[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 148 (Monday, August 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41232-41233]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20584]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce (DOC) has submitted 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: Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
    Title: Patent Application Bibliographic Data Entry Format (Proposed 
Addition to the Initial Patent Application).
    Form Numbers: None.
    OMB Approval Number: 0651-0032.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 1,915,500 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 243,100.
    Avg. Hours Per Response: The PTO estimates that it will take an 
average of 7.88 hours to complete a patent application using the Patent 
Application Data Entry Format. This figure is an average based on the 
number of each type of application received by the PTO per year times 
the amount of time that it takes an applicant to complete each type of 
application. This total is then divided by the total number of 
applications submitted per year. The bibliographic takes approximately 
12 minutes to complete.
    Needs and Uses: The Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) plans to 
accept from applicants, on a voluntary basis, papers containing the 
bibliographic information for a patent application in a specific format 
termed a ``Patent Application Data Entry Format.'' This format groups 
the bibliographic information into different information sections 
composed of headings and labels. Providing the bibliographic 
information for a patent application to the PTO in the Patent 
Application Data Entry Format will enable the PTO to automate the data 
entry process for the application. The purpose of the program is three 
fold. First, the system will improve the quality of Filing Receipt 
information mailed by the PTO to applicants. Second, the program will 
provide the PTO with experience in establishing a simplified system 
that completely captures the bibliographic information for all patent 
applications. Third, the system will accurately and directly feed this 
bibliographic information into the Patent Application Locating and 
Monitoring (PALM) system, an automated electronic information 
management system.
    Although use of the Patent Application Data Entry Format is 
strictly voluntary, there are definite benefits for applicants if they 
do submit their bibliographic data in this format. The applicant is 
benefited because it takes less time to process a filing receipt when 
the bibliographic information is provided using the Patent Application 
Data Entry Format.
    It must also be noted that the Patent Application Data Entry Format 
is not a PTO form, but rather a specific format that the public can use 
to submit their bibliographic information. This format may be created 
either by typing the bibliographic information directly onto blank 
sheets of paper in the specified format (using a typewriter or word 
processor), or by using electronic templates in a word processor. Since 
using the Patent Application Data Entry Format is strictly voluntary, 
applicants will be encouraged, but not required, to provide 
bibliographic information in this format.
    When this program is implemented, the PTO will provide a copy of 
the Patent Application Data Entry Format Guide for Preparing 
Bibliographic Data for Electronic Capture to users who request one. 
This user guide will provide instructions for the format, guidelines 
for a variety of requirements, such as paper size, font, font sizes, 
etc., designed to minimize errors in the scanning and text conversion, 
and examples of various formats. The user guide, as well as electronic 
templates of the various formats for Microsoft Word and WordPerfect 
word processing programs, can be accessed by the public on the PTO's 
Internet Web site or by requesting (by mail or telephone) a copy from 
the PTO.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, businesses or other 
for-profit, not-for-profit institutions, farms, federal government, and 
state, local, or tribal governments.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: Maya A. Bernstein, (202) 395-3785.

[[Page 41233]]

    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Linda Engelmeier, DOC Forms Clearance Officer, 
(202) 482-3272, Department of Commerce, Room 5327, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication to Maya A. 
Bernstein, OMB Desk Officer, Room 10236, New Executive Office Building, 
725 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20503.

    Dated: July 28, 1998.
Linda Engelmeier,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of Management and 
Organization.
[FR Doc. 98-20584 Filed 7-31-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P