Proposed Collection; Patent Examiner Employment Application, 11206-11208 [2011-4458]
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11206
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 40 / Tuesday, March 1, 2011 / Notices
including all attachments, must not
exceed a 10-megabyte file size.
Instructions: All comments received
are a part of the public record and will
generally be posted to https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/
incidental.htm without change. All
Personal Identifying Information (for
example, name, address, etc.)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter
may be publicly accessible. Do not
submit Confidential Business
Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Candace Nachman, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 713–2289, ext.
156.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability
A copy of Port Dolphin’s application
may be obtained by writing to the
address specified above (ADDRESSES),
calling the contact listed above (FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), or
visiting the Internet at: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/
incidental.htm. The U.S. Coast Guard’s
and U.S. Maritime Administration’s
Final Environmental Impact Statement
was made available to the public on July
9, 2009.
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce to allow,
upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
authorization is provided to the public
for review.
Authorization for incidental takings
shall be granted if NMFS finds that the
taking will have a negligible impact on
the species or stock(s), will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for
subsistence uses (where relevant), and if
the permissible methods of taking and
requirements pertaining to the
mitigation, monitoring and reporting of
such takings are set forth. NMFS has
defined ‘‘negligible impact’’ in 50 CFR
216.103 as ‘‘. . . an impact resulting
from the specified activity that cannot
be reasonably expected to, and is not
reasonably likely to, adversely affect the
species or stock through effects on
annual rates of recruitment or survival.’’
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:42 Feb 28, 2011
Jkt 223001
Except with respect to certain
activities not pertinent here, the MMPA
defines ‘‘harassment’’ as:
any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance
which (i) has the potential to injure a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild
[Level A harassment]; or (ii) has the potential
to disturb a marine mammal or marine
mammal stock in the wild by causing
disruption of behavioral patterns, including,
but not limited to, migration, breathing,
nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering
[Level B harassment].
Summary of Request
On February 1, 2011, NMFS received
a complete application from Port
Dolphin requesting authorization for the
take of two marine mammal species
incidental to construction and operation
of a liquefied natural gas (LNG)
deepwater port off the Gulf coast of
Florida over the course of 5 years,
which would necessitate the
promulgation of 5-year regulations. Port
Dolphin plans to build the LNG Port off
the western coast of Florida,
approximately 42 mi (68 km) from Port
Manatee, Florida. Once built, Port
Dolphin anticipates up to 46 shuttle
regasification vessel (SRV) unloadings
per year during the first several years of
operation. Noise produced during Port
installation and construction activities
and Port operations have the potential
to take marine mammals. Port Dolphin
requests authorization to take two
cetacean species by Level B harassment
only: Atlantic spotted dolphin and
bottlenose dolphin. Injury or mortality
is unlikely during the proposed
activities, and take by Level A
harassment (including injury) or
mortality is not requested in Port
Dolphin’s application.
Specified Activities
In the application submitted to
NMFS, Port Dolphin requests
authorization to take marine mammals
incidental to construction and operation
of the LNG Port off the Gulf coast of
Florida. Construction activities, which
would take approximately 11 months to
complete, include: buoy installation;
offshore hammering; horizontal
directional drilling (HDD); HDD
vibratory; pipeline laying offshore;
pipeline laying inshore; offshore
plowing; and inshore plowing.
Operational activities include: SRV
maneuvering and docking and
regasification. Sections 1 and 2 of Port
Dolphin’s application describe the full
suite of activities, as well as the location
and duration of activity.
Information Solicited
Interested persons may submit
information, suggestions, and comments
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
concerning Port Dolphin’s request (see
All information,
suggestions, and comments related to
Port Dolphin’s request and NMFS’
potential development and
implementation of regulations
governing the incidental taking of
marine mammals by Port Dolphin’s
activities will be considered by NMFS
in developing, if appropriate, the most
effective regulations governing the
issuance of letters of authorization.
ADDRESSES).
Dated: February 23, 2011.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–4539 Filed 2–28–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Proposed Collection; Patent Examiner
Employment Application
ACTION:
Proposed collection; comment
request.
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 revision of a currently
approved collection, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)).
SUMMARY:
Written comments must be
submitted on or before May 2, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• E-mail:
InformationCollection@uspto.gov.
Include ‘‘0651–0042 comment’’ 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.
• Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information
should be directed to the attention of
LaRita Jones, Chief of the Workforce
Employment Division, Office of Human
Resources, United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO), P.O. Box
1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450; by
telephone at 571–272–6196; or by e-mail
to larita.jones@uspto.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\01MRN1.SGM
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11207
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 40 / Tuesday, March 1, 2011 / Notices
I. Abstract
The USA Staffing system provided by
the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) is an automated online system
that allows the USPTO to rapidly review
applications for employment of entrylevel patent examiners. The Office of
Human Resources (OHR), armed with a
recommendation from a Supervisory
Patent Examiner (SPE), can use the
system to rapidly make an offer of
employment and take the necessary
administrative action to support the
hiring process. In FY 2010 and FY 2011,
USA Staffing enabled the Patent Corps
to hire more than 1,000 entry-level
patent examiners.
Since the inception of USA Staffing in
January 2007, the hiring process has
become more effective and compliant
with the examining requirements
established by OPM. In the current
employment environment, information
technology professionals and
engineering graduates are in great
demand. The USPTO is in direct
competition with private industry for
the same caliber of candidates with the
requisite knowledge and skills to
perform patent examination work.
Consequently, it is imperative that every
available technology be employed if the
USPTO is to remain competitive, meet
hiring goals, and fulfill the agency’s
Congressional commitment to reduce
the pendency rate for the examination of
patent applications. The information
supplied by an applicant seeking a
patent examiner position with the
USPTO assists the Human Resources
Specialists and hiring managers in
determining whether an applicant
possesses the basic qualification
requirements for the patent examiner
position.
USA Staffing provides the USPTO
with a user-friendly online employment
application process for applicants and
enables the USPTO to process hiring
actions in an efficient and timely
manner. The online application creates
an electronic real-time candidate
inventory that allows the USPTO to
review applications from potential
applicants almost instantaneously.
Given the immediate hiring need of the
Patent Examining Corps, time consumed
in the mail distribution system or paper
review of applications delays the
decision-making process by several
weeks. The USA Staffing system results
in increased speed and accuracy in the
employment process, in addition to
streamlining labor and reducing costs.
The use of the USA Staffing online
application fully complies with 5 U.S.C.
2301, which requires adequate public
notice to assure open competition by
guaranteeing that necessary
employment information will be
accessible and available to the public on
inquiry. It is also fully compliant with
Section 508 (29 U.S.C. 794(d)), which
requires agencies to provide disabled
employees and members of the public
access to information that is comparable
to the access available to others.
II. Method of Collection
With the use of USA Staffing, the
application information is collected
electronically from the applicant.
Applicants contact the OPM USA Jobs
Web site where they will find the online
job announcement that links them to the
application. The application is
completed online and then transmitted
to the USPTO via the Internet. For those
applicants who do not have access to a
personal computer, applications may be
faxed to the OPM computer facility for
processing.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651–0042.
Form Number(s): N/A.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
10,000 responses per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The
USPTO estimates that it will take the
public approximately 30 minutes (0.5
hours) to complete the employment
application, depending upon the
situation.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Burden Hours: 5,000 hours per year.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Cost Burden: $230,350. Using the
median hourly rate for scientists and
engineers of $46.07 as listed by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the USPTO
estimates $230,350 per year in cost
burden associated with respondents.
This is a fully loaded hourly rate.
Estimated time
for response
(minutes)
Item
Patent Examiner Employee Application ......................................................................................
30
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VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:42 Feb 28, 2011
Jkt 223001
USPTO by first-class mail through the
United States Postal Service. The
USPTO estimates that the average firstclass postage is 97 cents. Therefore the
USPTO estimates that it will receive
10,000 responses per year, for a total of
$9,700 (10,000 × $0.97) in postage costs.
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)
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Estimated
annual
burden hours
10,000
5,000
10,000
Total ......................................................................................................................................
Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour)
Respondent Cost Burden: $9,700. There
are no maintenance or record keeping
costs, as well as no filing fees associated
with this information collection.
However there are annual (non-hour)
costs in the form of postage costs.
Not every applicant can supply all of
the required information electronically.
The applicant does have the option to
submit a ‘‘Paper Qualifications
Questionnaire’’ and any supporting
documents, such as resumes) to the
USPTO either by fax, mail or in person.
The transcripts and other supporting
materials are submitted to the USPTO
the same way. These additional
documents may be submitted to the
Estimated
annual
responses
5,000
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 will also become a matter of public
record.
