More on  Erna Schneider Hoover • Erna Schneider Hoover Erna Schneider Hoover invented the computerized telephone switching system.

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Erna Schneider Hoover earned a B.A. with honors in medieval history from Wellesley College, and later a Ph.D. in the philosophy and foundations of mathematics from Yale University. In 1954, Erna Schneider Hoover started work as a researcher at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, where she created a computerized telephone switching system. The switching system used a computer to monitor incoming calls and then automatically adjusted the call's acceptance rate. This helped eliminate overloading problems. The principles of Erna Schneider Hoover's design are still used today, she was awarded one of the first software patents ever issued (Patent #3,623,007, Nov. 23, 1971). Bell Labs made her their first female supervisor of a technical department.

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