Browsing by Subject "Computers -- United States -- Patents"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Oral history interview with Arnold A. Cohen
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1983) Cohen, Arnold A.
    Cohen provides information about relations of Engineering Research Associates with the Navy, and with Remington Rand management after their acquisition of ERA. He also describes ERA projects in detail. Specific topics include: early research on magnetic drum storage systems, reports to the National Bureau of Standards, the Atlas I project and the commercial by-product (the 1101), the Atlas II project and the commercial by-product (the 1103), the 1102 built for Arnold Engineering Development Center, the 1104 built for Westinghouse/BOMARC, the Remington Rand Tape-to-Card Converter, the File Computer, ERA non-computer projects, ERA's design contract with IBM and its relation to the IBM 650, UNIVAC II, and patents and their defensive use in litigation.
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    Oral history interview with Carl Chambers
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1977-11-30) Chambers, Carl
    Chambers discusses the initiation and progress of the ENIAC project at the University of Pennsylvania Moore School of Electrical Engineering. He recalls the conditions under which John Mauchly, one of the ENIAC designers, came to the Moore School in 1941, Mauchly's 1943 proposal to the Army for a computer project, the National Defense Research Committee's initial denial of funds because of its commitment to analog computing, and the start of the ENIAC project six months later. Chambers describes the interactions among the ENIAC staff, and focuses on the personalities and working relationships of Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. He recounts their conflicts with project director John Grist Brainerd, and the commercial interests they first envisioned in 1944. Chambers discusses John von Neumann's involvement from 1944 in the EDVAC project, the financial strains that accompanied this project, and the patent disagreement that led Eckert and Mauchly to resign from the faculty. He concludes with his views on the importance of the 1946 Moore School summer course, "Theory and techniques for design of electronic digital computers," now known as the "Moore School Lectures" in disseminating computer technology.
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    Oral history interview with Herman H. Goldstine
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1980-08-11) Goldstine, Herman Heine, 1913-
    Goldstine, associate director of the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) computer project from 1945 to 1956, discusses his role in the project. He describes the acquisition of funding from the Office of Naval Research, the hiring of staff, and his relationship with John von Neumann. Goldstine explains that von Neumann was responsible for convincing the Institute to sponsor the computer project. Goldstine praises von Neumann's contributions, among which he counts the first logical design of a computer and the concept of stored programming. Goldstine turns next to the relations between the project and one of its funders, the Atomic Energy Commission. He points out the conflict of interest of IAS director Robert Oppenheimer, who chaired the AEC General Advisory Committee, and von Neumann who sat on this committee, when other AEC officials discontinued funding for the project. Goldstine also recounts the problems that arose during the project over patent rights and their resolution. Goldstine concludes by discussing the many visitors to the project and the many computers (Whirlwind, ILLIAC, JOHNNIAC, IBM 70l) modeled after the IAS computer.
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    Oral history interview with Peter C. Patton
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 2000-08-30) Patton, Peter C.
    In this oral history Peter Patton, Chief Technology Officer at Lawson Software in St. Paul, MN, and former Director of Academic Computing at the University of Minnesota, talks about his education at Harvard, his involvement in the development of PLATO courses in the humanities, and his perspectives on the software industry and patenting. Patton also shares his experience with IBM 650, CDC 6600, and Cray installations on several university campuses, his role in Project Safeguard, and his design of the Hennepin Justice Information System.
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    Oral history interview with S. Reid Warren
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1977-10-05) Warren, S. Reid (Samuel Reid), 1908-
    Warren was a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania Moore School of Electrical Engineering and served as supervisor of the EDVAC project. He discusses the EDVAC, the personal interactions of the project members, and the effect of the project on the Moore School. Central to his discussion are J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly and their disagreements with administrators over patent rights, which led to their resignation and the founding of their own company. Warren discusses John von Neumann, the distribution of his 1945 draft report on the EDVAC, and its lack of proper acknowledgment of all the EDVAC contributors. He also discusses the University's patent policy, its effect on the project, and the inability of the Moore School to remain at the forefront of computer developments.