31378 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 129 / Thursday, July 5, 2018 / Notices 

Therefore, NMFS has determined that 

the total taking of affected species or 

stocks would not have an unmitigable 

adverse impact on the availability of 

such species or stocks for taking for 

subsistence purposes. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

To comply with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and 

NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 

216–6A, NMFS must review our 

proposed action (i.e., the issuance of an 

IHA) with respect to potential impacts 

on the human environment. 

This action is consistent with 

categories of activities identified in 

Categorical Exclusion B4 (IHAs with no 

anticipated serious injury or mortality) 

of the Companion Manual for NOAA 

Administrative Order 216–6A, which do 

not individually or cumulatively have 

the potential for significant impacts on 

the quality of the human environment 

and for which we have not identified 

any extraordinary circumstances that 

would preclude this categorical 

exclusion. Accordingly, NMFS has 

determined that the issuance of the IHA 

qualifies to be categorically excluded 

from further NEPA review. 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) 

No incidental take of ESA-listed 

species is authorized or expected to 

result from this activity. Therefore, 

NMFS has determined that formal 

consultation under section 7 of the ESA 

is not required for this action. 

Authorization 

As a result of these determinations, 

NMFS has issued an IHA to Point Blue 

for the potential harassment of small 

numbers of marine mammals incidental 

to seabird research activities in central 

California, provided the previously 

mentioned mitigation, monitoring and 

reporting requirements are incorporated. 

Dated: June 29, 2018. 

Donna S. Wieting, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14440 Filed 7–3–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Patent and Trademark Office 

USPTO Websites Customer 

Satisfaction Surveys 

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 

new information collection. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before September 4, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• Email: InformationCollection@

uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651—New: 

Generic Clearance comment’’ in the 

subject line of the message. 

• Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov. 

• Mail: Marcie Lovett, Director, 

Records and Information Governance 

Division, Office of the Chief Information 

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 

Information 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 Marcie.Lovett@uspto.gov with 

‘‘Generic Clearance’’ in the subject line. 

Additional information about this 

collection can be found at http://

www.reginfo.gov under ‘‘Information 

Collection Review.’’ 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

This proposed information collection 

covers information gathered on the 

USPTO Websites Customer Satisfaction 

Surveys. These surveys provide a means 

to consistently assess, benchmark, and 

improve customer satisfaction with 

USPTO websites. The agency has 

partnered with ForeSee Results, Inc. to 

conduct this information collection. 

ForeSee Results’ methodology 

(Customer Experience Analytics or 

CXA) is a derivative of the widely used 

American Customer Satisfaction Index 

(ACSI). This methodology combines 

survey data and a patented econometric 

model to precisely measure the 

customer satisfaction of website users, 

identify specific areas for improvement, 

and determine the impact of those 

improvements on customer satisfaction. 

The ultimate purpose of the surveys 

covered in this collection is to improve 

the quality of goods and services 

available to customers of the USPTO. 

The USPTO Websites Customer 

Satisfaction Surveys will be completed 

subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, 

Public Law 93–579, December 31, 1974 

(5 U.S.C. 522a). The agency information 

collection will be used solely for the 

purpose of the surveys. The contractor 

will not be authorized to release any 

USPTO information obtained through 

surveys without first obtaining 

permission from USPTO. In no case will 

any new system of records containing 

privacy information be developed by the 

USPTO or the contractor collecting the 

data. In addition, USPTO provides 

ForeSee only information sufficient to 

randomly select website visitors as 

potential survey respondents. 

The information collected in the 

surveys will enable USPTO to 

determine customer satisfaction metrics 

among various visitor sub-groups. This 

information collection will assist 

USPTO in improving customer service 

and addressing areas of concern in a 

targeted manner. This survey does not 

ask any questions of a sensitive nature 

or regarding sensitive topics. There is no 

other agency or organization able to 

provide the information that is 

accessible through the surveying 

approach used in this information 

collection. 

II. Method of Collection 

Customers will respond to the surveys 

electronically, as hosted on USPTO 

websites. 

III. Data 

OMB Number: 0651—New. 

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: New collection. 

Affected Public: Individuals and 

households; businesses or other forprofits; and not-for-profit institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

100,000 responses per year. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Approximately 8 minutes (0.133 hours) 

per response. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Burden Hours: 13,333.33 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

(Hourly) Cost Burden: $2,716,133.33. 

