E6-10707. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has submitted 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: Customer Panel Quality Survey.

Form Number(s): None.

Agency Approval Number: 0651-00xx.

Type of Request: New collection.

Burden: 539 hours annually.

Number of Respondents: 3,168 responses per year.

Avg. Hours Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take the public approximately 10 minutes (0.17 hours) to complete either the paper or the online survey. This includes the time to gather the necessary information, respond to the survey, and submit it to the USPTO.

Needs and Uses: Individuals who work at firms that file more than six patent applications a year use the Customer Panel Quality Survey to provide the USPTO with their perceptions of examination quality. The USPTO uses the feedback gathered from the survey to assist them in targeting key areas for examination quality improvement and to identify important areas for examiner training.

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

Frequency: Quarterly.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, [phone].

Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained by any of the following methods:

E-mail: [e-mail]. Include “0651-00xx Customer Panel Quality Survey copy request” in the subject line of the message.

Fax: [phone], marked to the attention of Susan Brown.

Mail: Susan K. Brown, Records Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Architecture, Engineering and Technical Services, Data Architecture and Services Division, U.S. Patent and 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 August 9, 2006 to David Rostker, OMB Desk Officer, Room 10202, New Executive Office Building, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: June 30, 2006.

Susan K. Brown,

Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Architecture, Engineering and Technical Services, Data Architecture and Services Division.