Anyone can be an inventor - a salute to Michael Jackson
Posted on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 @ 11:37 AM
by Robert J. Sayre
As you likely have heard by now, pop icon, Michael Jackson, passed away this past weekend. The infectiousness of his music was rivaled only by the crisp pop and groove of his flashy dance moves. Other patent afficianados likely also already know that Michael Jackson was named as an inventor on an issued patent (US Patent No. 5,255,452, titled, "Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion") covering a system for latching a heal of a wearer's shoe with a "hitch member."
With the hitch member protruding from the floor, the wearer can slide the slot in his/her heal (see above image, at left) over the hitch and then lean forward (above image, right) to establish a dramatic, seemingly gravity-defying forward lean, while the hitch holds down the heal and prevents the wearer from tipping over.
Here's Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal video; skip ahead to the 6:40 mark for the sequence of dance moves including the forward lean with these shoes:
Hats off to Michael Jackson, showing that anyone with some creativity can be an inventor and a patent holder.