By Nelson Rosario ( March 15, 2018, 5:48 PM EDT) -- Blockchain technology received a tremendous amount of interest in 2017 that is carrying over into 2018. This interest is not merely hype about an emerging technology, or desire for quick profits by investing in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. Organizations have been investing considerable financial resources in the blockchain technology space. One indicator of this financial commitment to this emerging technology is the filing for patent protection on inventions in the space. Conducting a search in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for blockchain-related terms from Oct. 31, 2008, to March 8, 2018, produces a data set of 1,803 patent filings, which includes both issued patents and published patent applications, related to blockchain technology. The number of filings are expected to increase as organizations continue experimenting with blockchain technology. Similarly, the number of different individuals and organizations innovating in this space is also expected to increase year after year....