3510-16-P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Public Search
Facility User ID and Badging
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will submit the following
information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review
and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the
date of publication of this notice. The USPTO invites comments on this information
collection renewal, which helps the USPTO assess the impact of its information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. Public comments were
previously requested via the Federal Register on May 13 during a 60-day comment
period (89 FR 41395). This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comment.
Agency: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce.
Title: Public Search Facility User ID and Badging.
OMB Control Number: 0651-0041.
Needs and Uses: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is required
by 35 U.S.C. 41(i)(1) to maintain a Public Search Facility to make publicly accessible
USPTO patent and trademark collections for search and retrieval. The Public Search
Facility is located in a publicly accessible portion of USPTO headquarters in Alexandria,
Virginia, and offers the public access to the collection’s paper, microfilm, and electronic
files and trained staff to assist users with searches.
This information collection covers the application used to establish, renew, or
replace security identification badges issued to members of the public who wish to access
the Public Search Facility. Users can apply for a security badge in-person at the USPTO

Security Office by providing the necessary information and presenting a valid form of
photo identification. The issued security badges include a color photograph of the user
and must be worn at all times while within the USPTO facility. Issued badges are valid for
one year and can be renewed at no cost. Lost badges can be replaced at a cost of $15.
Public users are not required to obtain a security identification badge to access the Public
Search Facility. Alternatively, public users can fill out a visitor badge request upon visiting
the library. The process for obtaining a visitor badge is exempt from the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA). The visitor badge must be turned in each time the user leaves the
library. Re-entry requires obtaining a new visitor badge. However, using a security
identification badge issued to a public user allows that individual to leave and re-enter the
library without needing to obtain a visitor badge. Public users only need to obtain either
the visitor badge or a security identification badge to enter the Public Search Facility; they
do not need both simultaneously.
Previously, the Public Search Facility collected information from the public to
establish and maintain accounts for online access to USPTO resources and to register
the public for user trainings. Instead of using unique accounts for the Public Search
Facility, access is now automatically provided through MyUSPTO accounts. Registrations
for training are no longer required as trainings are now provided on demand via selfservice online platforms. As a result, the USPTO is removing the information collection
lines for online access accounts and user training registrations from this information
collection as a part of this renewal.
Previously in the 60-Day Federal Register Notice, the USPTO listed the estimated
total annual respondent burden as 6 hours. The USPTO now corrects this estimate to 5
hours of annual burden.
Forms:
•

PTO Form 2030 (Application for Public User ID)

Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved information collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Frequency: On occasion.
Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 60 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 60 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses in this
information collection will take the public approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to
complete. This includes the time to gather the necessary information, create the
document, and submit the completed request to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 5 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-Hourly Cost Burden: $75.
This information collection request may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. Follow the
instructions to view Department of Commerce, USPTO information collections currently
under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for this information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website,
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by
selecting “Currently under 30-day Review–Open for Public Comments” or by using the
search function and entering either the title of the information collection or the OMB
Control Number, 0651-0041.
Further information can be obtained by:
•

E-mail:

InformationCollection@uspto.gov.

Include

“0651-0041

information

request” in the subject line of the message.
•

Mail: Justin Isaac, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, United States Patent
and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

Lisa Lawn,
Director,
Records and Information Compliance Program Office,
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer,
United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-15870 Filed: 7/17/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 7/18/2024]