[Federal Register: October 13, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 197)]
[Notices]
[Page 62761-62762]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13oc10-32]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will submit
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the
following proposal for collection of information under the provisions
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).
Agency: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Title: United States Patent Applicant Survey.
Form Number(s): None.
Agency Approval Number: 0651-0052.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Burden: 140 hours annually.
Number of Respondents: 400 responses per year, with an estimated
267 responses filed electronically.
Avg. Hours per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take the
public 30 minutes (0.50 hours) to complete the surveys, with the
exception of the surveys for the independent inventors, which are
estimated to take 15 minutes (0.25 hours) to complete. This includes
the time to gather the necessary information, respond to the surveys,
and submit them to the USPTO. The USPTO estimates that it will take the
same amount of time to respond to the surveys, whether they are
completed online or mailed to the USPTO.
Needs and Uses: The USPTO developed the United States Patent
Applicant Survey as part of a continuing effort to better predict the
future growth of patent application filings by understanding applicant
intentions. The main purpose of this survey is to determine the number
of application filings that the USPTO can expect to receive over the
next three years from patent-generating entities, ranging from
[[Page 62762]]
large domestic corporations to independent inventors. The USPTO also
uses this survey in response to the Senate Appropriations Report 106-
404 (September 8, 2000), which directed the USPTO to ``develop a
workload forecast with advice from a representative sample of industry
and the inventor community. There are two versions of the survey: one
for large domestic corporations and small and medium-sized businesses
and one for universities, non-profit research organizations, and
independent inventors. The large domestic corporations, small and
medium-sized businesses, universities, non-profit research
organizations, and independent inventors responding to these surveys
will provide the USPTO with the number of application filings that they
plan to submit, in addition to providing general feedback concerning
industry trends and the survey itself. The USPTO will use this feedback
to anticipate demand and estimate future revenue flow more reliably; to
identify input and output triggers and allocate resources to meet and
understand customer needs; and to reassess output and capacity goals
and realign organization quality control measures with applicant by
division.
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits and not-for-profit
institutions.
Frequency: On occasion.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
OMB Desk Officer: Nicholas A. Fraser, e-mail: Nicholas_A_
Fraser@omb.eop.gov.
Once submitted, the request will be publicly available in
electronic format through the Information Collection Review page at
http://www.reginfo.gov.
Paper copies can be obtained by:
E-mail: InformationCollection@uspto.gov. Include ``0651-
0052 copy request'' in the subject line of the message.
Fax: 571-273-0112, marked to the attention of Susan K.
Fawcett.
Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the
Chief Information Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office,
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be sent on or before November 12, 2010 to Nicholas A.
Fraser, OMB Desk Officer, via e-mail to Nicholas_A_Fraser@omb.eop.gov
or by fax to 202-395-5167, marked to the attention of Nicholas A.
Fraser.
Dated: October 6, 2010.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-25669 Filed 10-12-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P