[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]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Public User ID Badging
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 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]]
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Estimated Estimated
time for Estimated annual
Item response annual burden
(minutes) responses hours
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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...........................
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Total........................ ........... 13,138 1,260
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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 $8,390 in filing fees
in the form of online access card replacement fees, security
identification badge replacement fees, and training registration fees.
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Estimated Estimated
Item annual Fee amount annual fee
responses ($) costs ($)
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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...........................
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Total............................ 13,138 ........... 8,390.00
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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]
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