Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 116 / Friday, June 15, 2001 / Notices 32603

the USPTO estimates that it takes the

public to gather, prepare, and submit a

Request for Continued Examination. If

the proposed rule to eliminate the

Continued Prosecution Application in

favor of the Request for Continued

Examination for utility and plant

applications is approved, fewer

Continued Prosecution Applications

will be submitted per year. The USPTO

estimates that the elimination of the

Continued Prosecution Applications in

the case of utility and plant applications

will decrease the burden associated

with the continued examination of

applications by 5,900 hours.

Needs and Uses: This collection of

information is required by 35 U.S.C. 131

and 37 CFR 1.16 through 1.84. An

applicant must provide sufficient

information to allow the USPTO to

properly examine the application to

determine whether it meets the

requirements outlined in the patent

statutes and regulations. The American

Inventors Protection Act of 1999

amended 35 U.S.C. 132 to provide that

the USPTO may prescribe regulations

for the continued examination of

applications (for a fee) at the request of

the applicant. As a result of the

American Inventors Protection Act of

1999, the USPTO implemented a new

practice called a Request for Continued

Examination as an alternative to the

existing Continued Prosecution

Application practice. Applicants can

request the continued examination of a

previously submitted utility or plant

application, instead of submitting a

Continued Prosecution Application. The

USPTO is proposing to eliminate the

use of Continued Prosecution

Applications in the case of utility and

plant applications. Applicants will

continue to use Continued Prosecution

Applications to request additional

examination of a previously submitted

design application. The USPTO will

continue to use the Continued

Prosecution Applications to process and

initiate the additional examination of a

previously submitted design

application.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households, businesses or other forprofit, not-for-profit institutions, farms,

Federal government, and state, local or

tribal government.

Frequency: On occasion.

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to

obtain or retain benefits.

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker,

(202) 395–3897.

Copies of the above information

collection proposal can be obtained by

calling or writing Susan K. Brown,

Records Officer, Data Administration

Division, Office of Data Management,

United States Patent and Trademark

Office, Crystal Park 3, 3rd Floor, Suite

310, Washington, D.C. 20231, by phone

at (703) 308–7400, or via the Internet at

susan.brown@uspto.gov.

Written comments and

recommendations for the proposed

information collection should be sent

within 30 days of publication to David

Rostker, OMB Desk Officer, Room

10236, New Executive Office Building,

725 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

20503.

Dated: June 8, 2001.

Susan K. Brown,

Records Officer, Data Administration

Division, Office of Data Management.

[FR Doc. 01–15094 Filed 6–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

The United States Patent and

Trademark Office (USPTO) has

submitted to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for clearance the

following proposal for collection of

information under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35).

Agency: United States Patent and

Trademark Office (USPTO).

Title: Patent Processing (Updating)

(Proposed Amendment to Requests for

Continuing Examination and Forms for

Reconstruction of Unlocatable Files,

Request for Oral Appeal Hearing, and

Request for Deferral of Examination).

Form Numbers: PTO/SB/08A/08B/21/

22/23/24/25/26/27/30/31/35/36/42/43/

61/ 61PCT/62/63/64/64PCT/67/68/91/

92/96/97 and the proposed addition of

PTO/SB/32/37 and PTO–2053–A/B,

PTO–2054–A/B, and PTO–2055–A/B.

Agency Approval Number: 0651–

0031.

Type of Request: Revision of a

currently approved collection.

Burden: 1,021,941 hours.

Number of Respondents: 2,247,389

responses.

Avg. Hours Per Response: The USPTO

estimates that it will take the public

approximately 12 minutes to gather

information, prepare, and submit a

Request for Continued Examination, a

Request for an Oral Hearing before the

Board of Patent Appeals and

Interferences, or a Request for Deferral

of Examination. The new forms

associated with the reconstruction of

unlocatable files will not affect the

burden for this collection.

Needs and Uses: This collection of

information supports a proposed

rulemaking entitled ‘‘Elimination of

Continued Prosecution Application

Practice as to Utility and Plant Patent

Applications,’’ which will eliminate the

Continued Prosecution Application

(CPA) in favor of the Request for

Continued Examination (RCE) practice

for utility and plant applications. The

USPTO is retaining the current CPA

practice for design applications only.

