[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 48 (Monday, March 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12682-12683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3503]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) 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: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
    Title: Rules for Patent Maintenance Fees.
    Form Number(s): PTO/SB/45/47/65/66.
    Agency Approval Number: 0651-0016.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 30,362 hours annually.
    Number of Respondents: 374,706 responses per year.
    Avg. Hours Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take the 
public approximately 20 seconds (0.006 hours) to eight hours to 
complete this information, depending on the form or petition. This 
includes time to gather the necessary information, prepare the form or 
petition, and submit the completed request.
    Needs and Uses: Under 35 U.S.C. 41 and 37 CFR 1.20(e)-(i) and 
1.362-1.378, the USPTO charges maintenance fees for keeping utility 
patents in force. Maintenance fee payments are due at 3\1/2\, 7\1/2\, 
and 11\1/2\ years after the date the patent was granted. If the payment 
of the appropriate maintenance fee is not received within a grace 
period of six months following each of the above intervals, the patent 
will expire and no longer be enforceable. The public uses this 
collection to submit patent maintenance fee payments, to file petitions 
regarding delayed or refused payments, and to designate an address to 
be used for fee-related correspondence. The USPTO uses this information 
to process and record maintenance fee payments, to consider related 
petitions, and to send fee correspondence to the correct address. This 
information collection includes forms for submitting a maintenance fee 
payment, filing a petition to accept an unavoidably or unintentionally 
delayed maintenance fee payment, and designating a separate address for 
fee correspondence with the USPTO. The USPTO does not provide an 
official form for petitions to review refusals to accept payments of 
maintenance fees prior to patent expiration or for petitions to review 
refusals to accept delayed payments of maintenance fees in expired 
patents.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, businesses or other 
for-profits, not-for-profit institutions, farms, the Federal 
Government, and state, local or tribal governments.
    Frequency: On occasion and three times at four-year intervals 
following the grant of the patent.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, (202) 395-3897.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``0651-0016 copy 
request'' in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: 571-273-0112, marked to the attention of Susan Brown.
     Mail: Susan K. Brown, Records Officer, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, Architecture, Engineering and Technical Services, 
Data Architecture and Services Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark 
Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

[[Page 12683]]

    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent on or before April 12, 2006, to David 
Rostker, OMB Desk Officer, Room 10202, New Executive Office Building, 
725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: March 3, 2006.
Susan K. Brown,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Architecture, Engineering and Technical Services, Data Architecture and 
Services Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-3503 Filed 3-10-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P