Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery, 23428-23430 [2018-10768]

Download as PDF 23428 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2018 / Notices The MDP operates within the Office of Response and Restoration as part of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. II. Method of Collection Respondents to this collection may choose to submit electronically or in paper format. III. Data OMB Control Number: 0648–0718. Form Number(s): None. Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of an existing information collection). Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations, not-for-profit institutions, state, local or tribal government. Estimated Number of Respondents: 70. Estimated Time per Response: 10 hours (semi-annually). Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,400. Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 in recordkeeping/reporting 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 and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record. Dated: May 16, 2018. Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2018–10748 Filed 5–18–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–JE–P sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:20 May 18, 2018 Jkt 244001 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: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Title: Preliminary Case Study Assessing Economic Benefits of Marine Debris Reduction. OMB Control Number: 0648–0756. Form Number(s): None. Type of Request: Regular (revision of a currently approved information collection). Number of Respondents: 1,600. Average Hours per Response: On-site intercept, 2 minutes; full survey, 10 minutes. Burden Hours: 729. Needs and Uses: This request is for revision of a currently approved information collection. A pretest was conducted at one site, and the survey is now being extended to 4 sites. The National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Marine Debris Program is sponsoring this data collection. The Marine Debris Program was created under the 2006 ‘‘Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act’’ (33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) which was reauthorized in 2012 as the ‘‘Marine Debris Act Amendments of 2012’’ (H.R. 1171) as part of the Coast Guard Maritime Transportation Act (H.R. 2838). Among other activities, the bill requires NOAA ‘‘. . . to address the adverse impacts of marine debris on the United States economy . . .’’ To that aim, the proposed data collection will support the goals of a larger study whose purpose is to develop a regional economic model to estimate the value to local economies of increased spending on recreation and tourism from the reduction or elimination of marine debris on beaches in seven coastal communities of the continental U.S. The data collection will consist of on-site sampling to generate a pool of respondents who will be sent a mail survey that asks questions related to beach attributes, local beach familiarity, number of beach trips taken, and ratings of marine debris encountered while on these trips. Onsite sampling will involve intercepting people at several beaches in each study area and asking them to participate in a mail survey. For those willing to take the mail survey, a brief onsite interview will ask the respondent’s name and mailing address, as well as several demographic questions such as age and education. Those who do not agree to participate in the mail survey will only be asked the demographic questions, whether they participated in a single or multi-day PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 trip, and zip code. A mail-survey mode will be used for the follow-up questionnaire. The mail survey instrument will combine a selection of questions from a previously OMBapproved survey instrument used in Orange County, California with new contingent behavior questions developed specifically for this study to determine the impact of the presence of marine debris on respondents’ recreation choices. This data collection will determine the impact of marine debris on survey respondents’ recreation choices at these seven coastal communities and represents the first component to be undertaken as part of the larger study. Affected Public: Individuals or households. Frequency: One time. Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to OIRA_Submission@ omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806. Dated: May 16, 2018. Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2018–10746 Filed 5–18–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–JE–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Patent and Trademark Office Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on a proposed extension of an existing information collection; 0651–0080: Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 20, 2018. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods: • Email: InformationCollection@ uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651–0080: Generic Clearance comment’’ in the subject line of the message. • Federal Rulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\21MYN1.SGM 21MYN1 23429 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2018 / Notices sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES • Mail: Marcie Lovett, Director, Records and Information Governance Division, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information should be directed to Marcie Lovett, Director, Records and Information Governance Division, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450; by telephone at 571–272–8123; or by email to informationcollection@uspto.gov with ‘‘Paperwork’’ in the subject line. Additional information about this collection can be found at https:// www.reginfo.gov under ‘‘Information Collection Review.’’ SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract Executive Order 12862 (https:// www.archives.gov/federal-register/ executive-orders/pdf/12862.pdf) directs Federal agencies to provide services to the public that matches or exceeds the best services available in the private sector. In order to work continuously to ensure that its programs are effective and meet its customers’ needs, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (hereafter ‘‘USPTO’’ or ‘‘the Agency’’) proposes the following generic clearance to collect qualitative feedback on its service delivery. Qualitative feedback refers to information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but is not in the form of statistical surveys which yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study. Collecting feedback will allow for the Agency to have a pulse on customer satisfaction and adjust where necessary to meet and exceed expectations. This feedback collection will provide for ongoing, collaborative, and actionable communication between the Agency and its customers and stakeholders. It also will enable the Agency to garner customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient and timely manner, in accordance with the USPTO’s commitment to improving services. The information collected from Agency customers and stakeholders will help ensure users have an opportunity to convey their experience with USPTO programs. This collection will also provide insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences, and expectations, which will allow the Agency to focus attention on areas where communication, training, or changes in operations may be necessary. Improving Agency programs requires ongoing assessment. The Agency will collect, analyze, and interpret information gathered to identify strengths and weaknesses of current services. Based on feedback received, the Agency will identify operational changes needed to improve programs and services. The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: Timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. The Agency is committed to hearing feedback from its customers. Responses will be assessed to identify service areas in need of improvement. If this information is not collected, then the Agency will miss opportunities to obtain vital feedback from its customers and stakeholders on ways to improve their program and services. The Agency will only submit a collection for approval under this generic clearance if it meets the following conditions: • The collection is voluntary; • The collection is low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government; • The collection is noncontroversial and does not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies; • Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future; • Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained; • Information gathered will only be used internally for general program and service improvement as well as program administrative purposes, and is not intended for release outside the Agency; • Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions; and • Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the collections are not designed or expected to yield statistically reliable results nor used as though the results are generalizable to the population of study. As a general matter, these information collections will not result in any new system of records containing privacy information and will not ask questions of a sensitive nature. II. Method of Collection The USPTO uses surveys, focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, and usability testing to collect feedback from its customers. These may be conducted via telephone, through electronic means, or in person. The USPTO expects customers will respond to the questionnaires and surveys primarily through electronic means, and to the focus groups, interviews, and usability testing primarily in person. III. Data OMB Number: 0651–0080. IC Instruments and Forms: The individual instruments in this collection, as well as their associated forms, are listed in the table below. Type of Review: Regular. Affected Public: Individuals and households; businesses or other forprofits; and not-for-profit institutions. Estimated Number of Respondents: 143,000 responses per year. Estimated Time per Response: Between 3 minutes (0.05 hours) and 120 minutes (2 hours), depending on the instruments used and the item being completed. Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 18,475 hours. Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden: $4,387,986.75. The USPTO expects that attorneys, paralegals and pro se applicants will complete these applications. The professional hourly rate for attorneys is $438, and the hourly rates for paralegals and pro se applicants are $145 and $30, respectively. The average of the combined respondent rate is $204.33. Using this blended hourly rate, the USPTO estimates that the total respondent cost burden for this collection is $4,387,986.75 per year. 1 ..................... VerDate Sep<11>2014 Estimated time for response (minutes) Information collection item Estimated annual responses Estimated annual burden hours (a) IC No. (b) (a) x (b) = (c) Customer Surveys ............................................................... 