[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 48762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17699]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Patent Processing

    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, Commerce.
    Title: Patent Processing.
    OMB Control Number: 0651-0031.
    Form Number(s): PTO/AIA/22, PTO/AIA/24, PTO/AIA/24B, PTO/AIA/31, 
PTO/AIA/32, PTO/AIA/33, PTO/AIA/40, PTO/AIA/41, PTO/AIA/96, PTO/SB/08a, 
PTO/SB/08b, PTO/SB/17i, PTO/SB/21, PTO/SB/22, PTO/SB/24, PTO/SB/24B, 
PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/SB/27, PTO/SB/30, PTO/SB/31, PTO/SB/32, PTO/
SB/33, PTO/SB/35, PTO/SB/36, PTO/SB/37, PTO/SB/38, PTO/SB/39, PTO/SB/
43, PTO/SB/61, PTO/SB/63, PTO/SB/64, PTO/SB/64a, PTO/SB/67, PTO/SB/68, 
PTO/SB/91, PTO/SB/92, PTO/SB/96, PTO/SB/97, PTO/SB/130, PTO-2053-A/B, 
PTO-2054-A/B, PTO-2055-A/B, PTOL-413A, and PTOL-413C.
    Type of Request: Regular.
    Number of Respondents: 3,542,082.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to 8 hours to complete a single 
item in this collection. This includes the time to gather the necessary 
information, create the documents, and submit the completed request to 
the USPTO.
    Burden Hours: 3,628,380 hours.
    Cost Burden: $952,456,245.00.
    Needs and Uses: The United States Patent and Trademark Office 
(USPTO) is required by 35 U.S.C. 131 to examine an application for 
patent and, when appropriate, issue a patent. The USPTO is also 
required to publish patent applications, with certain exceptions, 
promptly after the expiration of a period of eighteen months from the 
earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought under Title 35, 
United States Code (``eighteen-month publication''). Certain situations 
may arise which require that additional information be supplied in 
order for the USPTO to further process the patent or application. The 
USPTO administers the statutes through various sections of the rules of 
practice in 37 CFR part 1. The information in this collection can be 
used by the USPTO to continue the processing of the patent or 
application to ensure that applicants are complying with the patent 
regulations and to aid in the prosecution of the application.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    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 on the 
Web site to view Department of Commerce collections currently under 
review by OMB.
    Further information can be obtained by:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0031 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 August 25, 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.

    Dated: July 19, 2016.
Marcie Lovett,
Records Management Division Director, OCIO, United States Patent and 
Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2016-17699 Filed 7-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-16-P