USPTO turns to AI agent Compass to speed up patent reviews

The US Patent and Trademark Office is using an agentic AI tool called Compass to automate formality checks on applications, aiming to cut review times from as long as five years to one. With a backlog of 700,000 applications and about 9,000 examiners, the agency hopes to improve consistency and free staff for direct talks with applicants.

• Compass runs formality checks on applications, including DNA sequence validation
• USPTO faces a backlog of 700,000 applications with roughly 9,000 examiners
• Review times could drop from five years to one year
• The agency already uses a chatbot called Scout for analysis and drafting