Michael Jackson was more than a great singer and dancer. He was also an inventor and U.S. Patent owner. Granted in 1993 to Jackson and two partners, U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452, “Method and Means for Creating Anti-Gravity Illusion” covers 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.” The shoes help create the anti-gravity illusion by hitching a heel slot in the shoes to a peg in the stage floor. The patent ended early, on Oct. 26, 2005, after failure to pay a final maintenance fee. Michael’s other legal fees may have taken precedence, or perhaps he felt there was no longer any competitive advantage to doing a “Smooth” lean. The full patent is available through the USPTO website.