G411: STEPP Bundle 2024 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: G411: STEPP Evaluation Survey 2024

PURPOSE: The Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure (STEPP) program provides to members of the public a better understanding of the examiner’s role in the examination process. STEPP courses are led by USPTO trainers and based on material developed for training new patent examiners. This information collection will help USPTO to gauge the interest from potential course attendees and to determine the course effectiveness following a stakeholder’s completion of the class.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The STEPP courses are open to all members of the public. Approximately 70% of registrants are registered practitioners and the remainder are inventors or individuals interested in intellectual property, including individuals from foreign countries.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one or multiple)

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

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

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Course Interest and Needs Forms

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: Office of Patent Stakeholder Experience (OPSE)

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

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [X ] Yes (Interest Form only) [] No

1a. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to

the Privacy Act of 1974? [X] Yes [ ] No

2. If applicable, has a System of Records Notice been published? [X] Yes [ ] No [ ] N/A

Gifts or Payments:

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

BURDEN HOURS

Information Collection	Type of respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
STEPP Interest Request	Private Sector	467	5 minutes	37
STEPP Needs Assessment Survey	- - -	43	5 minutes	3
STEPP Evaluation Survey	- - -	150	5 minutes	12
STEPP International Evaluation Survey	- - -	25	5 minutes	2
STEPP Overall Evaluation & Future Advanced Courses	- - -	150	5 minutes	12
Totals	- - -	835	- - -	76 hours

The USPTO estimates that 100% of the forms and surveys will be conducted online.

FEDERAL COST: The estimated cost to the federal government uses the hourly rate for a GS-9 step 10 ($42.61), with 30% ($12.78) added for benefits and overheard, which totals an hourly rate of $55.39.

The STEPP Interest Requests will be summarized for each of the 6 courses, and take about 1 hour to complete and send formal course invitations. This equals 6 total hours per year. 6 hours * $55.39 = $332. The STEPP Needs Assessment Survey will be summarized 3 times a year and take about 2 hours to graphically summarize and distribute. 3 occurrences * 2 hours = 6 hours. 6 hours * $55.39 = $332. The STEPP Evaluation Survey will be summarized for each of the 6 courses, and take about 2 hours to graphically summarize and distribute. 6 courses * 2 hours = 12 hours. 12 hours * $55.39 = $665. The STEPP Overall Evaluation and Future Advanced Courses survey will be summarized twice a year, and take about 2 hours to graphically summarize and distribute. 2 summaries * 2 hours = 4 hours. 4 hours * $55.39 = $222. The International STEPP Evaluation survey will be summarized once a year , and takes about 2 hours to graphically summarize and distribute. 1 summary * 2 hours = 2 hours. 2 hours * $55.39 = $111.

Therefore, the total federal cost for the five items is $1,662.

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?

Potential respondents for the STEPP Interest Request and/or the STEPP Needs Assessment Survey will be based on the users who visit the STEPP website: https://www.uspto.gov/patents/patent-quality/stakeholder-training-examination-practice-and-procedure-0. The courses and this site are marketed through Patents Alerts, social media, and direct emails to those who have requested to be notified of events. The universe of STEPP course participants is defined by all parties who complete the STEPP Interest Form. At the same website, users have the option to fill out the STEPP Needs Assessment Form. This form provides USPTO information on how to tailor course structures.

Once people are registered via the Interest Request, most will attend the STEPP course or the International STEPP Course online. The attendees are also sent an email invitation for the STEPP Overall Evaluation and Future Advanced Courses survey. This invite is sent a few months after completing the course, to gauge whether the courses are having a lasting impact.

Some private attorneys/agents are expected to fill out the STEPP Interest Request in order to attend the International STEPP course. This course is very similar to the STEPP course but is targeted only to persons living outside of the United States.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain: live poll software

Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

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