Inventor of automated scanning & sorting machines.

[drochit]

Who was the inventor of automated sorting & scanning machines and is he or she credited with any other inventions ?

[j2buttonsw]

Could it be Jacob Rabinow? Jacob Rabinow held 230 U.S. patents on a very wide variety of mechancial, optical, and electrical devices. Among these were mechanisms for the automatic regulation of clocks and watches, the former used in all American automobiles, the automatic letter-sorting machine used by the U.S. Post Office, the magnetic particle clutch, formerly used in several European automobiles, now used in Subarus, airplanes, servo-mechanisms, and in a great many other machines, the world's first magnetic disc memory, the "best-match" principle in optical and magnetic character reading machines, many safety mechanisms for ordnance devices, and the straight-line phonograph. His patents could be classed under such diverse arts as photography, computer equipment, and card punching and sorting equipment. For his scientific work, he held the following honors: The Exceptional Service Award of the Department of Commerce (1949); the President's Certificate of Merit (1948); the War Department's Certificate of Appreciation (1949); the Naval Ordnance Development Award (1945); Certificate of Commendation from the NDRC (1945); the Edward Longstreth Medal from the Franklin Institute (1959); the CCNY Engineering School's 50th Anniversary Medal (1969); the Jefferson Medal Certificate from the American Patent Law Association (1973); the IEEE's Harry Diamond Award (1977); the Industrial Research and Development Scientist of the Year Award (1980); Doctor of Humane Letters, Towson State University (1983); the Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award (1998).

[drochit]

Wow. That's what you call an answer. Thanks j2b.

[Squirrel]

Coincidence, though, don't you think? How the answer to one of drochit's questions should again be "Jacob"!