Hans R. Mueller

Biography

Hans R. Mueller and Werner Bux's research formed the foundation for the revolutionary token ring technology. A key local area networking standard from the 1980s through the 1990s, token ring introduced several benefits, including automatic fault detection and recovery, reduced delays at ring interfaces and stable transmission. The legacy of the technology can be seen in today's high-speed, fault-resistant fiber optic LANs and Ethernet. Mr. Mueller and Dr. Bux's innovative system to automatically detect and recover from faults on the network has since become a part of many other networking systems and of IEEE Standard 802.5.

Hailed as the father of the token ring for his work at IBM Zurich, Mr. Mueller contributed several key ideas for the token ring architecture and was a leader in its design. A Fellow of the IEEE, he holds 25 patents, and has published close to 50 papers. He has received honors including the IBM Outstanding Innovation Award, the IBM Corporate Award and seven IBM Invention Achievement Awards. Mr. Mueller's tenure at the IBM Zurich research lab spanned from 1958 until his retirement in 1990.