The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Thomas Edison's patent for the phonograph was granted on February 19, 1878, (the US patent anyway). It's funny to read the patent which is only two pages of text, four claims and one page of figures. I have read modern patents that take more than fifty pages to explain how an adjustment or ratio can be called an invention. I apologize if this has been posted before.

Thank you for sharing this historic document on this special day.

Happy Birthday, Phonograph!

(This is, of course, the first U.S. Patent for a talking machine. Recent research by Stephan Puille showed that Edison filed a Canadian patent slightly earlier. You can find that thread on this forum.)

February 19 also marks the granting (in 1895) of Berliner's perhaps most important U.S. Patent (No.534,543) upon which Berliner, Victor, and Columbia built an empire.
Happy, happy birthday!

George P.

phonogfp wrote:Happy Birthday, Phonograph!

(This is, of course, the first U.S. Patent for a talking machine. Recent research by Stephan Puille showed that Edison filed a Canadian patent slightly earlier. You can find that thread on this forum.)

February 19 also marks the granting (in 1895) of Berliner's perhaps most important U.S. Patent (No.534,543) upon which Berliner, Victor, and Columbia built an empire.

Berliner1.png

Berliner2.png

Berliner3.png

Berliner4.png

Happy, happy birthday!

George P.

Even better.