[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30294-30295]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12135]


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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: Grace Period Study.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Agency Approval Number: 0651-00xx.

[[Page 30295]]

    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Burden: 71 hours annually.
    Number of Respondents: 420 responses per year. Out of a sample size 
of 3,000, the USPTO estimates that 420 completed surveys will be 
received, for a response rate of 14%. The USPTO estimates that none of 
these surveys will be submitted by small entities.
    Avg. Hours Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take the 
public approximately 10 minutes (0.17 hours) to complete this survey. 
This estimated time includes reading the instructions for the survey, 
gathering the necessary information, completing the survey, and 
submitting it to the USPTO.
    Needs and Uses: The Grace Period Study survey is used by foreign 
governments, researchers, and other stakeholders to evaluate the 
effects of premature disclosure of patentable inventions or ideas on 
researchers' failures to apply for or receive patents. The USPTO will 
use the survey to gather data to estimate the value of lost commercial 
opportunities in Europe due to the lack of adequate patent grace 
periods in many European countries.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits and non-profit 
institutions.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: Nicholas A. Fraser, email: [email protected].
    Once submitted, the request will be publicly available in 
electronic format through the Information Collection Review page at 
www.reginfo.gov.
    Paper copies can be obtained by:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
00xx Grace Period Study copy request'' in the subject line of the 
message.
     Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, United States 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 June 21, 2013 to Nicholas A. 
Fraser, OMB Desk Officer, via email to [email protected], or by fax to 202-395-5167, marked to the attention 
of Nicholas A. Fraser.

    Dated: May 17, 2013.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-12135 Filed 5-21-13; 8:45 am]
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