[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 172 (Wednesday, September 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45108-45109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19201]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Patents for Humanity Program
ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as part
of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden and
as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on
a proposed extension of an existing information collection: 0651-0066
(Patents for Humanity Program).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before November 5,
2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0066 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Mail: Edward Elliott, Records and Information Governance
Division Director, Office of the Chief Technology 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 Edward Elliott, Attorney Advisor, Office of
Policy and International Affairs, United States Patent and Trademark
Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-
272-7024; or by email to [email protected] with ``0651-0066
comment'' in the subject line. Additional information about this
collection is also available at http://www.reginfo.gov under
``Information Collection Review.''
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
Since 2012, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
has conducted the Patents for Humanity Program, an annual award program
to incentivize the distribution of patented technologies or products
for the purpose of addressing humanitarian needs. The program is open
to any patent owners or patent licensees, including inventors who have
not assigned their ownership rights to others, assignees, and exclusive
or non-exclusive licenses. USPTO collects information from applicants
that describe what actions they have taken with their patented
technology to address the welfare of impoverished populations, or how
they furthered research by others on technologies for humanitarian
purposes. Currently, there are five categories of awards: Medicine,
Nutrition, Sanitation, Household Energy, and Living Standards.
This collection covers information gathered on two application
forms for the Patents for Humanity Program. The first application
covers the humanitarian uses of technologies or products, and the
second application covers humanitarian research. In both, applicants
are required to describe how their technology or product satisfies the
program criteria to address humanitarian issues. Additionally,
applicants must provide non-public contact information in order for
USPTO to notify them about their award status. Applicants may
optionally provide contact information for the public to reach them
with any inquiries. Applications must be submitted via email and will
be posted on USPTO's website. Qualified judges from outside USPTO will
review and score the applications. USPTO will then forward the top-
scoring applications to reviewers from participating Federal agencies
to recommend award recipients.
Those applications that are chosen for an award will receive a
certificate redeemable to accelerate select matters before USPTO. The
certificates can be redeemed to accelerate one of the following
matters: An ex parte reexamination proceeding, including one appeal to
the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) from that proceeding; a patent
application, including one appeal to the PTAB from that application; or
an appeal to the PTAB of a claim twice rejected in a patent application
or reissue application or finally rejected in an ex parte
reexamination, without accelerating the underlying matter which
generated the appeal. This collection covers the information gathered
for petitions to extend an acceleration certificate redemption beyond
12 months. Winners also are invited to participate in an awards
ceremony at USPTO.
II. Method of Collection
Electronically through the http://www.uspto.gov/patentsforhumanity
website.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651-0066.
IC Instruments and Forms: PTO/PFH/001, PTO/PFH/002, PTO/SB/431.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits; not-for-profit
businesses; individuals and households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 55 responses per year.
Estimated Time per Response: USPTO estimates that it will take the
public approximately four hours to complete the humanitarian program
application. Those selected as winners (about 5 to 10 per year) may
additionally require one hour to complete a petition to extend their
acceleration certificate redemption
[[Page 45109]]
beyond 12 months, if needed. These estimated times include gathering
the necessary information, preparing the application and any
supplemental materials, and submitting the completed request to USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: 205 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden: $59,757.50.
The USPTO expects that attorneys will complete the Petition to Extend
the Redemption Period of the Humanitarian Awards Certificate and that
attorneys or paralegals will complete the Humanitarian Program
Application Form. The USPTO uses a professional hourly rate of $291.50
for respondent cost burden, which is the average rate of both attorneys
and paralegals. The professional hourly rate for an intellectual
property attorney in a private firm is $438, as established in the 2017
Report on the Economic Survey, published by the Commerce on the
Economics of Legal Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law
Association. The professional hourly rate for paralegals is $145, as
established in the 2016 National Utilization and Compensation Survey
Report, published by the National Association of Legal Assistants
(NALA). Using the combined hourly rate, the USPTO estimates that the
total respondent cost burden for this collection is $59,757.50 per
year.
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Estimated Estimated
IC No. Item response time Estimated annual burden Rate Estimated total
(hours) response hours cost
(a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c) (d) (c) x (d) = (e)
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1................................... Humanitarian Program Application 4 25 100 $291.50 $29,150.00
(Humanitarian Use) (PTO/PFH/
001).
1................................... Humanitarian Program Application 4 25 100 291.50 29,150.00
(Humanitarian Research) (PTO/
PFH/002).
2................................... Petition to Extend the 1 5 5 291.50 1,457.50
Redemption Period of the
Humanitarian Awards Certificate
(PTO/SB/431).
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Total........................... ................................ .............. 55 205 .............. 59,757.50
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Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden: $0. This
collection has no annual (non-hour) postage, operation, maintenance, or
filing fee costs.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized or
included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Comments are invited on:
(a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall 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, e.g., the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology.
Marcie Lovett,
Records and Information Governance Division Director, OCTO, United
States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2018-19201 Filed 9-4-18; 8:45 am]
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