About Erna Schneider Hoover
Erna Schneider Hoover is an American mathematician who invented a computerized telephone switching method which "revolutionized modern communication". It prevented system overloads by monitoring call center traffic and prioritizing tasks on phone switching systems to enable more robust service during peak calling times. At Bell Laboratories where she worked for over 32 years, Hoover was described as a pioneer for women in the field of computer technology. For her invention, termed Feedback Control Monitor for Stored Program Data Processing System, Hoover was awarded U.S. patent 3,623,007 in November 1971, one of the first software patents ever issued. Her method gave priority to processes that were concerned with the input and output of the switch over processes that were less important such as record keeping and billing. As a result of her invention, she became the first woman supervisor of a technical department at Bell Labs. She was awarded one of the first patents for computer software.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.