[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 32 (Thursday, February 15, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11819-11821]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03189]


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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 Petitions Related to Application and Reexamination 
Processing Fees

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on 
the extension and revision of an existing information collection: 0651-
0059, Patent Petitions Related to Application and Reexamination 
Processing Fees. The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for 
public comment preceding submission of the information collection to 
OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this information 
collection must be received on or before April 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
any of the following methods. Do not submit Confidential Business 
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0059 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
     Mail: Justin Isaac, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Request for additional information 
should be directed to Jeffrey West, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of 
Patent Legal Administration, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-272-2226; 
or by email at [email protected] with ``0651-0059 comment'' in the 
subject line. Additional information about this information collection 
is also available at http://www.reginfo.gov under ``Information 
Collection Review.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    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 eighteen months from the earliest filing date 
for which a benefit is sought under Title 35, United States Code.
    USPTO petitions practice 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. For other USPTO actions, review is in the form of 
administrative review obtained via submission of a petition to the 
USPTO. Many actions taken by the USPTO during its examination of an 
application for patent or for reissue of a patent, or during 
reexamination of a patent, are subject to review by an appeal to the 
Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Appeals to PTAB are covered in 
other OMB approved information collections (0651-0063 and 0651-0069).
    This information collection covers petitions filed in patent 
applications

[[Page 11820]]

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 
petitions fees.

II. Method of Collection

    The items in this information collection can be submitted through 
the USPTO patent electronic filing system (Patent Center), the USPTO's 
online filing and viewing system for patent applications and related 
documents. The USPTO also will accept submissions, if applicable, by 
mail, hand delivery, and facsimile.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0651-0059.

Forms: (SB = Specimen Book; AIA = America Invents Act)
     PTO/AIA/17p (Processing Fee Under 37 CFR 1.17(f), (g), & 
(h) Transmittal)
     PTO/SB/23 (Petition for Extension of Time Under 37 CFR 
1.136(b))
     PTO/SB/24A (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 
After Payment of the Issue Fee Under 37 CFR 1.313(c))

    Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Affected Public: Private sector.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 50,953 respondents.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 50,953 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses 
in this information collection will take the public approximately 
between 12 minutes (0.20 hours) and 12 hours to complete. This includes 
the time, depending on the complexity of the situation and item, to 
gather the necessary information, create the document, and submit the 
completed request to the USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 82,237 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Hourly Cost Burden: $36,759,939.

                                       Table 1--Total Burden Hours and Hourly Costs to Private Sector Respondents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                    Estimated                                Estimated
                                                          Estimated    Responses      Estimated     time for      Estimated     Rate \1\      annual
       Item No.                       Item                  annual        per          annual       response    burden (hour/   ($/hour)    respondent
                                                         respondents   respondent     responses      (hours)        year)                   cost burden
                                                                 (a)          (b)     (a) x (b) =         (d)     (c) x (d) =        (f)     (e) x (f) =
                                                                                              (c)                         (e)                        (g)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.....................  Petitions (corresponding to the        4,650            1           4,650           4          18,600        447       8,314,200
                         fee) Under 37 CFR 1.17(f)
                         include:
                           Petition to Accord a
                           Filing Date Under 1.57(a).
                           Petition to Accord a
                           Filing Date Under 1.53(e).
                           Petition for
                           Decision on a Question Not
                           Specifically Provided For.
                           Petition to Suspend
                           the Rules.
                        Petition Fee Under 37 CFR
                         1.17(f), (g), and (h)
                         Transmittal.
 
2.....................  Petitions (corresponding to the       17,440            1          17,440           2          34,880        447      15,591,360
                         fee) Under 37 CFR 1.17(g)
                         include:
                           Petition to Access
                           an Assignment Record.
                           Petition for Access
                           to an Application.
                           Petition for
                           Expungement and Return of
                           Information.
                           Petition to Suspend
                           Action in an Application.
                        Petition Fee Under 37 CFR
                         1.17(f), (g), and (h)
                         Transmittal.
 
