Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 58 / Friday, March 27, 2009 / Notices 13421 

Alliance; and (4) Steven Fosmark. An 

opportunity for public testimony was 

provided during the Council meeting. 

For more details on these EFP 

applications and to view copies of the 

applications, see the Pacific Council’s 

website at www.pcouncil.org and 

browse the September 2008 Briefing 

Book. The Council recommended that 

NMFS consider issuing the following 

EFPs. 

Community Based Fishing Association 

EFP 

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) 

submitted a proposal for a 2009 EFP, 

along with their collaborators: City of 

Morro Bay Harbor Department; Port San 

Luis Commercial Fishermen’s 

Association; Port San Luis Harbor 

District; California Department of Fish 

and Game; Morro Bay Commercial 

Fishermen’s Organization, Inc.; and 

Environmental Defense. The primary 

purpose of the EFP is to test whether 

establishing a cooperatively managed, 

community based fishing association 

can provide economic and 

environmental performance benefits. 

Recreational Chilipepper EFP 

The California Recreational Fishing 

Alliance (RFA) and the Golden Gate 

Fishermen’s Association submitted an 

application for a 2009 EFP. The primary 

purpose of the EFP is to do an area– 

based recreational fishing study to test 

if hook and line fishing gear can be used 

to access underutilized chilipepper 

rockfish seaward of the non–trawl RCA, 

while keeping bycatch of overfished 

species low. 

Recreational Yellowtail EFP 

The Oregon RFA submitted an 

application for a 2009 EFP. The primary 

purpose of the EFP is to test if 

recreational fishing gear, fitted with a 

long leader to keep gear up off the ocean 

floor, can be used to access 

underutilized yellowtail rockfish, while 

keeping bycatch of overfished species 

low. 

Commercial Chilipepper EFP 

Steven Fosmark submitted an 

application for a 2009 EFP. The primary 

purpose of the EFP is to test if a specific 

longline gear configuration can be used 

in the commercial fishery to target 

underutilized chilipepper rockfish, 

while keeping bycatch of overfished 

species low. 

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

Dated: March 23, 2009. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–6895 Filed 3–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Patent and Trademark Office 

Customer Panel Quality Survey 

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 extension of a 

continuing 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 26, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• E-mail: Susan.Fawcett@uspto.gov. 

Include ‘‘0651–0057 Customer Panel 

Quality Survey 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, Administrative Management 

Group, U.S. Patent and Trademark 

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

22313–1450. 

• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information 

should be directed to the attention of 

Martin Rater, Management Analyst, 

Office of Patent Quality Assurance, 

United States Patent and Trademark 

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

22313–1450; by telephone at 571–272– 

5966; or by e-mail at 

martin.rater@uspto.gov with 

‘‘Paperwork’’ in the subject line. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

For over the past 10 years, the USPTO 

has used surveys to obtain customer 

feedback regarding the products, 

services, and related service standards 

of the USPTO. The USPTO used the 

data to measure how well the agency is 

meeting established customer service 

standards, to identify any disjoints 

between customer expectations and 

USPTO performance, and to develop 

improvement strategies. Typically, these 

surveys ask customers to express their 

satisfaction with the USPTO’s products 

and services based upon their 

interactions with the agency as a whole 

over a 12-month period. 

In order to obtain further data 

concerning customer ratings of the 

USPTO’s services, service standards, 

and performance, the USPTO developed 

the Customer Panel Quality Survey. 

This survey narrows the focus of 

customer satisfaction to examination 

quality and uses a longitudinal, rotating 

panel design to assess changes in 

customer perceptions and to identify 

key areas for examiner training and 

opportunities for improvement. The 

USPTO plans to survey patent agents, 

attorneys, and other individuals from 

large domestic corporations (including 

those with 500+ employees), small and 

medium-size businesses, universities 

and other non-profit research 

organizations, and independent 

inventors; however, the USPTO does 

not plan to survey foreign entities. 

The USPTO will draw a random 

sample of these customers from their 

database. Due to the rotating panel 

design, some sample members will be 

surveyed twice in order to measure 

change over a period of time. Each year 

of the survey will include four waves of 

data collection. 

The Customer Panel Quality Survey is 

a mail survey, although respondents can 

also complete the survey electronically 

on the Web. The content of both 

versions will be identical. A survey 

packet containing the questionnaire, a 

separate cover letter prepared by the 

Commissioner of Patents, a postagepaid, pre-addressed return envelope, 

and instructions for completing the 

survey electronically will be mailed to 

all sample members. A pre-notification 

letter, reminder/thank you postcards, 

and telephone calls will be used to 

encourage response from sample 

members. 

