% jump or 100,000 more than in 2014, with 60.2% from companies. The average processing period for invention patents was reduced to around 22 months and three months for another two types of patents – industrial designs and utility models. Jiangsu province ranked first in terms of invention patents granted last year, followed by Beijing and Guangdong. In total patent inventory, Guangdong topped the ranking, with Beijing taking second place and Jiangsu, third.