March 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 correct the current inventory of information collection 0651-0031: Patent Processing (Updating). Fees had been returned to collection 0651-0031 from information collection 0651-0072: America Invents Act Section 10 Patent Fee Adjustment (approved by OMB in January 2013). Upon conducting a final analysis following the re-integration of all relevant fees from 0651-0072, it was determined that two of the fees moved into 0651-0031 are not currently applicable to any USPTO collection. This request is to remove those fees from 0651-0031.

This request is only to remove the affected fees from the annual (non-hour) cost burden. The table below details the fees that are to be removed from collection 0651-0031:

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
Total	4	$0.00

Summary of Changes

The removal of 4 responses and $0.00 in fees from collection 0651-0031 accounts for adjustments made following a review of collection 0651-0031.

Changes in Burden

Burden Type	Currently Approved	Proposed Change	New Estimate
Responses	3,817,834	4	3,817,830
Fee	$370,701,948.00	$0.00	$370,701,948.00

Removing these fees from 0651-0031 will decrease the annual responses originally reported for this renewal.

Consequently, this collection takes a decrease of 4 responses and $0.00 in annual (non-hour) cost burden as a program change.

The 0651-0031 revised total burden is as follows:

• 3,817,830 responses

• $370,701,948 in annual (non-hour) fees