[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 230 (Monday, November 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76541-76542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26359]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Patent and Trademark Office


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Patent Processing

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will submit 
the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of 
publication of this notice. The USPTO invites comment on this 
information collection renewal, which helps the USPTO assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on September 29, 2020 during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.
    Title: Patent Processing.
    OMB Control Number: 0651-0031.
    Form Number(s): (AIA = American Invents Act; SB = Specimen Book; 
PTOL = Patent and Trademark Office Legal)

 PTO/AIA/22 (Petition for Extension of Time under 37 CFR 
1.136(a))
 PTO/AIA/24 (Express Abandonment under 37 CFR 1.138)
 PTO/AIA/24B (Petition for Express Abandonment to Obtain a 
Refund)
 PTO/AIA/33 (Pre-appeal Brief Request for Review)
 PTO/AIA/96 (Statement under 37 CFR 3.73(c))
 PTO/SB/08a and b (Information Disclosure Statement)
 PTO/SB/17i (Processing Fee under 37 CFR 1.17(i) Transmittal)
 PTO/SB/21 (Transmittal Form)
 PTO/SB/22 (Petition for Extension of Time under 37 CFR 
1.136(a))
 PTO/SB/24 (Express Abandonment under 37 CFR 1.138)
 PTO/SB/24B (Petition for Express Abandonment to Obtain a 
Refund- applications filed on or before September 16, 2012)
 PTO/SB/25 (Terminal Disclaimer to Obviate a Provisional Double 
Patenting Rejection Over a Pending ``Reference'' Application)
 PTO/SB/26 (Terminal Disclaimer to Obviate a Double Patenting 
Rejection over a ``Prior'' Patent)
 PTO/SB/27 (Request for Expedited Examination of a Design 
Application)
 PTO/SB/30 (Request for Continued Examination (RCE) 
Transmittal)
 PTO/SB/33 (Pre-appeal Brief Request for Review--applications 
filed on or before September 16, 2012)
 PTO/SB/35 (Nonpublication Request under 35 U.S.C. 
122(b)(2)(B)(i))
 PTO/SB/36 (Rescission of Previous Nonpublication Request (35 
U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(ii) and, if applicable, Notice of Foreign Filing 
(35 U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(iii))
 PTO/SB/37 (Request for Suspension of Action or Deferral of 
Examination under 37 CFR 1.103(b), (c), or (d)--applications filed on 
or before September 16, 2012)
 PTO/SB/38 (Request to Retrieve Electronic Priority 
Application(s))
 PTO/SB/39 (Authorization or Rescission of Authorization to 
Permit Access to Application-as-filed by Participating Offices)
 PTO/SB/43 (Disclaimer in Patent Under 37 CFR 1.321(a))
 PTO/SB/63 (Terminal Disclaimer to Accompany Petition)
 PTO/SB/64 (Petition for Revival of an Application for Patent 
Abandoned Unintentionally)
 PTO/SB/64a (Petition for Revival of an Application for Patent 
Abandoned for Failure to Notify the Office of a Foreign or 
International Filing)
 PTO/SB/64PCT (Petition for Revival of an International 
Application for Patent Abandoned Unintentionally)
 PTO/SB/67 (Power to Access, Inspect, and Copy)
 PTO/SB/68 (Request for Access to an Abandoned Application 
Under 37 CFR 1.14)
 PTO/SB/91 (Deposit Account Order Form)
 PTO/SB/92 (Certificate of Mailing or Transmission)
 PTO/SB/96 (Statement under 37 CFR 3.73(c))
 PTO/SB/130 (Petition to Make Special Based on Age for 
Advancement of Examination under 37 CFR 1.102(c)(1))
 PTO/SB/413C (Request for First-Action Interview (Full Pilot 
Program))
 PTO-2053-A/B; PTO-2054-A/B; and PTO-2055-A/B (Copy of the 
Applicant or Patentee's Record of the Application)

 PTOL/413A (Applicant-Initiated Interview Request Form)

    Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 3,669,397 respondents per year.
    Average Hours per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
approximately 2 minutes (0.08 hours) to 8 hours to complete a single 
response. This includes the time to gather the necessary information, 
prepare the appropriate documents, and submit the completed response to 
the USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 3,187,341 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour Cost Burden: $408,845,999.
    Needs and Uses: The United States Patent and Trademark Office 
(USPTO) is required by 35 U.S.C. 131 to examine an

[[Page 76542]]

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 18 months from 
the earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought under Title 35, 
U.S.C. (``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.
    Affected Public: Private sector; individuals or households.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of 
Commerce, USPTO information collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for this information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the information collection or 
the OMB Control Number 0651-0031.
    Further information can be obtained by:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0031 information request'' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

Kimberly Hardy,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-26359 Filed 11-27-20; 8:45 am]
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