Winners of the European Inventor Award 2013 in the category Non-European countries
USB: Making easy computer connections ‘universal’
Inventors
Video:
Ajay V. Bhatt, Bala Sudarshan Cadambi, Jeff Morriss, Shaun Knoll, Shelagh Callahan
Invention
One of the most
ubiquitous computer advances since the computer processor, Universal Serial Bus
(USB) greatly simplified a previous maze of competing plug designs, allowing
effortless plug-and-play functionality and simultaneous connection of many
devices.
Patent number
Country
USA
Company
Intel
Corporation, along with a consortium of six other companies
Sector
Electronics, computing
The invention in a nutshell
Prior to the
invention of USB, computers relied on a number of drivers to communicate with
peripheral devices, and the commands sent by these drivers were frequently in
conflict with each other. Ajay Bhatt became
frustrated with the process of reconfiguring and rebooting his computer and the
maze of ports and plugs he had to negotiate on the back of the machine.
Bhatt took his inspiration from the common electrical wall outlet and
decided to create a connection interface that would recognise and run new
devices automatically when they were plugged into a computer. The USB interface
works by ‘translating' the signals from peripherals and delivering them in a
centralised message stream to the computer's operating system.
Societal benefit
Now found in
billions of computer products the world over, USB not only allows users to more
easily connect devices ranging from webcams, smartphones and computers to complex
scientific instruments, it also streamlines work for hardware and software
developers.
Economic benefit
Attaching a
price tag to this invention is nearly impossible because USB is not marketed
and sold as a product but used as a standard in the computer industry. However,
shipments of roughly 10 billion USB-equipped devices have helped it become one
of the world's most important computer technologies.
