Over the last week of November and first week of December two major events happened in Riesling and Walter’s lives. The first major event was Riesling struck lucky and sold her house to a couple who were down sizing and moving out of London for a more quiet and fulfilling life than the one they had been living as city traders. They thought the house was charming and offered Riesling £10,000 over the asking price providing they were able to complete the sale by Friday 14 December. Riesling was delighted and readily agreed, the couple were delighted too and booked a removal company. William Conman of George Henry was so delighted he went out and bought himself a wide screen TV and a box of cheap chocolates for the office staff!
The second major event to happen was the response to a letter that Walter sent to Stephen Bawtree the co-applicant on the iBall application. Walter had written:
26 November 2007
Dear Mr Bawtree,
With reference to your application for registering the “iBall” invention, I am pleased to inform you that the Patent Office is minded to grant you exclusive rights to this unique invention. The acceptance process is likely to take four further weeks.
However, in line with our new procedures, until approval is given, you have an opportunity to make final changes or enhancements to your application, which we will be happy to incorporate into the final patent. If by any chance over the next four weeks, you come up with any changes, please use the attached simple form to specify your changes. Further documentation may be attached to the form provided.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Yours Sincerely
Walter Patch (Patent Examiner)
On Monday 3 December, Walter received a large envelope at work and when he opened it his eyes lit up. It was an amendment to the iBall complete with specifications and diagrams. The amendment was for a 3-D feature! Walter picked up the phone and called Riesling, who was cleaning her now empty house in readiness for sale completion, to give her the news.
Riesling: 650029, who is speaking please?
Walter: It is me Rice Pudding
Riesling: oh hello pet, how is it going?
Walter: the Eagle Has Landed
Riesling: has it pet, where about?
Walter: no, no, no, the Mouse is in the Trap
Riesling: oh, don’t talk to me about mice pet, I have just found a dead one in the cupboard under the sink, I nearly died with fright I did!
Walter: no, no, no, the Fish Has Taken the Bait
Riesling: eagles, mice, fish! Are you at the zoo pet?
Walter: what I am trying to say is that our plan is coming together
Riesling: are you telling me what I think you are telling me?
Walter: yes, yes, yes, I have just received the 3-D amendment to the iBall application my Gold Fish
Riesling: oh lovely! Now, we are in business. Make sure you process it straight away pet
Walter: right you are my Cream Cake
Walter scanned the 3-D amendment documentations and added them to the original iBall application. On the screen where he has the authority to approve, reject or ask for further information he hesitated for a few seconds then clicked the “Accepted” button with a heavy heart. He had just signed away one of his best inventions to the diabolical Gill Bates and some other crook called Stephen Bawtree. But, Walter has grown to trust his wife with his life and he had to trust her judgement on this matter. He then brought out the standard acceptance letter, inserted the names of the two successful applicants and today’s date before hitting the “Print” button.
Since getting married, Walter and Riesling had developed a routine whereby Walter and Riesling get up together, have breakfast together, Walter walks to work, Riesling makes the bed, showers and goes downstairs to feed the two cats then work on her computer until lunch time. At 12:30, Walter walks in, they have lunch together, Walter returns to work, Riesling washes up and cleans the kitchen then returns to her computer research. At 5:35, Walter walks in and they have a drink and a chat until about 6:30 when Riesling gets up and prepares a quick dinner; they eat together and then clear the table and wash up together before going to their respective computers for more work. At 11:00 Riesling looks at her watch and says: “oh my, look at the time pet, we’d better go to bed, isn’t it?” and they trot to bed together.
Within this routine, two aspects are worth mentioning. The first one is that Walter no longer puts anything on his computer that they wouldn’t want Gill Bates to know about. If Walter needs to do something confidentially, he borrows Riesling’s computer.
The second aspect is Riesling’s research was progressing slowly but surely. Riesling had compiled a list of people and organisations she wanted to investigate. She had bought a blue two-ring binder with 10 dividers; on each divider, she entered a name of a person / organisation and whenever she found a piece of information on them she would either write it down on a piece of paper or, if it is something she found on the internet, she would print the relevant page out and file it under that person / organisation name. Soon, she realised that Gill Bates’ section was going to be very thick indeed so, she bought a red two-ring binder and allocated it especially for him. The names on her research list so far were:
- Caroline Aloy: co-inventor of the BedComp (Walter’s TummyTop invention)
- Stephen Bawtree: co-inventor of the iBall (Walter’s iPatch invention)
- Tim Berners-Lee: inventor of the World Wide Web (Walter’s GNU invention)
- Anton Borg: rider of Last Bilge racing horse
- Compaq Company: the first company to manufacture the laptop (Walter’s Kneetop invention)
- James Myson: co-inventor of the bagless Myson (Walter’s Nobaggie invention)
- Claire Hiscott: for no specific reason but I have a funny feeling in my water about her!
- The Apple Corporation: producers of the iPod (Walter’s EarPod invention)
- Cleave Melville: co-owner of Last Bilge racing horse; is he another crooked partner of Gill Bates?
- Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company: manufacturer of VioGro (Walter’s Niagara invention)
- GILL BATES: for everything!
To read the next chapter, please click here: Chapter 18
