Business Opportunities Weblog

January 7, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

Ironic Sans:

Last month, Google introduced its new Patent Search feature (in beta), allowing users to dig through 7 million US patents from 1790 to mid-1996.

Inspired by Google’s new easy-to-use patent search, I decided to dig up some of the celebrity patents that have been issued over the years. The following patents are all by celebrities not usually known for being inventors. You can follow the links to the actual patents to learn more about each one.

1. Eddie Van Halen, Musician.
Patent #4,656,917 — Musical instrument support

2. Michael Jackson, Singer.
Patent #5,255,452 — Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion

3. Abraham Lincoln, President.
Patent #6,469 — [Method of] Buoying vessels over shoals

4. Julie Newmar, Actress (“Batman� TV Show).
Patent #3,914,799 — Pantyhose with shaping band for cheeky derriere relief

5. Marlon Brando, Actor.
Patent #6,812,392 — Drumhead tensioning device and method

6. Jamie Lee Curtis, Actress.
Patent #4,753,647 — Infant garment

7. Gary Burghoff, Actor (Radar on “M*A*S*H� TV Show).
Patent #5,235,774 — Enhanced fish attractor device

8. Mark Twain, Author.
Patent #140,245 — Improvement in scrap-books

9. Hedy Lamar, Actress.
Patent #2,292,387 — Secret communication system

10. Harry Connick, Jr., Musician/Actor.
Patent #6,348,648 — System and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra

Photo by USPTO.

In Ideas, Inventions, Women | 1 Comment