Ray Finch wrote in 020507 MMDigest:

> With this in mind, sometimes it is better to keep a low profile
> and _not_ patent your idea, depending on what market your idea
> may fall into.

Nikola Tesla got around this by designing and patenting machines that
were very boring, mundane and ordinary.  The trick is that the machine
is designed in such a way that a certain very small modification in the
patented design could change entirely what the machine did.

Paul Anderson