Real world article
(written from a production point of view)
Dick Rubin (5 July 1912 – 27 November 1987; age 75) was the property master on Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He was credited as being the "inventor" of the designs for the phaser and communicator used in the film on the associated design patents.
Rubin was also the propman for the original Outer Limits series between 1963 and 1965, which included numerous Star Trek alumni in the cast and crew.