Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Agency) as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, is announcing an opportunity for publ...
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice; request for comment.
SUMMARY:
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Agency) as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, is announcing an opportunity for public comment on a proposed extension of a collection of information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the
Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on an extension of an existing collection proposed by the Agency.
DATES:
Submit comments on or before: July 22, 2025.
ADDRESSES:
Submit comments identified by Information Collection 0651-0088, Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation), by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted electronically, including attachments to
https://www.regulations.gov,
will be posted to the docket unchanged.
Mail:
Justin Isaac, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
Instructions:
Please submit comments only and cite Information Collection 0651-0088, Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation), in all correspondence related to this collection. To confirm receipt of your comment(s), please check
regulations.gov,
approximately 2-3 business days after submission to verify posting (except allow 30 days for posting of comments submitted by mail).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information should be directed to Drew Hall, Government Information Specialist, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, via email to
Drew.Hall1@uspto.gov,
571-270-1715.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Purpose
Under the PRA, (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520) Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes Agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or
( printed page 22064)
provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, USPTO is publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.
Under the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act [1]
and the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act,[2]
along with OMB guidance, agencies are obligated to continually improve the services they provide the public and to collect qualitative and quantitative data from the public to do so.
The purpose of this request is to facilitate USPTO's ability to collect feedback from the public to continue to improve its services, thereby facilitating its compliance with statutory requirements and general principles of good governance.
USPTO will only submit collections if they meet the following criteria.
The collections are voluntary;
The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;
The collections are non-controversial;
Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future;
Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained;
Information gathered is intended to be used for general service improvement and program management purposes
The agency will follow the procedures specified in any relevant OMB guidance for the required reporting to OMB of data from surveys.
Outside of the reporting mentioned in the bullet immediately above, if the Agency intends to release journey maps, user personas, reports, or other data-related summaries stemming from this collection, the Agency must include appropriate caveats around those summaries, noting that conclusions should not be generalized beyond the sample, considering the sample size and response rates. The Agency must submit the data summary itself (e.g.,
the report) and the caveat language mentioned above to OMB before it releases them outside the Agency. OMB will engage in a passback process with the agency.
Method of Collection
The USPTO will collect this information by electronic means when possible, as well as by mail, fax, telephone, technical discussions, and in-person interviews. USPTO may also utilize observational techniques to collect this information.
Data
Form Number(s):
OMB Control No. 0651-0088.
Type of Review:
Renewal of an existing collection.
B. Annual Reporting Burden
Affected Public:
Collections will be targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future. Respondents may include individuals, businesses, and organizations that interact with a Federal Government agency or program, either directly or via a Federal contractor.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
1,101,500.
Estimated Time per Response:
Varied, dependent upon the data collection method used. The possible response time to complete a questionnaire or survey may be 3 minutes or up to 1.5 hours to participate in an interview.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:
100,800.
C. Public Comments
The USPTO invites comments on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.