When it comes to raising money for his charity, Homeless Not Toothless, Dr. Jay Grossman will try anything.

Though he provides dental care to celebrities including Sharon Stone, Felicity Huffman and her husband, William H. Macy, the Brentwood dentist’s nonprofit also treats thousands of homeless veterans and foster children for free each year.

The charity’s annual budget is about $500,000 and Grossman is always thinking about ways to fill its coffers.

“Hitting people up for money is so harsh,” he said. “I’m always looking outside the box.”

Then an old friend, Jack Daniels, pitched him an idea for a portable cloth pocket that fits over airplane tray tables. The pocket would give passengers a clean surface on which to eat and work. A lightbulb went off in Grossman’s head.

“I said, ‘I see an annuity here,’” Grossman recalled. “How great would it be to constantly have money coming (into the charity)?”

Daniels needed Grossman’s help to turn his idea into a product, so he offered to split any potential profits. After three years of revising their application to appease the Patent and Trademark Office, the partners just received approval.

“It’s one of those ridiculously tedious and painful processes,” Grossman explained.

The pair hopes to sell the product in airport shops. Grossman said he thinks airlines and car rental companies would be interested in paying to have their name printed on the pockets.

He’s also applied to appear on the ABC show “Shark Tank,” although he hasn’t been approved to appear yet.

“If it goes through, I think it can be great publicity,” Grossman said.

– Omar Shamout