Patent Mapping Charts. As of date, there are 2129 patents from South African companies active in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This set of patent maps has selected key variables from these patents and provides insight into the patenting trends, from South African companies, in the United States. South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 20 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade.