The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

“On This Day in the History of Recorded Sound…”

June 20, 1893: Thomas A. Edison was granted a U.S. patent (No.499,879) for what was being marketed as the Class M Phonograph. This heavy, battery-powered machine was the only practical talking machine from the late 1880s until September 1895.

June 20, 1916: Eugene Kieffer was granted U.S. Design Patent No.49,215 for “Cabinet for Talking Machines.” This would become the second style cabinet for the Victrola IX.

#antiquephonographsociety #phonograph #gramophone #antique

Paul,

Thanks very much for your “on this day” postings, they are always informative!

I especially like to see the patent information, so much can be learned from them and they can sometimes ofter great help with a restoration project. The Internet and Google Patent is a wonderful tool, no longer is it necessary to ask for scans from the USPTO or make a trip to Crystal City, VA to visit the patent office. In the 1990’s I can recall many hours of searching the stacks looking for patents.Later, Allen Koenigsberg’s publication “The Patent History of the Phonograph” came along and it is still very useful but doesn’t cover some of the later patents.
Thanks again for your postings, Paul.

Mark

Thanks for your kind words, Mark. You're right- we've come a long way with research tools in the past 30-odd years. The internet isn't all bad...

George P.