TMI

[Analogous]

Those of you who checked out the Early Recordings Initiative presentation last month might have been surprised by the sound coming out of the lever wind Berliner.  If you missed it, you can find links to the video on this page:

https://www.library.ucsb.edu/early-recordings-initiative-eri

Then scroll to about 25:30.

 

The reproducer is a rare bird and I'm hoping one of you can provide more info.  I'm told it was an upgrade to the Clark-Johnson.  Also, I'm mystified by the company name under the needle bar: T.M.I. Co.

 

Thanks.

 

John

 

 

[phonogfp]

I too am intrigued by that "TMI" marking.  I suspect the "TM" is "Talking Machine," but the "I" could be a number of things.  I checked patents of Henry Jones and Robert Gibson looking for a assignation to TMI, but with no luck.

 

George P.

[Analogous]

Well if George doesn't know what it stands for...

[phonogfp]

😅

[KentinKC]

Talking Machine Incorporated?  Just a guess on my part.

[Roaring20s]

Thanks for the link to the Early Recordings Initiative presentation.

 

I entered the internet rabbit hole 🕳️ for an hour or so, looking for information on T.M.I. Co. with nothing to show. 

 

James.

[RodPickett]

I always thought it was an acronym for “Too Much Information”, but that still may be the case.

 

There is a possibility it is an acronym for “Talking Machine Improvement” with a patent filing in the Philadelphia office.

 

Searching Google Patents:

https://patents.google.com/

 

for phrases such as:

(talking machine sound improvement philadelphia)

(talking machine improvement philadelphia)

(talking machine improvement standard sound box)

 

delimited by bookends 1890 – 1930 still yields Too Much Information.

 

Absent other specificity to narrow the search (assuming patent actually filed) it will take some time.

 

There are many possibilities and close inspection of the patents needed, as in this example:

 

 

 

[CurtA]

It might be an acronym for Too Many Inventions/Ideas...