Additionally, the USPTO is adding five

new forms to this collection pertaining

to the reconstruction of unlocatable

patent and application files, the request

for an oral hearing before the Board of

Patent Appeals and Interferences, and

the request for deferral of examination

of a non-reissue utility or plant

application. The public uses the forms

in this collection to request continued

examination of a previously submitted

application, to assist the USPTO in

reconstructing a current copy of a

missing patent or application file, to file

a written request for an oral hearing ‘‘in

a separate paper’’ before the Board of

Patent Appeals and Interferences, and to

request deferred examination of a patent

application for up to three years from

the earliest filing date for which a

benefit is claimed. The USPTO uses the

information collected from the public to

process and initiate continued

examination of a previously submitted

application, to notify an applicant or

patent owner that an application or

patent file is unlocatable and to request

a copy of the applicant’s or patentee’s

record of the application or patent file,

and to process and consider requests for

oral hearings before the Board of Patent

Appeals and Interferences and requests

for deferral of examination.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households, businesses or other forprofits, not-for-profit institutions, farms,

the Federal Government, and state, local

or tribal governments.

Frequency: On occasion.

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to

obtain or retain benefits.

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker,

(202) 395–3897.

Copies of the above information

collection proposal can be obtained by

calling or writing Susan Brown, Records

Officer, Data Administration Division,

Office of Data Management, United

States Patent and Trademark Office,

Crystal Park 3, 3rd Floor, Suite 310,

Washington, D.C., 20231, by phone at

(703) 308–7400, or via the Internet at

susan.brown@uspto.gov.

Written comments and

recommendations for the proposed

information collection should be sent

within 30 days of publication to David

32604 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 116 / Friday, June 15, 2001 / Notices

Rostker, OMB Desk Officer, Room

10236, New Executive Office Building,

725 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

20503.

Dated: June , 2001.

Susan K. Brown,

Records Officer, Data Administration

Division, Office of Data Management.

[FR Doc. 01–15095 Filed 6–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P

COMMITTEE FOR THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE

AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of Import Limits for Certain

Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber

Textiles and Textile Products and Silk

Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber

Apparel Produced or Manufactured in

the Philippines

June 11, 2001.

AGENCY: Committee for the

Implementation of Textile Agreements

(CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the

Commissioner of Customs adjusting

limits.

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 15, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Naomi Freeman, International Trade

Specialist, Office of Textiles and

Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce,

(202) 482–4212. For information on the

quota status of these limits, refer to the

Quota Status Reports posted on the

bulletin boards of each Customs port,

call (202) 927–5850, or refer to the U.S.

Customs website at http://

www.customs.gov. For information on

embargoes and quota re-openings, refer

to the Office of Textiles and Apparel

website at http://otexa.ita.doc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural

Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854);

Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as

amended.

The current limits for certain

categories are being adjusted, variously,

for carryover, carryforward, swing,

special shift, crochet adjustment and the

recrediting of unused carryforward.

A description of the textile and

apparel categories in terms of HTS

numbers is available in the

CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel

Categories with the Harmonized Tariff

Schedule of the United States (see

Federal Register notice 65 FR 82328,

published on December 28, 2000). Also

see 65 FR 69742, published on

November 20, 2000.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the

Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements

June 11, 2001.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC

20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive

amends, but does not cancel, the directive

issued to you on November 14, 2000, by the

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation

of Textile Agreements. That directive

concerns imports of certain cotton, wool and

man–made fiber textiles and textile products

and silk blend and other vegetable fiber

apparel, produced or manufactured in the

Philippines and exported during the twelvemonth period which began on January 1,

2001 and extends through December 31,

2001.

Effective on June 15, 2001, you are directed

to adjust the limits for the following

categories, as provided for under the Uruguay

Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing:

Category Adjusted twelve-month

limit 1

Levels in Group I

237 ........................... 2,321,627 dozen.

331/631 .................... 8,211,812 dozen pairs.

333/334 .................... 367,932 dozen of

which not more than

51,377 dozen shall

be in Category 333.

335 ........................... 225,387 dozen.

336 ........................... 1,127,427 dozen.

338/339 .................... 3,208,213 dozen.

340/640 .................... 1,420,957 dozen.

341/641 .................... 1,134,850 dozen.

342/642 .................... 824,717 dozen.

345 ........................... 267,433 dozen.

347/348 .................... 3,403,099 dozen.

350 ........................... 177,594 dozen.

351/651 .................... 939,503 dozen.

352/652 .................... 3,647,511 dozen.

359–C/659–C 2 ........ 956,698 kilograms.

