81_FR_56774 81 FR 56612 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; “Pro Bono Survey”

81 FR 56612 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; “Pro Bono Survey”

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 162 (August 22, 2016)

Page Range56612-56613
FR Document2016-19865

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 162 (Monday, August 22, 2016) 
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 162 (Monday, August 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56612-56613]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19865]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

United States Patent and Trademark Office


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; ``Pro Bono Survey''

    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).
    Title: Pro Bono Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0651--New.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Type of Request: Regular.
    Number of Respondents: 20 respondents providing quarterly 
responses, for a total of 80 responses per year.
    Average Hours per Response: 2 hours.
    Burden Hours: 160 hours.
    Cost Burden: $65,600.00
    Needs and Uses: The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), Public 
Law 112-29 Sec.  32 (2011) directs the USPTO to work with and support 
intellectual property law associations across the country in the 
establishment of pro bono programs designed to assist financially 
under-resourced independent inventors and small businesses. In support 
of this law, the USPTO, in collaboration with various non-profit 
organizations, has established a series of autonomous regional hubs 
that act as matchmakers to help connect low income inventors with 
volunteer patent attorneys across the United States.
    This information collection will ascertain the effectiveness of 
each individual regional hub with respect to their matchmaking efforts. 
The USPTO has worked with the Pro Bono Advisory Council (PBAC) to 
determine what information is necessary to ascertain the effectiveness 
of each regional pro bono hub's matchmaking operations. PBAC is a well-
established group of patent practitioners and patent pro bono regional 
hub administrators who have committed to provide support and guidance 
to patent pro bono programs across the country. The USPTO is 
responsible for the collection of this information, which is collected 
on a quarterly basis.
    Specifically, the information will allow PBAC and the USPTO to 
ascertain the origination state of applicants, where applicants are 
being referred from, and what portion of applicants are completing and 
returning financial screening applications. Additionally the 
information will help track the number of invention screenings, 
disqualified applicants, corporations/law firms agreeing to accept 
cases, backlog of unmatched applicants, hours donated by lawyer 
referral service panel attorneys, and provisional and non-provisional 
applications filed, all on a quarterly basis. The information will also 
allow PBAC and the USPTO to understand program financial information 
including project cost, and depth of donor support.
    The information, at its highest level, will allow PBAC and the 
USPTO to ascertain whether the regional hubs are matching qualified low 
income inventors with volunteer patent attorneys. It will also help 
establish the total economic benefit derived by low-income inventors in 
the form of donated

[[Page 56613]]

legal services. This information can then be used to promote the 
program to under-resourced inventors and patent practitioners.
    Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Maintain Benefits.
    OMB Desk Officer: Nicholas A. Fraser, email: 
[email protected].
    Once submitted, the request will be publicly available in 
electronic format through reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view 
Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
    Further information can be obtained by:
     Email: [email protected], 
[email protected], or [email protected]. Include ``Pro 
Bono Survey copy request'' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Marcie Lovett, Records Management Division Director, 
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 September 21, 2016 to Nicholas 
A. Fraser, OMB Desk Officer, via email to 
[email protected], or by fax to 202-395-5167, marked to 
the attention of Nicholas A. Fraser.

    Dated: August 16, 2016.
Marcie Lovett,
Records Management Division Director, USPTO, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-19865 Filed 8-19-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P

