Invention Patents Now on Google

Almost all of us in our teenage years must have often tried
imitating Michael Jackson's gravity defying dance moves but ended up with a
flat face. Well here's the secret...In 1992, Jackson thought that wouldn't
it be cool to have a pair of shoes that allowed the wearer to lean forward at an
angle of 45 degrees. After consulting his tailors, Jackson got a patent on
October 1993 for "a system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly
beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of
shoes, which will engage with a hitch member movably projectable through a stage
surface." Whether Jackson ever used the device remains unknown, but the
existence of the patent comes courtesy of the latest tool unveiled by the search
engine Google.

Seven million US patents, dating from 1790 to mid-2006, are
available for search, with the site offering scanned images of the original
filings. Although the information has been previously posted online by the US
patent office, Google claims to offer a better search facility for the
information.

The records offer users a chance to peruse the filings by some
of the most celebrated inventors. Google's latest initiative will provide
amusement for the idle, but will also be a useful resource for garden shed
inventors.

Compiled by Stuti Das

stutid@cybermedia.co.in