The USPTO is requesting comments on its proposed Disclosure Document Program. According to the program, disclosed documents will be preserved by the USPTO for two years after their receipt, and then destroyed unless referred to in a separate letter in a related patent application filed within the two year period. The disclosure document is not a patent application, and the date of its receipt in the USPTO will not become the effective filing date of any patent application subsequently filed.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
The comments must be submitted by October 18, 2004 to Susan.Brown@USPTO.gov (include "0651-0030 comment" in the subject line).