2007 Inductees to National Inventors Hall of Fame.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, OH announced today the 2007 class of inductees.  Founded in 1973 by the USPTO and the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations, the Hall of Fame presently honors 313 inventors.  To qualify, an inventor must hold a U.S. patent, and the invention “must have contributed to the welfare of mankind and have promoted the progress of science and the useful arts.”

Among the 2007 class of inductees are:

Paul Baran (1926- )  Digital packet switching
Baran developed one of the fundamental concepts behind today’s advanced computer networking systems.  Digital packet switching allowed for better data networks and provided the technical foundation for the eventual development of the Internet Protocol.

Allen Breed (1927-1999)  Automotive air bag
Breed pioneered a significant advance in automotive safety with the introduction of his first air bag system in the late 1960s.  Air bags are now standard equipment on all automobiles as mandated by the National Traffic Safety Administration.

Emmett Chappelle (1925- )  Bioluminescence techniques
Through his discovery that a specific combination of chemicals caused living organisms to emit light, Chappelle facilitated important findings within the fields of biology and chemistry, including developing techniques for detecting bacteria in such items as food and water.

David Cushman (1939-2000) and Miguel Ondetti (1930-2004) Captopril
By synthesizing captopril during their careers at Bristol Myers Squibb, Cushman and Ondetti created the first medical treatment that significantly reduced hypertension.  Captopril ws the first of a new class of drugs called ACE inhibitors.

Donald Davies (1924-2000)  Digital packet switching
Working independently from Paul Baran, Davies came up with the idea of packet switching, enabling the efficient exchange of information between computers, making modern computer communications both functional and robust.

John Franz (1929- )  Roundup® herbicide
In 1970, while working at Monsanto, Franz discovered the glyphosate class of herbicides, later marketed under the brand name Roundup®.  Glyphosate herbicides eliminate more than 125 kinds of weeds and are nontoxic to animals.

William Goddard (1913-1997) and John Lynott (1921-1994)  Magnetic disk drive
Goddard and Lynott’s invention of magnetic disk storage while with IBM was a major advancement in mass-storage technology, allowing for almost instant access and retrieval of stored information.

Peter Goldmark (1906-1977)  Long playing record
Goldmark’s LP record dominated the music industry for years.  His innovation allowed lengthier recordings of music to be feasible.

Maurice Hilleman (1919-2005)  Vaccines
While at Merck, Hilleman pioneered the development of many of the vaccines commonly used today such as MMR, used to combat measles, mumps, and rubella.  Millions of lives have been saved through his work.

Leroy Hood (1938- )  DNA sequencer
Hood’s DNA sequencer has played a crucial role in the biotech industry, greatly accelerating the progress of the Human Genome Project in the 1990s. 

Godfrey Hounsfield (1919-2004) CAT scanner
Hounsfield was a pioneer in computerized-assisted tomography.  CAT scans have since provided physicians with valuable diagnostic information, revolutionizing medical care.

Paul Lauterbur (1929- )  Magnetic resonance imaging—MRI
Lauterbur made the widespread application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology possible by devising a practical way to make images.  Today, MRI is an important tool in modern medicine.

Peter Mansfield (1933- )  Magnetic resonance imaging—MRI 
Working independently from Paul Lauterbur, Mansfield developed efficient technology that allowed for faster MRI imaging.

Robert Metcalfe (1946- )  Ethernet
With his invention of Ethernet, Metcalfe created a way to link computers to one another and to the Internet.  Ethernet is the most widely used local area network, or LAN.

Arthur Nobile (1920-2004) Prednisone
Nobile’s discovery of the steroids prednisone and prednisolone was a significant advance in medicine.  The highly effective anti-inflammatory drugs have become indispensable in treating autoimmune diseases.

Otto Wichterle (1913-1998)  Soft contact lens
Wichterle’s soft contact lens proved to be less expensive and more comfortable than traditional glass or hard plastic lenses.  A significant part of his invention was the process for making the lenses.

The 2007 class will be inducted this year on May 4th and 5th at the annual induction ceremonies held in Akron, Ohio.