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View ICR - OIRA Conclusion

OMB Control No: 0651-0058	ICR Reference No: 201504-0651-005
Status: Historical Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 201501-0651-001
Agency/Subagency: DOC/PTO	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Program
Type of Information Collection: No material or nonsubstantive change to a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved without change	Conclusion Date: 04/20/2015
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)	Date Received in OIRA: 04/17/2015
Terms of Clearance:

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	04/30/2018	04/30/2018	04/30/2018
Responses	8,220	0	8,210
Time Burden (Hours)	16,440	0	16,420
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Abstract: The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is a framework in which an application whose claims have been determined to be patent table by an Office of Earlier Examination (OEE) is eligible to go through an accelerated examination in an Office of Later Examination with a simple procedure upon an applicant's request. By leveraging the search and examination work product of the OEE, PPH programs (1) deliver lower prosecution costs, (2) support applicants in their efforts to obtain stable patent rights efficiently around the world, and (3) reduce the search and examination burden, while improving the examination quality, of participating patent offices. Originally, the PPH programs were limited to the utilization of search and examination results of national applications between cross filings under the Paris Convention. Later, the potential of the PPH was greatly expanded by PCT-PPH programs, which permit participating patent offices to draw upon the positive results of the PCT work product from another participating office. PCT-PPH programs use international written opinions and international preliminary examination reports developed within the framework of the PCT, thereby making the PPH available to a larger number of applicants. Information collected for the PCT is approved under OMB control number 0651-0021. More recently, the USPTO and several other offices acted to consolidate and replace existing PPH programs, with the goal of streamlining the PPH process for both offices and applicants. To that end, the USPTO and other offices established the Global PPH pilot program and the IP5 PPH pilot program. The Global PPH and IP5 PPH pilot programs are running concurrently and are substantially identical, differing only with regard to their respective participating offices. The USPTO is participating in both the Global PPH pilot program and the IP5 PPH pilot program. For USPTO applications, the Global PPH and IP5 PPH pilot programs supersede any prior PPH program between the USPTO and each Global PPH and IP5 PPH participating office. Any existing PPH programs between the USPTO and offices that are not participating in either the Global PPH pilot program or the IP5 PPH pilot program remain in effect. For more complete information on the PPH, including (1) a complete identification of participating countries and offices and the programs under which each country/office is participating, (2) the forms needed to request entry into the PPH, both at the USPTO and other participating offices, and (3) information as to which of the PPH programs remain pilots and which have been made permanent, please visit http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp. The forms in this collection allow participants to file in a U.S. application a request to make the U.S. application special under a PPH or PCT-PPH program.

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion
Annual Number of Responses	8,220	8,210	10
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	16,440	16,420	20
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Changing Regulations

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: The USPTO has started a pilot program with the Romanian Patent office to participate in the PPH program. This pilot is expected to last from April 15, 2015 through April 14, 2019. The USPTO is proposing to add one form to this collection for a this new participant in the PPH program: Request for Participation in the PPH Pilot Program between the OSIM and the USPTO (PTO/SB/20RO).