[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 176 (Monday, September 15, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44373-44374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17765]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Improving Customer Experience

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

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (hereafter 
``USPTO'' or ``Agency'') has the following proposed Information 
Collection Request--``Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, 
Section 280 Implementation)''--under OMB review for approval under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

DATES: Submit comments on or before: October 15, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for this information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for Public 
Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Drew Hall, Government Information Specialist, 
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, via email to 
[email protected], 571-270-1715.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 
280 Implementation).
    Abstract: Under the Government Service Delivery Improvement (GSDI) 
Act \1\ and the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act,\2\ 
along with OMB guidance, agencies are obligated to continually improve 
the services they provide the public and to collect qualitative and 
quantitative data from the public to do so.
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    \1\ 5 U.S.C. 321-24.
    \2\ 44 U.S.C. 3501 note.
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    The purpose of this request is to facilitate the USPTO's ability to 
collect feedback from the public to continue to improve its services, 
thereby facilitating its compliance with statutory requirements and 
general principles of good governance.
    The USPTO will only submit collections if they meet the following 
criteria:
     The collections are voluntary;

[[Page 44374]]

     The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours or burden-hours per respondent) 
and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;
     The collections are non-controversial, meaning they do not 
raise issues that warrant public comment;
     Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future;
     Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary and the Agency will comply with applicable 
legal and policy requirements to ensure its protection;
     Information gathered is intended to be used for general 
service improvement and program management purposes;
     The Agency will follow the procedures specified in any 
relevant OMB guidance for the required reporting to OMB of data from 
surveys; and
     With the exception of the reporting mentioned in the 
bullet immediately above, if the Agency intends to release journey 
maps, user personas, reports, or other data-related summaries stemming 
from this collection, the agency must include appropriate caveats 
around those summaries, noting that the sample size and response rates 
must be considered as the basis for any conclusions to be made. The 
Agency must submit the data summary itself (e.g., the report) and the 
caveat language mentioned above to OMB before it releases them outside 
the agency. OMB will engage in a passback process with the Agency.

Data

    Type of Review: Renewal of an existing collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and 
Organizations (Private Sector), State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Below is an estimate of the 
aggregate burden hours for this new collection.
    Activities: Four types, namely: Screeners (e.g., distributed before 
or during a usability testing session or other kind of session); 
Question script for focus group, interview group, etc. Scripts for 
usability testing sessions are, in general, exempt from PRA review; 
Surveys to obtain feedback immediately following a transaction--Limited 
to 15 questions and 5 minutes max; Other surveys.
    Average Number of Respondents per Activity: 1 response per 
respondent per activity.
    Annual Responses: 1,101,500.
    Average Minutes per Response: 3 minutes-90 minutes, dependent upon 
activity.
    Burden Hours: USPTO requests 100,800 burden hours.
    Request for Comments: The USPTO invites comments on: (a) Whether 
the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
Agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB 
approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter 
of public record.
    Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the 
information collection documents from Drew Hall, Government Information 
Specialist, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, via email at 
[email protected].

Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2025-17765 Filed 9-12-25; 8:45 am]
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