XEROX SCIENTIST INDUCTED IN HALL OF FAME

[Anonymous]

Xerox Scientist Inducted into National Inventors Hall
of Fame for Revolutionizing the Workplace with Modern Photocopier

AKRON,OH,Mai,2005–Anyone who’s made copies of a favorite recipe, a
choice article, a Little League roster or a pile of receipts has Robert W.
Gundlach to thank.

Gundlach, who retired from Xerox Corporation  in 1995, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame here on
Saturday for his inventions that resulted in the modern photocopier. His
inventions not only helped revolutionize the workplace but also ultimately
unlocked the basic workings of the process used in products that turn out
millions of color and black-and-white copies and prints in homes, offices and
print shops around the world.

Gundlach, 78, is among six living inventors
cited by the Hall of Fame for accomplishments “that have bettered our quality of
life and allowed us greater convenience and safety.” The Hall of Fame is giving
posthumous recognition to eight additional inventors.

“As one of the
first research scientists hired by the Haloid Company, now known as Xerox
Corporation, Gundlach was responsible for finding ways to refine and improve
xerography,” according to the Hall of Fame. “Through Gundlach’s work,
photocopying became a practical reality.”

Over his lifetime, Gundlach has
received 164 U.S. patents, with 155 of those earned for his work at Xerox. He
remains Xerox’s most prolific inventor. His inventions included many of the
technologies that enabled xerographic products such as copiers and printers to
become so wildly successful.

Gundlach joined the Haloid Company in 1952,
about five years after the company had purchased the rights to commercialize
xerography, Chester Carlson’s invention. It would be seven more years before the
first product would come to market.

Among Gundlach’s inventions are the
“development electrode,” which made it possible to copy solid areas; a method of
cleaning the imaging drum that enabled Xerox for the first time to make
plain-paper copiers that could fit on a desktop; and “tri-level highlight
color,” which was the basis for products that can copy both black and another
color simultaneously.

A gentle optimist who loves solving puzzles and
understanding how things work, Gundlach continues to invent from his home near
Rochester, N.Y. Most recently he has been working on a highly efficient heat
pump that he believes can help alleviate global warming. The patented heat pump
is designed for heating and cooling city homes on small lots using a fraction of
the energy now required.

The not-for-profit National Inventors Hall of
Fame is dedicated to honoring and fostering creativity and invention. Chester
Carlson was previously inducted into the Hall of Fame. In addition to Gundlach,
its class of 2005 includes Matthias Baldwin, inventor of the steam locomotive;
Clarence Birdseye, inventor of frozen foods; Dean Kamen, inventor of the
AutoSyringe; Garrett Morgan, inventor of the gas mask and traffic signal; and
Les Paul, inventor of the solid-body electric guitar.

[Author]

May 22, 2005 at 2:00 PM