National Tide 1980.

Generally speaking, the development of a new product to the market has never been achieved overnight.

From an idea to the final product, there are many steps in between.

Under normal circumstances, the first step in new product development is the design of the principle.

Take the trolley suitcase as an example. After generating such inspiration or inspiration, the inventor must first go through theoretical analysis and actual simulation.

It must first be fully confirmed from the mechanical point of view that this trolley suitcase does have a better labor-saving effect than all known products on the market.

After doing this step well, the next step is to convert the principle into design drawings.

For example, the position and style of the installation of the tie rods, is it single or double?
What size do the pull bars need to be ergonomic?
For example, are the drawbars mounted on the short side of the suitcase, or the long side?Or is it the side?

How should it be connected and fixed with the suitcase?

After these problems are determined, it is necessary to accurately determine the size and material of each part of the box and tie rods.

Not only do all the structural details have to be finalized on the drawings, but in addition to the graphics, the inventor also needs to determine the performance of each part.

How much pressure does the tie rod have to bear, and how many times does a part need to be used without damage?

In the process, with the continuous improvement of the design drawings, the models that need to be trial-produced will go to the sea.

In short, it is always a cycle of discovering problems and solving problems.

If dozens of iterative experiments can result in a formed design and apply for a patent, it will be extremely efficient and fast.

Even after hundreds or thousands of iterations, it is not new.

Therefore, starting from the idea of ​​an invention, it often takes months or even years to finally complete the research and development work and obtain a relatively perfect shaped product.

Then it can be mass-produced and officially launched to the market.

In history, the real inventor of the trolley suitcase - the American pilot Robert Plath, also experienced a long process.

At first, Robert Plath had inspiration, just for his own convenience, he added a simple bracket to an ordinary suitcase, and made a purely functional improvement.

Later, other flight attendants, especially the flight attendants, saw his little invention and found it very practical, so they invited Robert Plath to make suitcases for them, and asked if they could improve the appearance.

So since then, Robert Plath has made a trolley case in his spare time, first selling it to flight attendants, and later expanding to other colleagues and even passengers.

From 1987 to 1989, it took almost two years for Robert Plath to gradually realize the true value of this invention because his small side business became more and more popular.

He quit his job as a pilot and founded Travelpro, a brand that sells trolley luggage with the shape of the iron tower as its trademark.This company is commonly known as the "American Tower" by the people of our Republic.

Since then, as trolley suitcases have become popular all over the world, Travelpro trolley suitcases have appeared in many movies, and Travelpro has since become a suitcase brand favored by European and American business people.

It’s just that the company is easy to start, but it takes a lot of time to iterate product development and apply for patents, so in fact, it took until 1991 for Robert Plath to officially apply for the patent for the trolley case.

It is conceivable that anyone can complete the proof-of-principle phase of the invention of the trolley suitcase within a few months.

The scientific design of the overall style and the selection and identification of materials have already started, which is really fast.

Zeng Xianzi, who was far away in the Hong Kong city, made such a miracle, and he is very proud of it.

Speaking of which, Ning Weimin really guessed correctly, dare to say that when he asked Zeng Xianzi to find a trolley suitcase for him, Zeng Xianzi was really touched by this.

To be honest, if Ning Weimin hadn't begged for help, Zeng Xianzi would never have thought that there is actually a kind of suitcase in the world that is equipped with wheels that can be easily pulled around.

Although he sent people to search everywhere, he finally found a suitcase with a leash produced by the American company Samsonite for Ning Weimin, and the price was as high as [-] US dollars each.

It is not like what Ning Weimin described, there is a retractable rod.

But don't forget that he himself is a traveler who often travels with suitcases, and he knows at a glance whether Samsonite's suitcases are useful or not.

What's more, his company also has leather products business, and not long ago, it just reached a strategic alliance with Pilkardon.

Now his OEM business volume in the luggage and leather goods factory in Gangcheng is rapidly expanding, and he is considering expanding the production line and developing a blockbuster product.

Naturally, he immediately realized that this kind of labor-saving suitcase has great potential.

Very suitable for travelers who often need to travel.

Especially in the context of the current international economic prosperity and more and more cross-border business activities, people's demand for this kind of suitcase will never be less.

At least in Asia, the market must be vast.

Because the physical fitness of Eastern people is not as good as that of Westerners, the desire for this kind of luggage is of course much greater than that of Westerners.

Not to mention that he also roughly estimated the production cost.

He found that if the quality was the same as that of Samsonite, it would only cost [-] Hong Kong dollars to produce in the Hong Kong City. The cost would be lower if the factory was built in the Mainland, and [-] Hong Kong dollars would be enough.

