1988
Incorporated as a C Corp, State of Colorado October 27 1988. Adopted the corporate name of an emerging technology called cd-rom, or compact disc read only memory after chance meeting with Dr. John Belshe, Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for recording military base closures with a new technology that could store 300,000 pages of information on a 12cm disc. Company name formally became CD ROM Incorporated and later abbreviated as CD ROM Inc, and then simply CRI. Initial work space was single car garage (of course) in Golden Colorado near the Colorado School of Mines.
1989
Sold single speed cd rom drives for $1000. Published first CD ROM Inc. sales magazine and distributed by US Mail. Microsoft OS did not automatically include a driver for cd-rom drive connection at this time Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions, or MSCDEX, available as an installable add-ons since MS-DOS 3.1 and higher, released at COMDEX in Chicago as included in Windows 3.1 on five 3 1⁄2” floppy disks. CRI moves into Jefferson County incubator.
1990
Sales started soaring after MSCDEX became mainstream. This technology was revolutional at this early time in the personal computer industry. First multi platform CD ROM discs produced by USGS.
1991
Inc. magazine awards CD ROM, Inc. 184th fastest growing privately held company in the US going from zero sales in 1988 to $1.5 million in 1991. Inc. Magazine also said CD ROM Inc. was the third fastest growing company in the State of Colorado. Employees reached 20 people. Several large companies express interest in purchasing CD ROM Inc.
1992
Patent US5367301 Method and System for Decoding Digital Audio files. CRI develops its first patented process to use the internal audio circuitry inside every CD-ROM drive to decode audio files without need for separate sound card. Gateway expresses strong interest. Anonymous third party offer to acquire the technology. Initial work started on compressed and encrypted CD-ROMs. Stacker, Double Space and other compression software packages existed to compress hard drives. Compressed volumes could be placed on CD-ROM media but the compressed volumes had to be uncompressed back to the hard drive to access the files.
1993
Continued developing a way to dynamically generate a virtual file allocation table on compressed and encrypted CD-ROM discs. Routinely produced 3GB CD-ROMs. Produced a demo 60GB CD-ROM all readable in real time from the CD-ROM disc. This led to the commercial development of the CRI-X3 compression and encryption software. Licenses sold for $30,000.00 plus annual maintenance updates.
1994
Patent US 6584520B1 awarded to CD ROM USA, then the consulting branch subsidiary of CD ROM Inc for virtual FAT process. Licensed Boeing, Cummins Engine and other confidential clients with this
technology. Produced 3GB parts catalog for mechanics to maintain Longbow Apache Helicopter in the field. Moved out of the incubator into office spaces on top of Lookout Mountain (near Woody Allen’s well known space ship building from the 1973 movie Sleeper).
1995
Produced seven 30 minute TV programs for Jones Intercable including one 30 minute program with General Alexander Haig broadcast internationally on World Business Review. Produced sixty 5 minute program segments broadcast on prime time TV. CRI President was in Kobe Japan to start CD ROM Kobe on January 16 2005 but due to earthquake, dissolved incorporation documents. See “Great Hanshin Earthquake and Dr. Roger Hutchison”. CD ROM, Inc. burglarized and multimedia simulator training disc stolen permitting pilots a computer simulated training environment to learn to fly planes without time in a simulator. FBI labeled the break in-State sponsored. Principals of CRI under police protection for 2 weeks. Training of the perpetrators of September 11 2001 twin tower destruction had eerie similarities to training concepts of multimedia training CD ROM disc content. FBI office informed post 911 of concerns.
1996
Produced first internet online presence at www.cdrominc.com. Announced new release of Soft Audio produced from patent 5367301 and Trademark 1827309. Teamed with Taylor Kramer (former Iron Butterfly bass player) and Dan Shields of Total Multimedia or TMM with their Soft Video.
1997
Applied for second patent in compression and encryption technology. Digital Versatile Discs, DVD, enters the main-steam marketplace. CD ROM, Inc. sells 1X DVD recorders manufactured by Pioneer for $18,000.00. Cannot inventory enough for demand. Second US patent # 658452081 awarded for virtual FAT systems.