Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 38 Undercover at the Patent Office
Nanshan Software Industrial Park.

The entrance on the first floor of the patent agency building.

The trio in navy blue jackets cast sharply defined shadows on the gleaming revolving door.

The people around, dressed in white shirts, instinctively stepped aside. The middle-aged man at the front carried a black briefcase with the words "Patent Re-examination" embossed in gold on it.

The two men following closely behind stood ramrod straight like javelins, their leather shoes tapping the ground in unison.

When the three of them entered the reception hall on the first floor, it was as if they were surrounded by a protective barrier, exuding an invisible pressure.

"Hello! We are the review experts who were notified to come to your company today!"

When the person at the front showed Sister Sasha their business card, Xiao Zhou caught a glimpse of the gold lettering "Shenzhen Patent Office" at the top of the card and suddenly felt a little nervous.

After all, this was the first time she had received an official since joining the company.

Sasha behaved much better, politely accepting the business card from the other person with both hands.

"Please inform Lin Junfeng that we are going to conduct a patent re-examination regarding Orange Technology."

"please wait!"

Sasha held the business card while dialing an internal number.

Following behind the review expert carrying a briefcase, the slightly older man suddenly turned to Xiao Zhou, his gaze sweeping over her employee badge.

"Young lady! Is this Lin Junfeng in charge of electronic patent review at your company?"

Xiao Zhou subconsciously straightened his back: "Director Lin is the head of the Technical Review Department. He is proficient in reviewing electronic technology patents and also oversees foreign-related patents."

Before she could finish speaking, the other person tapped the front desk lightly with their fingertips, as if keeping time with her speech.

"Thank you!" As the man nodded, the badge on his jacket collar jingled. Xiao Zhou recognized it as a gear pattern surrounded by ears of wheat, exactly the same as the brooches worn by VIPs at press conferences in the news.

When Sister Shen from the External Relations Department arrived in her high heels, the heavy shoes had already left a shallow mark on her heels.

She led the group toward conference room C201, glancing at the two experts behind her out of the corner of her eye.

The two men didn't seem like clerical experts; instead, they had a cold, hard demeanor typical of someone who spends a lot of time on fieldwork. They were both tanned.

After entering the conference room, the two instinctively and quickly scanned the exquisite room.

After Sister Shen served tea to the three experts, Lin Junfeng pushed open the door and entered. The floor lamp cast his shadow as a long, narrow gray line.

The dark gray suit was tailored to fit the shoulders perfectly, and his gaze, behind frameless glasses, swept over the three visitors before finally settling on the business card handed to him by the man with the briefcase.

"Wang Jianming, Second Reexamination Division, Shenzhen Patent Office".

"Director Lin! We are initiating expedited review of 60 patent applications from Orange Technology today!"

Wang Jianming opened his briefcase, adopting a businesslike demeanor.

Sister Shen from the External Relations Department also took the opportunity to leave the meeting room.

"These are over 60 electronic patent applications from Orange Technology."

Lin Junfeng took his office laptop and projected the patent application materials in front of him.

Wang Jianming nodded: "Okay! Let's start with this full-screen packaging technology patent!"

Both of them are experts in the field of electronic patent examination, and they already knew which patents would pass or fail.

Of course, the necessary procedures still need to be followed.

The more than fifty patents undergoing re-examination are now passing by like flowing water, and Lin Junfeng's titanium alloy ring taps on the table from time to time, making a clear and melodious sound.

Until the fifty-sixth patent, "Gasic Electrolyte Encapsulation Process Patent," appeared on the screen.

Lin Junfeng suddenly sat up straight. This was a preliminary review item that he had just put into the application materials yesterday, and the other party had not yet sent the test report for the gaseous battery!
The materials are incomplete. How did it get to the second review stage?

"by!"

Wang Jianming drew a checkmark in the approval column without hesitation.

Anyway, when he arrived, he received instructions from the bureau leaders, and Wang Jianming knew what he could and couldn't check.

"what?"

Lin Junfeng hadn't reacted yet.

Why does it seem like this expert, Wang, from the patent office is even more eager for the patent to be approved than his own client?
Are you really not an undercover agent planted by Orange Technology at the Patent Office?

"Um..." Lin Junfeng raised his hand, his lips twitching slightly, about to ask if this was against procedure: "Wang..."

"Alright! Director Lin, next electrolyte formula."

Next, the three items concerning the gaseous lithium battery—"electrolyte formulation," "electrode structure," and "safety system"—passed in turn. Lin Junfeng's lips twitched rhythmically; he hadn't had a chance to showcase his abilities during this review, nor had he attempted to secure a expedited patent approval for his client.

This expert, Wang, seemed to be just going through the motions.

