[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77732-77734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-28247]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Public User ID Badging

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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

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 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 February 28, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:

[[Page 77733]]

     E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``0651-0041 
comment'' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Susan K. Brown, Records Officer, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, Office of Data Architecture and Services, Data 
Administration Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 
1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
regarding online access cards or user training should be directed to 
Terry Howard, Acting Manager, Public Search Facilities, U.S. Patent and 
Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by 
telephone at (571) 272-3258; or by electronic mail at 
[email protected].
    Requests for additional information regarding security 
identification badges should be directed to J.R. Garland, Director, 
Security Office, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at (703) 306-9000; or by 
electronic mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

I. Abstract

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is required 
by 35 U.S.C. 41(i)(1) to maintain a Public Search Facility to provide 
patent and trademark collections for the public to search and retrieve 
information. The Public Search Facilities are maintained for public use 
with paper and automated search files and trained staff to assist 
searchers.
    The public user identification cards included in this collection 
are being modified to allow for a separate security identification 
badge with photograph that will be issued by the USPTO Office of 
Security. Users of the public search facilities will continue to need a 
user identification card, now referred to as an online access card, in 
order to access the search systems in the Public Search Facilities. In 
addition to the security badges and online access cards, the USPTO is 
adding forms to this collection for public users who wish to register 
for training classes in using the electronic search systems.
    Under the authority provided in 41 CFR Part 102-81, the USPTO is 
upgrading the security procedures at its facilities. The USPTO issues 
public user identification badges to those in the public who wish to 
use the Public Search Facilities and other office areas of the USPTO 
under the current collection 0651-0041. The USPTO is currently in the 
process of moving to a new location in Alexandria, Virginia. At the new 
facility, the public will continue to receive user identification 
badges for Public Search Room use.
    The application procedures for identification badges are being 
updated. Users will now apply for a badge in person at the USPTO Office 
of Security by providing the necessary information and presenting a 
valid form of identification with photograph. As before, badges will 
include a color photograph of the user and must be worn at all times 
while at the USPTO facilities.
    In order to maintain and control the patent and trademark 
collections so that the information is available to the public, the 
USPTO will issue online access cards to customers who wish to use the 
Public Search Facilities. Online access cards are required for access 
to all Public Search Facilities and their online systems. Customers may 
apply for an online access card by completing the application at the 
Public Search Room reception desk and providing proper identification. 
User information is stored in an electronic database and can be updated 
as necessary. Replacements for lost cards can also be reissued upon 
verification of the identity of the requestor. The plastic online 
access cards include a bar-coded user number and an expiration date. 
Users may renew their cards by validating and updating the required 
information.
    The online access card system is designed to enable the USPTO to 
control access to the resources at the Patent Search Facilities and to 
track statistics for patent and trademark search services. The online 
access cards also allow the USPTO to identify and contact anyone 
misusing the search facilities. The USPTO counsels and sanctions users 
who mishandle its equipment or destroy, misfile, or remove documents 
from its collections.
    The USPTO offers public searchers training courses on the advanced 
online search systems available at the USPTO Public Search Facilities. 
Customers may register for a training course by submitting the 
enrollment form by mail, fax, or in person at the Public Search 
Facilities and paying the appropriate fee.

II. Method of Collection

    The applications for online access cards and security 
identification badges are completed on site and handed to a USPTO staff 
member for issuance. User training application forms may be mailed, 
faxed, or hand delivered to the USPTO.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0651-0041.
    Form Number(s): PTO-2030, PTO-2224.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; businesses or other 
for-profits; not-for-profit institutions; farms; the Federal 
Government; and state, local or tribal governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 13,138 responses per year.
    Estimated Time Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
the public approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to gather the necessary 
information, prepare the form, and submit the completed application for 
an online access card (PTO-2030), and approximately 10 minutes (0.17 
hours) to verify the information with the USPTO staff and be issued the 
card. Renewal or replacement of an online access card is estimated to 
take approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours).
    The USPTO also estimates that it will take the public approximately 
5 minutes (0.08 hours) to prepare and submit the application for a 
security identification badge (PTO-2224) or to obtain a replacement 
security identification badge, and 10 minutes (0.17 hours) to prepare 
and submit a user training application form.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 1,260 hours per 
year.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $187,740 per year. 
The USPTO estimates that of those users requesting online access cards, 
security identification badges, and training courses, approximately \1/
3\ of the users are attorneys and \2/3\ are paraprofessionals. Using 
\1/3\ of the professional rate of $286 per hour for associate attorneys 
in private firms and \2/3\ of the paraprofessional rate of $81 per 
hour, the estimated rate for respondents to this collection will be 
approximately $149 per hour.

[[Page 77734]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Estimated                 Estimated
                                     time for    Estimated      annual
               Item                  response      annual       burden
                                    (minutes)    responses      hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for Public User ID               5        4,817          385
 (Online Access Card) (PTO-2030).
Issue Online Access Card.........           10        2,259          384
Renew Online Access Card.........            5        2,558          205
Replace Online Access Card.......            5          140           11
User Training Application Forms..           10           64           11
Security Identification Badges               5        3,000          240
 for Public Users (PTO-2224).....
Replace Security Identification              5          300           24
 Badge...........................
                                  --------------
    Total........................  ...........       13,138        1,260
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $8,397. 
There are no capital start-up, maintenance, or recordkeeping costs 
associated with this information collection. However, this collection 
does have annual (non-hour) costs in the form of filing fees and 
postage costs.
    There are no application or renewal fees for online access cards or 
security identification badges. However, there is a $15 fee for issuing 
a replacement online access card or a replacement security 
identification badge. The USPTO estimates that it will reissue 
approximately 140 online access cards and 300 security badges annually 
that have been lost or need to be replaced, for a total of $6,600 per 
year in replacement fees.
    There are registration fees for the user training courses offered 
at the Public Search Facilities. The regular cost for a public course 
is $25 per class, and individual instruction may also be arranged for 
$120 per class. The USPTO estimates that it will receive 62 
registrations for public courses and 2 registrations for individual 
instruction per year, for a total of $1,790 in training registration 
fees. Therefore, this collection has a total of $8,390 in filing fees 
in the form of online access card replacement fees, security 
identification badge replacement fees, and training registration fees.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Estimated                 Estimated
               Item                   annual     Fee amount   annual fee
                                    responses       ($)       costs ($)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for Public User ID           4,817         0.00         0.00
 (Online Access Card) (PTO-2030).
Issue Online Access Card.........        2,259         0.00         0.00
Renew Online Access Card.........        2,558         0.00         0.00
Replace Online Access Card.......          140        15.00     2,100.00
User Training Application Forms             62        25.00     1,550.00
 (Public Course).................
User Training Application Forms              2       120.00       240.00
 (Individual Course).............
Security Identification Badges           3,000         0.00         0.00
 for Public Users (PTO-2224).....
Replace Security Identification            300        15.00     4,500.00
 Badge...........................
                                  --------------
Total............................       13,138  ...........     8,390.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Users may incur postage costs when submitting a user training 
application form to the USPTO by mail. The USPTO expects that 
approximately 20 of the estimated 64 training forms received per year 
will be submitted by mail. The USPTO estimates that the average first-
class postage cost for a mailed training form will be 37 cents, for a 
total postage cost of approximately $7 per year for this collection.
    The total non-hour respondent cost burden for this collection in 
the form of filing fees and postage costs is estimated to be $8,397 per 
year.

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, e.g., 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 also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: December 20, 2004.
Susan K. Brown,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Office 
of Data Architecture and Services, Data Administration Division.
[FR Doc. 04-28247 Filed 12-27-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P