January 2016 0651-0031 Change Worksheet

JUSTIFICATION FOR NONMATERIAL/NONSUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Patent Processing (Updating)

OMB Control Number 0651-0031

Background

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is submitting this request to update the current inventory of information collection 0651-0031: Patent Processing (Updating). The fees in 0651-0031 had been moved into collection 0651-0072: America Invents Act Section 10 Patent Fee Adjustment (approved by OMB in January, 2013). The request is to return these fees to 0651-0031 from 0651-0072 to provide appropriate accounting of the fees with the discontinuation of 0651-0072.

This request is only to return the affected fees to the annual (non-hour) cost burden. The table below details the fees that have been moved to 0651-0031 and are to be removed from 0651-0072, pending its discontinuation:

Fees for Respondents – Annual (Non-hour) Cost Burden

Title	Responses	Cost
0036 Request for publication of SIR – Prior to examiner’s action	3	$0.00
0036 Request for publication of SIR – After examiner’s action	1	$0.00
00XX Correct inventorship after first office action on the merits	250	$128,573.00
Total	254	$128,573.00

Summary of Changes

The addition of $128,573 in fees to collection 0651-0031 is to account for these fees following the discontinuation of collection 0651-0072.

Changes in Burden

Burden Type	Currently Approved	Proposed Change	New Estimate
Responses	0	254	254
Fee	$0.00	$128,573.00	$128,573.00

Adding these fees to 0651-0031 (that are currently accounted for in the discontinuing 0651-0072) will increase the annual (non-hour) cost estimates originally reported for the renewal.

Consequently, this collection takes a net burden increase of $128,573 in annual (non-hour) costs as a program change.

The 0651-0031 revised total burden is as follows:

• 254 responses

• $128,573 in annual (non-hour) fees