[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 189 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)] [Notices] [Pages 60975-60980] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2020-21517] [[Page 60975]] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on the extension and revision of an existing information collection: 0651-0031 (Patent Processing). 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 November 30, 2020. 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- 0031 comment'' in the subject line of the message. Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information should be directed to Raul Tamayo, 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 571-272-7728; or by email to [email protected] with ``0651-0031 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 to examine an 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, United States Code (``eighteen-month publication''). This information collection covers certain situations that may arise which require that additional information be supplied in order for the USPTO to further process the patent or application. The information in this collection is 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. In addition, this renewal proposes to remove three items related to patent appeals and associate all submissions of those items to an existing information collection (0651-0063, Patent Trial and Appeal Board Appeals). These three items are: Notice of Appeal, Amendment to Cancel Claims During an Appeal, and Request for Oral Hearing. II. Method of Collection Items in this information collection may be submitted via online electronic submissions. In limited circumstances, applicants may be permitted to submit the information in paper form by mail, fax, or hand delivery. III. Data OMB Number: 0651-0031. Form Number(s): (AIA = American Invents; SB = Specimen Book; PTOL = Patent and Trademark Office Legal) PTO/SB/08a/08b (Information Disclosure Statements) PTO/SB/21 (Transmittal Form) PTO/SB/22 and PTO/AIA/22 (Petitions for Extension of Time under 37 CFR 1.136(a)) PTO/SB/24 and PTO/AIA/24 (Express Abandonment under 37 CFR 1.138) PTO/SB/25/26/43/63 (Statutory Disclaimers) PTO/SB/27 (Request for Expedited Examination of a Design Application) PTO/SB/61/64 (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/67/68 (Requests to Access, Inspect, and Copy) PTO/SB/91 (Deposit Account Order Form) PTO/SB/92 (Certificates of Mailing or Transmission) PTO/SB/96 and PTO/AIA/96 (Statement under 37 CFR 3.73(b)) PTO/SB/35 (Non-Publication Request) PTO/SB/36 (Rescission of Previous Non-Publication 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-2053-A/B, PTO-2054-A/B, and PTO-2055-A/B (Copy of the Applicant or Patentee's Record of the Application (including copies of the correspondence, list of the correspondence, and statements verifying whether the record is complete or not)) PTO/SB/30 (Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Transmittal) PTO/SB/37 (Request for Suspension of Action or Deferral of Examination under 37 CFR 1.103(b), (c), or (d)) PTOL/413A (Applicant-Initiated Interview Request Form) PTO/SB/17i (Processing Fee under 37 CFR 1.17(i) Transmittal) PTO/SB/38 (Request to Retrieve Electronic Priority Application(s) under 37 CFR 1.55(d)) PTO/SB/39 (Authorization or Rescission of Authorization to Permit Access to Application-as-filed by Participating Offices under 37 CFR 1.14(h)) PTO/SB/24B and PTO/AIA/24B (Petition for Express Abandonment to Obtain a Refund) PTO/SB/33 and PTO/AIA/33 (Pre-Appeal Brief Request for Review) PTOL-413C (Request for First-Action Interview (Pilot Program)) PTO/SB/130 (Petition to Make Special Based on Age for Advancement of Examination under 37 CFR 1.102(c)(1)) Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information collection. Affected Public: Private sector; individuals or households. Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,669,397 respondents per year. Estimated Number of Responses: 3,669,397 responses per year. Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take respondents between 2 minutes (.03 hours) and 8 hours to submit an item in this information collection depending on the instrument used, including the time to gather the necessary information, prepare the appropriate form or petition, and submit the completed request to the USPTO. Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 3,187,341 hours. Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden: $842,416,575. [[Page 60976]] Table 1--Total Hourly Burden For Private Sector Respondents -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Estimated Estimated annual Estimated time for response Estimated Rate \1\ Estimated Item No. Item annual responses (hours) annual burden ($/hour) annual burden respondents (year) (hour/year) (a) (b)........................ (a) x (b) = c (d) (c) x (d) = e -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1....................... Information 624,824 624,824 2.......................... 1,249,648 $400 $499,859,200 Disclosure Statements that require the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p). 2....................... Transmittal Form..... 663,023 663,023 2.......................... 1,326,046 145 192,276,670 3....................... Petition for 252,184 252,184 .3 (18 minutes)............ 75,655 145 10,969,975 Extension of Time under 37 CFR 1.136(a). 4....................... Express Abandonment 1,838 1,838 .25 (15 minutes)........... 460 145 66,700 under 37 CFR 1.138. 5....................... Statutory Disclaimers 57,891 57,891 .25 (15 minutes)........... 14,473 400 5,789,200 (including terminal disclaimers). 6....................... Request for Expedited 1,034 1,034 .25 (15 minutes)........... 259 400 103,600 Examination of a Design Application. 7....................... Petition for Revival 7,666 7,666 1.......................... 7,666 400 3,066,400 of an Application for Patent Abandoned Unintentionally. 8....................... Petition for Revival 140 140 1.......................... 140 400 56,000 of an Application for Patent Abandoned for Failure to Notify the Office of a Foreign or International Filing. 9....................... Requests to Access, 824,500 824,500 .25 (15 minutes)........... 206,125 145 29,888,125 Inspect and Copy. 10...................... Deposit Account Order 64,460 64,460 .25 (15 minutes)........... 16,115 145 2,336,675 Form. 11...................... Certificates of 582,000 582,000 .03 (2 minutes)............ 17,460 145 2,531,700 Mailing or Transmission. 12...................... Statement Under 37 172,469 172,469 .25 (15 minutes)........... 43,117 400 17,246,900 CFR 3.73(c). 13...................... Non-publication 21,340 21,340 .25 (15 minutes)........... 5,335 400 2,134,000 Request. 14...................... Rescission of 2,134 2,134 .25 (15 minutes)........... 534 400 213,600 Previous Non- publication Request (35 U.S.C. Sec. 122(b)(2)(B)(ii) and, if applicable, Notice of Foreign Filing (35 U.S.C. Sec. 122(b)(2)(B)(iii). 15...................... Electronic Filing 1 1 2.5........................ 3 145 435 System (EFS) Copy of Application for Publication. 16...................... Copy of File Content 1 1 4.......................... 4 400 1,600 Showing Redactions. 17...................... Copy of the Applicant 6 6 2.......................... 12 145 1,740 or Patentee's Record of the Application (including copies of the correspondence, list of the correspondence, and statements verifying whether the record is complete or not). 18...................... Request for Continued 154,766 154,766 .3 (18 minutes)............ 46,430 400 18,572,000 Examination (RCE) Transmittal. 19...................... Request for 832 832 .2 (12 minutes)............ 166 400 66,400 Suspension of Action or Deferral of Examination Under 37 CFR 1.103(b), (c), or (d). 20...................... Request for Voluntary 134 134 .2 (12 minutes)............ 27 145 3,915 Publication or Republication (includes publication fee for republication). 21...................... Applicant Initiated 30,557 30,557 .4 (24 minutes)............ 12,223 400 4,889,200 Interview Request Form. 22...................... Processing Fee Under 119 119 .08 (5 minutes)............ 10 400 4,000 37 CFR 1.17(i) Transmittal. 23...................... Request to Retrieve 5,858 5,858 .25 (15 minutes)........... 1,465 400 585,600 Electronic Priority Application (s) Under 37 CFR 1.55(h). 24...................... Authorization or 7,747 7,747 .25 (15 minutes)........... 1,937 400 774,800 Rescission of Authorization to Permit Access to Application-as-filed by Participating Offices Under 37 CFR 1.14(h). 25...................... Petition for Express 1,827 1,827 .2 (12 minutes)............ 365 400 146,000 Abandonment to Obtain a Refund. 26...................... Pre-Appeal Brief 7,760 7,760 5.......................... 38,800 400 15,520,000 Request for Review. 27...................... Request for Corrected 42,089 42,089 .08 (5 minutes)............ 3,367 145 488,215 Filing Receipt. 28...................... Request for First 2,026 2,026 2.5........................ 5,065 400 2,026,000 Action Interview (Pilot Program) (Electronic only). 29...................... Petition to Make 1,471 1,471 2.......................... 2,942 400 1,176,800 Special Based on Age for Advancement of Examination under 37 CFR 1.102(c)(1) (EFS- Web only). 30...................... Filing a submission 93 93 8.......................... 744 400 297,600 after final rejection (see 37 CFR 1.129(a)). 31...................... Correction of 2,910 2,910 .75 (45 minutes)........... 2,183 400 873,200 inventorship after first office action on the merits. 32...................... Request for 14,216 14,216 .75 (45 minutes)........... 10,662 400 4,264,800 correction in a patent application relating to inventorship or an inventor name, or order of names, other than in a reissue application (37 CFR 1.48). [[Page 60977]] 33...................... Request to correct or 11,398 11,398 .2 (12 minutes)............ 2,280 400 912,000 update the name of the applicant under 37 CFR 1.46(c)(1), or change the applicant under 37 CFR 1.46(c)(2). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total............... ..................... 3,559,314 3,559,314 ........................... 3,091,718 ......... 