Kazuo Hashimoto (橋本 和芙, Hashimoto Kazuo, died August 1995) was a Japanese inventor who registered over 1,000 patents throughout the world, including patents for a Caller-ID system and telephone answering machines.
Bell's monopoly over telephony in the United States combined with the recent Hush-A-Phone and Carterfone decisions required that all telephone answering machines be connected through strictly mechanical means.
He was a recipient of Japan's Medal of Honour, the Yellow Ribbon, and was designated as a Living National Treasure.
Hashimoto was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree ('honoris causa') by New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1994 for his outstanding contributions to the field of telephony.
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