WASHINGTON, DC - Under-Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Jon Dudas joined officials of the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) to announce this year’s class of inductees at a press conference on Thursday, according to a press release by the Office.
“These individuals represent the triumph of human spirit and serve as inspirations to us all,” Dudas commented.
The seven living inventors include Ruth Benerito for wrinkle-free cotton; Amar Bose for improvements in audio technology; Nick Holonyak, Jr. for the light emitting diode; Erna Hoover for computerized telephone switching; Amos Joel, Jr. for the switching concept for cellular phones; William Murphy, Jr. for a variety of medical devices including the blood bag and disposable medical trays and Kenneth Richardson for the anti-fungal drug, Fluconazole, They, along with nine posthumous inventors, will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame on May 3 in Akron, Ohio.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame was co-founded by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1973. Throughout the years since, the USPTO has joined NIHF in sponsoring events, programs and activities that provide recognition for inventors and inspire students to create and respect intellectual property.
