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I could not help but to be curious about this device. I spotted it in Phono-Phan's reply to Jerry's post
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 72#p125372

I made out just enough to do a Google search ... ... and dumb luck prevailed on the first try! http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=0084 ... =PN/840526

Phono-Phan, would you take a photo of it and post it here? Is it entirely made of metal? Aside of it acting as a mute, does it do anything to remove the 'metallic timbre'.

Thanks,
James.

Sears Roebuck offered it in their catalog Ca. 1908

Is there a chance you could post a picture of the ad in the Sears catalog? I am hoping to get some more pictures of this device posted here soon.
Thanks, Ken

Phono-Phan wrote:Is there a chance you could post a picture of the ad in the Sears catalog? I am hoping to get some more pictures of this device posted here soon.
Thanks, Ken

Here you go Ken.

Thanks for the added patent and ad pictures. Here are some pictures of the Thompson Modifier.
It does greatly reduce the harsh high tones on a record. The tone is more bassy but with lower volume.

Thanks for posting these pictures, Ken.

I know that the knob is only to pull this out of the horn.
I'm guessing that the opening above it allows the muted sound out.
I can't tell from the interior photo what exactly is inside. Is it just a hollow chamber? Is there a chamber within that chamber?
When you first got this was any of the rubber still on it?

James.

There is an inside baffle. This is just the way I got it. I don't see any indication of where the rubber was but I would think there was some originally to protect the horn from being scratched.