817,143,050 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ 2019 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA); https://www.aipla.org/detail/journal-issue/2019-report-of-the-economic-survey. The USPTO uses the mean rate for attorneys in private firms which is $400 per hour. The hourly rate for paraprofessional/paralegals is estimated at $145 from data published in the 2018 Utilization and Compensation Survey by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). Table 2--Total Hourly Burden for Individuals and Households Respondents -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Estimated Estimated annual Estimated time for response Estimated Rate \2\ Estimated Item No. Item annual responses (hours) annual burden ($/hour) annual burden respondents (year) (hour/year) (a) (b)........................ (a) x (b) = c (d) (c) x (d) = e -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1....................... Information 19,324 19,324 2.......................... 38,648 $400 $15,459,200 Disclosure Statements that require the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p). 2....................... Transmittal Form..... 20,506 20,506 2.......................... 41,012 145 5,946,740 3....................... Petition for 7,800 7,800 .3 (18 minutes)............ 2,340 145 339,300 Extension of Time under 37 CFR 1.136(a). 4....................... Express Abandonment 57 57 .25 (15 minutes)........... 14 145 2,030 under 37 CFR 1.138. 5....................... Statutory Disclaimers 1,790 1,790 .25 (15 minutes)........... 448 400 179,200 (including terminal disclaimers). 6....................... Request for Expedited 32 32 .25 (15 minutes)........... 8 400 3,200 Examination of a Design Application. 7....................... Petition for Revival 237 237 1.......................... 237 400 94,800 of an Application for Patent Abandoned Unintentionally. 8....................... Petition for Revival 4 4 1.......................... 4 400 1,600 of an Application for Patent Abandoned for Failure to Notify the Office of a Foreign or International Filing. 9....................... Requests to Access, 25,500 25,500 .25 (15 minutes)........... 6,375 145 924,375 Inspect and Copy. 10...................... Deposit Account Order 1,994 1,994 .25 (15 minutes)........... 499 145 72,355 Form. 11...................... Certificates of 18,000 18,000 .03 (2 minutes)............ 540 145 78,300 Mailing or Transmission. 12...................... Statement Under 37 5,334 5,334 .25 (15 minutes)........... 1,334 400 533,600 CFR 3.73(c). 13...................... Non-publication 660 660 .25 (15 minutes)........... 165 400 66,000 Request. 14...................... Rescission of 66 66 .25 (15 minutes)........... 17 400 6,800 Previous Non- publication Request (35 U.S.C. Sec. 122(b)(2)(B)(ii) and, if applicable, Notice of Foreign Filing (35 U.S.C. Sec. 122(b)(2)(B)(iii). 18...................... Request for Continued 4,787 4,787 .3 (18 minutes)............ 1,436 400 574,400 Examination (RCE) Transmittal. 19...................... Request for 26 26 .2 (12 minutes)............ 5 400 2,000 Suspension of Action or Deferral of Examination Under 37 CFR 1.103(b), (c), or (d). 20...................... Request for Voluntary 4 4 .2 (12 minutes)............ 1 145 145 Publication or Republication (includes publication fee for republication). 21...................... Applicant Initiated 945 945 .4 (24 minutes)............ 378 400 151,200 Interview Request Form. 22...................... Processing Fee Under 4 4 .08 (5 minutes)............ 1 400 400 37 CFR 1.17(i) Transmittal. 23...................... Request to Retrieve 181 181 .25 (15 minutes)........... 45 400 18,000 Electronic Priority Application (s) Under 37 CFR 1.55(h). 24...................... Authorization or 240 240 .25 (15 minutes)........... 60 400 24,000 Rescission of Authorization to Permit Access to Application-as-filed by Participating Offices Under 37 CFR 1.14(h). 25...................... Petition for Express 56 56 .2 (12 minutes)............ 11 400 4,400 Abandonment to Obtain a Refund. 26...................... Pre-Appeal Brief 240 240 5.......................... 1,200 400 480,000 Request for Review. 27...................... Request for Corrected 1,302 1,302 .08 (5 minutes)............ 104 145 15,080 Filing Receipt. 28...................... Request for First 63 63 2.5........................ 158 400 63,200 Action Interview (Pilot Program) (Electronic only). 29...................... Petition to Make 45 45 2.......................... 90 400 36,000 Special Based on Age for Advancement of Examination under 37 CFR 1.102(c)(1) (EFS- Web only). [[Page 60978]] 30...................... Filing a submission 3 3 8.......................... 24 400 9,600 after final rejection (see 37 CFR 1.129(a)). 31...................... Correction of 90 90 .75 (45 minutes)........... 68 400 27,200 inventorship after first office action on the merits. 32...................... Request for 440 440 .75 (45 minutes)........... 330 400 132,000 correction in a patent application relating to inventorship or an inventor name, or order of names, other than in a reissue application (37 CFR 1.48). 33...................... Request to correct or 353 353 .2 (12 minutes)............ 