Inventing With the Stars

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If the receiver on the torpedo was synced to hop frequencies in time with the transmitter, the torpedo would receive the full signal. By doing this, someone tuning into one of the used frequencies would only detect a brief piece of the signal. What Lamarr could not figure out was how to synchronize the transmitter and receiver.

In 1940, after moving to the United States, she mentioned her idea to a neighbor during a conversation regarding breast augmentation (true story). The neighbor, a trained pianist, suggested using the same perforated paper rolls in the transmitter and receiver that are used in player pianos, enabling 88 different frequencies. Together, they filed for and received a patent as co-inventors. The rest, as they say, is history.

Although skeptics in the U.S. Navy prevented frequency hopping from being developed at the time, it was later adopted (with electronics, instead of piano rolls) in the late 1950s and continues to be used by the military to this day. Lamarr didn't invent radio control; she improved upon it. But her improvement was patentable in its own right and, arguably, just as valuable.

•Don't be afraid to venture beyond your area of expertise. Valuable inventions don't have to come in your area of specialization. Pet interests or hobbies are fertile ground for potentially valuable patents. Just as Neil Young shows.

Like many people, Young developed an interest in trains as a child and continued collecting into adulthood. The income from being a rock legend allowed him to build a dedicated model train building on his property and to purchase a partial ownership stake in Lionel, the famed model train manufacturer.

Not content to simply own a train company, Young invented and patented a number of control systems for model trains, some of which involve complicated electrical systems that would make any electrical engineer proud. Several of these patents are assigned to Lionel and are a potential source of revenue. There is no shortage of musicians with patents on instruments, but Young wisely did not limit his patenting activities to his day job.

•Give credit where credit is due. There is one more obvious lesson to be culled from celebrity inventors: Everyone who contributes to the conception of an invention must be listed as an inventor on the patent. A patent is invalid if the inventorship information is incorrect. That is why the names of many celebrities, who otherwise meticulously guard their privacy, appear on patents.

And by following guidelines like these, you too may one day join the ranks of the rich, famous—and inventive.

Elias Schilowitz is an associate in the patent group of Proskauer Rose LLP's New York office.