Xerox Corporation today honored retired scientist Christopher Snelling for surpassing
the 100-U.S. patent mark, joining a handful of scientists in the history of the company
and the world to accomplish the prestigious milestone.
Snelling, who joined Xerox (then the Haloid Company) in 1956, holds the "pioneering
patent" for image on image xerography. The invention is the basis for the DocuColor
iGen3™ Digital Production Press, a product that has revolutionized the business of colored
printing.
"Individuals like Chris Snelling personify Xerox's dedication to innovation," said Sophie
Vandebroek, president of Xerox's Innovation Group and the company's chief technology
officer.
"His work resulted in major technical achievements in areas of vital importance to the
company."
Snelling, one of only 13 Xerox scientists to reach the 100-patent mark, currently holds
101 patents. He is recognized in the scientific community for his long-range foresight
and creative thinking.
"Twenty years after winning the patent for image on image xerography we have a product
like the iGen3," said Dale Mashtare, a research scientist who worked with Snelling. "It
took literally armies of people to accomplish this, but at its root is this lone inventor
at Xerox with vision."
Snelling retired from Xerox in 2000 as a research fellow and manager of a small Xerox
laboratory called EXITE, which focused on exploratory xerographic process research. One
of Snelling's achievements just before retirement was the invention of the acoustic
transfer assist (ATA) process. This process, also used in the iGen3 family of products,
enables xerographic printing onto textured paper surfaces.
"The ATA process is another example of how Chris used obscure thinking to advance
xerography," Mashtare said. "He is a creative, quiet inventor, but his ideas and excitement
are quite contagious."
Snelling studied Electrical Engineering at Union College before receiving his masters
in applied mathematics from the University of Rochester. From 1968 to 1972 he left Xerox
to join Kayex Corporation, where he oversaw the design and construction of the Kayex's
first czochralski silicon crystal growing furnace. These furnaces today are used around
the world to process computer chips. Snelling returned to Xerox in 1972.
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