Notice of Roundtables and Extension of the Period for Comments on Examination Time Goals, 86323-86324 [2016-28689]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 230 / Wednesday, November 30, 2016 / Notices sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES (1) Prohibit the import of ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals from States not Party to the Convention (15 CFR 712.2(b)); (2) Require annual declarations by certain facilities engaged in the production of ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals in excess of 100 grams aggregate per calendar year (i.e., declared ‘‘Schedule 1’’ facilities) for purposes not prohibited by the Convention (15 CFR 712.5(a)(1) and (a)(2)); (3) Provide for government approval of ‘‘declared Schedule 1’’ facilities (15 CFR 712.5(f)); (4) Provide that ‘‘declared Schedule 1’’ facilities are subject to initial and routine inspection by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (15 CFR 712.5(e) and 716.1(b)(1)); (5) Require 200 days advance notification of establishment of new ‘‘Schedule 1’’ production facilities producing greater than 100 grams aggregate of ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals per calendar year (15 CFR 712.4); (6) Require advance notification and annual reporting of all imports and exports of ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals to, or from, other States Parties to the Convention (15 CFR 712.6, 742.18(a)(1) and 745.1); and (7) Prohibit the export of ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals to States not Party to the Convention (15 CFR 742.18(a)(1) and (b)(1)(ii)). For purposes of the CWCR (see 15 CFR 710.1), ‘‘production of a Schedule 1 chemical’’ means the formation of ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals through chemical synthesis, as well as processing to extract and isolate ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals produced biologically. Such production is understood, for CWCR declaration purposes, to include intermediates, byproducts, or waste products that are produced and consumed within a defined chemical manufacturing sequence, where such intermediates, byproducts, or waste products are chemically stable and therefore exist for a sufficient time to make isolation from the manufacturing stream possible, but where, under normal or design operating conditions, isolation does not occur. Request for Comments In order to assist in determining whether the legitimate commercial activities and interests of chemical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical firms in the United States are significantly harmed by the limitations of the Convention on access to, and production of, ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals as described in this notice, BIS is seeking public comments on any effects VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:51 Nov 29, 2016 Jkt 241001 that implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, through the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act and the Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations, has had on commercial activities involving ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals during calendar year 2016. To allow BIS to properly evaluate the significance of any harm to commercial activities involving ‘‘Schedule 1’’ chemicals, public comments submitted in response to this notice of inquiry should include both a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the impact of the CWC on such activities. Submission of Comments All comments must be submitted to one of the addresses indicated in this notice. The Department requires that all comments be submitted in written form. The Department encourages interested persons who wish to comment to do so at the earliest possible time. The period for submission of comments will close on December 30, 2016. The Department will consider all comments received before the close of the comment period. Comments received after the end of the comment period may not be considered. The Department will not accept comments accompanied by a request that a part or all of the material be treated confidentially because of its business proprietary nature or for any other reason. The Department will return such comments and materials to the persons submitting the comments and will not consider them. All comments submitted in response to this notice will be a matter of public record and will be available for public inspection and copying. The Office of Administration, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, displays public comments on the BIS Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Web site at https://www.bis.doc.gov/foia. This office does not maintain a separate public inspection facility. If you have technical difficulties accessing this Web site, please call BIS’s Office of Administration, at (202) 482–1093, for assistance. Dated: November 23, 2016. Kevin J. Wolf, Assistant Secretary for Export Administration. [FR Doc. 2016–28799 Filed 11–29–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–33–P PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 86323 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office [Docket No. PTO–P–2016–0051] Notice of Roundtables and Extension of the Period for Comments on Examination Time Goals United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of public roundtables and extension of the comment period. AGENCY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) previously announced information for roundtables in Alexandria, Virginia, and Dallas, Texas, to solicit public feedback as part of an effort to reevaluate its examination time goals. Examination time goals vary by technology and represent the average amount of time that a patent examiner is expected to spend examining a patent application in a particular technology. The Office now is providing information on the additional three roundtables that the Office will be conducting in Detroit, Michigan; Denver, Colorado; and San Jose, California. In addition, the Office is extending the written comment period to ensure that all stakeholders have sufficient opportunity to submit comments on the reevaluation of the Office’s examination time goals. DATES: Written Comments Deadline: To be ensured of consideration, written comments must be received on or before January 30, 2017. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent by electronic mail addressed to ExternalExaminationTimeStudy@ USPTO.gov. Comments also may be submitted by postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop Comments—Patents, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450, marked to the attention of Raul Tamayo, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy. Although comments may be submitted by postal mail, the Office prefers to receive comments by electronic mail in order to facilitate posting on the USPTO’s Internet Web site (https://www.uspto.gov). Electronic comments may be submitted in plain text, ADOBE® portable document format, or MICROSOFT WORD® format. Comments not submitted electronically should be submitted on paper in a format that facilitates digital scanning into ADOBE® portable document format. