[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 241 (Wednesday, December 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 78199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31586]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

United States Patent and Trademark Office


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Patents External 
Quality Survey

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will submit 
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: Patents External Quality Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0651-0057.
    Form Number(s):
     No forms associated
    Type of Request: Regular.
    Number of Respondents: 3,100.
    Average Minutes per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
the public 10 minutes (.17 hours) to gather the necessary information, 
prepare for submission, and submit a single item in this collection.
    Burden Hours: 516.67.
    Cost Burden: $0.
    Needs and Uses: Individuals who work at firms that file more than 
six patent applications a year use the Patents External Quality Survey 
to provide their perceptions of examination quality to the USPTO. The 
USPTO uses the feedback gathered from the survey to assist them in 
targeting key areas for examination quality improvement and to identify 
important areas for examiner training.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; businesses or other 
for-profits; and not-for-profit institutions.
    Frequency: Semi-annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: Nicholas A. Fraser, email: 
[email protected]. Once submitted, the request will be 
publicly available in electronic format through reginfo.gov. Follow the 
instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under 
review by OMB.
    Further information can be obtained by:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0057 copy request'' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Marcie Lovett, Records Management Division Director, 
Office of the Chief Information Officer, United States 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 January 15, 2016 to Nicholas A. 
Fraser, OMB Desk Officer, via email to [email protected], 
or by fax to 202-395-5167, marked to the attention of Nicholas A. 
Fraser.

Marcie Lovett,
Records Management Division Director, USPTO, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-31586 Filed 12-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P