Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Patent and Trademark Resource Center Metrics

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (hereafter "USPTO" or "Agency"), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on the extension and revision of an existing information collection: 0651-0068 (Patent and Trademark Resource Center Metrics). The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comments prior to submission of the information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 192 (Tuesday, October 6, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 6, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63529-63530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-20470]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Patent and Trademark Resource Center Metrics

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (hereafter 
``USPTO'' or ``Agency''), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, invites comments on the extension and revision of an existing 
information collection: 0651-0068 (Patent and Trademark Resource Center 
Metrics). The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public 
comments prior to submission of the information collection to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

DATES: To ensure consideration, you must submit comments regarding this 
information collection on or before December 7, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
any of the following methods. Do not submit Confidential Business 
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
    <bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#632a0d050c110e02170a0c0d200c0f0f0600170a0c0d23161013170c4d040c15"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5910373f362b34382d3036371a3635353c3a2d303637192c2a292d36773e362f">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Include ``0651-
0068 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
    <bullet> Mail: Justin Isaac, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
    <bullet> Telephone: Johnna Childs, Librarian, Patent and Trademark 
Resource Center Program, 571-270-3793.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Johnna Childs at: Patent and Trademark Resource 
Center Program, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 
1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; 571-270-3793; or 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1b51747375757a35587372777f685b6e686b6f74357c746d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="175d787f79797639547f7e7b736457626467637839707861">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> with ``0651-0068 comment'' in the subject line. 
Additional information about this information collection is also 
available at <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov">https://www.reginfo.gov</a> under ``Information Collection 
Review.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) Program is 
authorized under the provision of 35 U.S.C. 2(a)(2), which provides 
that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) shall be 
responsible for disseminating information with respect to patents and 
trademarks to the public. The PTRC Program is comprised of public, 
state, and academic libraries. Each participating library designated as 
a PTRC must fulfill the following requirements: assist the public in 
the efficient use of patent and trademark resources; provide free 
access to patent and trademark resources provided by the USPTO; and 
send representatives to attend USPTO-hosted PTRC training seminars.
    The USPTO collects information about the public's use of the PTRCs 
and training provided through the PTRC program. The PTRC Program 
requirements stipulate that all participating libraries must submit 
quarterly metrics for the public's use of PTRC services and public 
outreach efforts provided by the PTRCs. To facilitate that requirement, 
the USPTO electronically collects these metrics on a quarterly basis. 
This information collection enables the USPTO to see how stakeholders 
are being served by the PTRCs and to ascertain what changes may be 
needed in the types of services provided. These metrics also provide 
the PTRC Program Office with insight into the trainings it should offer 
to PTRC librarians.

II. Method of Collection

    Items in this information collection must be submitted as 
electronic submissions.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0651-0068.
    Forms:
    <bullet> PTO-8601 (PTRC Metric Worksheet)
    Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Affected Public: State, local, and tribal governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 150 respondents.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 600 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses 
in this information collection will take the public approximately 30 
minutes (0.50 hours) to complete. This includes the time to gather the 
necessary

[[Page 63530]]

information, create the document, and submit the completed item to the 
USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 300 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Hourly Cost Burden: $12,186.

                        Table 1--Total Reporting Burden Hours and Hourly Costs to State, Local, and Tribal Government Respondents
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                                       Estimated    Responses                                                                           Estimated annual
                                         annual        per       Estimated annual  Estimated time for   Estimated burden  \1\ Rate ($/  respondent cost
    Item no.             Item         respondents   respondent   responses (a) x    response (hours)   (hour/year) (c) x   hour) (f)    burden (e) x (f)
                                          (a)          (b)          (b) = (c)              (d)             (d) = (e)                         = (g)
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1...............  PTRC Metric                 150            4                600  0.50..............                300       $40.62            $12,186
                   Worksheet.                                                      (30 minutes)......
                  PTO-8601..........
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                  Totals............          150  ...........                600  ..................                300  ...........            $12,186
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\1\ The USPTO uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupation Employment Statistics wage category 25-4022 (Librarians and Media Collections
  Specialists) to represent an estimated wage of respondents. The USPTO estimates that the hourly wage rate will be in the 75th percentile, as
  respondents will likely be living in metropolitan areas; <a href="https://data.bls.gov/oesprofile/?major_group=250000&occupation=254022&measure=01&areas=INDUSTRY,STATE,MSA">https://data.bls.gov/oesprofile/?major_group=250000&occupation=254022&measure=01&areas=INDUSTRY,STATE,MSA</a>.

    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-hourly Cost Burden: $0. There 
are no capital start-up costs, maintenance costs, recordkeeping costs, 
filing fees, or postage costs associated with this information 
collection.

IV. Request for Comments

    The USPTO is soliciting public comments to:
    (a) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of 
the 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 automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. The USPTO will include or summarize each comment in the 
request to OMB to approve this information collection. Before including 
an address, phone number, email address, or other personally 
identifiable information (PII) in a comment, be advised that the entire 
comment--including PII--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While one may request in a comment to withhold PII from public view, 
the USPTO cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2026-20470 Filed 10-5-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P


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