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM 30NON1 sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES 86324 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 230 / Wednesday, November 30, 2016 / Notices The comments will be available for viewing via the USPTO’s Internet Web site (https://www.uspto.gov). The comments also will be available for public inspection at the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, currently located in Madison East, Tenth Floor, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. Because the comments will be made publicly available, information that the submitter does not desire to make public, such as an address or phone number, should not be included in the comments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roundtable information, including roundtable registration information: Elizabeth Magargel, Strategic Planning Project Manager, Office of the Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations, by telephone at (571) 270– 7248. Written comments: Raul Tamayo, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, by telephone at (571) 272–7728. Examination time goals: Daniel Sullivan, Director Technology Center 1600, by telephone at (571) 272–0900. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a Federal Register Notice, Request for Comments on Examination Time Goals, 81 FR 73383 (Oct. 25, 2016), the Office solicited written comments on the reevaluation of the Office’s examination time goals. In addition to accepting public feedback through the submission of written comments, the Office provided increased interactive participation through IdeaScale®, a Web-based collaboration tool that allows users to post comments and interact with the posted comments of others; and through roundtables in Alexandria, Detroit, Denver, Dallas, and San Jose. The October 25, 2016 Federal Register Notice provided dates and other information for the Alexandria and Dallas roundtables. The October 25, 2016 Federal Register Notice indicated that dates and other information for the roundtables to be conducted in Detroit, Denver, and San Jose would be forthcoming. The Office now provides dates and other information for the roundtables to be conducted in Detroit, Denver, and San Jose. The San Jose roundtable has been scheduled for January 11, 2017, which is after the written comment deadline set forth in the October 25, 2016 Federal Register Notice. To ensure that all roundtable attendees also have the opportunity to provide written comments, the Office hereby is VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:51 Nov 29, 2016 Jkt 241001 extending the period for submission of written comments until January 30, 2017. Please visit https://www.uspto.gov/ patent/initiatives/eta-external-outreach for more information on the reevaluation of the Office’s examination time goals. The Web page includes: Dates and registration information for the roundtables; information on how to use IdeaScale® to comment on examination time goals; and information to help inform public comments responsive to the October 25, 2016 Federal Register Notice requesting comments, such as background material illustrating the use of examination time goals in the context of individual examiner evaluation, and as an input into the model used to forecast pendency and hiring needs. The Office plans to use the public feedback it receives as an input to help ensure that the Office’s examination time goals accurately reflect the amount of time needed by examiners to conduct quality examination in a manner that responds to stakeholders’ interests. Detroit, Denver, and San Jose Roundtable Registration Information: Roundtables will be conducted in Detroit, Denver, and San Jose, as detailed below. Registration is required, and early registration is recommended because seating is limited. There is no fee to register for any of the roundtables, and registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration on the day of the roundtables will be permitted on a space-available basis beginning 30 minutes before each roundtable. To register, please send an email message to ExternalExaminationTime Study@USPTO.gov and provide the following information: (1) Your name, title, and if applicable, company or organization, address, phone number, and email address; and (2) which roundtable you wish to attend. Each attendee, even if from the same organization, must register separately. If you need special accommodations, e.g., due to a disability, please inform a contact person identified below. For more information on any of the roundtables, including the agenda for each roundtable and webcast access instructions for the Alexandria roundtable, please visit https:// www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/etaexternal-outreach. Detroit Roundtable Detroit Dates: Roundtable Date: The Detroit roundtable will be held on Thursday, December 15, 2016, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and ending at 11:00 a.m. EST. PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 Registration Deadline: Registration to attend the Detroit roundtable in person or via webcast is requested by December 8, 2016. See the ‘‘Roundtable Registration Information’’ section of this notice, or visit https://www.uspto.gov/ patent/initiatives/eta-external-outreach, for additional details on how to register. Address of Detroit Roundtable: The Detroit roundtable will be held at the USPTO’s Midwest Regional Office in the Stroh Building, 300 River Place Drive, Suite 2900, Detroit, MI, 48207. Denver Roundtable Denver Dates: Roundtable Date: The Denver roundtable will be held on Thursday, December 15, 2016, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST) and ending at 12:00 p.m. MST. Registration Deadline: Registration to attend the Denver roundtable is requested by December 8, 2016. See the ‘‘Roundtable Registration Information’’ section of this notice, or visit https:// www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/etaexternal-outreach, for additional details on how to register. Address of Denver Roundtable: The Denver roundtable will be held at the USPTO’s Rocky Mountain Regional Office in the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building, 1961 Stout Street, Longs Peak Conference Room, 2nd Floor, Denver, CO 80296. San Jose Roundtable San Jose Dates: Roundtable Date: The San Jose roundtable will be held on Wednesday, January 11, 2017, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) and ending at 3:00 p.m. PST. Registration Deadline: Registration to attend the San Jose roundtable is requested by January 4, 2017. See the ‘‘Roundtable Registration Information’’ section of this notice, or visit https:// www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/etaexternal-outreach, for additional details on how to register. Address of San Jose Roundtable: The San Jose roundtable will be held at the San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95113. Dated: November 22, 2016. Michelle K. Lee, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [FR Doc. 2016–28689 Filed 11–29–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–16–P E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM 30NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86323-86324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28689]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

