[Federal Register: December 6, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 235)]
[Notices]
[Page 63378-63379]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06de01-41]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Public User ID Badging
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,
invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on the continuing information collection, as
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before February 4,
2002.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Susan K. Brown, Records
Officer, Office of Data Management, Data Administration Division,
USPTO, Suite 310, 2231 Crystal Drive, Washington, DC 20231; by
telephone at (703) 308-7400; or by electronic mail at
susan.brown@uspto.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be directed to Catherine Hollan, Manager, Public Search
Facilities, USPTO, Room 2C04, 2021 South Clark Place, Arlington, VA
22202; by telephone at (703) 306-2608; or by electronic mail at
chollan@uspto.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is required
by 35 U.S.C. 41(i)(1) to maintain a Public Search Facility to provide
patent and trademark collections for the public to search and retrieve
information. The Public Search Facilities are maintained for public use
with paper and automated search files and trained staff to assist
searchers. The Public Search Facilities are available to everyone.
In order to maintain and control the patent and trademark
collections so that the information is available to the public, the
USPTO issues Public User ID badges to users who wish to use the Public
Search Facilities. For many years, the USPTO issued paper User IDs, but
the USPTO now uses an electronic badging database for the issuance of
plastic ID badges.
The plastic ID badge shows a color photograph of the user, a bar-
coded user number, and an expiration date. The badging system allows
the USPTO to electronically store the information, which can be updated
periodically. The ID system is designed to enable the USPTO to (a)
identify users of patent and trademark documents, (b) confine user
access to public areas, (c) locate and control access to patent and
trademark documents, and (d) identify users of USPTO services.
The Public User ID badge enables the USPTO to accurately track use
of the documents and to identify anyone misusing the search facilities.
The USPTO uses the ID badges to identify, counsel, and sanction users
who destroy, misfile, or remove documents from its collections, or who
mishandle its equipment. The Public User ID also grants the public
limited access to the non-public parts of the USPTO, such as the
Examiner areas. To access these areas, users are required to wear a
visible USPTO employee ID, a contractor ID, or a Public User ID. (The
Public User ID badges enable the USPTO to immediately confirm a user's
identity via an on-the-spot comparison with the color photograph on the
badge.)
For its ID system, the USPTO collects the following mandatory
identifying information: name and mailing address (as verified on a
picture ID such as a driver's license), signature, and a digital
photograph of the user that is taken by USPTO staff. Optional
information includes telephone number and USPTO Attorney Registration
Number, if any.
II. Method of Collection
The application for the Public User ID is completed on site and
handed to a staff member to enter into the system and issue the badge.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651-0041.
Form Number(s): PTO-2030.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households; businesses or other
for-profits; not-for-profit institutions; farms; the Federal
Government; and state, local or tribal governments.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 9,084 responses per year.
Estimated Time Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take
the public approximately five minutes (.08 hours) to gather the
necessary information, prepare the form, and submit the completed
application for a Public User ID or to renew the Public User ID Badge,
and approximately ten minutes (.17 hours) to supply any optional
information to the staff, have the photograph taken, and be issued the
Public User ID Badge.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 1,054 hours per
year.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $109,616 per year.
The USPTO estimates that of those users requesting Public User IDs,
approximately 1/3 of the users will be attorneys and 2/3 will be
paraprofessionals. Using the professional hourly rate of $252 per hour
for associate attorneys in private firms and the paraprofessional
hourly rate of $30 per hour, the average hourly rate for all
respondents to this collection will be $104 per hour.
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Estimated time for
Item response Estimated annual Estimated annual
(minutes) responses burden hours
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Application for Public User ID...................... 5 3,642 291
Issue Public User ID Badge.......................... 10 3,642 619
Renew Public User ID Badge.......................... 5 1,800 144
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Total......................................... .................. 9,084 1,054
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Estimated Total Annual Nonhour Respondent Cost Burden: $0. (There
are no capital start-up or maintenance costs or filing fees associated
with this information collection.)
IV. Request for Comments
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.
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.
Dated: November 26, 2001.
Susan K. Brown,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of Data Management, Data Administration
Division.
[FR Doc. 01-30212 Filed 12-5-01; 8:45 am]
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