Request for Continued Examination Survey Submission Request

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0690-0030)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Request for Continued Examination Survey

PURPOSE:

A Request for Continued Examination (RCE) is a request by an applicant, for continued examination of an application for a fee, without requiring the applicant to file a continuing application or a continued prosecution application. The survey is directed to gaining insight into the filing habits of RCE filers. The more information the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) can gain about the filing habits of RCE filers, the better the USPTO can enable patent applicants to use RCE practice when needed, while avoiding it where equal or better options are available.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Patent applicants and patent practitioners.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The 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 future.

Name: Raul Tamayo

To assist review, please provide answers to the following questions:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Private sector	1,000	3 minutes	50 hours
Totals	1,000		50 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $750.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

There will be an announcement on the front page of EFS-Web, which is the USPTO’s electronic filing system, alerting visitors to the existence of the survey. Access from the front page of EFS-Web to the online collection instrument (“Survey Monkey”) will be provided. Individuals visiting the front page of EFS-Web to file their application papers will see the announcement, self-identify as a RCE filer, and click through to the survey.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

The agency plans to use “Survey Monkey” to host the survey questions.

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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