[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40286-40287]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-14271]


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

PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE


External Quality Metrics Surveys

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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

SUMMARY: The Patent and Trademark Office, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to 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 September 24, 
2007.


ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``0651-00xx 
External Quality Metrics Surveys'' in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: 571-273-0112, marked to the attention of Susan 
Fawcett.
     Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, Customer Information Services Group, Public 
Information 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 0651-00xx External Quality 
Metrics Surveys c/o Joseph Rolla, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by facsimile at 571-273-9026, 
or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    One of the goals of the United States Patent and Trademark Office 
Strategic Plan is to optimize quality. The Office holds continuously 
improving quality as one of its guiding principles in the Agency's 
Strategic Plan framework. As such, the Office plans to consider 
appropriate measures of patent quality, including the performance 
targets, with the goal of a balance between the desire for assured high 
quality results and resource limitations for the initial examination 
process. Achieving widely accepted quality measures and processes will 
require that all stakeholders engage in the effort.
    To promote greater consistency and credibility for the measurements 
of quality by the Office, the USPTO is proposing to engage the patent 
community to assist in the development of an objective set of review 
criteria and processes that could be applied across all selected 
components of the current USPTO examination process. The Office will be 
looking to determine what measures should be used to assess examination 
quality, how these measures should be reported and what meaningful 
quality targets should be the goals of an initial system of patent 
examination. This engagement will take place in the form of a survey, 
entitled the External Quality Metrics Survey. Through this survey the 
patent community will assist the USPTO in meeting its strategic goals, 
including efforts to optimize the patent process, in a clearly and 
concisely articulated and documented format.
    The External Quality Metrics Survey project will be designed to 
query from

[[Page 40287]]

the patent community, including but not limited to: major stakeholders 
such as inventors, large and small; property owners, attorneys and 
agents (application preparers, prosecutors, licensing entities and 
litigators), patent examination personnel through their elected 
representatives, patent information searchers, corporate patent 
counsel, venture capitalists, academics, including the technology 
transfer departments and quality assurance specialists with interest in 
the Intellectual Property community.
    To obtain data, the Office proposes to develop a survey instrument 
with structured elements in four focus areas of quality metrics: what 
to measure, how to measure, how to report the measures, and how to set 
USPTO performance targets for these measures. Analysis of survey 
results will obtain both quantitative and qualitative responses.
    This is a voluntary survey. 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.

II. Method of Collection

    Electronically over the Internet or by mail.

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: 4,000 responses per year. It is 
estimated that the USPTO will conduct an online survey of 4,000 
respondents, with the intent to conduct a follow-up survey of the same 
nature in a five-year cycle. The USPTO estimates that 70% of the online 
surveys will be completed.
    Estimated Time Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
approximately 60 minutes (1 hour) to complete the online 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: 4,000 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $1,216,000. The 
USPTO believes that a variety of professionals and industry leaders 
will be responding to these surveys, and will use as the basis for cost 
burden that of the professional hourly rate of $304 for associate 
attorneys in private firms.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Estimated time     Estimated       Estimated
                              Item                                 for response       annual       annual burden
                                                                     (minutes)       responses         hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
External Quality Metrics Survey.................................              60           4,000           4,000
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................  ..............           4,000           4,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There 
are no capital start-up, maintenance, operation, or recordkeeping 
costs, nor are there any filing fees associated with this information 
collection.
    IV. Request for Comments
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper planning of strategic 
initiatives, 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, including through 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: July 17, 2007.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, Customer Information Services Group, Public 
Information Services Division.
[FR Doc. E7-14271 Filed 7-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P