Ingresar
New AI Pilot for pre-examination utility application search
By Ferraiuoli LLC
On October 8, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) unveiled a new pilot program called the Artificial Intelligence Search Automated Pilot (ASAP!), aimed at enhancing the pre-examination phase of utility patent application review. The initiative is intended to leverage internal AI tools to perform prior art searches earlier than in standard workflows, potentially aiding both examiners and applicants.
Under ASAP!, applicants may receive an AI-Assisted Search Results Notice (ASRN), which will present a “top ten” list of prior art issues that the system deems most relevant. This notice gives applicants an advance view of possible obstacles that could be raised during examination, enabling them to adjust or address their claims proactively. For example, applicants might submit a preliminary amendment, gather supporting evidence, request deferral, or even abandon the application in exchange for a refund of certain fees.
The USPTO will run its own AI-based searches internally, drawing on contextual data from the Cooperative Patent Classification system, as well as from the technical content of the application such as specification, claims, and abstract. Through the pilot, the agency aims to evaluate whether producing such AI-generated notices is scalable, how effectively they inform the examination process, and whether companion pilots should follow.
Participation in the ASAP! pilot will require applicants to submit a formal petition along with a fee. The USPTO emphasizes that the pilot is part of a broader push to modernize patent workflows and improve the timeliness, quality, and consistency of examination practices. The results of ASAP! will help the agency determine whether integrating AI tools in early stages can meaningfully reshape how patent applications are screened before substantive review.
Ferraiuoli LLC
Ferraiuoli LLC (FLLC) was founded in 2003 by the late Blas Ferraiuoli-Martínez, Eugenio Torres-Oyola and María Marchand-Sánchez. This group was then joined in 2004 by Fernando J. Rovira-Rullán, thus forming the founding core of FLLC. FLLC has grown exponentially since its founding from a law firm with three attorneys and a support staff of three to its current size of 54 attorneys with a support staff of 38. Also, FLLC has grown from initially being known as an intellectual property and corporate law boutique law firm to a multiservice law firm that handles most matters relevant to a business while continuing to earn praise for its leading intellectual property and corporate practices.
FLLC has been ranked as a leading law firm in Puerto Rico by the professional publication Chambers Latin America in intellectual property, corporate, bankruptcy, labor & employment, real estate, and tax law. Moreover, 17 FLLC partners have been ranked as leaders in their field by the same publication. 4 FLLC partners are ranked as leaders in Intellectual Property, no other firm has more than 2. This recognition in such a short period of time is a tribute to FLLC’s business model.
FLLC prides itself in doing its work faster and more cost-efficiently yet with the same quality as that of its main competitors. The founding name partners are available at all times to attend to client matters. Their work ethic sets the tone for the rest of the firm. FLLC’s founders’ goal has been steady from the outset: become one of the premier multiservice law firms in Puerto Rico.