36786 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 125 / Monday, June 30, 2014 / Notices 

accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the 

burden of the proposed collection of 

information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(c) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) Minimize the burden 

of the collection of information on those 

who are to respond, including through 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

Dated: June 25, 2014. 

Susan K. Fawcett, 

Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2014–15217 Filed 6–27–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

United States Patent and Trademark 

Office 

[Docket No.: PTO–P–2014–0036] 

Request for Comments and Extension 

of Comment Period on Examination 

Instruction and Guidance Pertaining to 

Patent-Eligible Subject Matter 

AGENCY: United States Patent and 

Trademark Office, Commerce. 

ACTION: Request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The United States Supreme 

Court (Supreme Court) recently issued a 

decision in Alice Corporation Pty. Ltd. 

v. CLS Bank International (Alice Corp.), 

which dealt with claims to a 

computerized scheme for mitigating 

settlement risk. The Supreme Court held 

in a unanimous decision that the 

claimed subject matter was not patenteligible because it was drawn to the 

abstract idea of intermediated 

settlement implemented on a generic 

computer. The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued 

preliminary instructions on Alice Corp. 

to the patent examining corps and these 

preliminary instructions have been 

posted on the USPTO’s Internet Web 

site. The USPTO is inviting public 

comment on the Alice Corp. preliminary 

instructions. The USPTO is also 

extending the period for public 

comment on the Examination Guidance 

For Determining Subject Matter 

Eligibility Of Claims Reciting Or 

Involving Laws of Nature, Natural 

Phenomena, and Natural Products 

(Laws of Nature/Natural Products 

Guidance). 

DATES: Written comments on the Alice 

Corp. preliminary instructions and/or 

on the Laws of Nature/Natural Products 

Guidance must be received on or before 

July 31, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the Alice 

Corp. preliminary instructions may be 

sent by electronic mail message over the 

Internet addressed to: alice_2014@

uspto.gov. 

Comments on the Laws of Nature/

Natural Products Guidance may be sent 

by electronic mail message over the 

Internet addressed to: myriad-mayo_

2014@uspto.gov. 

Comments that apply to both the 

Alice Corp. preliminary instructions and 

the Laws of Nature/Natural Products 

Guidance may be sent by electronic mail 

message over the Internet addressed to 

either: myriad-mayo_2014@uspto.gov, 

or alice_2014@uspto.gov. 

Electronic comments submitted in 

plain text are preferred, but also may be 

submitted in ADOBE® portable 

document format or MICROSOFT 

WORD® format. Comments not 

submitted electronically should be 

submitted on paper in a format that 

facilitates convenient digital scanning 

into ADOBE® portable document 

format. The comments will be available 

for viewing via the Office’s Internet Web 

site (http://www.uspto.gov). Because 

comments will be made available for 

public inspection, 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: Raul 

Tamayo, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of 

Patent Legal Administration, by 

telephone at 571–272–7728, or Caroline 

D. Dennison, Senior Legal Advisor, 

Office of Patent Legal Administration, 

by telephone at 571–272–7729. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Supreme Court recently issued a 

decision in Alice Corp. (Alice 

Corporation Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank 

International, 573 U.S.ll(2014)), 

which dealt with claims to a 

computerized scheme for mitigating 

settlement risk. The Supreme Court held 

in a unanimous decision that the 

claimed subject matter in question was 

not patent-eligible because it was drawn 

to the abstract idea of intermediated 

settlement implemented on a generic 

computer. The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued 

preliminary instructions to the patent 

examining corps and these preliminary 

instructions are available on the 

USPTO’s Internet Web site (patent 

examining corps guidance and 

instructions can be found at: 

http://www.uspto.gov/patents/law/

exam/examguide.jsp). The USPTO is 

inviting public comment on the Alice 

Corp. preliminary instructions before 

providing more comprehensive 

guidance to the patent examining corps. 

Written comments on the Alice Corp. 

preliminary instructions must be 

received on or before July 31, 2014. 

The USPTO is also extending the 

period for public comment on the Laws 

of Nature/Natural Products Guidance. 

The USPTO published the Laws of 

Nature/Natural Products Guidance on 

its Internet Web site (as discussed 

previously, examining corps guidance 

and instructions can be found at: http:// 

www.uspto.gov/patents/law/exam/

examguide.jsp). The USPTO also 

published an announcement on its 

Internet Web site that it was hosting a 

public forum (conducted on May 9, 

2014) and providing until June 30, 2014, 

for public comment on the Laws of 

Nature/Natural Products Guidance. See 

Notice of Forum on the Guidance For 

Determining Subject Matter Eligibility of 

Claims Reciting or Involving Laws of 

nature, Natural Phenomena, and 

Natural Products, 79 FR 21736 (Apr. 17, 

2014). 

The USPTO has received several 

requests from our stakeholders for 

additional time to submit comments on 

the Laws of Nature/Natural Products 

Guidance. In addition, the Supreme 

Court in Alice Corp. applied its 

framework from Mayo Collaborative 

Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, 

Inc., 566 U.S.ll(2012), in determining 

whether the claims in Alice Corp. were 

directed to a patent-ineligible abstract 

idea. For these reasons, the USPTO is 

extending the period for public 

comment on the Laws of Nature/Natural 

Products Guidance until July 31, 2014. 

Dated: June 25, 2014. 

Margaret A. Focarino, 

Commissioner for Patents. 

