Frank Rieber

Frank Rieber (March 12, 1891 – June 30, 1948) was a geophysicist, entrepreneur, and inventor. He is particularly remembered for his groundbreaking research in automated seismic data processing. His patents related to reproducible seismograms would lead to the ability to better locate petroleum, and gain widespread use and recognition by improving the fidelity of seismographs in accurately depicting underground rock strata and oil structures, particularly in areas with complex geological formations.

Early years and education Frank Rieber was born in Placerville, California, on March 12, 1891, the son of Dr. Charles Henry Rieber, esteemed long-time Dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California at Los Angeles, and Winifred Smith Rieber, a skilled professional artist, well known for her portraits of famous philosophers, educators, and scientists. Rieber graduated from Berkeley High School and, in 1915, received his B.S. degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

During World War I, Rieber was a secretary of the California War Inventions Committee and a member of the Submarine Defense Commission. It was during his war work with sonic submarine detection and depth sounding that he became interested in the application of related techniques to the location of oil structures.

Invention of the "Sonograph" During the period from 1932 to 1935, Rieber investigated, and in some cases patented, methods of reducing surface disturbances at the shot and at the receiving point, methods of shortening wave transients, and methods of separating waves arriving from different directions. The method combining most of the results of his research he called the "Sonograph," which involved recording the seismogram traces as reproducible sound tracks and subsequently reproducing them in variably phased combinations and through various filters to reduce the various types of interference, particularly that due to waves arriving from different directions.

Death in New York City He moved to New York around 1940, shortly before WWII. He died at the age of 56 on March 12, 1948, at his residence-laboratory in New York City from a heart attack after suffering for years from a serious heart affliction His heart problems rarely diminished the zeal with which he pursued his professional goals. He had headed the Rieber Research Laboratory since 1941 He held 48 American and foreign patents, and had 27 pending patent applications. For many years he maintained his lab at 667 Howard Street in San Francisco. One of his earliest inventions was a device for maintaining massive X-ray examinations so as to prevent burns, which was implemented in many San Francisco Hospitals. He had also developed a method to help boat captains know their distance from shore using sound wave technology instrumentation that utilized echo location.