Dr. Robert H. Rines:

An Appreciation

Messages and comments from 6.901/6.931 alumni/ae

(Please use this webwsite's comment form to submit an entry—no later than Aug. 31, 2008, thanks. Simply check off the 'comment' radio button, put R.H. Rines in the subject and add your comments. Unless otherwise instructed, comments will be added to this site).

Kimberly Pace Moore

Washington DC Circuit Court Judge (BSEE '90, MS '91)

Moore was strongly influenced by MIT lecturer Robert Rines' patent law class 6.901/6.931. This became her first glimpse of what would become the rest of her career. "After being introduced to patent law at MIT, I realized this was an ideal way to utilize the technology I learned at MIT in the legal field. Professor Rines provided an engaging insight into a way to combine a love of technology with law."

Michelle K. Lee

Head of patents and patent strategy at Google (SB, SM '89)

"I certainly did not attend MIT with the idea of becoming an intellectual property lawyer. However, during my time at MIT, the famous Apple v. Microsoft copyright infringement case involving graphical user interfaces was being litigated, and it dawned upon me that there were and would continue to be some very interesting, cutting edge, unanswered issues in intellectual property law involving computer technology. I thought, with my MIT Course VI background, I could make a valuable contribution in this area. To further confirm my interest in intellectual property law, I took Robert Rines' class on innovation and patent law."

Suzanne Paul

Chief Technologist, Black Sand Technologies (SB '88, SM '95, PhD '99)

"I did really value Robert Rines' class on patent law. I have filed 63 US patents and 7 foreign patents. Prof. Rines' class taught me the background that I needed to get started in the patent world. I have drawn upon the teachings of that class many times over the years since. I would say that of the elective courses that I took in graduate school Prof. Rines' class was one of the top 3 in how useful it has been in my career.

I hope MIT is able to continue offering this course to its students."

Nicholas Sidelnik

Student in 6.901/6.931 for three semesters, both in the undergraduate and graduate versions; TA for the class for two semesters while a student at Franklin Pierce. MIT S.B. '05 (Aerospace Engineering) and graduated from Franklin Pierce in 2008.

"Dr. Rines realized the important role intellectual property would continue to play in securing America's prosperity and did his best at MIT and the Franklin Pierce Law Center to give students an opportunity to explore the field."

Jonathan T. Kaplan, Esq.

IP attorney specializing in non-litigation aspects of patents in the area of computer and/or electronics related technology. (SMEE '89)

"I recently gave a special seminar for MIT EECS called ‘Pursuing A Legal Career With An MIT Degree.’ The seminar advised MIT EECS students on legal careers they can pursue with their MIT degree. To accomplish this, I presented five different types of legal careers and, for each career type, presented at least one MIT alumnus who is actually practicing in the area.

Over the course of preparing for the seminar, I came to appreciate just how much impact Dr. Rines has had on many MIT grads. For example, two of the MIT alums I presented, Michelle Lee (now in-house patent counsel to Google) and Kimberly Moore (now a Federal Judge in the special appeals court for patent cases), were both greatly influenced by Robert Rines’ course."

See the video of this seminar which was hosted by Prof. Srini Devadas, Associate Dept. Head, EECS.

Robert H. Rines lecturing in one of his last sessions of 6.931, spring 2008

Robert H. Rines is a patent lawyer and inventor who has been lecturing at MIT since 1963. This spring term (2008) marked his final offering—on his retirement—of the classes he created, 6.901/6.931.

After earning his undergraduate degree in physics at MIT in 1942, Rines carried out radar research during World War II—an interest that has been life-long. Following the War, Rines worked as an examiner for the U. S. Patent Office while earning his law degree from Georgetown University in 1947. Later Rines joined his father's law practice in Boston.

Rines' father also turned over to him a lectureship at the Park Laboratory at Harvard University. As the Gordon McKay Lecturer on patents, the young Rines wrote a book, "Create or Perish," a book that later became the cornerstone text for 6.901/6.931.

At the encouragement of MIT EECS Professor Lan Jen Chu and several other MIT professors under whom he studied, Rines decided to transfer his teaching to MIT in 1963. He devised two classes: the first, Inventions and Patents, and the second adding entrepreneurship and innovation—using intellectual property to start new companies—Development of Inventions and Creative Ideas.

During his 45 years of teaching these classes, Dr. Rines continued his active research and inventing, earning more than 100 patents—many for electronic apparatus to improve the resolution of radar and sonar scanning. The scanning systems used to locate the wrecks of the Titanic and the Bismarck were dependent on Rines' prototypes, as were medical ultrasound imaging systems.

Rines built his practice as an internationally recognized patent lawyer and laid the grounds for kindling young minds' interest in science and technology in the US and worldwide.

In 1963, Rines founded the Academy of Applied Science, a private, non-profit organization devoted to the promotion of science and technology education at all levels. In 1973, he founded the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire, which is now among the country's foremost institutes for the study of intellectual property law. In 1994, Rines was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Although the environment in the early days of his teaching was not yet ripe for entrepreneurship, Rines continued to encourage his students to start their own businesses. He was enthusiastically instrumental in the formation in 1990 of the MIT $10k Entrepreneurship Competition, in which several of his students were winners.

One of Dr. Rines' students and TA for 6.901/6.931 this past semester, Robert Bachner related his experience in the class. Bachner graduated from Franklin Pierce Pierce Law Center J.D., LL.M. this spring.

"Dr. Rines ran his class the way any ground breaking, grass roots, first and only in the nation type class should be run. I checked with engineering friends who went to other schools and there is no Intellectual Property class taught anywhere for engineers. He, like the rest of MIT, understands the importance of innovation and wants to excite engineers about protecting their creations and their rights in their creations. He taught his students that when an employer hires an engineer the employer does not buy the rights to the engineer’s brain and all creations derived.

Mondays were long days for the students and myself, but Dr. Rines brought with him his vast experience and genuine excitement for innovation and that kept us on the edge of our seats."

In March of 2004, Rines received the Boston Patent Law Association's first "Lifetime Achievement Award" for the many contributions he has made during his fifty–plus–year career in the field of intellectual property law.

Beyond teaching, mentoring, inventing and running an award-winning patent practice, Rines has pursued scientific knowledge and discovery throughout his life. As documented by Public Television's Nova series, Rines joined former MIT EECS professor 'Doc' Harold Edgerton in the 1970s to provide evidence of the Loch Ness creature in Scotland. Using Rines' inventions in radar and sonar imaging and Edgerton's stroboscopic photography, they were able to produce a partial image of the Ness creature's outline and size, but the findings were not conclusive. His more recent explorations in the late 1990s of this region, however, have turned up proof of an ancient sea bed below the Ness. The age of the finding has been confirmed by carbon dating of ancient marine shells. Coincidental to this work, Rines also unearthed a new microbial life form.

Read more about Robert Rines' multiple contributions to science and technology, patent law and innovation, and the betterment of humankind.

"Robert H. Rines, Pierce Law Founder: A True Renaissance Man" Pierce Law Board of Trustees http://www.fplc.edu/trustees/robertrines.php

Electric System; Microwave Scanning System; Sound Ranging System High Resolution Radar and Sonar Patent Number(s) 2,711,534; 2,711,440; 2,528,725 National Inventors Hall of Fame

MITOpenCourseWare, 6.901, Inventions and Patents Course Home

Course Pedagogy by Dr. Rines

Inventor of the Week Archive: Microwave Scanning Systems

page top