Tokyo, Japan – Araya, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Ryota Kanai), a company specializing in R&D and solutions in artificial intelligence (AI) and neurotechnology, is pleased to announce that its proposal, “Implementation of a Patent Novelty Search Service,” received the Special Award at the “Generative AI Contest for Business Growth” hosted by Amazon Web Services Japan G.K. (AWS Japan).

 

 

■Award-Winning Product: RAG-Based Patent Novelty Search Service

This service leverages Generative AI and semantic search technology to support novelty assessments in patent research. By adopting Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), the system can incorporate external information to provide accurate answers. Even when dealing with the latest patent data not included in the generative model, it enables the discovery of similar technologies expressed differently or across different fields, all from natural language queries.

 

This approach makes it possible to conduct highly efficient and accurate patent investigations that were previously difficult, significantly improving both speed and precision.

 

Challenges Addressed

• Patent searches that often rely on expert knowledge and manual classification
• Limitations of traditional keyword-based search, which can miss critical results
• Difficulty in identifying cross-disciplinary similar technologies

Value Provided

• Democratizing patent research by enabling advanced searches in natural language
• Significant time and cost reduction while improving accuracy
• Accelerating innovation through discovery of cross-domain technological links

 

 

■Future Outlook

The service aims to drastically reduce the cost and time required for patent research while dramatically enhancing accuracy. Moving forward, Araya plans to:

・Develop a scoring model to quantify “novelty” and “inventive step”

・Improve UI/UX for intuitive visualization of search results

・Expand applicability beyond patents, such as designs and chemical compounds

Moreover, the RAG-based system at its core is not limited to patent searches and can be customized for a wide range of industries. Araya also aims to offer it as a flexible, client-tailored package.

 

・Company Overview

Araya, Inc.
CEO: Ryota Kanai
Founded: December 2013
Headquarters: Sanpo Sakuma Building 6F, 1-11 Kanda-Sakumacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Website: https://www.araya.org/
Business Areas: Deep Learning, Edge AI, Autonomous AI, Neurotechnology, Contract Research