Accenture Federal Services has won a $75 million contract to scale the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and modernize how the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) performs patent examinations.

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Denise Zheng, Accenture Federal Services Chief AI Officer, Data & AI Lead (Photo: Business Wire)

The agency receives hundreds of thousands of applications annually which all need to be reviewed before a patent can be issued. Integrating AI technology in IT tools can enhance the quality and efficiency of patent examination.

“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. “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.”

A critically important part of the examination process is performing a comprehensive prior art search. The exponential growth of prior art, in addition to the breakneck pace of technological innovation in recent years, has made it increasingly challenging for agency 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.”

The length of the USPTO AI contract is five years.

About Accenture Federal Services

Accenture Federal Services is a leading US federal services company and subsidiary of Accenture LLP. We empower the federal government to solve challenges, achieve greater outcomes, and build a digital core that is agile, smart, and secure. Our 15,500 people are united in a shared purpose to advance our clients’ mission-critical priorities that make the nation stronger and safer, and life better for people. We draw out the best of Accenture’s global network in nearly every industry, bringing proven commercial innovation to solutions built with advanced R&D, emerging technologies, and human-centered design at speed and scale. Together, we help clients create lasting value for their workforce, customers, and partners and make a difference for the country and our communities. See how we make change that matters at accenturefederal.com.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth, and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 750,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise, and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners, and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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