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Otis F. Boykin( -1982) graduated from Fisk University and the Illinois Institute of Technology (1947). Boykin's productive career began as a laboratory assistant, testing automatic controls for aircraft. One of his first achievements was a resistor which became U.S. Patent # 2,972,726 . Through the years, Boykin invented a variable resistor used in guided missiles and computers, a control unit for an artificial heart stimulator (pacemaker) and more than twenty-five other electronic pieces of equipment. Boykin's work is still used in computers, radios, television sets, and a variety of other electronic devices and innovations. His inventions and improvements in resistor design allowed for a smaller, less costly, more convenient product. Other inventions by Otis Boykin include a burglar-proof cash register and chemical air filter. Prior to his death, Boykin was also a private consultant in the United States and Paris . Currently, there are more than three dozen products with Boykin components used throughout the world. Work Cited: Otis Boykin |
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As a materials research engineer for the Air Force, John B. Christian (1927- ) of Ohio developed and patented a variety of lubricants that saved the lives of pilots in combat and contributed to the success of astronaut's missions on the moon. (Patent #4,454,349 Perfluoroalkylether substituted phenyl phosphines June 12, 1984 ). Because the patent was granted while he and the other participants were serving in the military, there were no royalties. During the Vietnam War, when helicopter oil lines were punctured by ground fire, the "soap" lubricants permitted them to return to their base. The lubricants were also used in the astronaut's backpack life support systems and in the four-wheel drive of the "moon-buggy" making it possible to extend the exploration of the moon by 36 hours.
Work Cited: John B. Christian |
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Syringe in 1974. United States Patent # 3,802,434 Work Cited: Phil Brooks |
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