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11208
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 40 / Tuesday, March 1, 2011 / Notices
Dated: February 24, 2011.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011–4458 Filed 2–28–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark
Office
Proposed Collection; Substantive
Submissions Made During Prosecution
of the Trademark Application
ACTION:
Proposed collection; comment
request.
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 revision of a 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 May 2, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• E-mail:
InformationCollection@uspto.gov.
Include ‘‘0651–0054 comment’’ 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.
• Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information
should be directed to the attention of
Catherine Cain, Attorney Advisor,
Office of the Commissioner for
Trademarks, United States Patent and
Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1451,
Alexandria, VA 22313–1451, by
telephone at 571–272–8946, or by e-mail
to Catherine.Cain@uspto.gov.
SUMMARY:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
I. Abstract
The United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) administers
the Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. 1051 et
seq., which provides for the Federal
registration of trademarks, service
marks, collective trademarks and service
marks, collective membership marks,
and certification marks. Individuals and
businesses that use or intend to use
such marks in commerce may file an
application to register their marks with
the USPTO.
Such individuals and businesses may
also submit various communications to
the USPTO, including requests to
amend their registrations to delete goods
or services that are no longer being used
by the registrant. Registered marks
remain on the register for ten years and
can be renewed, but will be cancelled
unless the owner files with the USPTO
a declaration attesting to the continued
use (or excusable non-use) of the mark
in commerce within specific deadlines.
Applicants may also surrender a
registration and, in limited situations,
petition the Director to reinstate a
registration that has been cancelled.
The rules implementing the Act are
set forth in 37 CFR part 2. These rules
mandate that each register entry include
the mark, the goods and/or services in
connection with which the mark is
used, ownership information, dates of
use, and certain other information. The
USPTO also provides similar
information concerning pending
applications. The register and pending
application information may be
accessed by an individual or by
businesses to determine the availability
of a mark. By accessing the USPTO’s
information, parties may reduce the
possibility of initiating use of a mark
previously adopted by another. The
Federal trademark registration process
may thereby lessen the filing of papers
in court and between parties.
The USPTO is proposing to include
six new items in the inventory at this
time to take into account a new method
of electronic submission of information
for which a dedicated TEAS form is not
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Trademark/Service Mark Allegation of Use (Statement of Use/Amendment to Allege
Use) (Paper) .................................................................................................................
Trademark/Service Mark Allegation of Use (Statement of Use/Amendment to Allege
Use) (TEAS) .................................................................................................................
Request for Extension of Time to File a Statement of Use (Paper) ...............................
Request for Extension of Time to File a Statement of Use (TEAS) ...............................
Petition to Revive Abandoned Application—Failure to Respond Timely to Office Action (Paper) ..................................................................................................................
18:42 Feb 28, 2011
Jkt 223001
PO 00000
II. Method of Collection
Electronically if applicants submit the
information using the forms available
through the Trademark Electronic
Application System (TEAS). By mail or
hand delivery if applicants choose to
submit the information in paper form.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651–0054.
Form Number(s): PTO Forms 1553,
1581, 2194, 2195, 2200, and 2202.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Primarily business or
other for-profit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
289,519 per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The
USPTO estimates that it will take
approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to
20 minutes (0.33 hours) to complete this
information. This includes the time to
gather the necessary information, create
the documents, and submit the
completed request to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Burden Hours: 48,469.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Cost Burden: $15,752,425. The USPTO
believes that attorneys will complete
this information. The estimated hourly
rate for attorneys in private firms is
$325. Using this hourly rate, the USPTO
estimates that the total respondent cost
burden for this collection is $15,752,425
per year. This is a fully loaded hourly
rate.
Estimated time
for response
(minutes)
Item
VerDate Mar<15>2010
yet available (i.e., ‘‘Global Forms’’). The
new items are: Response to Intent-toUse (ITU) Divisional Unit Office Action,
Response to Petition to Revive
Deficiency Letter, Petition to the
Director Under Trademark Rule 2.146,
Due Diligence Petition Under
Trademark Rule 2.66, Petition to Revive
With Request to Delete Section 1(b)
Basis or to Delete ITU Goods/Services
After NOA, and Request to Divide
Application. Corresponding paper
submissions for these six new items are
also included in this collection.
