Kazuo Hashimoto

Who was Kazuo Hashimoto?

Kazuo Hashimoto was a Japanese inventor who registered over 1,000 patents throughout the world, including patents for Caller-ID system and telephone answering machine. He patented his first telephone answering machine, the Ansa Fone, in Japan in 1954, followed by the United States in 1960. He patented Caller-ID in Japan in 1976, and received a United States patent in 1980. In 1983 he invented a digital telephone answering device.

He was a recipient of Japan’s Medal of Honor, the Yellow Ribbon, and was designated as a Living National Treasure.

Hashimoto was awarded an honorary 'Doctor of Science' degree by New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1994 for his outstanding contributions to the field of telephony.