[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 76 (Thursday, April 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20392-20394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-5929]


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PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE


Customer Panel Quality Survey

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

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comment on this new 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 June 19, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``0651-00xx 
Customer Panel Quality Survey'' 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.
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to the attention of Martin Rater, Management 
Analyst, Office of Patent Quality Assurance, U.S. Patent and Trademark 
Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone 571-272-
5966; by facsimile at 571-273-5966; or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    For over the past 10 years, the USPTO has used surveys to obtain 
customer feedback regarding the products, services, and related service 
standards of the USPTO. The USPTO used the data to measure how well the 
agency is meeting established customer service standards, to identify 
any disjoints between customer expectations and USPTO performance, and 
to develop improvement strategies. Typically, these surveys ask 
customers to express their satisfaction with the USPTO's products and 
services based upon their interactions with the agency as a whole over 
a 12 month period.
    To obtain further data concerning customer ratings of the USPTO's 
services, service standards, and performance, the USPTO has developed 
the proposed Customer Panel Quality Survey. This study will narrow the 
focus of customer satisfaction to examination quality and will use a 
longitudinal, rotating panel design to assess changes in customer 
perceptions and to identify key areas for examiner training and 
opportunities for improvement. All patent agents and attorneys who have 
been registered to practice before the USPTO for longer than one year 
and who belong to a company or firm that has filed six or more patents 
in the past year will be eligible for the study. The study will also 
include independent inventors who have filed six or more patents in the 
past year. The USPTO will draw a random sample of these customers from 
their database. Due to the rotating panel design, some sample members 
will be surveyed twice in order to measure change over a period of 
time. Each year of the survey will include four waves of data 
collection.
    The Customer Panel Quality Survey is a mail survey, although 
respondents also have the option to complete the survey electronically 
on the Web. The content of both versions will be identical. A survey 
packet containing the questionnaire, a separate cover letter prepared 
by the Commissioner of Patents, a postage-paid, pre-addressed return 
envelope, and instructions for completing the survey electronically 
will be mailed to all sample members. A pre-notification letter, 
reminder/thank you postcards, and telephone calls will be used to 
encourage response from the sample members.
    This is a voluntary survey and all responses will remain 
confidential. The collected data will not be linked to the respondent 
and contact information that is used for sampling purposes will be 
maintained in a separate file from the quantitative data. Respondents 
are not required to provide any identifying information such as their 
name, address, or Social Security Number. In order to access and 
complete the online survey, respondents will need to use the username 
and password provided by the USPTO.

II. Method of Collection

    By mail, or electronically over the Internet if respondents choose 
to complete the survey online.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0651-00xx.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Type of Review: New information collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for 
profit; not-for-profit institutions; Federal Government; and state, 
local, or tribal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,168 responses per year. Out of a 
sample size of 2,842 for each wave of data collection, the USPTO 
estimates that 792 completed surveys will be received. Each year of the 
survey will include four waves of data collection with an estimated 
3,168 completed surveys received. Of this total, the USPTO estimates 
that 70% or 2,218 surveys will be returned by mail and that 30% or 950 
surveys will be completed using the online option.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
approximately 10 minutes (0.17 hours) to complete either the paper or 
online version of this survey. This includes the time to gather the 
necessary information, complete the request, and submit it to the 
USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 539 hours per year.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $154,154 per year. 
The USPTO believes that patent attorneys will be responding to these 
surveys. Using the professional hourly rate of $286 for associate 
attorneys in private firms, the USPTO estimates that the salary costs 
for the respondents completing these surveys will be $154,154 per year.

 
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                                                                  Estimated time     Estimated       Estimated
                              Item                                 for response       annual       annual burden
                                                                       (min)         responses         hours
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Customer Panel Quality Survey (paper)...........................              10           2,218             377
Customer Panel Quality Survey (electronic)......................              10             950             162
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................  ..............           3,168             539
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    Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $0 per 
year. There are no capital start-up, maintenance, operation, or 
recordkeeping costs, nor are there any filing fees associated with this

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information collection. The USPTO covers the costs of all survey 
materials and provides postage-paid, pre-addressed return envelopes for 
the completed mail surveys.

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: April 13, 2006.
Susan K. Brown,
Records Officer, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, Architecture, Engineering and Technical Services, 
Data Architecture and Services Division.
[FR Doc. E6-5929 Filed 4-19-06; 8:45 am]
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