18:20 May 18, 2018 Jkt 244001 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 5 40,000 E:\FR\FM\21MYN1.SGM 21MYN1 3,333.33 Rate (S/hr) $204.33 23430 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2018 / Notices 2 ..................... 3 ..................... 4 ..................... 5 ..................... 6 ..................... Total (ThreeYear Period). Information collection item Estimated annual burden hours (b) (a) x (b) = (c) Rate (S/hr) 5 600 50.00 $204.33 15 120 30 500 400 1,000 125.00 800.00 500.00 $204.33 $204.33 $204.33 10 100,000 16,666.67 $204.33 .............................................................................................. ........................ 143,000 (429,000) 18,475 (55,425) ........................ 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, e.g., 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. Marcie Lovett, Records Management Division Director, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 2018–10768 Filed 5–18–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–16–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES Estimated annual responses Questionnaires/Customer Comment Cards/Complaint Forms. Focus Groups/Interviews ..................................................... Small Discussion Groups .................................................... Usability Tests (In-person observation (i.e., Website/Software). ForeSee Surveys (USPTO.GOV) ........................................ Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There are no capital start-up, maintenance, postage, recordkeeping costs, or any other fees associated with this information collection. Patent and Trademark Office Proposed Collection; Comment Request; ‘‘Rules for Patent Maintenance Fees’’ United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce. AGENCY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 Estimated time for response (minutes) (a) IC No. 18:20 May 18, 2018 Jkt 244001 Proposed extension of an existing information collection; comment request. States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) charges fees for maintaining in force all utility patents based on applications filed on or after December SUMMARY: The United States Patent and 12, 1980. Payment of these maintenance Trademark Office (USPTO), as part of its fees is due at 31⁄2, 71⁄2, and 111⁄2 years continuing effort to reduce paperwork after the date the patent was granted. If and respondent burden, invites the the USPTO does not receive payment of general public and other Federal the appropriate maintenance fee and agencies to comment on proposed and/ any applicable surcharge within a grace or continuing information collections, period of six months following each of as required by the Paperwork Reduction the above due dates (at 4, 8, or 12 years Act of 1995. after the date of grant), the patent will DATES: Written comments must be expire at that time. After a patent submitted on or before July 20, 2018. expires, it is no longer enforceable. ADDRESSES: Written comments may be Maintenance fees are not required for submitted by any of the following design, plant, or reissue patents if the methods: patent being reissued did not require • Email: InformationCollection@ maintenance fees. uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651–0016 Rules for Payments of maintenance fees that are Patent Maintenance Fees’’ in the subject submitted during the six-month grace line of the message. period before patent expiration must • Mail: Marcie Lovett, Director, include the appropriate surcharge as Records and Information Governance indicated by 37 CFR 1.20(h). Division, Office of the Chief Technology Submissions of maintenance fee Officer, United States Patent and payments and surcharges must include Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, the relevant patent number and the Alexandria, VA 22313–1450. corresponding United States application • Federal Rulemaking Portal: https:// number in order to identify the correct www.regulations.gov. patent and ensure proper crediting of FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: the fee being paid. If the USPTO refuses to accept and Requests for additional information record a maintenance fee payment that should be directed to Raul Tamayo, was submitted prior to the expiration of Senior Legal Advisor, Office of Patent a patent, the patentee may petition the Legal Administration, United States Director to accept and record the Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), maintenance fee under 37 CFR 1.377. P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313– 1450; by telephone at 571–272–7728; or This petition must be accompanied by the fee indicated in 37 CFR 1.17(g), by email at Raul.Tamayo@uspto.gov which may be refunded if it is with ‘‘Paperwork’’ in the subject line. determined that the refusal to accept the Additional information about this maintenance fee was due to an error by collection is also available at https:// the USPTO. www.reginfo.gov under ‘‘Information If a patent has expired due to Collection Review.’’ nonpayment of a maintenance fee, the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: patentee may petition the Director to I. Abstract accept a delayed payment of the maintenance fee under 37 CFR 1.378. Under 35 U.S.C. § 41 and 37 CFR 1.20(e)–(h) and 1.362–1.378, the United The Director may accept the payment of ACTION: PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\21MYN1.SGM 21MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23428-23430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10768]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Patent and Trademark Office


Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on 
Agency Service Delivery

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on a 
proposed extension of an existing information collection; 0651-0080: 
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 20, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0080: Generic Clearance comment'' in the subject line of the message.
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.

[[Page 23429]]

     Mail: Marcie Lovett, Director, Records and Information 
Governance Division, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, United 
States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 
22313-1450.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Marcie Lovett, Director, Records and Information 
Governance Division, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, United 
States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 
22313-1450; by telephone at 571-272-8123; or by email to 
[email protected] with ``Paperwork'' in the subject line.
    Additional information about this collection can be found at https://www.reginfo.gov under ``Information Collection Review.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    Executive Order 12862 (https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/pdf/12862.pdf) directs Federal agencies to provide 
services to the public that matches or exceeds the best services 
available in the private sector. In order to work continuously to 
ensure that its programs are effective and meet its customers' needs, 
the United States Patent and Trademark Office (hereafter ``USPTO'' or 
``the Agency'') proposes the following generic clearance to collect 
qualitative feedback on its service delivery. Qualitative feedback 
refers to information that provides useful insights on perceptions and 
opinions, but is not in the form of statistical surveys which yield 
quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of 
study.
    Collecting feedback will allow for the Agency to have a pulse on 
customer satisfaction and adjust where necessary to meet and exceed 
expectations. This feedback collection will provide for ongoing, 
collaborative, and actionable communication between the Agency and its 
customers and stakeholders. It also will enable the Agency to garner 
customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient and timely manner, in 
accordance with the USPTO's commitment to improving services. The 
information collected from Agency customers and stakeholders will help 
ensure users have an opportunity to convey their experience with USPTO 
programs. This collection will also provide insights into customer or 
stakeholder perceptions, experiences, and expectations, which will 
allow the Agency to focus attention on areas where communication, 
training, or changes in operations may be necessary.
    Improving Agency programs requires ongoing assessment. The Agency 
will collect, analyze, and interpret information gathered to identify 
strengths and weaknesses of current services. Based on feedback 
received, the Agency will identify operational changes needed to 
improve programs and services. The solicitation of feedback will target 
areas such as: Timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy of information, 
courtesy, efficiency of service delivery, and resolution of issues with 
service delivery. The Agency is committed to hearing feedback from its 
customers. Responses will be assessed to identify service areas in need 
of improvement. If this information is not collected, then the Agency 
will miss opportunities to obtain vital feedback from its customers and 
stakeholders on ways to improve their program and services.
    The Agency will only submit a collection for approval under this 
generic clearance if it meets the following conditions:
     The collection is voluntary;
     The collection is low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents 
and the Federal Government;
     The collection is noncontroversial and does not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
     Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future;
     Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary and is not retained;
     Information gathered will only be used internally for 
general program and service improvement as well as program 
administrative purposes, and is not intended for release outside the 
Agency;
     Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
     Information gathered will yield qualitative information; 
the collections are not designed or expected to yield statistically 
reliable results nor used as though the results are generalizable to 
the population of study.
    As a general matter, these information collections will not result 
in any new system of records containing privacy information and will 
not ask questions of a sensitive nature.

II. Method of Collection

    The USPTO uses surveys, focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, 
and usability testing to collect feedback from its customers. These may 
be conducted via telephone, through electronic means, or in person. The 
USPTO expects customers will respond to the questionnaires and surveys 
primarily through electronic means, and to the focus groups, 
interviews, and usability testing primarily in person.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0651-0080.
    IC Instruments and Forms: The individual instruments in this 
collection, as well as their associated forms, are listed in the table 
below.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households; businesses or other 
for-profits; and not-for-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 143,000 responses per year.
    Estimated Time per Response: Between 3 minutes (0.05 hours) and 120 
minutes (2 hours), depending on the instruments used and the item being 
completed.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 18,475 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden: 
$4,387,986.75. The USPTO expects that attorneys, paralegals and pro se 
applicants will complete these applications. The professional hourly 
rate for attorneys is $438, and the hourly rates for paralegals and pro 
se applicants are $145 and $30, respectively. The average of the 
combined respondent rate is $204.33. Using this blended hourly rate, 
the USPTO estimates that the total respondent cost burden for this 
collection is $4,387,986.75 per year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                             Estimated
                                                                                             time for        Estimated       Estimated
                     IC No.                            Information collection item           response         annual       annual burden   Rate  (S/hr)
                                                                                             (minutes)       responses         hours
                                                 .......................................             (a)             (b)     (a) x (b) =  ..............
                                                                                                                                     (c)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1..............................................  Customer Surveys.......................               5          40,000        3,333.33         $204.33

[[Page 23430]]

 
2..............................................  Questionnaires/Customer Comment Cards/                5             600           50.00         $204.33
                                                  Complaint Forms.
3..............................................  Focus Groups/Interviews................              15             500          125.00         $204.33
4..............................................  Small Discussion Groups................             120             400          800.00         $204.33
5..............................................  Usability Tests (In-person observation               30           1,000          500.00         $204.33
                                                  (i.e., Website/Software).
6..............................................  ForeSee Surveys (USPTO.GOV)............              10         100,000       16,666.67         $204.33
                                                                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total (Three-Year Period)..................  .......................................  ..............         143,000          18,475  ..............
                                                                                                               (429,000)        (55,425)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There 
are no capital start-up, maintenance, postage, recordkeeping costs, or 
any other 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 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, e.g., 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.

Marcie Lovett,
Records Management Division Director, USPTO, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-10768 Filed 5-18-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-16-P


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