56612 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 162 / Monday, August 22, 2016 / Notices Estimated annual Filing fee Total non-hour cost burden IC No. Information collection instrument responses ($) (yr) (a) (b) (a) × (b) = (c) 9, 10 ............ Utility issue fee (Large entity) ................ 236,380 960.00 226,924,800.00 9, 10 ............ Utility issue fee (Small entity) ................ 57,830 480.00 27,758,400.00 9, 10 ............ Utility issue fee (Micro entity) ................ 5,625 240.00 1,350,000.00 9, 10 ............ Design issue fee (Large entity) .............. 15,230 560.00 8,528,800.00 9, 10 ............ Design issue fee (Small entity) .............. 11,150 280.00 3,122,000.00 9, 10 ............ Design issue fee (Micro entity) .............. 2,210 140.00 309,400.00 9, 10 ............ Plant issue fee (Large entity) ................. 610 760.00 463,600.00 9, 10 ............ Plant issue fee (Small entity) ................. 655 380.00 248,900.00 9, 10 ............ Plant issue fee (Micro entity) ................. 10 190.00 1,900.00 9, 10 ............ Reissue issue fee (Large entity) ............ 265 960.00 254,400.00 9, 10 ............ Reissue issue fee (Small entity) ............ 90 480.00 43,200.00 9, 10 ............ Reissue issue fee (Micro entity) ............ 5 240.00 1,200.00 Total ..... ................................................................ 356,625 ............................................ 274,394,575.00 Customers may incur postage costs e.g., permitting electronic submission of low income inventors with volunteer when submitting the information in this responses. patent attorneys across the United collection by the USPTO by mail. The States. Marcie Lovett, This information collection will USPTO estimates that the average first- Records Management Division Director, ascertain the effectiveness of each class postage cost for a mailed Office of the Chief Information Officer. submission will be 49 cents and that individual regional hub with respect to [FR Doc. 2016–19921 Filed 8–19–16; 8:45 am] their matchmaking efforts. The USPTO approximately 5% submissions will be mailed to the USPTO per year, for a BILLING CODE 3510–16–P has worked with the Pro Bono Advisory Council (PBAC) to determine what total estimated postage cost of $8,737.19 information is necessary to ascertain the per year. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE effectiveness of each regional pro bono The total annual (non-hour) hub’s matchmaking operations. PBAC is respondent cost burden for this United States Patent and Trademark a well-established group of patent collection is estimated to be Office practitioners and patent pro bono approximately $274,403,312.19 per Submission for OMB Review; regional hub administrators who have year. Comment Request; ‘‘Pro Bono Survey’’ committed to provide support and guidance to patent pro bono programs IV. Request for Comments across the country. The USPTO is The United States Patent and Comments submitted in response to Trademark Office (USPTO) will submit responsible for the collection of this this notice will be summarized and/or to the Office of Management and Budget information, which is collected on a included in the request for OMB (OMB) for clearance the following quarterly basis. proposal for collection of information Specifically, the information will approval. All comments will become a under the provisions of the Paperwork allow PBAC and the USPTO to ascertain matter of public record. the origination state of applicants, Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). The USPTO is soliciting public Title: Pro Bono Survey. where applicants are being referred comments to: OMB Control Number: 0651—New. from, and what portion of applicants are (a) Evaluate whether the proposed Form Number(s): N/A. completing and returning financial collection of information is necessary Type of Request: Regular. screening applications. Additionally the for the proper performance of the Number of Respondents: 20 information will help track the number functions of the agency, including respondents providing quarterly of invention screenings, disqualified whether the information will have responses, for a total of 80 responses per applicants, corporations/law firms practical utility; (b) Evaluate the year. agreeing to accept cases, backlog of Average Hours per Response: 2 hours. unmatched applicants, hours donated accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the Burden Hours: 160 hours. by lawyer referral service panel burden of the proposed collection of Cost Burden: $65,600.00 attorneys, and provisional and non- information, including the validity of Needs and Uses: The Leahy-Smith provisional applications filed, all on a the methodology and assumptions used; America Invents Act (AIA), Public Law quarterly basis. The information will (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and 112–29 § 32 (2011) directs the USPTO to also allow PBAC and the USPTO to clarity of the information to be work with and support intellectual understand program financial collected; and (d) Minimize the burden property law associations across the information including project cost, and of the collection of information on those country in the establishment of pro depth of donor support. asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES who are to respond, including through bono programs designed to assist The information, at its highest level, the use of appropriate automated, financially under-resourced will allow PBAC and the USPTO to electronic, mechanical, or other independent inventors and small ascertain whether the regional hubs are technological collection techniques or businesses. In support of this law, the matching qualified low income other forms of information technology, USPTO, in collaboration with various inventors with volunteer patent non-profit organizations, has established attorneys. It will also help establish the a series of autonomous regional hubs total economic benefit derived by low- that act as matchmakers to help connect income inventors in the form of donated VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:55 Aug 19, 2016 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\22AUN1.SGM 22AUN1

Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 162 / Monday, August 22, 2016 / Notices 56613 legal services. This information can then agencies to comment on the extension of period (six-month period for design be used to promote the program to a continuing information collection, as applications) for filing such a under-resourced inventors and patent required by the Paperwork Reduction subsequent application. The practitioners. Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13 (44 information in this collection relates to Affected Public: Not-for-profit U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). the petitions for restoration that may be institutions. DATES: Written comments must be filed in accordance with the revised Frequency: Quarterly. submitted on or before October 21, rules. Respondent’s Obligation: Required to 2016. The information in this collection can Obtain or Maintain Benefits. be submitted electronically through OMB Desk Officer: Nicholas A. Fraser, ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods: EFS-Web, the USPTO’s Web-based email: Nicholas_A._Fraser@ electronic filing system, as well as on omb.eop.gov. • Email: InformationCollection@ uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651–0073 paper. The USPTO is therefore Once submitted, the request will be comment’’ in the subject line of the accounting for both electronic and paper publicly available in electronic format message. submissions in this collection. through reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of • Federal Rulemaking Portal: http:// II. Method of Collection Commerce collections currently under www.regulations.gov. • Mail: Marcie Lovett, Records Electronically if applicants submit the review by OMB. Management Division Director, Office of information using EFS-Web. By mail or Further information can be obtained the Chief Information Officer, United hand delivery in paper form. by: • Email: InformationCollection@ States Patent and Trademark Office, III. Data uspto.gov, John.Kirkpatrick@uspto.gov, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313– or Gautam.Prakash@uspto.gov. Include 1450. OMB Number: 0651–0073. ‘‘Pro Bono Survey copy request’’ in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Form Number(s): No form numbers. subject line of the message. Requests for additional information Type of Review: Revision of a • Mail: Marcie Lovett, Records should be directed to Raul Tamayo, currently approved collection. Management Division Director, Office of Senior Legal Advisor, Office of Patent Affected Public: Individuals or the Chief Information Officer, United Legal Administration, United States households; businesses or other for- States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), profits; and not-for-profit institutions. P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313– P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313– Estimated Number of Respondents: 1450. 1450; by telephone at 571–272–7728; or 500 responses per year. The USPTO Written comments and by email at Raul.Tamayo.uspto.gov with estimates that 120 responses will be recommendations for the proposed ‘‘0651–0073 comment’’ in the subject received from small entities. information collection should be sent on line. Additional information about this Approximately 98% of the total or before September 21, 2016 to collection is also available at http:// responses for this collection will be Nicholas A. Fraser, OMB Desk Officer, www.reginfo.gov under ‘‘Information submitted electronically. via email to Nicholas_A._Fraser@ Collection Review.’’ Estimated Time per Response: The omb.eop.gov, or by fax to 202–395– SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USPTO estimates it will take 5167, marked to the attention of approximately 60 minutes (1 hour) to Nicholas A. Fraser. I. Abstract complete the information in this Dated: August 16, 2016. The Patent Law Treaties collection, including the time it takes Marcie Lovett, Implementation Act of 2012 (PLTIA) for reading the instructions for the Records Management Division Director, amends the patent laws to implement forms, gathering the necessary USPTO, Office of the Chief Information the provisions of the Patent Law Treaty information, completing the forms, and Officer. (PLT) in title II. The PLT harmonizes submitting them to the USPTO. The [FR Doc. 2016–19865 Filed 8–19–16; 8:45 am] and streamlines formal procedures time per response, estimated annual BILLING CODE 3510–16–P pertaining to the filing and processing of responses, and estimated annual hour patent applications. burden associated with each instrument By a final rule titled ‘‘Changes to in this collection are shown in the table DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Implement the Patent Law Treaty’’ (RIN below. 0651–AC85) and published in the Estimated Total Annual Respondent Patent and Trademark Office Federal Register on October 21, 2013, Burden Hours: 500 hours. the USPTO revised the rules of practice Estimated Total Annual Respondent Patent Law Treaty for consistency with the changes in the (Hourly) Cost Burden: $205,000.00. The ACTION: Notice and request for comment. PLT and title II of the PLTIA. One USPTO expects that attorneys in private notable change pertains to the firms will complete these applications. SUMMARY: The United States Patent and restoration of the right of priority to a The professional hourly rate for Trademark Office (USPTO), as part of its foreign application or the benefit of a attorneys is $410. Using this hourly rate, continuing effort to reduce paperwork provisional application in a subsequent the USPTO estimates that the total and respondent burden, invites the application filed within two months of respondent cost burden for this asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES general public and other Federal the expiration of the twelve-month collection is [AMOUNT] per year. Responses Burden Rate Total cost IC No. Item Hours (yr) (hrs/yr) ($/hr) burden (a) (b) (c) (a × b) (d) (e) (c × d) 1 .................. Petition to Restore the Right of Priority 1 250 250 $410.00 $102,500.00 under 37 CFR 1.55(b)(2). VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:10 Aug 19, 2016 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\22AUN1.SGM 22AUN1


Document Created: 2018-02-09 11:38:05
Document Modified: 2018-02-09 11:38:05
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
FR Citation81 FR 56612 
2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR