Intellectual sparring partner (part 8)

(Inventor’s sketches)

My intellectual sparring partner or scientific guru lives in Japan. As soon as the bright idea to create a mobile dosimeter-radiometer for such a competitive high-tech sphere as the mobile and smartphone industry popped into my greying and, at times, obtuse head, I immediately called my colleague in Japan. Having listened carefully to me, my Sensei said: “Volodya, in this world, everything has already been invented. However, now and again intellectual products appear out of thin air”. He gave me an example from his life 30 years ago when he was still young and bold. He invented a device called “ElektroKei”, which used electric impulses to first detect then stimulate the biologically active parts of the human body. In those days, electronic gadgets were also popular, but no one had thought of a solution as elegant or beautiful as Sensei’s! His parting words were simple: “Put your feelers out, try, experiment. Just bear in mind that this field has already been studied inside out, and it’s already been divided between large electronic monsters!”

Some time passed and my brain was working overtime. It was acting like a person infatuated or a possessed inventor, the same chemical reactions, the same symptoms. I started going to bed later and getting up earlier than usual. My brain was like an overloaded computer, along with all the perks and all the drawbacks. Sometimes it seemed like I was 30 years younger writing my scientific thesis. It was a state of mind and soul I had never experienced before.

Then, having read a pile of files written by my own fair hand, the patent claim began to take shape. I don’t think it was the idea of the century, but there was still something to it. I called my Sensei in Tokyo and asked him what he thought. He said over Skype that I was definitely onto something! But I needed to look into global patents so as not to reinvent the wheel. I agreed with his suggestions, especially considering he was a man of real science and an expert in these matters.

As I’ve already written, my patent searches were nearly the death of me. A patent that Sensei brought to my attention was the final nail in the coffin. It contained technical diagrams, and an English description of what was practically a copy of my idea for a mobile dosimeter-radiometer, it had successfully navigated though the paper void dodging other space debris to reach the ever more elusive patent. Given my patchy knowledge of English, I nearly gave up on my “DO-RA” device altogether.

The next week was grim and dismal. I was put out that someone had already come up with the idea to create a mobile dosimeter-radiometer. I was strangely happy for the guys who successfully described their idea and managed to receive a US patent. Sensei confirmed my worries that everything has already been invented over Skype. I was frustrated, disappointed and gave up on my inventive pursuits for a while.  It seemed to me that you must constantly invent something, just like moving and breathing. Then, as one’s inventive experience grows, a fresh idea and an invention that’s useful in all respects may appear.

Then my patent expert Sergei Vladimirovich called. He asked why I hadn’t been in touch for so long and what had happened to my “DO-RA” device ideas I had so boasted about previously. I told him my concerns about the utility model and inventing in general as an occupation. Having listened to my eloquent and passionate monolog, he calmly but convincingly said: “Vladimir, you have a chance to turn your sadness and mistrust into something positive…”. And made a strong case for why I should complete my utility model! The patented device and my idea looked like two peas in a pod on paper, but there was one significant difference. The feature combining the function of a mobile phone or smartphone with that of a mobile dosimeter-radiometer was lacking.

I spent the whole day looking into Russian and foreign patents. I thought I was onto something that no one else in the world had. However, my old brain didn’t fair too well under intensive load and was prone to glitches. In the end, having collated a load of material about my future invention, I created one large file and sent it to my patent expert for editing. Something wonderful awaited me the next morning; a precisely edited patent claim and a completed application for a dosimeter-radiometer utility model sat in my inbox like an early Christmas present! Once I had read through my brainchild one last time, I gave a sigh of relief, and sent the application to Rospatent in my name.