Under Trees to Top Ideas: My 100+ Patent Rollercoaster

Rama B. | Technical Staff, Software Engineering | Bangalore, India

Originally Published: February 21st, 2024

Hi, my name is Rama Rao Bisa, and I have filed 105 patents with the USPTO, 44 of which have been granted and the remaining are in review. I have also contributed to three, now published, industry standard publications. If you want to know about my journey, here it is.

First, a little bit about me…

I currently work at Dell Technologies as Distinguished Member of Technical Staff (DMTS) in the Technical Leadership Community (TLC). I hold a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering. I have 32+ years of industry experience, with 8+ years spent in telecom products and 23+ years in remote server management products.

We moved…for Education and Cinema

I was born in a remote village in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The village had no electricity or even transport infrastructure. Electrification work began when I was nine, which means I spent my childhood using kerosene lamps for a light source. The village only had a primary school, which only had two teachers.  While the school had a roof, it was broken. It was fun though, studying under two large tamarind trees!

We then moved, as a family, to the nearest town for its good schools, colleges for higher education and the cinema theatres! We made some good memories in those theatres. Thinking about those cheerful and happy moments always brings a smile on my face!

But like I said, we moved for education. I completed school and joined a bachelor’s program in Electronics and Communications Engineering. The toughest challenge was the switch of the medium of instruction from Telugu to English. The first year was a struggle, but then things gradually became easier.

Up, up, and away!

My first job was at a company which was in the business of end user telecom products. I feel like, at least back in those days, what you learnt in school didn’t equip you fully for working in the industry. I quickly realized I had to cover a lot of ground in record time to be able to contribute significantly. Fortunately, I found myself among supportive colleagues. I cannot overstate the impact this has had on my career. Through this support, I built a strong technical foundation, and it is the bedrock on which I have built my career.

A couple years later, I joined another organization where I did ground-breaking work. I single-handedly developed a coin operated payphone that didn’t need any external source of power. It may not sound like a big deal, but at that point in time, this was huge. It was a two-year effort and got a lot of support from the management.

Fast forward a few years, I found myself at a new job in the United States. I spent 12 years there. At this job I moved from telecom products to server management. But I learnt a lot and it is here that I had my first two patents granted.

Enter Dell

After nearly two decades of corporate experience, I took a short career break and moved back to India. I re-started my career with Dell in 2012. I got to work on new and evolving technologies here and still do. But Dell did something very new for me. I credit Dell with the development of my leadership skills.

There is a real focus on innovation at Dell. It is the Dell culture to support innovation by way of opportunities, diversity in thought, flexible working, and experimentation. All of this has translated into me having contributed to 103 patents at Dell alone!

Your work never goes unrecognized here. This has certainly been my experience. Among other things, I will forever be grateful for receiving the DMTF Star Award. DMTF is a standards organization led by board of directors of key industry players like Cisco, Intel, Dell and more. Their Star Award is given to members who bring value to their organization by advancing the DMTF standards and initiatives.

And that’s my story! My journey so far has been incredible, and I look forward to what the future holds. But I do want to highlight some of my highest highs: Success of the coin operated payphone I developed was really something. Buying my first house in the US. Remember, I was born in a remote village in India. I had never known joy like the kind I experienced when my daughter was born. Filing for the 1st patent and the 100th patent felt like an achievement like no other. At the risk of repeating myself, receiving the DMTF Star Award was very special. It would be remiss of me to end my story without expressing gratitude for my wife and my daughter. They have been the source of my strength, the reason for my determination and fundamental factors in my success. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support. My journey continues…

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