Mr. John van Geen

A researcher at the Stanford Research Institute who was known for his advances in the acoustically coupled modem. His enhancments allowed the designed receiver to detect data (in the form of bits) and distinguish it from background noise more reliably than any previous models. His advancements also led to the release of the first public modem. Phone companies at this time did not allow unapproved devices to be attached to phone lines, but he won approval for the modem by making it mimic the characteristics of an ordinary telephone handset. He also greatly improved the ability of the modem to extract data bits from the background hiss of standard telephone connections. Until the 1980's acoustic modems operated by inserting a standard phone handset into the two soundproofed depressions on the modem chassis.