Branson Brooks
Accenture Federal Services has received a contract from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, to modernize the agency’s examination services.
Under the $75 million contract, AFS aims to implement artificial intelligence capabilities throughout the USPTO to improve the patent reviewing process within the agency, the Arlington, Virginia-based company announced Wednesday.
Rasha Nahas, a managing director in AFS and Department of Commerce client account lead, 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.”
The USPTO receives hundreds of thousands of applications annually, all requiring examination before a patent is authorized. Denise Zheng, AFS chief AI officer and data & AI lead, said the company is working to help the USPTO turn patents into manufactured products that have a “real impact.”
“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,” Zheng stated.
The USPTO AI contract has a duration of five years.