United States Patent and Trademark Office

[Docket No. PTO-P-2016-0051]


Notice of Roundtables and Extension of the Period for Comments on 
Examination Time Goals

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public roundtables and extension of the comment 
period.

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

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or 
USPTO) previously announced information for roundtables in Alexandria, 
Virginia, and Dallas, Texas, to solicit public feedback as part of an 
effort to reevaluate its examination time goals. Examination time goals 
vary by technology and represent the average amount of time that a 
patent examiner is expected to spend examining a patent application in 
a particular technology. The Office now is providing information on the 
additional three roundtables that the Office will be conducting in 
Detroit, Michigan; Denver, Colorado; and San Jose, California. In 
addition, the Office is extending the written comment period to ensure 
that all stakeholders have sufficient opportunity to submit comments on 
the reevaluation of the Office's examination time goals.

DATES: Written Comments Deadline: To be ensured of consideration, 
written comments must be received on or before January 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent by electronic mail addressed 
to ExternalExaminationTimeStudy@USPTO.gov. Comments also may be 
submitted by postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop Comments--Patents, 
Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, 
marked to the attention of Raul Tamayo, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of 
Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for 
Patent Examination Policy.
    Although comments may be submitted by postal mail, the Office 
prefers to receive comments by electronic mail in order to facilitate 
posting on the USPTO's Internet Web site (https://www.uspto.gov). 
Electronic comments may be submitted in plain text, ADOBE[supreg] 
portable document format, or MICROSOFT WORD[supreg] format. Comments 
not submitted electronically should be submitted on paper in a format 
that facilitates digital scanning into ADOBE[supreg] portable document 
format.

[[Page 86324]]

