[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5146-5147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00943]


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

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 Petitions Related to Application and Reexamination 
Processing Fees

    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 October 1, 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 Petitions Related to Application and Reexamination 
Processing Fees.
    OMB Control Number: 0651-0059.

[[Page 5147]]

    Form Number(s): (AIA = American Invents; SB = Specimen Book).
     PTO/AIA/17P (Petition Fee Under 37 CFR 1.17(f), (g), and 
(h) Transmittal).
     PTO/AIA/24A (Petition for Express Abandonment to Avoid 
Publication Under 37 CFR 1.138(c)).
     PTO/SB/17P (Petition Fee Under 37 CFR 1.17(f), (g), and 
(h) Transmittal).
     PTO/SB/23 (Petition for Extension of Time Under 37 CFR 
1.136(b)).
     PTO/SB24A, (Petition for Express Abandonment to Avoid 
Publication Under 37 CFR 1.138(c)).
     PTO/SB/28 (Petition to Make Special Under Accelerated 
Examination Program).
     PTO/SB/140 (Petition to Withdraw an Application from Issue 
1.313).
    Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 40,922 respondents per year.
    Average Hour per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
the public between 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to 12 hours to complete a 
response, depending on the complexity of the particular item. 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: 72,958 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour Cost Burden: $3,195,134.
    Needs and Uses: The United States Patent and Trademark Office 
(USPTO) is required by 35 U.S.C. 131 et seq. to examine an application 
for patent and, when appropriate, issue a patent. The USPTO also is 
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.
    Many actions taken by the USPTO during its examination of an 
application for patent or for reissue of a patent, or during its 
reexamination of a patent, are subject to review by an appeal to the 
Patent Trial and Appeal Board. For other USPTO actions, review is in 
the form of administrative review obtained via submission of a petition 
to the USPTO. USPTO petitions practice also provides an opportunity for 
a patent applicant or owner to supply additional information that may 
be required in order for the USPTO to further process an application or 
patent.
    This information collection covers petitions filed in patent 
applications and reexamination proceedings that, when submitted to the 
USPTO, must be accompanied by the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(f), (g), 
or (h). This information collection also covers the transmittals for 
the petition fees.
    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 0651-0059.
    Further information can be obtained by:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0059 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. 2021-00943 Filed 1-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P