Professional Activities
May 24, 2017
Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP was proud to once again serve as a sponsor of the 45th Annual National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The induction ceremony took place on May 4, 2017, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Fitch Even partners Edward W. Gray, Jr., Past Chair of the National Inventors Hall of Fame Board of Directors, and Sherri N. Blount were among the attendees.
The criterion for induction into the Hall of Fame requires candidates to hold a U.S. patent that has contributed significantly to the nation’s welfare and the advancement of science and the useful arts. This year's 15 inductees include these illustrious inventors:
- Iver Anderson, who invented lead-free solder, a revolutionary alternative to traditional solder that has reduced environmental hazards and transformed electronic packaging and is now widely used throughout the manufacturing industry
- Donald Arney, who created The Bambi Bucket, a lightweight, fully collapsible aerial firefighting bucket, now used worldwide in over 95% of the market
- Carolyn Bertozzi, who invented the field of bioorthogonal chemistry, which allows researchers to chemically modify molecules within living systems
- Earle Dickson, who invented the BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage, the first commercial dressing for small wounds that could be easily used by consumers
- Harold Froehlich, who led the development of Alvin, a deep-sea submersible that was small, independently maneuverable, and able to withstand the crushing pressure of the deep ocean, allowing previously unavailable access to the ocean's depths and enabling groundbreaking research
- Haren Gandhi, whose work in automotive catalyst technology improved the quality of exhaust by converting pollutants to harmless emissions, enabling the catalytic converter to be more effective than ever before
- Eli Harari, who invented the Floating Gate EEPROM, which paved the way for today's flash memory industry
- Howard Head, whose technical revolutions impacted the playing, performance, and economics of two major sports industries: skiing and tennis. He first designed a stronger, faster, and more flexible laminate ski that became the leading brand in North America and Europe by 1955. In the 1970s, he designed a wider and more effective tennis racket that became a standard by 1980.
- Beatrice Hicks, who invented a gas density sensor for use in devices that relied on gas-phase materials as insulators or fuels, an innovation that made possible the development of advanced technologies of the time and was a critical breakthrough to enabling space travel
- Allene Jeanes, whose development of dextran into a blood plasma extender saved many lives and is still used today. She also discovered xanthan gum, now widely used as a food thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier, as well as in the petroleum and cosmetics industries.
- Marshall G. Jones, who pioneered the use of lasers for industrial materials processing through the novel methods he invented to weld dissimilar metals and through his development of fiber optic systems
- Tom Leighton and Daniel Lewin, who invented the methods needed to intelligently replicate and deliver content over a large network of distributed servers, technology that ultimately solved the problem of Internet congestion
- Frances Ligler, who developed portable optical biosensors, now used in food production plants, clinics in developing countries, pollutant cleanup sites, and areas of concern for military and homeland security
- Augustine Sackett, who invented the prototype for drywall, transforming the construction industry forever
More information on the 2017 honorees can be found on the Invent Now website.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame, a subsidiary of Invent Now, is a nonprofit organization established in 1973 in partnership between the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Hall of Fame currently has 547 esteemed members.
