OK, so, we all know that Mike Nesmith grew up comfortable because his mom invented Liquid Paper, but here's a new one on me:  You know that glass sugar jar with the metal trap-door lid that's on every restaurant table in the world?
Mike Bloomfield's dad.  Also invented the classic diner coffee machine.

Peter

I got absolutely fileted one time for having a bottle of that stuff in my office during an inspection. Also forbidden was the later-available dispensers of white-out tape. I used it for office use only. Didn't matter. Get that mess outta' here. 

See, water treatment plant records are legal documents... altering them in any way is a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment and getting fired. It's like perjury to change a lab result or a reported observation. The only way to correct a mistake is to mark a single strike-through, and initial. 

Sorry. Triggered me. But that's interesting. 

I played for a few years with a drummer who invented these pull back and lock plastic lids.  He was working for a company and never made a penny on it.

Bill, tgo

Yup.
A former GF's dad had a plaque from the company he worked for with about 10 patents in his name - which they owned, so $0 for him.
And despite what your grade school textbooks told you, Thomas Edison was not a prolific inventor; he had a crew of bright young dudes who worked for him, lived at the lab, got the same 4 hours sleep he did, and had all their patents submitted under his name.  They were geniui, he was ruthless.

Peter