Helium-neon laser inventor Ali Javan and Internet founders Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame over the weekend.
The inductees included eight living inventors whose innovations have had a profound effect on everyday lives of millions of Americans.
"This year's group of inventors has influenced the way we live our lives day to day," said Fred Allen, head of the Selection Committee for the National Inventors Hall of Fame. "It's an honor to nationally recognize their valuable achievements and contributions, as they truly exemplify innovation."
Joining Javan, Cerf and Kahn, living inductees celebrated were Willary Boye and George Smith for the charge-coupled device, Robert Gore for ePTee (GORE-TEX), Robert Langer Jr. for controlled drug delivery and Julio Palmaz for the intravascular stent.
The organization founded in 1973 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Association is based in Akron, Ohio, where the inductees were honored.
Also recognized were two Lifetime Achievement Award recipients -- former U.S. ambassador John Ong, former chairman and chief executive officer of BF Goodrich Company, and Michael Kirk, executive director of the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
In addition, another group of inventors received posthumous recognition; many of the inductees representing various inventions of the 18th and 19th centuries. They included Dale Kleist, Games Slayter and John Thomas of Owens Corning: fiberglass; Gregory Pincus: oral contraceptive pill; and Granville Woods: railroad telegraph.
A full list of inductees can be viewed at www.invent.org/2006induction.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
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