G250 Global Patent Prosecution Focus Group Submission Request

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0651-0080)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Global Patent Prosecution Focus Group

PURPOSE: The purpose of this Focus Group Session is to strengthen Global Patent Prosecution Quality and Efficiency and improve work sharing, quality and communication between USPTO and various stakeholders. Meeting to be scheduled with various AIPLA/ IPO Members, in the 3^rd quarter (April / May 2016).

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: The respondents for the Focus group include patent attorneys, agents, inventors and/or other representatives and stakeholders.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one or multiple)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[x] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Business Unit: ___OIPC___/Pat Ducey / Gabriela Craciun/______________________

OCIO:_____________/Name/_____________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [x] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [x] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Focus Sessions	20	60 minutes	20 hours
Totals	20	60 minutes	20 hours

The USPTO estimates that 0% of the surveys will be submitted electronically

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is the combined average hourly rate for GS-14 step 4 and GS-12 step 3. The hourly wage of $57.39 per hour for a GS-14 step 4 + 17.22 (30%) = $74.61. The hourly wage $39.61 per hour for a GS-12 step 3 + 11.88 (30%) = $51.49, which leads to a combined hourly rate of $63.05. $63.05 * 20 hours = $1,261.00

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [x] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

The Focus Group participants consist of stakeholders who have a long-standing relationship with Global Patent Prosecution and are frequent users of GPP programs. Participants will be selected who have industry knowledge and coordinate with the USPTO on a regular basis.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[x] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain: live poll software

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [x] Yes [ ] No

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