11432 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 41 / Wednesday, March 2, 2011 / Notices 

Item Responses 

(a) 

Filing Fee ($) 

(b) 

Total non-hour 

cost burden 

(a × b) 

(c) 

EFS-Web Petitions for Requests for Documents in a Form Other than that Provided by 37 CFR 1.19 ............................................................................................ 50 130.00 6,500.00 

Petitions to Make Special Under Accelerated Examination Program (EFS-Web 

only) PTO/SB/28 (EFS-Web only) ......................................................................... 550 130.00 71,500.00 

Petitions for Express Abandonment to Avoid Publication Under 37 CFR 1.138(c) 

PTO/SB/24a ........................................................................................................... 50 130.00 6,500.00 

EFS-Web Petitions for Express Abandonment to Avoid Publication Under 37 CFR 

1.138(c) .................................................................................................................. 500 130.00 65,000.00 

Petition for Extension of Time Under 37 CFR 1.136(b) PTO/SB/23 ........................ 6 200.00 1,200.00 

EFS-Web Petition for Extension of Time Under 37 CFR 1.136(b) ........................... 54 200.00 10,800.00 

Petition Fee under 37 CFR 1.17(f), (g), and (h) Transmittal PTO/SB/17 ................. 1,900 None 0.00 

EFS-Web Petition Fee under 37 CFR 1.17(f), (g), and (h) Transmittal .................... 17,000 None 0.00 

TOTALS .............................................................................................................. 39,015 .............................. 3,864,150.00 

The USPTO estimates that the total 

non-hour respondent cost burden for 

this collection in the form of postage 

costs and filing fees amounts to 

$3,875,424. 

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 will also become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: February 24, 2011. 

Susan K. Fawcett, 

Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–4456 Filed 3–1–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

United States Patent and Trademark 

Office 

[Docket No. PTO–T–2010–0090] 

Coding of Design Marks in 

Registrations 

AGENCY: United States Patent and 

Trademark Office, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (‘‘USPTO’’) is 

discontinuing the practice of coding 

newly registered trademarks that 

include a design element with design 

mark codes based on the old paper 

search designations. The USPTO will 

continue to code all pending 

applications that contain a design 

element using a numerical design code 

system modeled after the International 

Classification of the Figurative Elements 

of Marks (‘‘USPTO Design 

Classification’’). 

DATES: Effective immediately. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cynthia C. Lynch, Office of the Deputy 

Commissioner for Trademark 

Examination Policy, by telephone at 

(571) 272–8742. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 41(i)(1)–(2), the 

USPTO maintains a publicly available 

searchable collection of all United 

States trademark registrations in 

electronic form. 

On December 28, 2010, the USPTO 

published a notice and request for 

comments at 75 FR 81587, proposing to 

discontinue a secondary system of 

coding designs contained in registered 

marks. The USPTO received only one 

comment, from an organization 

supporting the proposed 

discontinuation and encouraging the 

USPTO to use the cost savings to 

develop and support electronic 

initiatives. This comment is posted on 

the Office’s Web site at http:// 

www.uspto.gov/trademarks/law/ 

FR_Notices_2010.jsp and is addressed 

below. 

The proposed discontinuation of the 

secondary system, the Trademark 

Search Facility Classification Code 

Index (‘‘TC Index’’), stems from its 

inferiority to the primary system of 

design coding, which is much more 

specific, precise and robust; the 

infrequent use of the TC Index codes in 

searches by the public; and its costliness 

to maintain, especially in proportion to 

the low usage of the system. The 

assignment of TC Index codes to active 

U.S. trademark registrations in the 

searchable electronic database costs 

approximately $531,000 per fiscal year 

for staffing, systems maintenance, and 

support costs. 

Changes: USPTO Discontinuing TC 

Index Coding 

In view of the lack of any public 

comments opposing the discontinuation 

and the public comment supporting it, 

the USPTO is discontinuing the practice 

of design coding newly registered 

trademarks with TC Index codes. 

Terminating the dual design-coding 

system will result in cost savings and 

will free the USPTO staff to perform 

more valuable services for the public. 

All existing registrations coded with 

paper search designations will remain 

available in the Trademark Electronic 

Search System (‘‘TESS’’) and on 

microfilm. The USPTO has updated 

TESS Help to reflect that searching by 

the TC Index code will only retrieve 

registrations coded from August 28, 

2007, through January 31, 2011. The 

USPTO strongly advises all users to rely 

solely on the primary system, Design 

Search Code (‘‘DC’’) field, in TESS when 

performing searches for pending 

applications and active registrations for 

marks that include a design element. 

The USPTO will continue to code all 

pending applications that contain a 

design element with the USPTO Design 

Classification shown in the DC field. 

Examining attorneys will continue to 

rely solely on the USPTO Design 

Classification for examining and 

approving applications for marks with 

design codes for Federal registration. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 41 / Wednesday, March 2, 2011 / Notices 11433 

Comment: The commenter supports 

the USPTO’s decision to discontinue the 

TC Index and encourages the USPTO to 

redirect the resulting cost savings to 

assist users in electronic environments 

such as the Trademark Next Generation 

program. 