Such a thing, even if he spends money to buy a patent, it is a huge profit to make it and sell it for three hundred dollars.

Not to mention that Ning Weimin accidentally gave him a better idea, with a high probability of bypassing Samsonite's patent.

That's it, Zeng Xianzi remained calm on the surface, but was ecstatic in his heart.

Before Ning Weimin could go abroad, he sent a special person to investigate the patent registration of suitcases around the world.

In the end, it was even more surprising to find that, except in 1970, the American Bernard D. Sadow applied for a patent for a suitcase with wheels towed by a soft rope.

It was in 1982 that Samsonite company widened the suitcase on this basis, and successfully stored the traction leather rope on the handle in the suitcase, making the appearance of the suitcase more concise.

As for other forms, there are no related patents on any drag-and-drop rolling suitcases.

At this point, Zeng Xianzi had no doubts that he was lucky enough to accidentally discover a wonderful business opportunity.

He thought that Ning Weimin might have brought it up when he accidentally saw a foreigner using that kind of trolley suitcase during a business trip.

But in fact, it is very likely that the trolley suitcase was invented by foreigners themselves, but no relevant patents have been applied for.

So he became ambitious and planned to develop a trolley suitcase by himself immediately, and turn the genius idea he got from Ning Weimin into a real thing.

For this reason, he didn't even care about the thriving market in mainland China, made hasty arrangements, and hurried back to Hong Kong City.

Then he recruited all the technical talents who design and make bags and leather goods under his command, and started to develop the trolley suitcase with all his strength regardless of the price and cost. The start-up capital of the research and development project alone allocated 200 million Hong Kong dollars.

In this way, from the beginning of August to the beginning of September, it took a month, although the money was spent like running water.

But with the joint efforts of technicians, the project of the trolley suitcase has not only been confirmed by data and experiments, but also the basic model has been established.

The skeleton and connection method of the tie rod are basically determined, and the direction of research begins to focus on the details and appearance of the parts, as well as the specific dimensions.

At this time, not only Zeng Xianzi was extremely happy in his heart, but he told his wife in private.

"When I get the patent for this trolley suitcase, our family can rest easy. This is called a new trick, and it can be eaten all over the world. Unfortunately, the young man who asked me to buy this kind of suitcase is not so lucky. He Clever is smart, but I didn't expect to use this idea for development, but I went to Tokyo to open a restaurant. But I missed the opportunity. I thought of it, and of course I can make a lot of money. I just found out today that my life is really good. This is what I should do. I'm developed."

Even the technicians involved in the research and development of this project were very excited and took the initiative to work overtime to catch up with the progress.

All these people think that the company has found a once-in-a-lifetime hit product, and in the future, this suitcase will definitely make its debut on the world stage, making Goldlion truly a world famous brand.

It is even possible to beat Samsonite, which makes money from leash suitcases, and monopolize the mainstream market of suitcases.

At that time, the kind boss will definitely give you a big reward, and everyone's future will be even brighter.

But just when everyone in Hong Kong City was singing "Our future is not a dream" with their souls, on the morning of September 9, a fax from Tokyo woke them up from their dreams.

"Boss, boss, I'm sorry to bother you. But someone in Tokyo sent a fax. It's actually a drawing of our trolley suitcase?!"

The secretary knocked on the door of Zeng Xianzi's office in a panic, and put a fax on Zeng Xianzi's desk face to face.

In the room, Zeng Xianzi, who was discussing the trolley suitcase while looking at the blueprints with two technical directors, was stunned for a moment.

He silently picked up the fax and read it, speechless for a long time.

With a final sigh, he put down the fax again, and issued the latest order dejectedly.

"Go and stop the project of the trolley suitcase, there is no need to hurry up..."

When the two technicians heard the secretary's words, they were flustered and waited anxiously.

Hearing this, he almost jumped up on the spot.

Regardless of their superiority or inferiority, they grabbed the fax together and read it head to head.

As a result, I saw the contents of the paper at a glance and was completely dumbfounded.

Because it was a fax sent by Ning Weimin from Tokyo, which contained the general appearance and size drawings of his patent application.

The purpose of this fax is threefold.

First, Ning Weimin informed Zeng Xianzi that he had submitted a patent application in Japan for a trolley suitcase.

The second is that Ning Weimin also wants to ask Zeng Xianzi to help with cross-border registration in Hong Kong City and the United Kingdom.

He will then mail the official relevant materials by international mail.

The third is to suggest to Zeng Xianzi by the way that he should make up his mind to build a factory in the mainland.

