Recipients - Thomas A. Edison Patent Award

2000 - Herman H. Viegas, P.E., consulting engineer, Thermo King Corporation (Minnneapolis, MN)
For his patent "Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Units Utilizing a Cryogen" which has provided environmental safety as well as improved efficiency in mobile refrigeration systems. These units utilize liquid carbon dioxide and have no engine, no compressor, and no refrigerant. They are virtually pollution-free, almost noise-free (95% less noise than diesel), and requires minimal maintenance since it essentially has only one moving part.

2001 - Alexander M. Gorlov, P.E., Ph.D., professor emeritus, Northeastern University (Boston, MA)
For the invention of the "Gorlov Helical Turbine" which is capable of harnassing energy from ocean currents and other free water flow. This efficient turbine extracts energy from free (without dams or dikes) water flows and waves in oceans, rivers, canals, etc. Bypassing the air-compression stage, it proved to be one of the most efficient hydraulic machines for harnassing energy from non-ducted water currents. Fields of Helical Turbine application are electric power production, production of hydrogen fuel by electrolysis of water in situ at floating power farms, direct water pumping for irrigation, in situ water desalination at ocean power farms and ship propulsion.

2002 - Hooshang Heshmat, Ph.D., co-founder and president/technical director, Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc. (Albany, NY)
For his patent "High Load Capacity Journal Bearings," which led to outstanding technical innovations including oil-free aircraft engines and non-contacting foil seals. With this patent, the design complexity of the foil bearing spring support structure is dramatically enhanced with angular, axial, and radial stiffness tailoring including the addition of multiple flat stiffener foils that compensate for foil wear without a degradation in bearing performance.

2003 - John N. Basic, Sr., president, Basic International, Inc. (Marco Island, FL)
For his patent of an environmentally safe, medium-size furnace system capable of efficiently and cost effectively transforming a wide spectrum of combustible waste materials into a useful power source, providing social and economic benefits to humanity. The incinerator is designed with two reburn stages and an optiional heat recovery system. Mr. Basic's technology is utilized worldwide, most recently in the helping to solve the waste disposal problems in the metropolitan areas of China.

2004 - Faydor L. Litvin, Sc.D., College of Engineering distinguished emeritus professor, University of Illinois-Chicago (Chicago, IL)
For his patent "Apparatus and Method for Precision Grinding Face Gear," which has singularly provided a way to reduce the weight of helicopter transmissions by 40 percent, promoting fuel savings, reduced emissions and lower seat prices. The grinding method invented by Litvin has for the first time enabled a way to grind hardened face gears that will provide the same level of safety as spiral bevel gears. His efforts have opened the way for the use of these low cost, high capacity gears in applications that will significantly benefit the aerospace automotive, and shipping industries.

2005 - Ching-Pang Lee, P.E., Ph.D., principal engineer, GE Transportation-Aircraft Engines (Cincinnati, OH)
For contributions as the lead inventor of the "Airfoil Blade Having a Serpentine Cooling Circuit and Impingement Cooling." This invention combines two basic cooling techniques used inside many turbine blades into a series to create an effective internal convection cooling and improved film cooling. This turbine blade concept has been applied to the Joint Strike Fighter engine at GE to achieve significant improvement on turbine blade life, lower cooling flow requirement and better engine efficiency.

2006 - Charles A. Garris, Jr., professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, George Washington University (Washington, DC)
For his patent "Pressure Exchanging Ejector and Methods of Use" which pioneers a unique and novel new technology which utilizes pressure-exchange by exploiting a rotating supersonic flow wave structure, generated by a free-spinning rotor of unique design, to energize a secondary fluid. This energy transfer process inherently involves minimal dissipation because in contrast to conventional ejectors, it is not subject to the extreme dissipation of energy associated with turbulent mixing. In addition, because it utilizes crypto-steady supersonic flow to effect the energy transfer process, it avoids the throttling and sealing losses associated with previous wave rotor pressure-exchange devices. This new technology has applications in a variety of energy and environmentally important arenas including environmentally benign air conditioning (powered by waste heat and using water as the refrigerant), water desalinization, turbo-charging and fuel cell pressurization.

2007 - Norman R. McCombs, senior vice president, AirSep Corporation (Buffalo, NY)
For the development of pressure swing adsorption technology which led to the invention of the first portable oxygen concentrator, resulting in a worldwide industry that eases the suffering and extends the life of millions, and subsequently opened the door for hundreds of thousands to airline travel.