Response: Eliminating the TC Index 

coding will allow the USPTO to devote 

more of its limited resources to the 

maintenance and improvement of the 

USPTO Design Classification system, 

which provides the public with more 

precise search parameters than are 

possible with the TC Index codes. It will 

also allow the USPTO to devote more 

resources to enhancing electronic 

communications through the 

Trademarks Next Generation 

information technology initiative. In 

connection with this initiative, the 

USPTO is currently reviewing 

suggestions for improvements to the 

electronic systems and will begin 

implementing many of them in the 

coming months. 

The USPTO invests heavily in its 

publicly available electronic search 

systems to ensure their maintenance, 

and commits considerable resources to 

enhancing and improving electronic 

search capabilities. The USPTO is 

dedicated to ensuring the quality and 

accuracy of design coding under the 

USPTO Design Classification system. 

The USPTO Design Classification codes 

will continue to be subject to internal 

quality review and external review by 

applicants, registrants and the public, 

which further ensures correct design 

coding. 

Accordingly, the USPTO hereby gives 

notice that the USPTO is discontinuing 

coding design marks with paper search 

designations. 

Dated: February 24, 2011. 

David J. Kappos, 

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual 

Property and Director of the United States 

Patent and Trademark Office. 

[FR Doc. 2011–4618 Filed 3–1–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

GENERAL SERVICES 

ADMINISTRATION 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND 

SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

[FAR–N–2011–01; Docket No. 2011–0083; 

Sequence 1] 

Federal Transition To Secure Hash 

Algorithm (SHA)–256 

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD), 

General Services Administration (GSA), 

and National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA). 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Civilian Agency 

Acquisition Council, and the Defense 

Acquisition Regulations Council 

(Councils), are hosting the first of at 

least two public meetings to start a 

dialogue with industry and Government 

agencies about ways for the acquisition 

community to transition to Secure Hash 

Algorithm SHA–256. SHA–256 is a 

cryptographic hash function that is used 

in digital signatures, and authentication 

protocols. 

DATES: Public Meeting: A public meeting 

will be held on March 18, 2011, from 9 

a.m. to 12 p.m. EST. Attendees should 

register for the public meeting at least 1 

week in advance to ensure adequate 

room accommodations. 

Registrants will be given priority if 

room constraints require limits on 

attendance. At the March 18th meeting, 

two briefings will be provided on SHA– 

256. One will be at the agency level, and 

the other at the Federal level. Public 

comments will be solicited after a 

subsequent second public meeting. 

Special Accommodations: The public 

meeting is physically accessible to 

people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Mr. 

Edward Loeb, telephone (202) 501– 

0650, at least 5 working days prior to 

the meeting date. 

ADDRESSES: Public Meeting: The public 

meeting will be held in the General 

Services Administration (GSA) 

Multipurpose Room, 2nd floor, One 

Constitution Square, 1275 First Street, 

NE., Washington, DC 20417. Interested 

parties may register by faxing the 

following information to the GSA at 

(202) 501–4067, or e-mail 

edward.loeb@gsa.gov by March 11, 

2011: 

(1) Company or Organization Name; 

(2) Names of persons attending; and 

(3) Last four digits of the social 

security number of persons attending. 

Please cite ‘‘Federal Transition to Secure 

Hash Algorithm SHA–256’’ in all 

correspondence related to this public 

meeting. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

clarification of content, contact Mr. 

Edward Loeb, Procurement Analyst, at 

(202) 501–0650. For information 

pertaining to status or publication 

schedules, contact the Regulatory 

Secretariat at (202) 501–4755. Please 

cite ‘‘Federal Transition to Secure Hash 

Algorithm SHA–256.’’ 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Federal environment uses SHA–1 for 

generating digital signatures. Current 

information systems, Web servers, 

applications and workstation operating 

systems were designed to process, and 

use SHA–1 generated signatures. 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) SP (Special 

Publication) 800–57, Recommendation 

for Key Management—Part 1, (the first 

document); and NIST SP 800–78–3, 

Cryptographic Algorithms and Key 

Sizes for Personal Identification 

Verification (PIV), at http:// 

csrc.nist.gov/publications/ 

PubsSPs.html, provide for the use of 

SHA–256 in all digital signatures 

generated. NIST has issued guidance for 

transition to stronger cryptographic 

keys, and more robust algorithms by 

December 2013. 

Government systems may begin to 

encounter certificates signed with SHA– 

256, and in most cases it is unclear 

whether the Government systems will 

continue to function correctly. 

Dated: February 24, 2011. 

Millisa Gary, 

Acting Director, Office of Governmentwide 

Acquisition Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2011–4662 Filed 3–1–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–EP–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection Requests 

AGENCY: Department of Education. 

ACTION: Comment request. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(the Department), in accordance with 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), 

provides the general public and Federal 

agencies with an opportunity to 

comment on proposed and continuing 

collections of information. This helps 

the Department assess the impact of its 

information collection requirements and 

minimize the reporting burden on the 

public and helps the public understand 

the Department’s information collection 

requirements and provide the requested 

data in the desired format. The Director, 

Information Collection Clearance 

Division, Regulatory Information 

Management Services, Office of 

Management, invites comments on the 

proposed information collection 

requests as required by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before May 2, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: Comments regarding burden 

and/or the collection activity 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES