[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39306-39307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-10916]


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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: Patent Processing (Updating).
    Form Number(s): PTO/SB/08/08a/08b, PTO/SB/17i, PTO/SB/17P, PTO/SB/
21-27, PTO/SB/24B, PTO/SB/30-32, PTO/SB/35-39, PTO/SB/42-43, PTO/SB/61-
64, PTO/SB/64a, PTO/SB/67-68, PTO/SB/91-92, PTO/SB/96-97, PTO-2053-A/B, 
PTO-2054-A/B, PTO-2055-A/B, PTOL/413A.
    Agency Approval Number: 0651-0031.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 3,527,991 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 2,508,239 responses.
    Avg. Hours Per Response: 1 minute 48 seconds to 12 hours. The USPTO 
estimates that it will take 2 hours to complete the information 
disclosure statements (IDS) that do not require any additional 
disclosure requirement, 4 hours to complete the IDS submitted

[[Page 39307]]

during the first time period that require the explanation, 5 hours to 
complete the IDS submitted during the second time period that require 
the explanation and non-cumulative description, 6 hours to complete the 
IDS submitted during the third time period that require the first 
patentability justification, and 7 hours to complete the IDS submitted 
during the third or fourth time period that require the second 
patentability justification. The response time is expected to be the 
same for both the paper and eIDS filings, but given the current 
limitations on IDS submissions via eIDS, it is anticipated that only 
IDSs that do not require additional disclosure statements will be filed 
via eIDS. This includes time to gather the necessary information, 
prepare the appropriate form, and submit the information in this 
collection.
    Needs and Uses: The proposed changes to information disclosure 
submission (IDS) requirements will benefit applicants by improving the 
quality and efficiency of the examination process. The USPTO is 
submitting this collection in support of a notice of proposed 
rulemaking entitled ``Changes to Information Disclosure Requirements 
and Other Related Matters'' (RIN 0651-AB95). There are two existing 
paper forms and one EFS-Web form associated with this proposed 
rulemaking; however, the changes in this proposed rulemaking do not 
necessitate any changes to the existing forms.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit; not-for-profit institutions; farms, the Federal Government, and 
State, Local or Tribal Governments.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    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 ``0651-0031 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, Office of Data Architecture and Services, Data 
Administration Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 
1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent on or before August 11, 2006 to David 
Rostker, OMB Desk Officer, Room 10202, New Executive Office Building, 
725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: July 3, 2006.
Susan K. Brown,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of Data Architecture and Services, Data 
Administration Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-10916 Filed 7-11-06; 8:45 am]
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