Federal Register Notice: USPTO Performance Review Board Members

[Federal Register: October 26, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 205)]
[Notices][Page 54963]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26oc09-33]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No. PTO-C-2009-0046]
Performance Review Board (PRB)
AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office.
ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In conformance with the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, 5 U.S.C. 4314(c)(4), the United States Patent and Trademark Office announces the appointment of persons to serve as members of its Performance Review Board.

ADDRESSES: Director, Human Capital Management, Office of Human Resources, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Karlinchak at (571) 272-6200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The membership of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Performance Review Board is as follows:

• Sharon Barner, Chair, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• Stephen S. Smith, Vice Chair, Chief Administrative Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• Robert K. Stoll, Commissioner for Patents, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• Lynne G. Beresford, Commissioner for Trademarks, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• Barry K. Hudson, Chief Financial Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• Arti K. Rai, Administrator for External Affairs, United States
  Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• John B. Owens II, Chief Information Officer, United States Patent
  and Trademark Office.
  
• James A. Toupin, General Counsel, United States Patent and
  Trademark Office.

Alternates

• Lois E. Boland, Director, Office of Intellectual Property Policy and Enforcement, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• Deborah S. Cohn, Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Operations, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• Margaret A. Focarino, Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations,
  United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Dated: October 19, 2009.
David J. Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. E9-25722 Filed 10-23-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-16-P

Federal Register: Patents Ombudsman Pilot Program Comment Request

[Federal Register: October 27, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 206)]
[Notices] [Page 55212]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

To view the complete text of this Comment Request see:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2009_register&docid=fr27oc09-45

Request for Comments on Patents Ombudsman Pilot Program

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is currently developing a Patents Ombudsman Pilot Program. The Patents Ombudsman Pilot Program is intended to provide patent applicants, attorneys and agents with assistance with application-specific issues including prosecution advancement concerns. The Patents Ombudsman Pilot Program is not intended to circumvent normal communication between pro se applicants or applicant's representatives and examiners or Supervisory Patent Examiners (SPEs). The USPTO is inviting public comment on the proposed Patents Ombudsman Pilot Program.

Comment Deadline Date: Written comments must be received on or before November 27, 2009. No public hearing will be held.

Federal Register: Re. Trademark Signatures, Representatives, and Correspondence Address

[Federal Register: October 26, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 205)]
[Rules and Regulations][Page 54898-54912]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

To see the complete text of this Final Rule see:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2009_register&docid=fr26oc09-4

Changes in Requirements for Signature of Documents, Recognition of Representatives, and Establishing and Changing the Correspondence Address in Trademark Cases

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule
SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (``Office'') is revising the Trademark Rules of Practice to set forth the requirements for signature of documents filed in the Office, recognition of representatives, and establishing and changing the correspondence address in trademark cases.

DATES: This rule is effective December 28, 2009.

State & City Patent Statistics Table & Map

The nonprofit State Science and Technology Institute has taken raw data from the USPTO and compiled it into a statistical table that indicates number of patents issued per 100,000 employees by state for FY 2003-2007. The USPTO bases the state of origin of a patent on the resident of the first-named inventor.

Notable trends for this time period include:

• In 2007 the top five states for number of patents issued per 100,000 employees were: Idaho (210.1), Vermont (179.9), California (144.5), Washington (133.1), and Oregon (132.1)
  
• In 2007 the five states/district with the lowest number of patents issued per 100,000 employees were: Alaska (7.7) , District of Columbia (10.5), Hawaii (13.1), Arkansas (14.4), and Louisiana (15.7).
  
• Only seven states and the District of Columbia increased the number of patents per employee: Washington (40.3%), North Dakota (36.5%), D.C. (36.3%), Rhode Island (15.1%), Vermont (13.7%), Oregon (10.6%), Kansas (0.8%), and Nebraska (0.6%).
  
• Texas has consistently ranked 19th or 20th in the number of patents issued per 100,000 employees.

If you'd something more exciting than a table, FreePatentsOnline has come up with an inventive way to display geographic inventor data by creating a Google maps mash-up. Starting with their map of the U.S., click on a state, then a city, then a number (number of patent applications from that area) to see a list of recent patent application numbers and titles contained in their database. You can also use the application numbers to do a "Publication Number Search" in the USPTO applications (AppFT) database.

14th Annual Independent Inventors Conference

The USPTO and the National Inventors Hall of Fame are sponsoring the 14th Annual Independent Inventors Conference at the USPTO campus in Alexandria, Virgina, on Nov. 5-6, 2009. Speakers will include:

• David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO
  
• Roger Kilmer, Director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) at the USPTO and
  
• Don Skomsky inventor and winner of NASA's International Create the Future new technology competition.

Registration is now open and the $120 registration fee includes two days worth of sessions and presentations, refreshments, and lunch. The registration fee also includes access to a pre-conference workshop on Nov. 4 from 5-7 p.m. for beginners to learn about the basics of the patent process.

The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) are also sponsoring an opening night (Thurs.) reception to foster networking opportunities.