361 ........................... 2,624,278 numbers.

369–S3 .................... 898 kilograms.

431 ........................... 197,705 dozen pairs.

433 ........................... 3,930 dozen.

443 ........................... 47,533 numbers.

445/446 .................... 35,628 dozen.

447 ........................... 9,695 dozen.

611 ........................... 2,019,565 square meters.

633 ........................... 71,006 dozen.

634 ........................... 750,301 dozen.

635 ........................... 484,301 dozen.

636 ........................... 2,144,167 dozen.

638/639 .................... 2,739,721 dozen.

643 ........................... 593,986 numbers.

645/646 .................... 985,192 dozen.

647/648 .................... 1,788,768 dozen.

649 ........................... 7,692,578 dozen.

650 ........................... 163,250 dozen.

659–H 4 .................... 2,020,530 kilograms.

847 ........................... 524,482 dozen.

Category Adjusted twelve-month

limit 1

Group II

200–227, 300–326,

332, 359–O 5, 360,

362, 363, 369–O 6,

400–414, 434–

438, 440, 442,

444, 448, 459pt. 7,

464, 469pt. 8, 600–

607, 613–629,

644, 659–O 9, 666,

669–O 10, 670–

O 11, 831, 833–

838, 840–846,

850–858 and

859pt. 12, as a

group.

254,572,161 square

meters equivalent.

1The limits have not been adjusted to account for any imports exported after December

31, 2000. 2 Category 359–C: only HTS numbers

6103.42.2025, 6103.49.8034, 6104.62.1020,

6104.69.8010, 6114.20.0048, 6114.20.0052,

6203.42.2010, 6203.42.2090, 6204.62.2010,

6211.32.0010, 6211.32.0025 and

6211.42.0010; Category 659–C: only HTS

numbers 6103.23.0055, 6103.43.2020,

6103.43.2025, 6103.49.2000, 6103.49.8038,

6104.63.1020, 6104.63.1030, 6104.69.1000,

6104.69.8014, 6114.30.3044, 6114.30.3054,

6203.43.2010, 6203.43.2090, 6203.49.1010,

6203.49.1090, 6204.63.1510, 6204.69.1010,

6210.10.9010, 6211.33.0010, 6211.33.0017

and 6211.43.0010. 3 Category 369–S: only HTS number

6307.10.2005. 4 Category 659–H: only HTS numbers

6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015, 6504.00.9060,

6505.90.5090, 6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090

and 6505.90.8090. 5 Category 359–O: all HTS numbers except

6103.42.2025, 6103.49.8034, 6104.62.1020,

6104.69.8010, 6114.20.0048, 6114.20.0052,

6203.42.2010, 6203.42.2090, 6204.62.2010,

6211.32.0010, 6211.32.0025, 6211.42.0010

(Category 359–C); and 6406.99.1550 (359pt.). 6 Category 369–O: all HTS numbers except

6307.10.2005 (Category 369–S);

5601.10.1000, 5601.21.0090, 5701.90.1020,

5701.90.2020, 5702.10.9020, 5702.39.2010,

5702.49.1020, 5702.49.1080, 5702.59.1000,

5702.99.1010, 5702.99.1090, 5705.00.2020

and 6406.10.7700 (Category 369pt.). 7 Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except

6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060, 6405.20.6090,

6406.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560. 8 Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except

5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010 and

6406.10.9020. 9 Category 659–O: all HTS numbers except

6103.23.0055, 6103.43.2020, 6103.43.2025,

6103.49.2000, 6103.49.8038, 6104.63.1020,

6104.63.1030, 6104.69.1000, 6104.69.8014,

6114.30.3044, 6114.30.3054, 6203.43.2010,

6203.43.2090, 6203.49.1010, 6203.49.1090,

6204.63.1510, 6204.69.1010, 6210.10.9010,

6211.33.0010, 6211.33.0017, 6211.43.0010

(Category 659–C); 6502.00.9030,

6504.00.9015, 6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090,

6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090, 6505.90.8090

(Category 659–H); 6406.99.1510 and

6406.99.1540 (Category 659pt.). 10 Category 669–O: all HTS numbers except

6305.32.0010, 6305.32.0020, 6305.33.0010,

6305.33.0020, 6305.39.0000 (Category 669–

P); 5601.10.2000, 5601.22.0090,

5607.49.3000, 5607.50.4000 and

6406.10.9040 (Category 669pt.).