"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:54:44 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:



At the same time this guy made the invention of his life - a timer to
control a motor, real inventors and creative engineers were at work
creating the SR-71 blackbird - something so advance and creative it
probably included a 1000 items more noteworthy than this timer, and none
of
the engineers creating all those inventions every day expected to get
anything in return except another day's pay.

True, with the type of contracts they have to sign to get work
nowadays. That's truly sad, too. The better companies share the
wealth and/or fame with their more inspired workers. THAT is the way
it should be, at least in most instances.

It's always been thus at many or most large companies: in the "fine
print" of the job application, it says that anything one thinks of, on
or off the job, belongs to the company. In practice, that only
applies to ideas relevant to the company's business: companies don't
go after a guy who designs engines during the day and invents new
fishing lures hoops nights and weekends.

My employer paid $1 for each patent filed back in the day. That was
later increased to $1500 per patent.

I never knew an engineer or scientist who felt shorted by this
approach. Engineers are paid to innovate and invent. It's part of
their job.
It's not an explicit job requirement, but those who do are usually
better compensated and have more interesting assignments than those
who don't.

Some feel that "the idea" is gold. In fact, there's a lot of work and
investment involved in getting from "idea" to profit. If ya wanna be
an inventor/entrepeneur, ya gotta do the whole job or get others to do
for you. Many or most engineers don't want to mess with the many
tedious and mundane aspects (and risks) of taking an idea from eureka
to market success.

I'll never get another patent! Too expensive and the Russians ripped me
off!