The USPTO uses Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology to support electronic commerce between the USPTO and its customers. In order to access secure online systems offered by the USPTO for transactions such as electronic filing of patent applications and retrieving confidential patent application information, customers must first obtain a digital certificate. The public uses this collection to request a new digital certificate, the revocation of a current certificate, or the recovery of a lost certificate. This collection includes the Certificate Action Form (PTO-2042), which is provided by the USPTO to ensure that customers submit the necessary information for processing certificate requests. The accompanying subscriber agreement explains the regulations governing the use of the digital certificates and the software that creates and validates the encryption keys. The online self-recovery form allows the public to recover lost keys without having to contact support staff at the USPTO.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is submitting this request to revise the Certificate Action Form (PTO-2042). In order to take full advantage of the online patent application systems offered by the USPTO, users must obtain a PKI certificate and then associate the PKI certificate with a USPTO customer number. The USPTO is streamlining the procedure for associating a PKI certificate with a customer number. Typically, practitioners or pro se inventors would submit a Certificate Action Form (PTO-2042) to the USPTO in order to associate their PKI certificates with a customer number. Users may request a new customer number from the USPTO or change the address or practitioners for an existing customer number by submitting a Request for Customer Number (PTO/SB/125) or Request for Customer Number Data Change (PTO/SB/124), which are approved under OMB Control Number 0651-0035. Under the revised procedure, practitioners or inventors listed on these Request for Customer Number forms would automatically have their existing PKI certificates associated with the indicated customer number (or deleted from the customer number, in the case of deleted practitioners) without having to submit a separate Certificate Action Form.
In order to accommodate the revised procedure, the USPTO will revise the text on the Certificate Action Form (PTO-2042) to indicate that users who are requesting a new PKI certificate will have the new certificate associated with the customer numbers that the user provides on the form. The proposed revision to the Certificate Action Form (PTO-2042) clarifies the new procedure for users of the form and does not change the information being collected. The USPTO estimates that it will receive approximately 10% fewer Certificate Action Forms per year due to the elimination of the need to submit a separate Certificate Action Form to associate PKI certificates with customer numbers in certain instances as explained above.
The USPTO estimates that it will receive approximately 10% fewer Certificate Action Forms per year due to the elimination of the need to submit a separate Certificate Action Form to associate PKI certificates with customer numbers in certain instances. Consequently, the USPTO estimates that the number of annual responses for the Certificate Action Form will decrease by 206 and that the burden hours will decrease by 103 due to the program change. The annual costs for notarization and postage associated with submitting this form will also decrease based on the decreased number of annual responses from the program change, but that decrease will be partially offset by an increase in the estimated first-class postage cost as an administrative adjustment.
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.
Form PTO-2042 Certificate Action Form (including Subscriber Agreement)
0651-0045-justificationforchange-Aug2010-final.pdf
Certificate Action Form (including Subscriber Agreement)