71 400 28,400 update the name of the applicant under 37 CFR 1.46(c)(1), or change the applicant under 37 CFR 1.46(c)(2). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total............... ..................... 110,083 110,083 ........................... 95,623 ......... 25,273,525 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \2\ 2019 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA); https://www.aipla.org/detail/journal-issue/2019-report-of-the-economic-survey. The USPTO uses the mean rate for attorneys in private firms which is $400 per hour. The hourly rate for paraprofessional/paralegals is estimated at $145 from data published in the 2018 Utilization and Compensation Survey by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour Respondent Cost Burden: $408,845,999. There are no recordkeeping, maintenance, or capital start-up costs associated with this information collection. However, this information collection has annual non-hour costs in the form of filing fees, as estimated in Table 3, and postage costs. The public may submit the paper forms and petitions in this information collection to the USPTO by mail through the United States Postal Service. If the submission is sent by first-class mail, the public may also include a signed certification of the date of mailing in order to receive credit for timely filing. The USPTO estimates that approximately 166,111 submissions per year may be mailed. The USPTO estimates that the average submission will be mailed in a legal flat-rate Priority Mail envelope at a cost of $8.05; resulting in a total postage cost of $1,377,194. Table 3--Filing Fees ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Estimated Estimated non- Item No. Item annual Estimated cost hour cost responses burden (a) (b) (a) x (b) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1................................ Information Disclosure $108,938 $260 $28,323,880 Statements (IDS) that require the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) (large entity). 1................................ IDS that require the fee set 27,198 130 3,535,740 forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) (small entity). 1................................ IDS that require the fee set 770 65 50,050 forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) (micro entity). 3................................ One-month Extension of Time 84,428 220 18,574,160 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (large entity). 3................................ One-month Extension of Time 34,564 110 3,802,040 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (small entity). 3................................ One-month Extension of Time 4,035 55 221,925 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (micro entity). 3................................ Two-month Extension of Time 36,165 640 23,145,600 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (large entity). 3................................ Two-month Extension of Time 19,728 320 6,312,960 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (small entity). 3................................ Two-month Extension of Time 2,346 160 375,360 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (micro entity). 3................................ Three-month Extension of Time 30,668 1480 45,388,640 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (large entity). 3................................ Three-month Extension of Time 30,442 740 22,527,080 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (small entity). 3................................ Three-month Extension of Time 3,227 370 1,193,990 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (micro entity). 3................................ Four-month Extension of Time 1,860 2320 4,315,200 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (large entity). 3................................ Four-month Extension of Time 2,366 1160 2,744,560 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (small entity). 3................................ Four-month Extension of Time 294 580 170,520 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (micro entity). 3................................ Five-month Extension of Time 2,038 3160 6,440,080 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (large entity). 3................................ Five-month Extension of Time 2,257 1580 3,566,060 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (small entity). 3................................ Five-month Extension of Time 182 790 143,780 under 37 CFR 1.136(a) (micro entity). 5................................ Statutory Disclaimer 44,625 170 7,586,250 (including terminal disclaimer) (large entity). 5................................ Statutory Disclaimer 14,365 170 2,442,050 (including terminal disclaimer) (small entity). 5................................ Statutory Disclaimer 691 170 117,470 (including terminal disclaimer) (micro entity). 6................................ Request for Expedited 381 1600 609,600 Examination of a Design Application (large entity). 6................................ Request for Expedited 468 800 374,400 Examination of a Design Application (small entity). 6................................ Request for Expedited 218 400 87,200 Examination of a Design Application (micro entity). 8................................ Petition for Revival of an 3,006 2100 6,312,600 Application for Patent Abandoned Unintentionally (large entity). 8................................ Petition for Revival of an 3,730 1050 3,916,500 Application for Patent Abandoned Unintentionally (small entity). [[Page 60979]] 8................................ Petition for Revival of an 1,167 525 612,675 Application for Patent Abandoned Unintentionally (micro entity). 9................................ Petition for revival of an 108 2100 226,800 application for patent abandoned for failure to notify the office of a foreign or international filing (large entity). 9................................ Petition for revival of an 22 1050 23,100 application for patent abandoned for failure to notify the office of a foreign or international filing (small entity). 9................................ Petition for revival of an 14 525 7,350 application for patent abandoned for failure to notify the office of a foreign or international filing (micro entity). 17............................... Copy of File Content Showing 1 140 140 Redactions. 19............................... Request for Continued 74,458 1360 101,262,880 Examination (RCE) Transmittal (First Request) (large entity). 19............................... Request for Continued 26,592 680 18,082,560 Examination (RCE) Transmittal (First Request) (small entity). 19............................... Request for Continued 5,318 340 1,808,120 Examination (RCE) Transmittal (First Request) (micro entity). 19............................... Request for Continued 37,076 2000 74,152,000 Examination (RCE) Transmittal (Second and Subsequent Requests) (large entity). 19............................... Request for Continued 13,241 1000 13,241,000 Examination (RCE) Transmittal (Second and Subsequent Requests) (small entity). 19............................... Request for Continued 2,648 500 1,324,000 Examination (RCE) Transmittal (Second and Subsequent Requests) (micro entity). 21............................... Request for Suspension of 601 220 132,220 Action or Deferral of Examination Under 37 CFR 1.103(b), (c), or (d) (large entity). 21............................... Request for Suspension of 215 110 23,650 Action or Deferral of Examination Under 37 CFR 1.103(b), (c), or (d) (small entity). 21............................... Request for Suspension of 42 55 2,310 Action or Deferral of Examination Under 37 CFR 1.103(b), (c), or (d) (micro entity). 22............................... Request for Voluntary 138 140 19,320 Publication or Republication (includes publication fee for republication). 24............................... Processing Fee Under 37 CFR 123 140 17,220 1.17(i) Transmittal. 32............................... Filing a submission after 46 880 40,480 final rejection (see 37 CFR 1.129(a)) (large entity). 32............................... Filing a submission after 44 440 19,360 final rejection (see 37 CFR 1.129(a)) (small entity). 32............................... Filing a submission after 5 220 1,100 final rejection (see 37 CFR 1.129(a)) (micro entity). 33............................... Correction of inventorship 1156 640 739,840 after first office action on the merits (large entity). 33............................... Correction of inventorship 793 320 253,760 after first office action on the merits (small entity). 33............................... Correction of inventorship 62 160 9,920 after first office action on the merits (micro entity). 34............................... Request for correction in a 10,259 260 2,667,340 patent application relating to inventorship or an inventor name, or order of names, other than in a reissue application (37 CFR 1.48) (large entity). 34............................... Request for correction in a 3,664 130 476,320 patent application relating to inventorship or an inventor name, or order of names, other than in a reissue application (37 CFR 1.48) (small entity). 34............................... Request for correction in a 733 65 47,645 patent application relating to inventorship or an inventor name, or order of names, other than in a reissue application (37 CFR 1.48) (micro entity). ----------------------------------------------- Total........................ ............................. .............. .............. 407,468,805 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits. IV. Request for Comments The USPTO is soliciting public comments to: (a) Evaluate 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) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 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 personal identifying information in a comment, be aware that the entire comment-- including personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask in your comment to withhold personal identifying information from public view, USPTO [[Page 60980]] cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. Kimberly Hardy, Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office. [FR Doc. 2020-21517 Filed 9-28-20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-16-P