Telephone Answering Machine
date: label: date made
content: ca 1975
name: label: maker
content: PhoneMate
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This PhoneMate model PM-800S answering machine bears a label that reads: "California Public Utilities Commission Equipment Authorized for Direct Connection to Telephone Network." The Bell System resisted the development of telephone answering machines for several reasons, one of which was fear that devices produced outside of Bell’s tightly controlled research and testing environment might prove harmful to the overall system. California regulators adopted a certification program whereby manufacturers could demonstrate that their equipment would not damage Bell equipment, and hence was safe for customers to use.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Magnetic Recording
label: See more items in
content: Communications
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from PhoneTel Communications Inc., thru Daniel Henderson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2000.0101.07
label: catalog number
content: 2000.0101.07
label: accession number
content: 2000.0101
objectType: label: Object Name
content: telephone answering machine
label: Object Name
content: recording device
label: Object Name
content: answering machine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 11.4 cm x 24.7 cm x 30.5 cm; 4 1/2 in x 9 3/4 in x 12 in