Accenture Federal Services won a 5-year, $75 million contract with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to scale the use of artificial intelligence and modernize patent examination processes.
“The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a 200-year-old federal agency at the cutting-edge of technology and invention that serves a critical mission in protecting the rights of U.S. inventors and business owners,” said Rasha Nahas, a managing director in Accenture Federal Services and Department of Commerce client account lead.
USPTO receives and reviews hundreds of thousands of applications annually. Integrating AI technology in IT tools can enhance the quality and efficiency of patent examination, the company said.
“Accenture Federal Services’ collaborative approach with the USPTO over the past four years has successfully supported new ways of working and helped the agency develop and deploy new AI capabilities in patent examination that are purpose-built for mission success and to deliver business value,” Nahas said.
An important part of the examination process is performing a comprehensive prior art search. The exponential growth of prior art and increased pace of technological innovation has made it challenging for examiners to quickly and efficiently discover relevant prior art.
“Accenture Federal Services is successfully supporting the United States Patent and Trademark Office in driving innovation, and moving from ideas to real impact,” said Accenture Federal Services Chief AI Officer, Data & AI Lead Denise Zheng. “Our team is helping the agency strengthen the IP system, improve operations, and build a roadmap for future modernization by scaling, what was initially a pilot prototype, into an AI-based production environment with a suite of tools available to patent examiners and the public.”