Telephone Answering Machine
date: label: date made
content: ca 1966
name: label: maker
content: Minatronics Corporation
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: The Japanese emphasized electronic technology when rebuilding their manufacturing capability after World War II. The need to replace factories and equipment destroyed during the war gave them the opportunity to take advantage of the latest innovations and enter new markets. The invention of the transistor at Bell Labs in 1947 proved to be a significant opportunity for Japanese electronics companies like Minatronics.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This model TE-155 answering machine does not electrically connect to the telephone, A desk telephone was placed on the deck of the unit and the lever is slipped under the handset. When the phone rang, the lever lifted the hand-set and the recording began. This indirect method of recording was required due to AT&T’s disapproval of telephone answering machines. Since the device did not connect to the company’s lines, the user avoided sanction.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Japan
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 Mrs. Signy E.E. Ellerton-Jones
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0176.01
label: accession number
content: 1987.0176
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0176.01
label: model number
content: TE-155A
objectType: label: Object Name
content: answering machine
label: Object Name
content: recording device
label: Other Terms
content: answering machine; Telephones
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: pressboard (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 20.7 cm x 21.8 cm x 45.5 cm; 8 1/8 in x 8 9/16 in x 17 15/16 in