Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals

Federal Register: February 23, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 35)

Notices

Page 8038-8039

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr23fe10-41

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office

Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

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 (USPTO).

Title: Patent Cooperation Treaty.

Form Number(s): PCT/RO/101, PCT/RO/134, PCT/IB/372, PCT/IPEA/401,

PTO-1382, PTO-1390, PTO/SB/61/PCT, PTO/SB/64/PCT.

Agency Approval Number: 0651-0021.

Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Burden: 341,840 hours annually.

Number of Respondents: 363,809 responses per year.

Avg. Hours Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take the public approximately 15 minutes (0.25 hours) to 8 hours to gather the necessary information, prepare the appropriate form or documents, and submit the information to the USPTO.

Needs and Uses: The purpose of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is to provide a standardized filing format and procedure that allows an applicant to seek protection for an invention in several countries by filing one international application in one location, in one language, and paying one initial set of fees. The information in this collection is used by the public to submit a patent application under the PCT and by the USPTO to fulfill its obligation to process, search, and examine the application as directed by the treaty. The USPTO is updating this information collection to reflect the current practice and fee structure for PCT applications entering the national stage at the

USPTO. A form is being added to this collection for the previously approved information requirement for the withdrawal of an international application. This form (PCT/IB/372) is developed and maintained by the

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Affected Public: Individuals or households; businesses or other for-profits; and not-for-profit institutions.

Frequency: On occasion.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.

OMB Desk Officer: Nicholas A. Fraser, e-mail: Nicholas_A._

Fraser@omb.eop.gov.

Once submitted, the request will be publicly available in electronic format through the Information Collection Review page at http://www.reginfo.gov.

Paper copies can be obtained by:

E-mail: Susan.Fawcett@uspto.gov. Include ``0651-0021 PCT copy request'' in the subject line of the message.

Fax: 571-273-0112, marked to the attention of Susan K.

Fawcett.

Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the

Chief Information Officer, United States Patent and

Page 8039

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 March 25, 2010 to Nicholas A.

Fraser, OMB Desk Officer, via e-mail to Nicholas_A._

Fraser@omb.eop.gov, or by fax to 202-395-5167, marked to the attention of Nicholas A. Fraser.

Dated: February 16, 2010.

Susan K. Fawcett,

Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer.

FR Doc. 2010-3481 Filed 2-22-10; 8:45 am

BILLING CODE 3510-16-P