Device

A clever inventor came to the U.S. last week with the news that he had found a means of clipping the telephone's claws, of removing one of its most obvious defects. Reporters, with naive excitement heard a description of Inventor J.G. Larsson's device. Its purpose is to write down the telephone messages when the intended recipient does not answer the telephone. Constructed on the principle of a dictaphone, the device establishes a connection after the signal has sounded, then it sounds a signal to indicate that a device, not a person, is ready to receive any desired message. This done, the message is recorded and punched out upon paper. Then, when the time limit set by its owner has expired, the device breaks the connection.

Standing near the inventor, enjoying the delight and bewilderment of newsmongers, was Isaac W. Heyman, rich steel manufacturer, who had offered $250,000 for making copies of J.G. Larsson's device and then disposing of them. He explained that the inventor was in the U.S. to demonstrate his invention so that telephone companies might use it as standard equipment: he pointed out that in Sweden, whence Inventor Larsson had come and where he lives, Inventor Larsson's device has been demonstrated and found good by government engineers.