3.....................  Petitions (corresponding to the       26,768            1          26,768           1          26,768        447      11,965,296
                         fee) Under 37 CFR 1.17(h)
                         include:
                           Petition for
                           Accepting Color Drawings or
                           Photographs.
                           Petition for Entry
                           of a Model or Exhibit.
                           Petition to Withdraw
                           an Application from Issue.
                           Petition to Defer
                           Issuance of a Patent.
                        Petition Fee Under 37 CFR
                         1.17(f), (g), and (h)
                         Transmittal.
4.....................  Petitions to Make Special Under          133            1             133          12           1,596        447         713,412
                         Accelerated Examination
                         Program (EFS-Web only).
5.....................  Petitions for Express                  1,961            1           1,961        0.20             392        447         175,224
                         Abandonment to Avoid
                         Publication Under 37 CFR
                         1.138(c).
6.....................  Petition for Extension of Time             1            1               1        0.50               1        447             447
                         Under 37 CFR 1.136(b).
                                                        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Totals......................       50,953  ...........          50,953  ..........          82,237  .........      36,759,939
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\1\ 2023 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law Association
  (AIPLA); pg. F-41. The USPTO uses the average billing rate for intellectual property work in all firms which is $447 per hour (https://www.aipla.org/home/news-publications/economic-survey).

    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-hourly Cost Burden: 
$4,023,729. There are no capital start-up, maintenance, or 
recordkeeping costs associated with this information collection. 
However, there is non-hour cost burden in the form of filing files and 
postage costs. The total annual non-hour respondent cost burden for 
this

[[Page 11821]]

information collection is estimated to be $4,023,729, which includes 
$4,018,552 in filing fees and $5,177 in postage.

Filing Fees

    Some petitions in this information collection have associated 
filing fees listed in the table below.

                                              Table 2--Filing Fees
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                                                                      Estimated
     Item No.               Fee code                  Item              annual     Filing fee   Non-hourly cost
                                                                      responses       ($)            burden
                                                                             (a)          (b)    (a) x (b) = (c)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.................  1462...................  Petitions requiring           1,275         $420           $535,500
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (f) (Group I)
                                              (undiscounted).
1.................  2462...................  Petitions requiring             880          168            147,840
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (f) (Group I) (small
                                              entity).
1.................  3462...................  Petitions requiring             170           84             14,280
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (f) (Group I) (micro
                                              entity).
2.................  1463...................  Petitions requiring           7,870          220          1,731,400
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (g) (Group II)
                                              (undiscounted).
2.................  2463...................  Petitions requiring             795           88             69,960
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (g) (Group II) (small
                                              entity).
2.................  3463...................  Petitions requiring              55           44              2,420
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (g) (Group II) (micro
                                              entity).
3.................  1464...................  Petitions requiring           9,205          140          1,288,700
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (h) (Group III)
                                              (undiscounted).
3.................  2464...................  Petitions requiring           3,980           56            222,880
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (h) (Group III)
                                              (small entity).
3.................  3464...................  Petitions requiring             199           28              5,572
                                              the petition fee set
                                              forth in 37 CFR 1.17
                                              (h) (Group III)
                                              (micro entity).
                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Totals.............       24,429  ...........          4,018,552
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\1\ 2023 Report of the Economic Survey, publised by the Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American
  Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA); pg. F-41. The USPTO uses the average billing rate for
  intellectual property work in all firms which is $447 per hour (https://www/aopa.org/home/news-publications/economic-survey).

Postage Costs

    Although the USPTO prefers that the items in this information 
collection be submitted electronically, responses may be submitted by 
mail through the United States Postal Service (USPS). The USPTO 
estimates that 1% of the 50,953 items will be submitted in the mail 
resulting in 510 mailed items. The USPTO estimates that the average 
postage cost for a mailed submission, using a Priority Mail legal flat 
rate envelope, will be $10.15. Therefore, the USPTO estimates the total 
mailing costs for this information collection at $5,177.

IV. Request for Comments

    The USPTO is soliciting public comments to:
    (a) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of 
the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. USPTO will include or summarize each comment in the 
request to OMB to approve this information collection. Before including 
an address, phone number, email address, or other personally 
identifiable information (PII) in a comment, be aware that the entire 
comment--including PII--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you may ask in your comment to withhold PII from public view, 
USPTO cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-03189 Filed 2-14-24; 8:45 am]
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