It is advisable to consider the relevant costs and site selection issues so as to further negotiate specific cooperation conditions.

To put it bluntly, this is clearly a notice to Zeng Xianzi.

Tell him that I have successfully developed the trolley suitcase.

If you want to earn this money, be prepared to hand over the benefits.

"Boss, who sent this fax? How could he be developing this product like us? And it has already taken shape?"

"Zeng Sheng, think of a way quickly, we can't wait to die! This guy actually moves so fast? How can this be good?"

The two technical directors were completely panicked. They were inexplicably terrified, and couldn't help shouting together.

Their emotions are actually quite normal. Who wants to waste a month of hard work?
However, although Zeng Xianzi wanted to cry, but he was a self-made boss after all, but he possessed the reason and knowledge to accurately judge the situation.

"It's useless. Today's world is about the law. I can't help it. If someone registers the patent first, then you are infringing if you use it again. Who told us not to develop it earlier and register the patent first?"

"Wait, Boss, take a closer look. The person who sent the fax seems to have just submitted the application, not that he has completed the formalities. Then we still have a chance..." A technical person in charge was still unwilling remind.

However, Zeng Xianzi sighed again.

"It's because you didn't understand. Yes, the approval of patents is not so fast. It takes one or two years for patents to be approved. But according to the "Paris Convention", as long as the patent agencies of various countries accept patent applications, this technology is considered It is protected. If you submit it again, even if you can prove that you are the real inventor, it is useless, and it will still be rejected..."

"Is there such a thing? Doesn't this mean that our children were stolen by others openly!" Another technician was even more unwilling, and shouted very angrily, "Boss, is there no other way? Even if we In Vietnam, Laos, and Brunei, registration is also possible. In Southeast Asia, there will always be some countries that have not joined the convention? Our previous investment cannot be wasted..."

However, he did not expect that these words made Zeng Xianzi blush with embarrassment.

"This... this, you can't say that. 'Steal' is too ugly. I won't hide it from you, to be honest, this idea was actually proposed by the other party first. I misunderstood that he was unable to develop it, so I tried it myself I planned to do it. I originally planned to give him a sum of money to do it. Now, since they did it first, what can we do besides accepting the debt? This is indeed their ability, and they are superior. "

Seeing the two technical directors hearing the words, they became dumbfounded and couldn't believe it.

Zeng Xianzi coughed a little embarrassedly, and tried to continue explaining from another angle.

"As for the countries you said have not joined the convention, theoretically speaking, we can indeed do this. We can go to register. But the gains outweigh the losses. First, the economies of countries that have not joined the convention are too small .Even if we can produce, or even monopolize the market, we won’t make much money.”

"Secondly, we Chinese need to be respectful when we do things. Sometimes, human relations are more important than the law. If I really do this, it is tantamount to tearing apart the face with the other party. The original foundation of cooperation will be shaken, and future cooperation will also be affected. There will be no more, even colleagues will think that I have a problem with my character. Is it worth it?"

"What's more, if you look at it the other way around, the other party contacted me immediately. It's clear that they want to cooperate with me. They also talk about friendship, and they hope to make money together. They will definitely not propose at that time. It’s too demanding. On the contrary, it reminds us to stop now and saves us money. This is also a good thing.”

"Well, when the other party's information is mailed, let's study it carefully and see if there is anything we can improve. Don't worry about your busy schedule. I know that everyone has been working hard recently, and I will make a big deal. Red envelopes for everyone. Please appease everyone for me."

Following Zeng Xianzi, he decisively ordered the secretary, "Annie, go and reply to Ning Sheng in Tokyo immediately, saying that I have agreed to all his requests and will do everything. I also wish him success in obtaining the patent as soon as possible. Looking forward to further cooperation with him, Let's make a fortune together. Also, tell him not to be polite, if there is anything we need to do, please feel free to contact us."

Just like that, after looking at each other for a while, several subordinates walked out of the office full of reverence for Zeng Xianzi.

In their hearts, their boss is really personable.

Don't be chaotic in the face of major events, and don't lose your usual routine when facing benefits.

Especially let go, open minded, too broad-minded, and too kind.

In fact, however, they were only half right.

Because the moment the office door closed, Zeng Xianzi didn't even have time to pour himself a glass of water.

He started to panic, took out the antihypertensive medicine from the drawer, and swallowed it with the coffee in the cup.

Leaning on the thick leather seat with eyes closed for a while, he slapped the armrest of the chair violently in self-pity.

"This is what life deserves. I thought that smart people would be foolish for a while and want to be greedy. It seems that this foolish person is still me. This greed is really useless, cough cough... It’s like spending money to buy a lesson!”