Inventors...

by Steve Reiss (stevenreiss@scienbizippc.com)
  
Taken as a class, inventors are extremely sensitive to criticism. A public recognition of the value of their invention is a portion of the reward they are eager for and expect,..

Curiosities of the US Patent Office, p. 139,

The Growth of Patent Information

by Steve Reiss (stevenreiss@scienbizippc.com)

The accepted international patent data base comprises 16 million
documents, averaging 16 pages per document, and has an annual growth
rate of approximately 500,000 documents.

    -- Patents, Innovation and Competition in Australia,
       Industrial Property Advisory Group,

       [Australian] Attorney General's Department, 1984.