Welcome to Innovation Café, I’m Gary Shuster, your friendly neighborhood inventor. Today, we’re diving into one of my favorite episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm—Season 8, Episode 8, “Car Periscope.”
A Creative Idea
In the episode, Larry David invests in a quirky invention: a car periscope that allows drivers to see past large vehicles blocking their view in traffic. It’s a wildly imaginative concept that makes you think, Why hasn’t someone done this already?
Well, someone has.
The Real Car Periscope
In 1975, Belgian inventor Allen Levy patented a car periscope. The invention aimed to solve the exact problem Larry’s fictional invention tackles. This highlights an important reality for inventors: the importance of due diligence.
Lessons for Inventors
- Research Before You Leap
- Before investing time or money into your idea, search for prior art. Tools like Google Patents or the USPTO’s search system can help uncover similar inventions. That said, it is critical that you keep track of what you find and provide that to your patent lawyer. You are going to need to file an Information Disclosure Statement, because the patent office rules provide that “applicants and other individuals substantively involved with the preparation and/or prosecution of the application have a duty to submit to the Office information which is material to patentability as defined in 37 CFR 1.56.” Failure to disclose may result in the invalidation of your patent, so this is not something you should take lightly. Just keep notes — and remember, search engines track your searches and advertising programs track which pages you’ve seen, and in patent litigation, where there are typically many millions at stake, you should expect that an infringer will subpoena all of that to prove inequitable conduct and invalidate your patent.
- Patents Are Complex
- Even if you have a fantastic idea, and you’ve reduced it to an enabled invention, proving its novelty and non-obviousness is a critical hurdle.
- Creativity Meets Reality
- Larry’s enthusiasm mirrors what many inventors feel. But translating creativity into a legally protected invention requires rigor, research, and perseverance.
- Most Patents Don’t Make Money
- Since Allen Levy patented this invention in 1975, there appear to have been no vehicles produced (or modified) with the patented system. Self-driving cars use an analogous system, but even if Levy’s claims had covered those, they would have long expired before they were infringed. Before spending a lot of money and effort on a patent application, make sure that you have a plan to monetize it.
A Shout-Out to Creativity
Episodes like Car Periscope remind us of the joy of innovation and the value of imaginative problem-solving. While the road to patenting an invention is rarely straightforward, creativity and humor can make the journey worthwhile.
Final Thoughts
Whether it’s a car periscope or your next big idea, remember the importance of research and preparation. If you enjoyed this exploration of innovation in pop culture, bookmark Innovation Café for more inventive insights.
Gary Shuster
Innovation Café