    The comments will be available for viewing via the USPTO's Internet 
Web site (https://www.uspto.gov). The comments also will be available 
for public inspection at the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, 
currently located in Madison East, Tenth Floor, 600 Dulany Street, 
Alexandria, Virginia 22314. Because the comments will be made publicly 
available, information that the submitter does not desire to make 
public, such as an address or phone number, should not be included in 
the comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roundtable information, including 
roundtable registration information: Elizabeth Magargel, Strategic 
Planning Project Manager, Office of the Assistant Deputy Commissioner 
for Patent Operations, by telephone at (571) 270-7248.
    Written comments: Raul Tamayo, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of 
Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for 
Patent Examination Policy, by telephone at (571) 272-7728.
    Examination time goals: Daniel Sullivan, Director Technology Center 
1600, by telephone at (571) 272-0900.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a Federal Register Notice, Request for 
Comments on Examination Time Goals, 81 FR 73383 (Oct. 25, 2016), the 
Office solicited written comments on the reevaluation of the Office's 
examination time goals. In addition to accepting public feedback 
through the submission of written comments, the Office provided 
increased interactive participation through IdeaScale[supreg], a Web-
based collaboration tool that allows users to post comments and 
interact with the posted comments of others; and through roundtables in 
Alexandria, Detroit, Denver, Dallas, and San Jose. The October 25, 2016 
Federal Register Notice provided dates and other information for the 
Alexandria and Dallas roundtables. The October 25, 2016 Federal 
Register Notice indicated that dates and other information for the 
roundtables to be conducted in Detroit, Denver, and San Jose would be 
forthcoming.
    The Office now provides dates and other information for the 
roundtables to be conducted in Detroit, Denver, and San Jose.
    The San Jose roundtable has been scheduled for January 11, 2017, 
which is after the written comment deadline set forth in the October 
25, 2016 Federal Register Notice. To ensure that all roundtable 
attendees also have the opportunity to provide written comments, the 
Office hereby is extending the period for submission of written 
comments until January 30, 2017.
    Please visit https://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/eta-external-outreach for more information on the reevaluation of the Office's 
examination time goals. The Web page includes: Dates and registration 
information for the roundtables; information on how to use 
IdeaScale[supreg] to comment on examination time goals; and information 
to help inform public comments responsive to the October 25, 2016 
Federal Register Notice requesting comments, such as background 
material illustrating the use of examination time goals in the context 
of individual examiner evaluation, and as an input into the model used 
to forecast pendency and hiring needs. The Office plans to use the 
public feedback it receives as an input to help ensure that the 
Office's examination time goals accurately reflect the amount of time 
needed by examiners to conduct quality examination in a manner that 
responds to stakeholders' interests.
    Detroit, Denver, and San Jose Roundtable Registration Information: 
Roundtables will be conducted in Detroit, Denver, and San Jose, as 
detailed below. Registration is required, and early registration is 
recommended because seating is limited. There is no fee to register for 
any of the roundtables, and registration will be on a first-come, 
first-served basis. Registration on the day of the roundtables will be 
permitted on a space-available basis beginning 30 minutes before each 
roundtable.
    To register, please send an email message to 
ExternalExaminationTimeStudy@USPTO.gov and provide the following 
information: (1) Your name, title, and if applicable, company or 
organization, address, phone number, and email address; and (2) which 
roundtable you wish to attend. Each attendee, even if from the same 
organization, must register separately. If you need special 
accommodations, e.g., due to a disability, please inform a contact 
person identified below.
    For more information on any of the roundtables, including the 
agenda for each roundtable and webcast access instructions for the 
Alexandria roundtable, please visit https://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/eta-external-outreach.

Detroit Roundtable

    Detroit Dates: Roundtable Date: The Detroit roundtable will be held 
on Thursday, December 15, 2016, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard 
Time (EST) and ending at 11:00 a.m. EST.
    Registration Deadline: Registration to attend the Detroit 
roundtable in person or via webcast is requested by December 8, 2016. 
See the ``Roundtable Registration Information'' section of this notice, 
or visit https://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/eta-external-outreach, 
for additional details on how to register.
    Address of Detroit Roundtable: The Detroit roundtable will be held 
at the USPTO's Midwest Regional Office in the Stroh Building, 300 River 
Place Drive, Suite 2900, Detroit, MI, 48207.

Denver Roundtable

    Denver Dates: Roundtable Date: The Denver roundtable will be held 
on Thursday, December 15, 2016, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Mountain 
Standard Time (MST) and ending at 12:00 p.m. MST.
    Registration Deadline: Registration to attend the Denver roundtable 
is requested by December 8, 2016. See the ``Roundtable Registration 
Information'' section of this notice, or visit https://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/eta-external-outreach, for additional details on how 
to register.
    Address of Denver Roundtable: The Denver roundtable will be held at 
the USPTO's Rocky Mountain Regional Office in the Byron G. Rogers 
Federal Building, 1961 Stout Street, Longs Peak Conference Room, 2nd 
Floor, Denver, CO 80296.

San Jose Roundtable

    San Jose Dates: Roundtable Date: The San Jose roundtable will be 
held on Wednesday, January 11, 2017, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Pacific 
Standard Time (PST) and ending at 3:00 p.m. PST.
    Registration Deadline: Registration to attend the San Jose 
roundtable is requested by January 4, 2017. See the ``Roundtable 
Registration Information'' section of this notice, or visit https://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/eta-external-outreach, for additional 
details on how to register.
    Address of San Jose Roundtable: The San Jose roundtable will be 
held at the San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 
95113.

     Dated: November 22, 2016.
Michelle K. Lee,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of 
the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2016-28689 Filed 11-29-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-16-P
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