Registration and Gift Giving

Chapter 15 Registration and Gift Giving

Now that Attorney Barbara has pointed out the right direction, Ethan will naturally continue on that path without wavering.

Back home, he enjoyed a simple lunch prepared by Linda, then pulled out the California Yellow Pages and found a number.

After a busy signal, a female voice with no emotion came from the other end of the phone.

"This is the California office of the American Patent Office."

"Hello ma'am, I have an invention and I want to apply for a patent. It's a personal application and a provisional application. What documents do I need to bring and where do I go to process it?" Ethan clearly stated his request.

"Sir, we are pleased that you support the work of our Patent Office."

The female voice on the other end of the phone explained carefully: "The process for applying for a provisional patent is very simple. You just need to bring the accompanying drawings and specifications of your invention to our office. Our office address is 26 Fourth Street, San Jose. You can come here from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. By the way, a friendly reminder: there is a $70 application fee for a provisional patent application."

"..."

"This is really a bit expensive."

Ethan's lips twitched as he hung up the phone.

Keep in mind that his previous weekly wage at Milroy was only eighty dollars, and all the materials for Snake, including the second-hand TV and joystick sponsored by Evelyn, cost no more than four hundred dollars.

But now, the cost of a provisional patent application is seventy dollars?

This is something no normal person can afford.

"As expected of capitalism, everything revolves around money." Ethan shook his head and complained, "No wonder the Pigeon Society made a special video for Walter Hunter. He has the ability to invent and create, but he doesn't have the money to register patents. That's really tragic."

But no matter how expensive it is, we have to use it.

After hanging up the phone, Ethan began preparing as requested.

I copied Evelyn's arcade diagrams by hand, which mainly emphasized the game's content, such as the snake moving on its own at the start of the game and turning corners when the joystick is operated.

As for things like circuit diagrams, he didn't draw them at all, nor did he need to.

After all, Barbara said that temporary applications are not reviewed at all, and what you should write is what you most want to be protected by law.

After finishing all this, it was already past 1 p.m. Then Ethan spent another 20 minutes traveling 10 miles to San Jose to submit his application to the California office of the Patent Office.

"Are you applying for a patent for the 'Snake Game' arcade game in the names of Evelyn Jensen and Ethan Jones?" the clerk asked.

"Yeah." Ethan nodded.

It was something Ethan and Evelyn had agreed upon: putting both their names on the patent application.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Although the inefficiency of American government agencies has been criticized in the future, that only applies to projects that are paid; when it comes to projects that are paid, they have always been swift and efficient.

The clerk quickly made copies, and in less than five minutes, Ethan received a receipt for the temporary application.

It contains the patent number for the provisional application, the application date, the invention title, and the inventor's name.

Meanwhile, the other party also stated, "Mr. Jones, the provisional application has been completed. You can submit a formal application to us at any time in the coming year. If you do not submit it, the provisional application will automatically expire and be permanently archived one year from today. If you submit it, your provisional application will be made public by us in the form of a priority declaration."

"OK, thanks."

Ethan was very happy to see the somewhat simple receipt, which represented the iron fist of the law.

There's nothing we can do about it; this thing represents money.

Humming a little tune and singing a song, I happily returned to the car.

He glanced at his watch; the 2:30 mark made him feel that there was still plenty of time.

So he turned around and stopped in front of a record store in San Jose.

The store's signboard features a poster of a blonde woman in a red dress, with the words "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton John.

"Holy crap, this song has already been released?"

Ethan was quite surprised, because he had liked this song more in his previous life.

It's just that it's not the original singer, but a cover by a male artist.

He muttered something under his breath, then ignored it and waved to the shopkeeper. A middle-aged white man with a wealthy appearance immediately ran out.

"Sir, how can I help you?"

"Any new movies starring Barbra Streisand?"

"Are you referring to 'The Way We Are,' which was released last year?"

"Can I take a look at it?"

"Please wait a moment, sir."

A moment later, the white man ran out again with the album, a palm-sized cassette with Barbra Streisand wearing a black robe on the plastic packaging.

The cover caught Ethan's eye, and he nodded, "Yes, this is it. Do you have a deluxe edition? The one with the poster?"

"Of course," the shop owner said as he returned to the store.

When he came out for the third time, he had a box the size of a schoolbag in his hand.

"The vinyl version includes one record, three posters, and a record of the album's production. It's $15 if you want it."

"Please wrap it up for me, it's a formal dress."

"Sir, that would cost an extra dollar."

"no problem."

Ethan counted out sixteen dollars from his wallet and handed it to him. A few minutes later, the boss came out carrying a gift box that could be held in both hands. The pure white outer packaging and pink ribbon were things that Ethan hadn't mentioned.

"You're really good!"

Ethan smiled at his boss, then turned on the radio and arrived at Stanford to the sound of soothing music.

Since he arrived a bit early, Ethan simply reclined his seat and leisurely lay down in the car.

I don't know how much time passed, but when the banging sounds rang out, teasing words followed.

Wow~ You seem to be in a good mood!

Ethan had barely opened his eyes when Evelyn was already in the passenger seat. "Looks like things went smoothly?"

"uh-huh."

Ethan took the receipt out of his jacket pocket and flicked it lightly.

The sheet made of A4 paper immediately made a crisp sound.

Evelyn took a look and praised, "Oh~ that's good, you're very efficient."

"Of course," Ethan said. "You've done all the preliminary work for me. If I couldn't handle this little thing, I might as well find a place to kill myself."

"YoYoYo~ What's wrong with you today? Did you eat a McDonald's milkshake?"

Evelyn laughed and said, "Oh, or perhaps you're just happy to thank me? If it's the former, I think I'll tell Linda you've been eating junk food again. But if it's the latter... hmph, I don't accept any verbal thanks!"

"Okay, okay, I understand."

Ethan gestured with his hands, saying, "So, I'm not prepared to offer my thanks verbally."

As he spoke, he pointed to the back seat with his thumb.

Evelyn, finding it strange, immediately turned her head away.

In an instant, she spotted the exquisite packaging hidden under the clothes and couldn't wait to take it in her hand.

"A gift for me?"

"uh-huh."

"I tore it down?"

"Please go ahead."

Before the words were even finished, the ribbon had already been untied.

A moment of silence, as if time had stood still.

The sudden screams were a sign of Shi's joy.

"A vinyl version of 'The Way We Are'???"

"Oh my God!!! This is what I wrote for you that day! No! I only wrote about the album..."

"Oh, Ethan! I love you to death!!!"

Note: ① The Yellow Pages, or telephone directory, originated in the United States in 1880. According to American custom, it lists the phone numbers of organizations and businesses in a city or region. ② Walter Hunt, inventor, best known for his sewing machine. ③ Olivia Newton John, singer and actress, co-starred with John Travolta (the actor who starred alongside Nicolas Cage in *Face/Off*) in *Grease*. ④ Leslie Cheung covered "I Honestly Love You".

(End of this chapter)