Samuel Ruben, 1900-1988

Samuel Ruben was born on 14 July 1900 in Harrison, New Jersey. He was an American inventor who made lasting contributions to the fields of electrochemistry and solid-state technology. While he dropped out of college and had no formal education, his scientific career spanned over 60 years. Ruben produced over 300 patents, many of which were developed at Ruben Laboratories in New Rochelle, which he founded. Ruben held honorary degrees from Polytechnic Institute of New York (where he was also an honorary Professor), Butler University, and Columbia University.

In the 1920’s, Ruben’s dry electrolytic capacitors made possible the first low-cost plug-in radios with greater durability, significantly longer shelf life, and longer operating lifetime. Ruben’s improvement to the AC Vacuum Tube shortened the warm-up time and extended the lifetime of the product. This technology was used in the Boulder Dam generators, among others. The Photolytic Cell was capable of noise-free response to audio frequencies. The Ruben Vacuum Tube Relay responded to audio and radio frequencies and found application in various remote-controlled devices, such as railway signal systems, telephone relay circuits, and general call systems. Other inventions include the Glass Mesh Fluorescent Tube, a portable gamma detector, and a device that was commercially applied to phonographs which created an improved low frequency response.

The licensee of many of his inventions was P.R. Mallory Company, which later became Duracell. Ruben and Philip Rogers Mallory invented the mercury button cell in 1942 in response to an urgent need created during World War II for a miniature battery that would not deteriorate in tropical climates and would be capable of maintaining voltage on loads and retaining transmission range. The sealed alkaline cell made possible the miniature batteries used in implanted cardiac pacemakers, hearing aides, watches, cameras, transistor radios and other electronic devices. He died on 16 July 1988 in Oregon.

Sources: Fowler, Glenn (20 July 1988). "Samuel Ruben, 88, an Inventor Noted for Electrochemical Work". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-06-28.

From the guide to the Guide to the Samuel Ruben Papers, 1923-1979, 1923-1979, (Poly Archives & Special Collections at Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology)