Case study | Public Sector


A NEW DATA SYSTEM for EPO: Performing a critical upgrade of an ageing system to a cloud-based system, improving its data model, costs and performance, and managing synchronization of patents data between the EPO and US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)​. 

Mission:

The mission was to successfully undertake a critical upgrade for the European Patent Office (EPO) to transform its ageing CPCI data system into a cloud-based solution. The task involved managing data synchronisation between the EPO and the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) while ensuring data integrity and compliance with audit trails. The major focus was to create a secure and efficient system with improved data model and performance, enabling unified classification of patents and synchronised data flow.  

Key Achievements

  • Accomplished a major system upgrade for the EPO, facilitating the secure and synchronised management of EPO patents data in the cloud.
  • The project involved a managed data port to Oracle servers on AWS, allowing for auto-scaling, load-balancing, and application failover, which significantly improved system stability and reduced costs.
  • Data synchronisation between the EPO and USPTO was efficiently governed by rules, ensuring shared data while preserving EPO restricted data and maintaining a thorough audit trail.

The Challenge

  • The EPO faced the challenge of managing increasing volumes of complex data stored on its mainframe, particularly for classifying filed patents that involved hundreds and thousands of symbols and multiple documents.
  • Data synchronisation between the EPO and the USPTO for Cooperative Patent Classification required a secure and efficient system.
  • Upgrading the ageing CPCI data system to a cloud-based solution with data porting and synchronisation posed a critical challenge.

The Solution

The addressed solution helped to manage a controlled data port to Oracle servers on AWS cloud, ensuring data integrity during the transition. By removing invalid and duplicate data through Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) migration, they streamlined the system and improved data accuracy. We implemented rigorous testing for data sync and security to guarantee a seamless and secure process. They also employed JBoss Enterprise Java for back-end programming, providing a portable and efficient solution. 

The provided answer helped in migrating the EPO’s aging data system to a cloud-based infrastructure. They carefully ported data to Oracle servers on AWS, ensuring data integrity and removing invalid/duplicate entries. The implementation of managed data synchronisation with strict rules facilitated sharing only relevant data between the EPO and USPTO while preserving data security. Rigorous testing was conducted to ensure a seamless and secure data sync process. The backend was restructured and accelerated , offering a flexible and portable solution throughout the transition to maintain the desktop applications for patent classification via HTTP services. 

The Technologies

  • ETL migration from mainframe legacy database ​
  • Oracle server on AWS Cloud​
  • Back-end programming: JBoss Enterprise Java​
  • Desktop applications for creating and deleting allocations​

The Resources

  • 1 Project manager​
  • 13 Developers (including 2 in The Hague)​
  • 2 Testers

The Results

Our detailed planning led to the successful deployment of the upgraded EPO Classification system. The new cloud-based solution improved data management, performance, and synchronisation with the USPTO. With a simplified data model and seamless data flow, the EPO now benefits from enhanced efficiency and reduced costs. The project was completed on time and without any downtime, marking a significant milestone in the EPO’s data handling capabilities.

Infotel’s collaboration with the European Patent Office resulted in a robust cloud-based solution for handling big data and managing data synchronisation with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The successful upgrade ensures the EPO is equipped with a modern and efficient foundation for its big data services, solidifying its position as a leader in patent classification and data management.