Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 52 / Thursday, March 19, 2009 / Notices 11717 

should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, 

(808) 522–8220 (voice) or (808) 522– 

8226 (fax), at least five days prior to the 

meeting date. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: March 16, 2009 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–5938 Filed 3–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Patent and Trademark Office 

National Medal of Technology and 

Innovation Nomination Application 

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment 

request. 

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (USPTO), as part of its 

continuing effort to reduce paperwork 

and respondent burden, invites the 

general public and other Federal 

agencies to take this opportunity to 

comment on this new information 

collection, as required by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104– 

13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before May 18, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• E-mail: Susan.Fawcett@uspto.gov. 

Include ‘‘0651–0060 collection 

comment’’ in the subject line of the 

message. 

• Fax: 571–273–0112, marked to the 

attention of Susan K. Fawcett. 

• Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records 

Officer, Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, Customer Information Services 

Group, Public Information Services 

Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark 

Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 

22313–1450. 

• Federal Rulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information 

should be directed to the attention of 

Jennifer Lo, Program Manager, United 

States Patent and Trademark Office, 

P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313– 

1450; by telephone at 571–272–7640; or 

by e-mail at nmti@uspto.gov with 

‘‘Paperwork’’ in the subject line. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The National Medal of Technology is 

the highest honor awarded by the 

President of the United States to 

America’s leading innovators. 

Established by an Act of Congress in 

1980, the Medal of Technology was first 

awarded in 1985. The Medal is given 

annually to individuals, teams, and/or 

companies/divisions for their 

outstanding contributions to the 

Nation’s economic, environmental and 

social well-being through the 

development and commercialization of 

technology products, processes and 

concepts, technological innovation, and 

development of the Nation’s 

technological manpower. 

The purpose of the National Medal of 

Technology is to recognize those who 

have made lasting contributions to 

America’s competitiveness, standard of 

living, and quality of life through 

technological innovation, and to 

recognize those who have made 

substantial contributions to 

strengthening the Nation’s technological 

workforce. By highlighting the national 

importance of technological innovation, 

the Medal also seeks to inspire future 

generations of Americans to prepare for 

and pursue technical careers to keep 

America at the forefront of global 

technology and economic leadership. 

The National Medal of Technology 

and Innovation Nomination Evaluation 

Committee, a distinguished, 

independent committee appointed by 

the Secretary of Commerce, reviews and 

evaluates the merit of all candidates 

nominated through an open, 

competitive solicitation process. The 

committee makes its recommendations 

for Medal candidates to the Secretary of 

Commerce, who in turn makes 

recommendations to the President for 

final selection. The National Medal of 

Technology and Innovation Laureates 

are announced by the White House and 

the Department of Commerce once the 

Medalists are notified of their selection. 

The public uses the National Medal of 

Technology and Innovation Nomination 

Application to recognize through 

nomination an individual’s or 

company’s extraordinary leadership and 

innovation in technological 

achievement. The application must be 

accompanied by six letters of 

recommendation or support from 

individuals who have firsthand 

knowledge of the cited achievement(s). 

II. Method of Collection 

The nomination application and 

instructions can be downloaded from 

the USPTO Web site. Nomination files 

should be submitted by electronic mail. 

Alternatively, letters of recommendation 

may be sent by electronic mail, fax or 

overnight delivery. 

III. Data 

OMB Number: 0651–0060. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Affected Public: Primarily business or 

other for-profit organizations; not-forprofit institutions; individuals or 

households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 26 

responses per year. 

Estimated Time per Response: The 

USPTO estimates that it will take 

approximately 40 hours to gather the 

necessary information, prepare the 

nomination form, write the 

recommendations, and submit the 

request for the nomination to the 

USPTO. This collection contains one 

form. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Burden Hours: 1,040 hours per year. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Cost Burden: $36,067. The USPTO is 

calculating an estimated respondent 

hourly rate through an estimate of 

earnings obtained from the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook 

Handbook, 2008–09 edition. The 

USPTO estimates that half of the 

submissions will be filed by public 

relations specialists and half by research 

engineers. The USPTO estimates that it 

will cost public relations specialists 

$23.68 per hour and research engineers 

$45.68 per hour, for an average hourly 

rate of $34.68. Considering these factors, 

the USPTO estimates $36,067 per year 

for labor costs associated with 

respondents. 

Item Estimated time 

for response 

Estimated 

annual 

responses 

Estimated 

annual 

burden hours 

National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nomination Form ............................................... 40 hours 26 1,040 

Total ...................................................................................................................................... ........................ 26 1,040 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
11718 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 52 / Thursday, March 19, 2009 / Notices 

Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) 

Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There are 

no capital start-up, operation, 

maintenance or recordkeeping costs 

associated with this information 

collection, and there are no filing fees. 

Although it is possible for the public 

to submit the nominations through 

regular or express mail, to date no 

submissions have been received in this 

manner. The majority of recent 

submissions have been through 

electronic mail. The USPTO, therefore, 

is not calculating an estimate of postage 

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, including through 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: March 12, 2009. 

