During the pendency of a patent application or the period of enforceability of a patent, certain situations may arise which render it necessary to collect information related to further processing of the patented file or of the patent application. These situations involve responses filed by applicants to Office actions and may include information disclosures, requests for extensions of time, establishing small entity status, abandonment and revival of abandoned application, disclaimers, appeals, and certificates of mailing.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.