Luther George Simjian

Later inventions After Reflectone, Simjian founded General Research Inc. and Command Automation Inc., Hayward argues that:

Bankograph (ATM) Simjian invented what has been described as a precursor of the automated teller machine (ATM). For this, Simjian is often considered the inventor of the ATM (According to Bátiz-Lazo and Reid, it is James Goodfellow who holds the "first and perhaps most compelling claim to the original innovation," which was filed in 1966.) It was Goodfellow's invention that "clearly had a profound influence on the industry as a whole." The entry on Simjian in the American National Biography noted that he is "sometimes referred to as the 'father of the ATM' because he introduced the idea behind these now-ubiquitous machines." It was covered by the New York Times, which described it as a "robot bank teller that gives the depositor a picture of the money he puts in. There can never be any question as to the number and bills to be credited to his account." Simjian filed for a patent for "Subscriber controlled apparatus" in 1959. In 1960 Simjian filed for patent a device that incorporated an ATM photographing the deposited check.

Described as "less than a full-function ATM," the Bankograph was an automatic deposit machine that accepted cash and check deposits at all times. A camera inside the machine took snapshots of the deposits, copies of which were given to the customers as receipts. when it was placed in a few City Bank of New York bank lobbies for six months. The company discontinued its use due to limited appeal.

The authors of a 2009 study in the journal Marketing Science credited Simjian with the first concept (1957), the first patent (1957), and the first prototype (1960) of the ATM, which they listed as a radical innovation, but credited De La Rue Instruments with mico-commercialization, the first sale of an innovation (1967), and Docutel with macro-commercialization, the first year a firm sells the innovation to a broad market (1969).

Other Simjian's other inventions included an indoor computerized golf practice range (1960s), a remotely accessed automatic postage meter (1981) that was purchased by Pitney Bowes,

He married Gladys (née Cannon) in April 1936. They had met at a party in New York's Greenwich Village in 1935.

Legacy and recognition The American National Biography describes him as a "pioneer in photographic and optical inventions." Times Union wrote on his death: "Simjian was Jeffersonian, Edisonian, da Vincian — take your pick. His motley inventions enriched life and gave jobs to untold thousands."

Friedberg described his life as "a bona fide American success story". In 1978 Simjian received the Eli Whitney Award by the Connecticut Patent Law Association (currently the Connecticut Intellectual Property Law Association, CIPLA) "in recognition of significant contribution to law or science."