Frm 00016
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Estimated
annual
responses
Estimated
annual
burden hours
20
4,361
1,439
15
10
8
73,525
4,531
176,715
18,381
770
22,973
15
810
203
E:\FR\FM\01MRN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11206-11208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4458]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Proposed Collection; Patent Examiner Employment Application
ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 revision of a currently approved
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 May 2, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
E-mail: InformationCollection@uspto.gov. Include ``0651-
0042 comment'' 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.
Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be directed to the attention of LaRita Jones, Chief of the
Workforce Employment Division, Office of Human Resources, United States
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA
22313-1450; by telephone at 571-272-6196; or by e-mail to
larita.jones@uspto.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 11207]]
I. Abstract
The USA Staffing system provided by the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) is an automated online system that allows the USPTO to
rapidly review applications for employment of entry-level patent
examiners. The Office of Human Resources (OHR), armed with a
recommendation from a Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE), can use the
system to rapidly make an offer of employment and take the necessary
administrative action to support the hiring process. In FY 2010 and FY
2011, USA Staffing enabled the Patent Corps to hire more than 1,000
entry-level patent examiners.
Since the inception of USA Staffing in January 2007, the hiring
process has become more effective and compliant with the examining
requirements established by OPM. In the current employment environment,
information technology professionals and engineering graduates are in
great demand. The USPTO is in direct competition with private industry
for the same caliber of candidates with the requisite knowledge and
skills to perform patent examination work. Consequently, it is
imperative that every available technology be employed if the USPTO is
to remain competitive, meet hiring goals, and fulfill the agency's
Congressional commitment to reduce the pendency rate for the
examination of patent applications. The information supplied by an
applicant seeking a patent examiner position with the USPTO assists the
Human Resources Specialists and hiring managers in determining whether
an applicant possesses the basic qualification requirements for the
patent examiner position.
USA Staffing provides the USPTO with a user-friendly online
employment application process for applicants and enables the USPTO to
process hiring actions in an efficient and timely manner. The online
application creates an electronic real-time candidate inventory that
allows the USPTO to review applications from potential applicants
almost instantaneously. Given the immediate hiring need of the Patent
Examining Corps, time consumed in the mail distribution system or paper
review of applications delays the decision-making process by several
weeks. The USA Staffing system results in increased speed and accuracy
in the employment process, in addition to streamlining labor and
reducing costs.
The use of the USA Staffing online application fully complies with
5 U.S.C. 2301, which requires adequate public notice to assure open
competition by guaranteeing that necessary employment information will
be accessible and available to the public on inquiry. It is also fully
compliant with Section 508 (29 U.S.C. 794(d)), which requires agencies
to provide disabled employees and members of the public access to
information that is comparable to the access available to others.
II. Method of Collection
With the use of USA Staffing, the application information is
collected electronically from the applicant. Applicants contact the OPM
USA Jobs Web site where they will find the online job announcement that
links them to the application. The application is completed online and
then transmitted to the USPTO via the Internet. For those applicants
who do not have access to a personal computer, applications may be
faxed to the OPM computer facility for processing.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651-0042.
Form Number(s): N/A.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 10,000 responses per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take
the public approximately 30 minutes (0.5 hours) to complete the
employment application, depending upon the situation.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 5,000 hours per
year.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $230,350. Using the
median hourly rate for scientists and engineers of $46.07 as listed by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the USPTO estimates $230,350 per year
in cost burden associated with respondents. This is a fully loaded
hourly rate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated time Estimated Estimated
Item for response annual annual burden
(minutes) responses hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patent Examiner Employee Application............................ 30 10,000 5,000
-----------------------------------------------
Total....................................................... .............. 10,000 5,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden: $9,700.
There are no maintenance or record keeping costs, as well as no filing
fees associated with this information collection. However there are
annual (non-hour) costs in the form of postage costs.
Not every applicant can supply all of the required information
electronically. The applicant does have the option to submit a ``Paper
Qualifications Questionnaire'' and any supporting documents, such as
resumes) to the USPTO either by fax, mail or in person. The transcripts
and other supporting materials are submitted to the USPTO the same way.
These additional documents may be submitted to the USPTO by first-class
mail through the United States Postal Service. The USPTO estimates that
the average first-class postage is 97 cents. Therefore the USPTO
estimates that it will receive 10,000 responses per year, for a total
of $9,700 (10,000 x $0.97) in postage costs.
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, 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 will also become a matter of public record.
[[Page 11208]]
Dated: February 24, 2011.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-4458 Filed 2-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P
