External Quality Metrics Surveys, 40286-40287 [E7-14271]

Download as PDF 40286 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 141 / Tuesday, July 24, 2007 / Notices SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) and its Administrative Committee will hold meetings. The meetings will be held on August 14–15, 2007. The Council will convene on Tuesday, August 14, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Administrative Committee will meet from 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m., on that same day. The Council will reconvene on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., approximately. ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Carambola Beach Resort, Estate Davis Bay, St. Croix, U.S.V.I 00850 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 268 Munoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918–1920, telephone: (787) 766–5926. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council will hold its 125th regular public meeting to discuss the items contained in the following agenda: Administrative Committee Recommendations Meetings Attended by Council Members and Staff Other Business Next Council Meeting The meetings are open to the public, and will be conducted in English. Fishers and other interested persons are invited to attend and participate with oral or written statements regarding agenda issues. Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council’s intent to take final action to address the emergency. August 14, 2007 Special Accommodations 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. For more information or request for sign language interpretation and/other auxiliary aids, please contact Mr. Miguel A. Rolon, Executive Director, Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 268 Munoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00918–2577, telephone: (787) 766–5926, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. DATES: Call to Order Election of Officials Adoption of Agenda Consideration of 124th Council Meeting Verbatim Transcription Executive Director’s Report White Paper on the Sale of Catch by Charter/Recreational Fishers in the US Caribbean - Graciela Garcia-Moliner Options Paper on Trap Vents Graciela Garcia-Moliner Deep Water Coral Reef - MCBI Update Deep Water Coral Reef Survey - Jorge R. Garcia-Sais Caribbean Lobster Initiative BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. Administrative Committee Meeting -AP/SSC/HAP Membership -Budget 2007 -SOPPs Amendment -Other Business August 15, 2007 mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES HMS Presentation on Proposed Measures for Sharks Marine Mammals Protection Act Proposed Rule for 2008 - Jennifer Lee Enforcement Reports -Puerto Rico -U.S. Virgin Islands -Federal and Local Jurisdiction on Mutton Snapper -NOAA -U.S. Coast Guard ACLs Meeting Report - Graciela Garcia-Moliner 17:50 Jul 23, 2007 PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE External Quality Metrics Surveys ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. VerDate Aug<31>2005 Dated: July 19, 2007. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. E7–14280 Filed 7–23–07; 8:45 am] Jkt 211001 SUMMARY: The Patent and Trademark Office, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this new information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Written comments must be submitted on or before September 24, 2007. DATES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods: ADDRESSES: PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 • E-mail: Susan.Fawcett@uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651–00xx External Quality Metrics Surveys’’ in the subject line of the message. • Fax: 571–273–0112, marked to the attention of Susan Fawcett. • Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Customer Information Services Group, Public Information Services Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450. • Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information should be directed to the attention of 0651–00xx External Quality Metrics Surveys c/o Joseph Rolla, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450; by facsimile at 571–273–9026, or by e-mail at Joseph.Rolla@uspto.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract One of the goals of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Strategic Plan is to optimize quality. The Office holds continuously improving quality as one of its guiding principles in the Agency’s Strategic Plan framework. As such, the Office plans to consider appropriate measures of patent quality, including the performance targets, with the goal of a balance between the desire for assured high quality results and resource limitations for the initial examination process. Achieving widely accepted quality measures and processes will require that all stakeholders engage in the effort. To promote greater consistency and credibility for the measurements of quality by the Office, the USPTO is proposing to engage the patent community to assist in the development of an objective set of review criteria and processes that could be applied across all selected components of the current USPTO examination process. The Office will be looking to determine what measures should be used to assess examination quality, how these measures should be reported and what meaningful quality targets should be the goals of an initial system of patent examination. This engagement will take place in the form of a survey, entitled the External Quality Metrics Survey. Through this survey the patent community will assist the USPTO in meeting its strategic goals, including efforts to optimize the patent process, in a clearly and concisely articulated and documented format. The External Quality Metrics