Erna Schneider Hoover

Biography

Erna Schneider Hoover was a mathematician and inventor who received one of the first software patents ever issued in the United States. In 1971, while working at Bell Labs, she designed a computerized telephone switching system that used a stored-program computer to monitor incoming call traffic and automatically adjust the rate of call acceptance, preventing system overloads during peak periods. Her invention fundamentally transformed telecommunications and remained in use for decades.

厄纳·施奈德·胡佛是一位数学家和发明家，获得了美国最早的软件专利之一。1971年，她在贝尔实验室工作期间设计了一种计算机化电话交换系统，利用存储程序计算机监控来电流量并自动调整呼叫接入速率，防止高峰期系统过载。她的发明从根本上改变了电信行业，并持续使用了数十年。

Key Achievements

• Received one of the first software patents in the U.S. (1971)

  获得美国最早的软件专利之一（1971年）

• Invented computerized telephone switching system at Bell Labs

  在贝尔实验室发明计算机化电话交换系统

• Transformed telecommunications with automated call management

  通过自动化呼叫管理变革电信行业

References & Citations

1. Wikipedia: Erna Schneider Hoover — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erna_Schneider_Hoover
2. U.S. Patent 3,820,090: Feedback Control Monitor for Stored Program Data Processing System