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 

$28.14, respectively. The combination 

of these respondent types brings the 

average respondent rate to $203.71. The 

sources for these rates are the 2017 

Report of the Economic Survey of the 

American Intellectual Property 

Association (AIPLA), the 2016 National 

Utilization and Compensation Survey 

Report of the National Association of 

the Legal Assistants (NALA), and the 

mean rate for office and administrative 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 129 / Thursday, July 5, 2018 / Notices 31379 

support workers as found in the May 

2017 National Occupational 

Employment and Wage Estimates of the 

U.S Bureau pf Labor Statistics 

(occupation code 43–1011). Using this 

blended hourly rate, the USPTO 

estimates that the total respondent cost 

burden for this collection is 

$2,716,133.33 per year. 

IC No. 

Information 

collection 

item 

Estimated 

time for 

response 

(minutes) 

Estimated 

annual 

responses 

Estimated 

annual 

burden hours 

Rate 

(S/hr) 

(a) (b) (a) × (b) = (c) 

1 ......................................................................................... Surveys ........ 8 100,000 13,333.33 $203.71 

Total (Three-Year Period) .......................................... ...................... ................ 100,000 

(300,000) 

13,333.33 

(40,000) 

$2,716,133.33 

($8,148,400.00) 

Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) 

Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There are 

no capital start-up, maintenance, 

postage, or recordkeeping costs 

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, 

Director, Records and Information 

Governance Division, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer, United States Patent and 

Trademark Office. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14383 Filed 7–3–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Patent and Trademark Office 

Patent Reexaminations and 

Supplemental Examinations 

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: 0651–0064 (Patent 

Reexaminations and Supplemental 

Examinations). 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before September 4, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• Email: InformationCollection@

uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651–0064 

comment’’ in the subject line of the 

message. 

• Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov. 

• 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 Raul Tamayo, 

Senior Legal Advisor, Office of the 

Patent Legal Administration, United 

States Patent and Trademark Office, 

P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313– 

1450; by telephone at 571–272–7728; or 

by email to Raul.Tamayo@uspto.gov 

with ‘‘0651–0064 comment’’ in the 

subject line. Additional information 

about this collection is also available at 

http://www.reginfor.gov under 

‘‘Information Collection Review.’’ 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (USPTO) is required 

by 35 U.S.C. 131 and 151 to examine 

applications and, when appropriate, 

allow applications and issue them as 

patents. Chapter 30 of Title 35 U.S.C. 

provides that any person at any time 

may file a request for reexamination by 

the USPTO of any claim of a patent on 

the basis of prior art patents or printed 

publications. Once initiated, the 

reexamination proceedings under 

Chapter 30 are substantially ex parte 

and do not permit input from third 

parties. The rules outlining ex parte 

reexaminations are found at 37 CFR 

1.510–1.570. 

35 U.S.C. 257 permits a patent owner 

to request supplemental examination of 

a patent by the USPTO to consider, 

reconsider, or correct information 

believed to be relevant to the patent. 

The rules outlining supplemental 

examination are found at 37 CFR 1.601– 

1.625. 

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act 

terminated inter partes reexamination 

effective September 16, 2012. However, 

inter partes reexamination proceedings 

based on inter partes reexamination 

requests filed before September 16, 

2012, continue to be prosecuted. 

Therefore, this collection continues to 

include items related to the prosecution 

of inter partes reexamination 

proceedings. The rules outlining inter 

partes reexamination are found at 37 

CFR 1.903–1.931. 

Thus, the items included in this 

collection cover: (1) Requests for ex 

parte reexamination, (2) requests for 

supplemental examination, and (3) 

information that may be submitted by 

patent owners and third-party 

requesters in relation to the prosecution 

of an ex parte or inter partes 

reexamination proceeding. The 

transmittal forms are used by a requester 

(patent owner or third party) as a 

checklist to ensure compliance with the 

requirements of the statutes and rules 

for ex parte reexaminations and 

supplemental examinations. The public 

uses this information collection to 

request ex parte reexamination and 

supplemental examination, to prosecute 

reexamination proceedings, and to 

ensure that the associated 

documentation is submitted to the 

USPTO. 

II. Method of Collection 

By mail, facsimile, hand delivery, or 

electronically to the USPTO. 


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