Patent Profiles

hpNOW Patent Profiles Focus on Employee Inventors

Updated: December 4, 2009

Updated regularly, hpNOW’s Patent Profiles introduce employees to some of the

company’s most creative people –- the top inventors, patent holders and engineers

— and finds out what inspires them.

Fred Thomas

Figure 1 - Fred Thomas

HP position and business unit:

Principal Hardware Architect, R&D
Storage & Entertainment Products Group, Attach, PSG

Number of years at HP:

Four

Number of patents/year granted:

44 U.S. Patents (6 while at HP), and more than 30 foreign patents
First invention:
My first invention was a solar energy collection device when I was in high school.

I didn’t apply for a patent for it.

My first invention for which a patent was issued is related to the first super-floppy
disk drive technology, the Floptical Drive—U.S. Patent #5,279,775. This design
won the “Electro-Optics Application of the Year Award” from Laser Focus World
Magazine in 1994.

Most interesting or rewarding research:

My research into and invention of Subwavelength Optical Data Storage was,
to this point, the most interesting and rewarding research I have done.
My work in this area was recognized by the Lemelson-MIT Program with an
“Inventor of the Week” honor in 2005. You can read more about that
on MIT website. The research was also recognized with a “Nano50 Award” that year.

I enjoy my work on HP’s MediaSmart Home Servers presently. It is interesting

work where I learn about and contribute to shaping of the digital landscape
of the home and its entertainment space via my contributions to HP’s MediaSmart
Home Server Products.

Being one of the inventors of the Zip Drive during the 1990s is also a great
source of pride for me.

Inventor you most admire:

I have two:

Nikola Tesla is the inventor I admire most. His inventions were world-changing
as the inventor of both the AC-based power system that electrifies the world and
radio communications. One can only imagine if his initial work at Colorado
Springs, CO, on the “Magnifying Transmitter” had obtained sustained funding,
how it would have impacted all of our lives today. Industrialists of that period
discontinued funding this invention after they discovered the objective was to
electrify the world for free. Tesla claimed it was to be his greatest invention. The
genius and intrigue of this inventor make him my favorite.

Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. president yet to be awarded a U.S. Patent.
He obtained his in patent in 1849. It is inspiring to me that the “Greatest American”
was an inventor. This makes Lincoln a favorite inventor of mine, as well.
Technology you believe has the greatest promise:
Nanotechnology. Deterministically created structures and devices that are
smaller than the wavelength of light hold great promise in many fields, including
information storage, computing, medicine, communications, and homeland defense.

How do you overcome a mental block?

Time, space, and some physical exercise. Let your subconscious grind on it for a while.

Greatest influence on your decision to become an inventor or engineer:

My dad was an electrical engineer by education. He later became a U.S. Foreign
Service officer. He would always talk to me as a kid about technologies being
developed in the various countries in which we lived. I believe it was part of his
job to track these technological developments, but regardless, his enthusiasm
for technology and innovation was infectious.

How can we inspire our kids to invent?

I believe we can inspire kids to invent by going to their schools and talking to them
about innovation and invention. Over the years, I have been invited to give invention
talks at my kids’ schools and nieces/nephews’ elementary schools.

My two favorite and seemingly well received activities are the following: Having
the kids go to a local store and find a product with a patent number on it, write
it down and then find in on the USPTO website. They are then asked to come to
class and tell what they have learned about this invention. Secondly, another
activity is based on a simplified invention disclosure form I provide to the kids.
They are then asked to invent something and describe it on the form. Optionally,
the kids can build a prototype. They are given about two weeks.

You would be surprised at the number of kids who actually build something.
Over the years, I have had a few parents tell me their kids still scour products for
a patent number while shopping. I’m thinking there will be a few inventors
in the mix when they become adults.

Most rewarding aspect of your job:

The most rewarding aspect of my job is seeing products that I had some hand
in innovating and creating come to the marketplace and succeed. The HP
MediaSmart Home Server is emblematic of this rewarding aspect of my job.