[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 59 (Wednesday, March 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14699-14700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7319]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Electronic Application for Patent Examiners--Job Application 
Rating System (JARS)

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, 
invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this 
opportunity to comment on the continuing and proposed information 
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public 
Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 28, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Susan K. Brown, Records 
Officer, Office of Data Management, Data Administration Division, 
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Washington, DC 
20231; by telephone at 703-308-7400; by facsimile at 703-308-7407; or 
by e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to the attention of Vivian Clark, Policy, Analysis & 
Automation Division, Office of Human Resources, United States Patent 
and Trademark Office (USPTO), Washington, DC 20231; by telephone at 
703-305-8227; or by e-mail to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Job Application Rating System (JARS) is a system by which the 
USPTO can rapidly review applications for employment of entry-level 
patent examiners. The Office of Human Resources (OHR), armed with a 
recommendation from a Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) can, in turn, 
rapidly make an offer of employment and support hiring actions with 
necessary administrative action. Over the past three fiscal years, JARS 
has enabled the Patent Corps to hire more than 1,600 entry-level patent 
examiners.

[[Page 14700]]

    Since the inception of JARS, upgrades have increased the 
flexibility of the system and the speed and ease with which the Office 
of Human Resources can support hiring recommendations. Specifically, 
JARS now allows applicants to update personal information without 
submitting a new application. Additional form letters and reports are 
now available, date tracking of previous employment is significantly 
improved; and status tracking improvements enable users to tell who has 
previously updated the record and when. Future JARS upgrades will be 
conducted to further enhance the system.
    In the current employment environment, information technology 
professionals and engineering graduates are in great demand. The USPTO 
is in direct competition with private industry for the same caliber of 
candidates with the requisite knowledge and skills to perform patent 
examination work. Consequently, it is imperative that every available 
technology be employed if the USPTO is to remain competitive, meet the 
hiring goal, and fulfill the agency's congressional commitment to 
reduce the pendency rate for the examination of patent applications. 
The information supplied to the USPTO by an applicant seeking a patent 
examiner position with the USPTO assists the Human Resources 
Specialists and hiring managers in determining whether an applicant 
possesses the basic qualification requirements for the patent examiner 
position.
    JARS provides the USPTO a user-friendly online employment 
application process for applicants and enables the USPTO to process 
hiring actions in an efficient and timely manner. The online 
application provides an electronic real-time candidate inventory that 
allows the USPTO to review applications from potential applicants 
almost instantaneously. Given the immediate hiring need of the Patent 
Examining Corps, time consumed in the mail distribution system or paper 
review of applications delays the decision-making process by several 
weeks. The JARS system results in increased speed and accuracy in the 
employment process, in addition to streamlining labor and reducing 
costs.
    The use of the JARS online application fully complies with 5 U.S.C. 
2301, which requires adequate public notice to assure open competition 
by guaranteeing that necessary employment information will be 
accessible and available to the public on inquire. The JARS online 
application is fully compliant with section 508 (29 U.S.C. 794d), which 
requires agencies to provide disabled employees and members of the 
public access to information that is comparable to the access available 
to others.
    Since the JARS online application is used as an alternative form of 
employment application, the collection and use of the information 
requires OMB approval as outlined in Section 5.1 of the Delegated 
Examining Operations Handbook. The Handbook provides guidance to 
agencies under a delegated examining authority by OPM, under the 
provisions of Title 5, U.S. Code, Chapter 11, Section 1104.

II. Method of Collection

    The application information is collected electronically from the 
applicant. The application form may be completed online and then 
transmitted to the USPTO electronically, via the Internet. For those 
applicants who do not have access to a personal computer, applications 
are available in the Personnel Office at the USPTO, or the applicant 
can go to the local library to complete an application.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0651-0042.
    Form Number(s): PTO-2041.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; farms; the Federal 
Government; and state, local or tribal governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 5,000 responses per year.
    Estimated Time Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
the public approximately 30 minutes to complete the employment 
application, depending upon the situation. There is one form associated 
with this information collection, Form PTO-2041.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 2,500 hours per 
year.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $75,675. Using the 
median hourly rate for scientists and engineers of $30.27, according to 
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the USPTO estimates $75,675 per year 
for salary costs associated with respondents.

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                                                                     Estimated
                                                                     time for        Estimated       Estimated
                              Item                                   response         annual       annual burden
                                                                     (minutes)       responses         hours
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Electronic Employment Application...............................              30           5,000           2,500
    TOTAL.......................................................  ..............           5,000           2,500
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    Estimated Total Annual Nonhour Respondent Cost Burden: $0. (There 
are no capitol start-up or maintenance costs associated with this 
information collection.)

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) 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 or 
included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: March 22, 2002.
Susan K. Brown,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of Data Management, Data Administration 
Division.
[FR Doc. 02-7319 Filed 3-26-02; 8:45 am]
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