Survey project will be designed to query from E:\FR\FM\24JYN1.SGM 24JYN1 40287 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 141 / Tuesday, July 24, 2007 / Notices the patent community, including but not limited to: major stakeholders such as inventors, large and small; property owners, attorneys and agents (application preparers, prosecutors, licensing entities and litigators), patent examination personnel through their elected representatives, patent information searchers, corporate patent counsel, venture capitalists, academics, including the technology transfer departments and quality assurance specialists with interest in the Intellectual Property community. To obtain data, the Office proposes to develop a survey instrument with structured elements in four focus areas of quality metrics: what to measure, how to measure, how to report the measures, and how to set USPTO performance targets for these measures. Analysis of survey results will obtain both quantitative and qualitative responses. This is a voluntary survey. The collected data will not be linked to the respondent and contact information that is used for sampling purposes will be maintained in a separate file from the quantitative data. Respondents are not required to provide any identifying information such as their name, address, or Social Security Number. II. Method of Collection Electronically over the Internet or by mail. III. Data OMB Number: 0651–00xx. Form Number(s): N/A. Type of Review: New information collection. Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-profit; not-for-profit institutions; Federal Government; and state, local, or tribal Government. Estimated Number of Respondents: 4,000 responses per year. It is estimated that the USPTO will conduct an online survey of 4,000 respondents, with the intent to conduct a follow-up survey of the same nature in a five-year cycle. The USPTO estimates that 70% of the online surveys will be completed. Estimated Time Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take approximately 60 minutes (1 hour) to complete the online survey. This includes the time to gather the necessary information, complete the request, and submit it to the USPTO. Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 4,000 hours. Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $1,216,000. The USPTO believes that a variety of professionals and industry leaders will be responding to these surveys, and will use as the basis for cost burden that of the professional hourly rate of $304 for associate attorneys in private firms. Estimated time for response (minutes) Item Estimated annual responses Estimated annual burden hours 60 4,000 4,000 Total ...................................................................................................................................... mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES External Quality Metrics Survey .................................................................................................. ........................ 4,000 4,000 Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There are no capital start-up, maintenance, operation, or recordkeeping costs, nor are there any 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 planning of strategic initiatives, 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, including through 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. VerDate Aug<31>2005 19:13 Jul 23, 2007 Jkt 211001 Dated: July 17, 2007. Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Customer Information Services Group, Public Information Services Division. [FR Doc. E7–14271 Filed 7–23–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–16–P SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS Amendment to the 2007 Tariff Preference Level (TPL) for Nicaragua under the Central America-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) July 19, 2007. Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA). ACTION: Amending the 2007 TPL for Nicaragua. AGENCY: EFFECTIVE DATE: July 24, 2007. SUMMARY: This notice reduces the 2007 TPL for Nicaragua to 97,584,339 square meters equivalent to account for the shortfall in meeting the one-to-one commitment for cotton and man-made PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 fiber woven trousers exported from Nicaragua to the United States. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Stetson, International Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-3400. Sfmt 4703 Authority: Annex 3.28 of the CAFTA-DR; Section 1634(a)(2) and (c)(2) of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-280); Presidential Proclamation 8111 of February 28, 2007. BACKGROUND: Annex 3.28 of the CAFTA-DR establishes a TPL for non-originating apparel goods of Nicaragua. Section 1634(a)(2) of the Pension Protection Act references the exchange of letters between the United States and Nicaragua, which establishes the one-toone commitment for cotton and manmade fiber woven trousers. Section 1634(c)(2) of the Pension Protection Act authorizes the President to proclaim a reduction in the overall limit in the TPL if the President determines that Nicaragua has failed to comply with the one-to-one commitment. In Presidential Proclamation 8111, the President delegated to CITA the authority to determine whether Nicaragua had failed E:\FR\FM\24JYN1.SGM 24JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40286-40287]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-14271]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE


External Quality Metrics Surveys

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Patent and Trademark Office, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this 
new 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 September 24, 
2007.


ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: Susan.Fawcett@uspto.gov. Include ``0651-00xx 
External Quality Metrics Surveys'' in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: 571-273-0112, marked to the attention of Susan 
Fawcett.
     Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, Customer Information Services Group, Public 
Information Services Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. 
Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to the attention of 0651-00xx External Quality 
Metrics Surveys c/o Joseph Rolla, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by facsimile at 571-273-9026, 
or by e-mail at Joseph.Rolla@uspto.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    One of the goals of the United States Patent and Trademark Office 
Strategic Plan is to optimize quality. The Office holds continuously 
improving quality as one of its guiding principles in the Agency's 
Strategic Plan framework. As such, the Office plans to consider 
appropriate measures of patent quality, including the performance 
targets, with the goal of a balance between the desire for assured high 
quality results and resource limitations for the initial examination 
process. Achieving widely accepted quality measures and processes will 
require that all stakeholders engage in the effort.
    To promote greater consistency and credibility for the measurements 
of quality by the Office, the USPTO is proposing to engage the patent 
community to assist in the development of an objective set of review 
criteria and processes that could be applied across all selected 
components of the current USPTO examination process. The Office will be 
looking to determine what measures should be used to assess examination 
quality, how these measures should be reported and what meaningful 
quality targets should be the goals of an initial system of patent 
examination. This engagement will take place in the form of a survey, 
entitled the External Quality Metrics Survey. Through this survey the 
patent community will assist the USPTO in meeting its strategic goals, 
including efforts to optimize the patent process, in a clearly and 
concisely articulated and documented format.
    The External Quality Metrics Survey project will be designed to 
query from

[[Page 40287]]

the patent community, including but not limited to: major stakeholders 
such as inventors, large and small; property owners, attorneys and 
agents (application preparers, prosecutors, licensing entities and 
litigators), patent examination personnel through their elected 
representatives, patent information searchers, corporate patent 
counsel, venture capitalists, academics, including the technology 
transfer departments and quality assurance specialists with interest in 
the Intellectual Property community.
    To obtain data, the Office proposes to develop a survey instrument 
with structured elements in four focus areas of quality metrics: what 
to measure, how to measure, how to report the measures, and how to set 
USPTO performance targets for these measures. Analysis of survey 
results will obtain both quantitative and qualitative responses.
    This is a voluntary survey. The collected data will not be linked 
to the respondent and contact information that is used for sampling 
purposes will be maintained in a separate file from the quantitative 
data. Respondents are not required to provide any identifying 
information such as their name, address, or Social Security Number.

II. Method of Collection

    Electronically over the Internet or by mail.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0651-00xx.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Type of Review: New information collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit; not-for-profit institutions; Federal Government; and state, 
local, or tribal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 4,000 responses per year. It is 
estimated that the USPTO will conduct an online survey of 4,000 
respondents, with the intent to conduct a follow-up survey of the same 
nature in a five-year cycle. The USPTO estimates that 70% of the online 
surveys will be completed.
    Estimated Time Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
approximately 60 minutes (1 hour) to complete the online survey. This 
includes the time to gather the necessary information, complete the 
request, and submit it to the USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 4,000 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $1,216,000. The 
USPTO believes that a variety of professionals and industry leaders 
will be responding to these surveys, and will use as the basis for cost 
burden that of the professional hourly rate of $304 for associate 
attorneys in private firms.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Estimated time     Estimated       Estimated
                              Item                                 for response       annual       annual burden
                                                                     (minutes)       responses         hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
External Quality Metrics Survey.................................              60           4,000           4,000
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................  ..............           4,000           4,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There 
are no capital start-up, maintenance, operation, or recordkeeping 
costs, nor are there any 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 planning of strategic 
initiatives, 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, including through 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: July 17, 2007.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, Customer Information Services Group, Public 
Information Services Division.
[FR Doc. E7-14271 Filed 7-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P
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