France Rode
France Rode | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Nožice, Slovenia |
| Died | June 7, 2017 (aged 82) |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, inventor |
| Known for | Co-developer of the HP-35 pocket calculator; pioneer in RFID products |
France Rode (November 20, 1934 – June 7, 2017) was a Slovenian engineer and innovator renowned for being one of the four principal engineers at Hewlett-Packard responsible for developing the HP-35 pocket calculator. He was also a trailblazer in creating the first functional RFID products, such as workplace access cards, and held multiple patents in this domain.
Early life
Rode was born in Nožice, Slovenia, as the eldest among four siblings in a farming household. His schooling was interrupted by World War II, during which local Partisans destroyed his school building. After the war, education resumed in temporary facilities while reconstruction took place. Through accelerated studies, he quickly completed elementary education and began high school in Kamnik by 1947.
Education and academic interests
His academic pursuits centered on mathematics, physics, and natural sciences. Although farm responsibilities limited his participation in extracurricular activities, he cultivated a strong work ethic and inventive abilities by crafting toys and tools in his uncle’s carpentry workshop. Initially intending to study mathematics at Ljubljana University, a visit to the university’s laboratories inspired him to switch to electrical engineering, blending theoretical math with practical applications—a choice that proved pivotal throughout his professional life.
Early work
Rode gained early international exposure through summer employment in Germany and visits to companies across Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany, which familiarized him with cutting-edge technologies. After graduating from Ljubljana, he applied to Northwestern University in Illinois and arrived in the United States in November 1960. He earned a master’s degree in bio-medicine from Northwestern University in 1962 and joined Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto that September, maintaining an association with the company intermittently for over two decades.
Pioneering work on pocket calculator
He was responsible for designing HP’s inaugural integrated circuit, marking a significant advancement for the company. Rode led the creation of the compact processor used in the HP-35, recognized as the first scientific pocket calculator. While not officially acknowledged as the designer of the first microprocessor, his HP-35 model incorporated a complete instruction set managing arithmetic operations and enabled complex trigonometric and logarithmic functions—effectively replacing the slide rule and initiating a new era of pocket calculators.
Expanding on the HP-35’s hardware foundation, Rode developed the HP-80 business calculator tailored to simplify intricate financial computations such as mortgages and investment returns through a specialized keyboard. Foreseeing mobile computing trends, he proposed and spearheaded the development of a briefcase-sized computer.
When Hewlett-Packard’s oscilloscopes encountered criticism, Rode contributed to designing an integrated processor for the “Smart Scope” prototype. The improvements he introduced formed the basis of his doctoral dissertation completed in 1975.
Entrepreneurial path
In 1979, Rode established Sielox Inc., focusing on creating electronic locking systems and security devices grounded on his patented inventions. He collaborated with Ljubljana University and Slovenian microelectronics company ISKRA to produce microchips. Sielox was acquired by Checkpoint Systems in 1986, where Rode assumed the role of vice president of research and development. In 1990, he joined Trimble Navigation, working on integrating satellite GPS technology into aircraft systems to enable blind landings. His work on miniaturizing GPS receivers led to co-founding eRide Inc., which aimed to design innovative GPS devices capable of operating effectively even within buildings and wearable formats like wristwatches.
Awards
His contribution to the creation of the HP-35, recognized as the first handheld scientific calculator, was commemorated through the IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing at Hewlett Packard's Palo Alto facility in April 2009.
Patents
HP-01
- 3,973,110 Time-keeping circuit utilizing a circulating shift register
HP-45
- 4,001,569 Versatile calculator featuring selective data storage, data conversion, and time-keeping functions
- 4,035,627 Scientific calculator design
- 4,047,012 General purpose calculator incorporating factorial operation
- 4,059,750 Versatile calculator with selective data storage, data conversion, and time-keeping features
HP-80
- 3,955,074 Multi-function key general purpose calculator
- 3,946,218 Calculator designed for yield-to-maturity bond computations
- 3,863,060 Calculator tailored for interdisciplinary business applications
RFID-based Security products, Sielox Systems, Inc
- 3,944,976 Electronic security device
- 4,727,369 Electronic lock and key mechanism
- 4,918,416 Electronic proximity identification apparatus
- 5,103,210 Security tag capable of activation and deactivation for electronic security systems
GPS and navigation
- 7,019,689 Techniques for skipping z-counts and ensuring precise timing in GPS receivers
- 7,123,190 Methods for skipping z-counts and maintaining accurate time in GPS devices
- 7,362,263 Maintaining accurate timing in hybrid GPS receivers and mobile phones during power-off states
- 7,450,062 Techniques to preserve accurate time for hybrid GPS receivers combined with mobile phones when powered off
- 7,592,951 Reducing crystal oscillator usage in integrated navigation receivers and cellular phones
- 7,598,909 Ensuring precise timing for hybrid GPS receiver and mobile phone units when powered down
Measurement instruments
- 3,609,326 Counting system employing separate counters for reference and unknown signals
- 4,099,240 Programmable remote numeric control and calibration method for electronic instruments
- 4,162,531 Apparatus and method for programmable remote numeric control and calibration of electronic devices
- 6,157,818 Communication system featuring automatic addressing capability