People: Jan. 22, 2007

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IF BEN FRANKLIN WERE ON E! It turns out famous folks invent more than their images. Thanks to a new patent search engine on Google, you can now unearth the unsung Thomas Edisons of the entertainment world:

MICHAEL JACKSON

Antigravity illusion: To duplicate onstage an effect from his 1988 Smooth Criminal video, the singer created shoes that pitch the wearer forward 45º. Guess someone else got the patent on that whole one-glove thing first.

NIGELLA LAWSON

Mod cookery: The Food Network siren has patented a citrus press, nesting bowls and six other items. Our request: a tool for keeping sexily tossed hair out of the soup.

MARLON BRANDO

Drum-tensioning device: Two years before he died, Brando filed for a patent on a way of adjusting the tuning on a drum. He coulda been an inventor!

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY

Educational toy: How many models does it take to patent a tool for helping kids learn their letters? Just one, actually. Brinkley did it in 1991, when her daughter with Billy Joel was 5 years old. Heidi Klum, perhaps you could tackle learning colors?