USPTO partners with Clarivate for AI-driven image search tool

Patent services company lands contract with IP office for AI-driven image searching | Aims to improve efficiency of patent application examinations | Contract worth $12.6m.

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has entered into a $12.6 million contract with Clarivate Analytics for an AI-driven image searching tool.

With the growing importance of image searching in design databases for patent applications, the USPTO required a tool that uses AI tech for image searching to support the examiner search for patent applications.

The AI Driven Image Search Tool, is designed to enhance the efficiency of examiners searching and analysing patent applications using images as queries.

François Neuville, senior vice president product management, IP at Clarivate, said: “We use our internally developed and patented AI models of image recognition, custom trained on Clarivate data, to retrieve relevant Design prior art from across over 69 global registers.”

This enables a quicker analysis compared to traditional methods, allowing Clarivate to search through over 80 million images within seconds, according to Neuville.

The platform offers AI recommendations to improve the search process, along with specialised workflow tools tailored for use in patent and trademark offices, and it is currently employed by offices worldwide, Neuville added.

Under the terms of the contract, Clarivate will provide the AI Driven Image Search Tool for an initial period of one year, with the option for two additional one-year periods, totalling up to three years.

The contract's estimated value, including option periods, is $12,618,322.20, with the award date being February 15, 2024.

The Software as a Service (SaaS) solution provided by Clarivate will complement existing tools and resources available to patent examiners, without replacing any current systems.

USPTO awards $70m contract to Accenture

On February 15, 2024, the USPTO was preparing to award $70 million to a contractor for maintaining and enhancing its AI-powered patent search.

The office announced its intention to grant the five-year contract to Accenture Federal Services (AFS), which was “the only known qualified source” for the job.

Under the contract, expected to be awarded on April 1, AFS will provide a “full system development effort” to maintain the operation of the USPTO’s patent search AI capabilities and provide new enhancements to the component.

AFS represents government agencies in the US and is based in Arlington, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Fortune Global 500 company Accenture, a private consulting firm headquartered in Dublin.

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