Susan K. Fawcett, 

Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer, Customer Information 

Services Group, Public Information Services 

Division. 

[FR Doc. E9–5984 Filed 3–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

United States Patent and Trademark 

Office 

[PTO–C–2009–0009] 

Public Advisory Committees 

AGENCY: United States Patent and 

Trademark Office. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

nominations for Public Advisory 

Committees. 

SUMMARY: On November 29, 1999, the 

President signed into law the Patent and 

Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the 

‘‘Act’’), Public Law 106–113, which, 

among other things, established two 

Public Advisory Committees to review 

the policies, goals, performance, budget 

and user fees of the United States Patent 

and Trademark Office (USPTO) with 

respect to patents, in the case of the 

Patent Public Advisory Committee, and 

with respect to trademarks, in the case 

of the Trademark Public Advisory 

Committee, and to advise the Director 

on these matters (now codified at 35 

U.S.C. 5). Due to the expiration of 

current members’ terms, the USPTO is 

requesting nominations for three (3) 

members to the Patent Public Advisory 

Committee (PPAC) and two (2) members 

to the Trademark Public Advisory 

Committee (TPAC) for terms of three 

years that begin from date of 

appointment. 

DATES: Nominations must be 

postmarked or electronically 

transmitted on or before May 15, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit 

nominations should send the nominee’s 

resume ́ to Chief of Staff, Office of the 

Under Secretary of Commerce for 

Intellectual Property and Director of the 

USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, 

Alexandria, Virginia 22313–1450; by 

electronic mail to: 

PPACnominations@uspto.gov for the 

Patent Public Advisory Committee or 

TPACnominations@uspto.gov for the 

Trademark Patent Public Advisory 

Committee; by facsimile transmission 

marked to the Chief of Staff’s attention 

at (571) 273–0464, or by mail marked to 

the Chief of Staff’s attention and 

addressed to the Office of the Under 

Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual 

Property and Director of the USPTO, 

Post Office, Box 1450, Alexandria, 

Virginia 22313–1450. Self-nominations 

are perfectly acceptable. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Eleanor K. Meltzer, Chief of Staff, by 

facsimile transmission marked to her 

attention at (571) 273–0464, by mail 

marked to her attention and addressed 

to the Office of the Under Secretary of 

Commerce for Intellectual Property and 

Director of the USPTO, Post Office Box 

1450, Alexandria, Virginia 22313–1450, 

or by telephone at: (571) 272–7660. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Committees’ duties include: 

• Advising the Under Secretary of 

Commerce for Intellectual Property and 

Director of the USPTO on matters 

relating to policies, goals, performance, 

budget, and user fees of the USPTO 

relating to patents and trademarks, 

respectively; and 

• Within 60 days after the end of each 

fiscal year: (1) Preparing an annual 

report on matters listed above; (2) 

transmitting a report to the Secretary of 

Commerce, the President, and the 

Committees on the Judiciary of the 

Senate and the House of 

Representatives; and (3) publishing the 

report in the Official Gazette of the 

USPTO. 

Members of the Patent and Trademark 

Public Advisory Committees are 

appointed by and serve at the pleasure 

of the Secretary of Commerce for three 

(3)-year terms. 

Advisory Committees 

The Public Advisory Committees are 

each composed of nine (9) voting 

members who are appointed by the 

Secretary of Commerce (the 

‘‘Secretary’’). The Public Advisory 

Committee members must be United 

States citizens and represent the 

interests of diverse users of the USPTO, 

both large and small entity applicants in 

proportion to the number of such 

applications filed. The Committees must 

include members who have ‘‘substantial 

backgrounds and achievement in 

finance, management, labor relations, 

science, technology, and office 

automation.’’ 35 U.S.C. 5(b)(3). In the 

case of the Patent Public Advisory 

Committee, at least twenty-five (25) 

percent of the members must represent 

‘‘small business concerns, independent 

inventors, and nonprofit organizations,’’ 

and at least one member must represent 

the independent inventor community. 

35 U.S.C. 5(b)(2). Each of the Public 

Advisory Committees includes three (3) 

non-voting members representing each 

of the labor organizations recognized by 

the USPTO. 

Procedures and Guidelines of the 

Patent and Trademark Public Advisory 

Committees 

Each newly appointed member of the 

Patent and Trademark Public Advisory 

Committees will serve for a term of 

three years from date of appointment. 

As required by the Act, members of the 

Patent and Trademark Public Advisory 

Committees receive compensation for 

each day they attend meetings or are 

engaged in the business of that Advisory 

Committee. 

The rate of compensation is the daily 

equivalent of the annual rate of basic 

pay in effect for level III of the Executive 

Schedule under section 5314 of title 5, 

United States Code. While away from 

their home or regular place of business, 

members are allowed travel expenses, 

including per diem in lieu of 

subsistence, as authorized by Section 

5703 of title 5, United States Code. The 

USPTO provides the necessary 

administrative support, including 

technical assistance, for the Committees. 


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