It's important to know that in China, the process of applying for a patent, going through re-examination, approval, and public announcement generally takes about 120 days.

And now this expert Wang's patent has been fast-forwarded to the re-examination stage on the third day after application, and why is it able to enter the approval channel with incomplete materials?

Of course, there are precedents where supplementary materials can be submitted after the approval process begins, but only companies with special national missions can do that!
This was the first time Lin Junfeng had encountered such a situation. During the patent re-examination, he had to go through the process with the patent office's re-examination experts point by point. It was considered efficient if they could only review one item a day.

But now, in just half an hour, all fifty items have been reviewed, leaving Lin Junfeng deeply impressed.

Until the image of "vaporization catalyst formula patent" popped up on the projection screen, Wang Jianming's mechanical pen, which had checked the "pass" mark, hovered in mid-air and paused for a moment.

"This one is invalid! Next one!"

The air in the conference room suddenly froze.

Just as Lin Junfeng was about to speak, his instinct was still to try to persuade the client again, as he always had.

The man on the right, who had been sitting silently, suddenly stood up, opened his collar with his left hand, and took out an ID card with the words "National Security" embedded in a shield-shaped emblem.

"Director Lin! Please transfer all the retained materials related to this patent immediately."

Although the man's tone was polite, it carried a hint of undeniable authority.

His companions had somehow arrived beside him. Lin Junfeng's pupils contracted sharply. This was his first time interacting with such officials, and his reaction was somewhat stiff.

"Okay!" After a moment, Lin Junfeng regained his composure: "I'll have my assistant bring the documents over right away."

During this time, the comrade from the National Security Bureau confirmed that only Lin Junfeng had come into contact with this patent.

He watched as the documents his assistant brought were confiscated and sealed one by one, and watched as the backups on his computer were permanently deleted under the watchful eyes of the national security personnel. He then signed his name and pressed his fingerprint on the confidentiality agreement.

Lin Junfeng suddenly remembered the patent application materials submitted by Chen Mo. It turned out that the gimmicky gaseous battery was not industrial waste, but a "secret" that could get the National Security Bureau involved.

At 10 p.m. that evening, the official website of the Patent Office was updated with information.

Lin Junfeng stared at the patent list of "Orange Technology" on the screen; only 65 of the 66 applications remained.

The item that disappeared didn't even leave an "invalid" rollback mark, as if it had never existed.

He took out his phone and sent a text message to a friend in the business registration system: "Help me check a company. It's registered in North China and is called Orange Technology."

Half an hour later, a reply popped up: "The production license was obtained with the help of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The business scope includes: battery R&D, manufacturing and sales; smart terminal equipment R&D, production and sales; and IoT technology development and services."

Lin Junfeng chuckled as he rubbed the titanium alloy ring on his little finger, then lightly tapped the words "Battery R&D, Manufacturing and Sales" on the screen.

It turns out the real pearl was hidden inside the shell; he was almost dazzled by this pile of "core smartphone patents."

Back then, Professor Lin called his old classmate from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology overnight to smooth things over, allowing Chen Mo to obtain more than just mobile phone production qualifications.

After all, Chen Mo was once Professor Lin's "disciple," but unfortunately, he was only interested in going into business, which wasted his unique talent in modeling in the field of lithium batteries.

If given the opportunity, Professor Lin would naturally hope that Chen Mo could return to the lithium battery field.

The path he had paved for Chen Mo in advance has now been accidentally realized by the system.

Yes! Right now, Vice Dean Lin is being ridiculed by Professor Jiang whenever he gets the chance.

Your own student is about to create a revolutionary gaseous lithium battery, while your so-called disciple Chen Mo has published an SCI paper titled "Lithium-ion Grain Boundary Stress Diffusion Model"—what is that compared to that!

It's unappealing, absolutely unappealing.

This time, your student is really good!

Fortunately, Vice Dean Lin is a magnanimous person and kept coaxing his old friend, Professor Jiang.

Although Vice Dean Lin expressed regret over Chen Mo's choice, he was still very open-minded; otherwise, he wouldn't have contacted his old classmate at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for help.

Having been reborn, Chen Mo felt that if he didn't make a name for himself, he would have no face to face his mentor who had always secretly supported him.

Do you really think that just because people say there will be no production qualification requirements for mobile phone manufacturing after 2010, there really won't be any?

The biggest barrier is the absence of any barrier at all.

Before, everyone played within the rules; now everyone plays outside the rules, so there are even more ways to punish you.

If it weren't for Vice President Lin's help, Chen Mo wouldn't even have been able to obtain the production license.

If obtaining production qualifications were so easy, Old Wang wouldn't have coveted his small Orange Technology workshop.

(End of this chapter)