[FR Doc. 2014–15352 Filed 6–27–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket ID DoD–2012–OS–0137] 

Proposed Collection; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: United States Transportation 

Command, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 

3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, the United States 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 125 / Monday, June 30, 2014 / Notices 36787 

Transportation Command announces a 

proposed public information collection 

and seeks public comment on the 

provisions thereof. 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 of the 

proposed information collection; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the information collection on 

respondents, including through the use 

of automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

DATES: Consideration will be given to all 

comments received by August 29, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by docket number and title, 

by any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: Federal Docket Management 

System Office, 4800 Mark Center Drive, 

East Tower, Suite 02G09, Alexandria, 

VA 22350–3100. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name, docket 

number and title for this Federal 

Register document. The general policy 

for comments and other submissions 

from members of the public is to make 

these submissions available for public 

viewing on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov as they are 

received without change, including any 

personal identifiers or contact 

information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request more information on this 

proposed information collection or to 

obtain a copy of the proposal and 

associated collection instruments, 

please write to the United States 

Transportation Command, ATTN: Diana 

Roach, 508 Scott Drive, Scott Air Force 

Base, IL 62225 or call (608) 220–1724. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title; Associated Form; and OMB 

Number: Industry Executive Office 

Survey of United States Transportation 

Command; OMB Control Number: 

0704–TBD. 

Needs and Uses: The information 

collection requirement is necessary to 

assist USTRANSCOM pursue process 

improvement and set priorities to enable 

us to gain efficiencies and improve 

effectiveness. 

Affected Public: Chief Executive 

Officers of Companies. 

Annual Burden Hours: 27 hours. 

Number of Respondents: 160. 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Average Burden per Response: 10 

minutes. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

The annual survey measures the 

perceptions of executives from 

companies that support the 

USTRANSCOM missions such as those 

companies in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet 

and Voluntary Intermodal Sealift 

Agreement. The information is used to 

improve our processes, structures, and 

culture to be more effective in providing 

global mobility solutions to support 

customer requirements in peace and 

war, developing and maintaining 

professional relationships, and keeping 

overhead and operating costs down. 

Dated: June 24, 2014. 

Aaron Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2014–15169 Filed 6–27–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

Re-Establishment of Department of 

Defense Federal Advisory Committees 

AGENCY: DoD. 

ACTION: Re-establishment of Federal 

Advisory Committee. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Defense is 

publishing this notice to announce that 

it is re-establishing the charter for the 

Defense Acquisition University Board of 

Visitors (‘‘the Board’’). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Freeman, Advisory Committee 

Management Officer for the Department 

of Defense, 703–692–5952. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

committee’s charter is being reestablished under the provisions of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act of 

1972 (5 U.S.C. Appendix, as amended), 

the Government in the Sunshine Act of 

1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b) (‘‘the Sunshine 

Act’’), and 41 CFR 102–3.50(d). 

The Board is a discretionary Federal 

advisory committee that shall provide 

the Secretary of Defense, through the 

Under Secretary of Defense for 

Acquisition, Technology and Logistics 

(USD(AT&L)) and the President of the 

Defense Acquisition University, 

independent advice and 

recommendations on the organizational 

management, curricula, methods of 

instruction, facilities, and other matters 

of interest to the Defense Acquisition 

University. 

The Board shall report to the 

Secretary of Defense, through the 

USD(AT&L) and the President of the 

Defense Acquisition University. The 

USD(AT&L) or a designated 

representative may act upon the Board’s 

advice and recommendations. 

The DoD, through the USD(AT&L) 

and the President of the Defense 

Acquisition University, shall provide 

support, as they deem necessary, for the 

performance of the Board’s functions, 

and shall ensure compliance with the 

requirements of the FACA, the 

Government in the Sunshine Act of 

1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b) (‘‘the Sunshine 

Act’’), governing Federal statutes and 

regulations, and established DoD 

policies and procedures. 

The Board shall be composed of not 

more than 14 members, who are former 

senior Defense officials, or are eminent 

authorities in academia, business, and 

defense industry. Board members shall 

be appointed by the Secretary of 

Defense or the Deputy Secretary of 

Defense, and their appointments will be 

renewed on an annual basis. Board 

members, who are not full-time or 

permanent part-time Federal officers or 

employees, shall be appointed as 

experts and consultants under the 

authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109, and serve as 

special government employee (SGE) 

members. Board members who are fulltime or permanent part-time Federal 

employees shall serve as regular 

government employee (RGE) members. 

With the exception of travel and per 

diem for official Board related travel, 

Board members shall serve without 

compensation. 

The Secretary of Defense, in 

consultation with the USD(AT&L), shall 

select the Board’s Chairperson from the 

approved Board membership, and this 

individual shall serve at the discretion 

of the Secretary of Defense, through the 

USD(AT&L). 

In addition, the USD(AT&L) may 

invite other distinguished Government 

officers to serve as non-voting observers 

of the Board, and appoint, pursuant to 

5 U.S.C. 3109, non-voting consultants, 

with special expertise, to assist the 

Board on an ad hoc basis. 

The Secretary of Defense may approve 

the appointment of Board members for 

one to four year terms of service; 

however, no member, unless authorized 

by the Secretary of Defense, may serve 

more than two consecutive terms of 

service. This same term of service 

limitation also applies to any DoD 

authorized subcommittees. 

Each Board member is appointed to 

provide advice on behalf of the 

government on the basis of his or her 

best judgment without representing any 

particular point of view and in a manner 

that is free from conflict of interest. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES