Guide to the Charles A. Jortberg collection

Finding aid prepared by Bo Doub, Kim Hayden, and Sara Chabino Lott

Processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant.

Computer History Museum

1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Mountain View, CA, 94043

(650) 810-1010

research@computerhistory.org

October 2015

Title: Charles A. Jortberg collection

Identifier/Call Number: X2381.2002

Contributing Institution: Computer History Museum

Language of Material: English

Physical Description: 18.75 Linear feet, 15 record cartons

Date (bulk): Bulk, 1960-1980

Date (inclusive): 1946-1990

Abstract: The Charles A. Jortberg collection contains materials from 1946 to 1990 which Jortberg amassed during his career in the computer industry. He worked for IBM, Viatron, and his own firm, Jortberg & Associates, which consulted on high-tech patent litigation and computer systems integration. The collection includes manuals, reports, catalogs, promotional material, books, articles, and newsletters from a variety of computer companies, such as Viatron, IBM, DEC, Remington Rand, RCA, Wang, Texas Instruments, Hewlett-Packard, and others. A small amount of the collection consists of legal documents related to patent applications and trials.

creator: Jortberg, Charles A., 1929-1999

Processing Information

Collection processed by Bo Doub and Kim Hayden, 2015.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce any portion of the Computer History Museum's collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder (if applicable) and the Computer History Museum.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], [Date], Charles A. Jortberg collection, Lot X2381.2002, Box [#], Folder [#], Catalog [#], Computer History Museum.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Charles Jortberg, 2002.

Biographical/Historical Note

Charles A. Jortberg was born on June 13, 1929, in Portland, Maine. He received his BA from Bowdoin College in 1951. After graduating, Jortberg briefly served with the National Security Agency and then worked at International Business Machines (IBM) for 14 years — finishing at IBM as Executive Computer Concepts Instructor and Manager of Sales Training in the New England region. Jortberg left IBM in the late 1960s and moved to Viatron Computer Systems, working as Marketing Manager. In 1974 he founded Jortberg Associates, a consulting firm specializing in high-tech patent litigation and computer systems integration. Jortberg died May 12, 2008, at his home in Naples, Florida.

Scope and Content of the Collection

The Charles A. Jortberg collection is made up of items Jortberg collected throughout his career in the computer technology field. The records span 1976 through 1990 with the bulk of the collection being from 1960 through 1980.

Jortberg collected a large amount of material related to his employers Viatron and IBM. The Viatron records in the collection date from 1967 to 1971 and include materials that document the company and its products, including memos, notebooks, design drawings, system descriptions, patents, proposals, reviews, personnel records, business overviews, and expense reports. IBM materials date from 1946 to 1984 and include manuals, program libraries, parts catalogs, reports, conference proceedings, and internal marketing documentation. Almost half of the IBM series is made up of manuals for the 7000 series of computers and its components.

Also included in the collection is a large amount of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) material from 1963 to 1973, with a focus on the PDP-10, PDP-6, and LINC computers.

As a patent litigation consultant, Jortberg acquired a small collection of legal documents related to patents. The collection includes transcripts, legal briefs, court opinions, and correspondence related to the patent infringement appeal case Northern Telecom Inc. v. Datapoint Corp. (1990), and documents related to two patents, including a patent application and court of appeals briefing.

The smallest portion of the collection is made up of manuals, promotional material, specifications, books, clippings and reports, all published by companies and institutions that did not have enough material in the collection to warrant having their own series. These include Computer Terminal Corporation, National Cash Register Company, Control Data Corporation, Bunker Ramo Corporation, and Storage Technology Corporation.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 11 series:

Series 1, Viatron records, 1959-1974, bulk 1968-1970

Series 2, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) records, 1946-1984, bulk 1958-1973

Series 3, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) records, 1963-1973

Series 4, Remington Rand Inc. records, 1950-1972

Series 5, Radio Corporation of America (RCA) records, 1959-1971

Series 6, General Electric Company records, 1964-1975

Series 7, Wang Laboratories Inc. records, 1967-1986

Series 8, Texas Instruments Inc. records, 1976-1981

Series 9, Hewlett-Packard records, 1968-1977

Series 10, Legal documents, 1982-1990

Series 11, Publications by others, ca. 1957-1989

Related Collections at Other Repositories

Jortberg Associates, 1989, box 17, folder 46, Helen Willa Samuels Papers, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Computer Industry

Digital Equipment Corporation

General Electric Company

International Business Machines Corporation

Jortberg, Charles A.

Radio Corporation of America

Remington Rand, Inc.

Univac computer

Viatron Computer Systems Corporation

Viatron records, Series 1, Bulk, 1968-1970 1959-1974

Series Scope and Content

This series contains records from Viatron Computer Systems Corporation, active from 1967 to 1971, where Jortberg worked as Marketing Manager. Included in the series are a wide variety of documents including memoranda, employee notebooks, design drawings, system descriptions, patents, proposals, reviews, personnel records, business overviews, and expense reports. Viatron employees whose writings are well-represented are Roger M. Robillard, Manager of Viatron's Digital Logic Design Engineering; Michael J. Flanagan, Manager of Display Engineering; William T. Grinnell, Manager of Peripheral Engineering; David E. Williams, Manager of Communications Engineering; David H. Rawlins; and Jortberg himself. Viatron was one of the first companies to use the term “microprocessor” and one highlight of this series is a 1970 patent application for a product titled “microprocessor.” The majority of this series is made up of reproductions of original Viatron documents bound in numbered volumes. Most of these volumes are organized in a set titled “Viatron documents numerical set.” This portion of the series is arranged by original volume number, which is not based chronologically, but by an in-house numerical system created by Viatron and/or Jortberg. Material dated prior to Viatron's founding are reprints of instructional bulletins published by the National Cash Register Company. Beyond the numerical set, this series is arranged chronologically.

102734385 Viatron documents numerical set 1959-1974

102734410 Notes, technical papers, and drawings 1968-1969

102734396 Viatron documents selected for review by Robillard and Flanagan 1968-1969

102734406 Jortberg material ca. 1968

102734399 Terminal 21 drawings ca. 1968

102734411 Manuals and system descriptions 1969-1970

102734400 Microprocessor patent application 1970

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) records, Series 2, Bulk, 1958-1973 1946-1984

Series Scope and Content

This series contains manuals, reports, catalogs, program libraries, and conference proceedings related to IBM and its systems from 1946 to 1984, with the bulk of material from 1958 to 1973. The largest part of this series is made up of operation and programming manuals for a variety of IBM machines and systems, including accounting machines, punched card equipment, dictation equipment, electric typewriters, and solid-state computers. The majority of these manuals focus on the 7000 series of computers and components. A smaller portion of this series is made up of program libraries and parts catalogs for various systems, lists of IBM marketing materials, reports about data security and company surveys of IBM systems, and the proceedings of IBM's medical and data security symposia. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

102734376 Accounting machine manuals 1957-1967

102734375 Card punch machine manuals 1946-1971

102734391 Catalogs and program libraries 1962-1982

102734374 Dictation equipment manuals 1964; 1970-1974

102734373 Electric typewriter manuals 1961-1967

102734389 IBM 1401 Symbolic Programming System (SPS2) modification memos 1963

102734380 IBM 7000 series manuals and data processing systems bulletins 1961-1965

102734381 IBM 7030 manuals 1960-1963

102734392 IBM 704 FORTRAN manual 1960

102734382 IBM 7040/7044 manuals and data processing systems bulletins 1961-1965

102734383 IBM 7070 series manuals and data processing systems bulletins 1958-1962

102734384 IBM 7080 manuals and data processing systems bulletins 1960-1962

102734387 IBM 709/7090/7094 manuals and data processing systems bulletins 1960-1968

102734386 IBM 7750 manuals 1962-1963

102734379 IBM 8100 brochure and manual 1984

102734388 IBM symposia proceedings 1965-1973

102734377 IBM System/360 components manuals ca. 1965

102734390 Reports 1959-1964

Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) records, Series 3, 1963-1973

Series Scope and Content

This series contains manuals, technical papers, memoranda, and promotional material created at DEC during a ten-year period. The largest part of this series concerns DEC's PDP-10, including manuals on the computer series, a paper by Robert Bishop on PDP-10 timesharing in a laboratory environment, and an anthology of papers titled "PDP-10 Applications in Science," vol. 2 (1971). Other DEC products with significant documentation are the PDP-6 and LINC (Laboratory INstrument Computer) — with manuals for both and promotional material on the PDP-6. Computing machines that are present in the series, but less represented, are the PDP-14, Type 646 Line Printer, PDP-7, PDP-4, 630 Data Communication System, and Discfile Control Type 270. This series is arranged chronologically.

102734372 Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) manuals 1963-1973

102734402 LINC wiring tables 1964

102734371 PDP-6 1964-1967

102734378 Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) technical papers, promotional material, and catalogs 1964-1973

102734401 LINC assembly and adjustment 1966-04

102734364 PDP-10 1967-1973

102734367 PDP-10/6 field service tech manual 1971-04

Remington Rand Inc. records, Series 4, 1950-1972

Series Scope and Content

This series contains manuals, training guides, promotional materials, news clippings, specifications, and technical papers related to Remington Rand Inc. and its products from 1950 to 1972. The bulk of this series focuses on UNIVAC, with operations and programming manuals, reports, brochures, product overviews and specifications, articles, and training materials specifically related to UNIVAC systems and components. A smaller group of materials focuses on other Remington Rand products, including articles; manuals for the BIOR compiling system, Type 315-1 collating reproducer, and the high-speed printer model 46; and brochures for several punched card machines. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

102646303 An Introduction to the UNIVAC File-Computer System 1951

102734352 Articles and clippings ca. 1955-1956

102734353 BIOR manuals and specifications 1955

102646140 Introducing a New Language for Automatic Programming Univac Flow-Matic 1957

102734356 Manuals ca. 1955-1961

102734361 Promotional material ca. 1950-1958

102734359 UNIVAC educational materials 1957-1961

102646302 UNIVAC II 1957

102734363 UNIVAC manuals 1956-1972; bulk 1955-1956

102734354 UNIVAC reports 1954-1957

102646141 UNIVAC Scientific Computing System Model 1103A 1957

102734357 UNIVAC unit and system descriptions 1965-1972

Radio Corporation of America (RCA) records, Series 5, 1959-1971

Series Scope and Content

This series contains manuals, specifications, promotional material, and technical papers published by RCA, primarily from its Electronic Data Processing Division from 1959 to 1971. Manuals and promotional material regarding RCA's Spectra 70 series comprise the bulk of these records, including instructional documents on programming, maintenance, and different operating systems. Other RCA products featured in this series are the RCA 501, 301, and 601. Also of interest is a report by RCA to the Travelers Insurance Company recommending computing solutions relevant to business needs. This series is arranged chronologically.

102734362 RCA 501 1959-1966

102734355 RCA 301 and 601 1960-1964

102734358 RCA manuals 1963-1971

102734351 Spectra 70 series 1966-1969

102734360 Travelers Insurance Company correspondence and reports 1967-1969

General Electric Company records, Series 6, 1964-1975

Series Scope and Content

This series contains manuals, abstracts of library programs, and promotional material related to General Electric Company and its products from 1964 to 1975. The majority of material in this series consists of manuals and specifications for a number of GE systems, including those created for system users, and those created as service guides for technicians and GE employees. A smaller portion of this series includes product brochures and a catalog of abstracts describing available timesharing programs for the GE-400 series. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

102734393 GE-400 series time-sharing library programs : program abstracts 1967

102734395 Manuals and specifications 1965-1973

102734394 Promotional material 1964-1975

Wang Laboratories Inc. records, Series 7, 1967-1986

Series Scope and Content

This series contains manuals, educational materials, catalogs and program libraries, and newsletters related to Wang Laboratories Inc. from 1967 to 1986. Manuals make up the bulk of this series, and include product service guides geared toward Wang employees, and operation and reference manuals for users. Another large part of this series is made up of educational materials in the form of math and programming workbooks. The smallest portion of this series consists of Wang Printout newsletters, a marketing publication that combines computer industry news with Wang product and company information. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

102734368 Catalogs and program libraries 1968-1969

102734370 Educational materials 1967-1969

102734366 Product service manuals 1971

102734369 Reference and operations manuals 1967-1986

102734365 Wang Printout newsletters 1975-1979

Texas Instruments Inc. records, Series 8, 1976-1981

Series Scope and Content

This series is made up of manuals related to the Texas Instruments TI-990 series of computers from 1976 to 1981. The largest portion of this series consists of manuals for operating systems, diagnostics, programs, hardware, and programming languages. Also included are system and hardware manuals specific to the TI-990/4, TI-990/5, and TI-900/10. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

102734350 TI-990 diagnostics manuals 1978-1981

102734349 TI-990 operating systems manuals 1978-1980

102734348 TI-990 programs, hardware, and languages manuals 1978-1980

102734347 TI-990/10 manuals 1978-1979

102734345 TI-990/4 manuals 1976-1977

102734346 TI-990/5 manual 1979

Hewlett-Packard records, Series 9, 1968-1977

Series Scope and Content

This series consist of manuals and promotional material related to Hewlett-Packard products from 1968 to 1977. Manuals make up the majority of material and include operation and service manuals for HP systems and components. The rest of the series is made up of promotional material, such as brochures and booklets that provide an overview of various products. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

102734398 Manuals 1968-1975

102734397 Promotional material 1968-1977

Legal documents, Series 10, 1982-1990

Series Scope and Content

This series is composed of trial documents and patents from 1982 to 1990. Half of the series is made up of materials related to Northern Telecom Inc. v. Datapoint Corp. (1990), an appeal to a patent infringement case. Materials include trial transcripts, legal briefs, court opinions, and a small amount of correspondence related to the trial. The other half of the series consists of documents related to patents number 4,326,265 (variable function programmed calculator) and 4,942,516 (single chip integrated circuit computer architecture). Materials include the patent for 4,326,265 and the patent application, court of appeals briefing, and other documents related to 4,942,516. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

102734403 Northern Telecom Inc. v. Datapoint Corp. (1990) 1988-1990

102734404 Patent records for single chip integrated circuit computer architecture 1988-1990

102734405 Patent records for variable function programmed calculator 1982

Publications by others, Series 11, circa 1957-1989

Series Scope and Content

This series contains manuals, promotional material, books, and reports published by companies and institutions other than the ones included in the previous series from circa 1957 to 1989. The majority of the series consists of manuals and brochures for products by Computer Terminal Corporation, National Cash Register Company, Control Data Corporation, Bunker Ramo Corporation, and Storage Technology Corporation. There are two books included in this series, one on the history of Bell Laboratories and one on VLSI systems, and two reports on microprogramming. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

102709720 Analog VLSI and neural systems 1989

102734409 Manuals 1966-1968; 1979

102709665 Mission communications : the story of Bell Laboratories 1975

102703261 Personal computers 1976-1981 - Vol. I : the home computer 1977

102703262 Personal computers 1977-1983 - Vol. II : desktop computer marketer 1978

102734407 Promotional material ca. 1957-1972

102734408 Reports 1979-1983