This is a voluntary survey and all 

responses will remain confidential. The 

collected data will not be linked to the 

respondent and contact information that 

is used for sampling purposes will be 

maintained in a separate file from the 

quantitative data. Respondents are not 

required to provide any identifying 

information such as their name, address, 

or Social Security Number. In order to 

access and complete the online survey, 

respondents will need to use the 

username, password, and survey ID 

number provided by the USPTO. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

13422 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 58 / Friday, March 27, 2009 / Notices 

II. Method of Collection 

By mail or electronically over the 

Internet if respondents choose to 

complete the survey online. 

III. Data 

OMB Number: 0651–0057. 

Form Number(s): N/A. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households; business or other for profit; 

not-for-profit institutions; Federal 

Government; and state, local, or Tribal 

Government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

3,168 responses per year. Out of a 

sample size of 2,842 for each wave of 

data collection, the USPTO estimates 

that 792 completed surveys will be 

received. Each year of the survey will 

include four waves of data collection 

with an estimated 3,168 completed 

surveys received. Of this total, the 

USPTO estimates that 70% or 2,218 

surveys will be returned by mail and 

that 30% or 950 surveys will be 

completed using the online option. 

Estimated Time per Response: The 

USPTO estimates that it takes 

approximately 10 minutes (0.17 hours) 

to complete either the paper or online 

version of this survey. This includes the 

time to gather the necessary 

information, complete the survey, and 

submit it to the USPTO. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Burden Hours: 539 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Cost Burden: $167,090. The USPTO 

believes that patent attorneys will be 

responding to these surveys. Using the 

professional hourly rate of $310 for 

attorneys in private firms, the USPTO 

estimates that the total respondent cost 

burden for this collection is $167,090 

per year. 

Item Estimated time for response 

Estimated 

annual 

responses 

Estimated 

annual burden 

hours 

Customer Panel Quality Survey (paper) ...................... 10 minutes .................................................................... 2,218 377 

Customer Panel Quality Survey (electronic) ................ 10 minutes .................................................................... 950 162 

Total ....................................................................... ....................................................................................... 3,168 539 

Estimated Total Annual Non-hour 

Respondent Cost Burden: $0. There are 

no capital start-up, maintenance, 

operation, or recordkeeping costs, nor 

are there any filing fees associated with 

this information collection. The USPTO 

covers the costs of all survey materials 

and provides postage-paid, preaddressed return envelopes for the 

completed mail surveys. 

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 also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Susan K. Fawcett, 

Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer, Administrative 

Management Group. 

[FR Doc. E9–6770 Filed 3–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Army Educational Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 

U.S.C., Appendix, as amended), the 

Sunshine in the Government Act of 

1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 

41 CFR 102–3.150, the following 

meeting notice is announced: 

Name of Committee: U.S. Army War 

College Subcommittee of the Army 

Education Advisory Committee. 

Date of Meeting: April 15, 2009 and 

April 16, 2009. 

Place of Meeting: U.S. Army War 

College, 122 Forbes Avenue, Carlisle, 

PA, Command Conference Room, Root 

Hall, Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013. 

Time of Meeting: 10:15 a.m.–4 p.m., 

15 April 2009. 8 a.m.–11:45 p.m., 16 

April 2009. 

Proposed Agenda: Receive 

information briefings; conduct 

discussions with the Commandant and 

staff and faculty; attend the 

Commandant’s Lecture Series and key 

note speaker focused on technology and 

strategy, examine College charter to the 

Board that recommends the curriculum 

subcommittee consider a gap analysis 

approach to its process and findings; 

assess an overview and proposed 

growth of the International Fellows 

program, assess the College’s approach 

to provide academic support through a 

.mil domain and considerations for a 

.edu domain. Propose strategies and 

recommendations that will continue the 

momentum of Federal accreditation 

success and guarantee compliance with 

regional accreditation standards. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request advance approval or obtain 

further information, contact Colonel 

Scott Horton at 717–245–3907. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

meeting is open to the public. Interested 

persons may submit a written statement 

for consideration by the U.S. Army War 

College Subcommittee. Written 

statements should be no longer than two 

type-written pages and must address: 

the issue, discussion, and a 

recommended course of action. 

Supporting documentation may also be 

included as needed to establish the 

appropriate historical context and to 

provide any necessary background 

information. 

Individuals submitting a written 

statement must submit their statement 

to the Designated Federal Officer at U.S. 

Army War College, ATTN: Joint 

Education Office, 122 Forbes Avenue, 

Carlisle, PA 17013, at any point, 

however, if a written statement is not 

received at least 10 calendar days prior 

to the meeting, which is the subject of 

this notice, then it may not be provided 

to or considered by the U.S. Army War 

College Subcommittee until its next 

open meeting. 

The Designated Federal Officer will 

review all timely submissions with the 

U.S. Army War College Subcommittee 

Chairperson, and ensure they are 

provided to members of the U.S. Army 

War College Subcommittee before the 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES