Five firms in Atlanta were among the top 20 firms securing patents for their clients, according to a new study from IP software and analytics firm Anaqua.

The study was based on a statistical analysis of patent applications granted last year by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Notably, the total number of patents granted jumped 15% in 2019, after five years of minimal change in total patents granted, the report found. Last year the USPTO granted 392,616 patents—an increase of 51,514 patent grants from 2018.

Intellectual property boutiques made up more than half the firms among the top 20. The top patent grantee was IP firm Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, based in Virginia, with more than 6,000 patent grants from the USPTO. Two other top IP firms filing patents both have established Atlanta offices: Fish & Richardson at No. 4 and Cantor Colburn at No. 8.

Among general practice firms, Atlanta-based Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton ranked the highest on the list at No. 7 with close to 3,500 patents granted. Two other general practice firms, Dentons at No. 14 and Womble Bond Dickinson at No. 19, also have a sizable Atlanta presence.

To explain the spike in patent grants, Anaqua said it could be related to increased efficiency within the USPTO and firms becoming more effective in filing patents—perhaps because new IP portfolio management tools and analytics allow patent owners to better determine what patent applications best align with their organization's goals.

A few companies, led by IBM with over 9,000 patents granted, continued to dominate the list of grantees. Last year, the top 25 patentees secured over 68,500 patents—about 17.5% of all patents that the USPTO granted.