Before the excitement from the department's commendation had even subsided, a new term began to circulate within the group—patent.
That evening, Fu Jingchen came to see Liu Li, and the two took a walk in the project site's courtyard. The moonlight was beautiful, shining on the newly sprouting green grass.
"The ministry's commendation and promotion plan are the greatest affirmation of the value of your technology," Fu Jingchen said sincerely. "However, I'm thinking, besides these administrative recognitions, shouldn't our technological achievements have a more... more 'modern' layer of protection?"
Liu Li looked at him with some confusion: "More modern protection? What do you mean?"
“Patent,” Fu Jingchen said, explaining, “is when you submit an application to the State Patent Office for the technical content of your invention. After examination, you are granted the exclusive right to implement it for a certain period. It’s like giving our technology a ‘household registration’ or a ‘label’, clearly indicating who invented it and protecting it by law.”
This was the first time Liu Li had come into such concrete contact with the concept of "patent." In her memory, technological innovations in the factory used to at most result in an award within the factory, a bonus, or, for better ones, a report to the city or province. She had never heard of applying for a separate "patent" to protect them.
"Is this... useful?" she hesitated. "Isn't the point of developing technology to be used by everyone? The department is going to promote it."
“It’s useful, and very necessary.” Fu Jingchen’s tone became serious. “Promotion is a good thing, but without patent protection, other organizations or even individuals can imitate and use it at will, and even make slight modifications and claim it as their own. In that case, who will remember that this technology was originally developed by you with great effort and risk? With a patent, at least your identity and rights as inventors are clearly defined in law. This is very important for encouraging innovation and is also an internationally accepted practice.”
He paused, looking at Liu Li: "Moreover, the innovation of your 'online dynamic balancing device' is very clear—the adaptive balancing method based on fuzzy control, the self-made electro-inductive vibration probe structure, and the integrated mechanical and electromagnetic design. It fully meets the conditions for applying for an invention patent."
As Liu Li listened, her understanding gradually cleared. Yes, this technology embodied so much of their hard work and overcame numerous doubts to succeed. If it could have an official, legally recognized "status," it would not only be a sign of respect for their efforts, but it also seemed capable of preventing potential future disputes and allowing the technology to be promoted and applied within a more standardized framework.
"But... how do we apply for a patent? We don't know how," Liu Li thought of the practical problem.
“The institute has an office responsible for intellectual property; I can help you get in touch with them.” Fu Jingchen had clearly already considered this. “Ask them for guidance, and we’ll prepare the application documents together. The most important thing is to clearly describe the technical solution and highlight the innovative points. You, Zhou Wei, and Sun Mei are the inventors; this is your rightful right.”
The next day, Liu Li told Zhou Wei and Sun Mei about her idea for the patent, and both of them thought it was both novel and necessary.
"Patent? That's great!" Zhou Wei adjusted his glasses. "Our algorithm is definitely innovative enough!"
“There should be an explanation,” Sun Mei nodded, “otherwise anyone can just take it and use it at will.”
Through Fu Jingchen's introduction, they found Lao Wang in the institute's intellectual property office. Lao Wang was very supportive when he heard that they had developed a technology that had been commended by the ministry and that they were going to apply for a patent. He immediately began to guide them in preparing the materials.
Drafting a patent application presents a new challenge. It requires clearly defining the technical field, background technology, invention content, description of drawings, and specific implementation methods. Most importantly, it necessitates extracting the "claims" to clearly define the scope of patent protection.
Liu Li, Zhou Wei, and Sun Mei sat together again, and under Lao Wang's guidance, they carefully discussed the wording of each claim, striving to protect their core technology as broadly as possible while ensuring novelty and inventiveness so that it could pass the patent office's examination.
This process deepened their understanding of their technology and made it more systematic. When they finally signed their names, "Liu Li, Zhou Wei, and Sun Mei," in the "Inventors" section of the patent application, an unprecedented sense of solemnity and accomplishment welled up within them.
This is not merely a document, but a legal affirmation of their innovative work, marking the beginning of their thinking and practices aligning with a broader world and more modern rules. Beyond awards and promotion, the value of technology has been given new meaning and protection.
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