Erna Schneider Hoover
Encyclopedia
Dr. Erna Schneider Hoover (born June 19, 1926) is an American mathematician famous for inventing a method for prioritizing processes within stored program control
switching systems
while working at Bell Laboratories.
This method gave priority to processes that were concerned with in the input and output of the switch over processes that were less important such as record keeping and billing. This allowed for more robust service to callers during peak load times.
The patent
on the system is one of the first software patent
s ever issued (Patent #3623007, November 23, 1971) and the principles of the system are still in use today. The invention earned her a position as the first female supervisor of a technical department at Bell Labs.
Hoover received her B.A. in medieval history from Wellesley College, and Ph.D. in the philosophy and foundations of mathematics from Yale University
.
Hoover was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
in 2008.
Stored Program Control exchange
Stored Program Control exchange is the technical name used for telephone exchanges controlled by a computer program stored in the memory of the system. Early exchanges such as Strowger, panel, rotary, and crossbar switches were electromechanical and had no software control...
switching systems
Telephone exchange
In the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
while working at Bell Laboratories.
This method gave priority to processes that were concerned with in the input and output of the switch over processes that were less important such as record keeping and billing. This allowed for more robust service to callers during peak load times.
The patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
on the system is one of the first software patent
Software patent
Software patent does not have a universally accepted definition. One definition suggested by the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure is that a software patent is a "patent on any performance of a computer realised by means of a computer program".In 2005, the European Patent Office...
s ever issued (Patent #3623007, November 23, 1971) and the principles of the system are still in use today. The invention earned her a position as the first female supervisor of a technical department at Bell Labs.
Hoover received her B.A. in medieval history from Wellesley College, and Ph.D. in the philosophy and foundations of mathematics from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Hoover was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
in 2008.
External links
- http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/hoover.html
- Biography of Hoover from IEEE