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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
VICTOR CO. WINS PATENT CASE
W. S. GRAY CO. INCORPORATES
Examiner s-in-Chief of Patent Office Uphold
Priority of Johnson's Invention Covering Sound
Chamber Doors and Amplifier for Talkers
Walter S. Gray, His Son Robert G. Gray, and
Others Interested in New Corporation Just
Chartered in San Francisco
The Victor Talking Machine Co. has just been
awarded an important decision by the examiners-in-
chief of the U. S. Patent Office covering priority of
invention in connection with the talking machine
device known as the "sound chamber doors and am-
plifier." The case has been dragging out for a num-
ber of years. The sound chamber doors and ampli-
fier as used in the Victor talking machine was the
invention of Eldridge R. Johnson, president of the
Victor Talking Machine Co., upon which he was
granted a patent on January n , 1910, on applica-
tion filed just five years before. John B. Brown-
ing filed an application for interference in January,
1908, and in the original hearing of the case his in-
terference was granted.
In the hearing of the appeal by Mr. Johnson, a
vast amount of evidence was taken into considera-
tion and it was held by the examiners-in-chief that
Browning did not know of the invention until after
May, 1905, or later, while there was nothing sus-
picious about Mr. Johnson's case. The applicant for
interference was given until November 20, 1919, in
which to appeal the latest decision.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., November 21.—Articles of
incorporation have been filed by the Walter S.
Gray Co., whose principal place of business is
designated as 942 Market street. It is stated that
the corporation has been formed to engage in
the jobbing business, in talking machine acces-
sories and musical supplies generally, and like-
wise to engage in importing and exporting. The
capitalization is $200,000, one-half being preferred
and one-half common stock. The incorporators
and directors for the first year are Walter S.
Gray, Robert G. Gray, A. M. Gray, Forrest Brack-
ett and G. Victor Strain.
Walter S. Gray needs no introduction to the
talking machine trade, as he has been connected
with the industry for over a score of years, hav-
ing been very active in the East before coming
to San Francisco some few years ago. He was
for a long time connected with the Columbia
Graphophone Co. and for some time past engaged
NOVEMBER 29, 1919
in business on his own account. With him in
the new corporation is his son, Robert G. Gray,
who recently received his honorable discharge,
having returned from France after a full round of
service in the Army.
NEW FOLDER ON TONE WAVES
The Latest Interesting Addition to Aeolian-
Vocalion Literature
»
The Aeolian Co. has just issued a most attrac-
tive folder devoted to the subject of tone waves
and illustrated with photographs of tone waves
as created by the complete Oixhestra, the indi-
vidual instruments thereof and by the human
voice. The folder is intended primarily for those
interested in Vocalion records and presents in
tabulated form material issued by the company
sometime ago in a special booklet. The new
folder is intended for the use of dealers and is
designed particularly for enclosure in a standard
size envelope.
Space is taken for descriptive matter regarding
the Vocalion itself, Vocalion records and the
Graduola tone control.
dealers had earned sufficient allowances up to
November 10 to pay for 2,126 full page ads in their
PATHE ARTIST IN CONCERT
Dealers' Co-operative Advertising Campaign local papers. Before the campaign ends, it is
Proves Big Success—Dealers Will Buy 5,000 expected that dealers will earn allowances suffi-
Rosalie Miller Scores Success at Carnegie Hall—
Pages of Advertising—Third Campaign to In- cient to pay for more than 5,000 pages of adver-
Pathe Employes Planning a Dance—Some In-
tising.
clude Ads in the Saturday Evening Po&t
teresting Literature for the Trade
"Our big advertising campaign is being run in
The Amberola business of Thomas A. Edison, twelve of the biggest and best family and home
Rosalie Miller, exclusive Pathe artist, appeared
Inc., shows an increase of 80 per cent, over that magazines in the United States and Canada, and
at Carnegie Hall at a concert on November 18th,
of last year. K. R. Moses, Amberola sales mana- features monthly Amberol supplements.
and rendered a program which was heartily en-
ger for Thomas A. Edison, Inc., who has just
"At Boston, I learned from F. H. Silliman, vice-
joyed. Miss Miller recently signed a three year's
returned from a business tour of the East and president of the Pardee-Ellenberger Co., of Bos-
contract whereby she will sing exclusively for Pathe
Middle West, predicts a far greater increase for ton and New Haven, of a clever advertising plan
records.
the coming year. This increase, he says, is due originated by that company, and which in all
Pathe employes at the Brooklyn plant arc look-
in considerable measure to the announced sales probability will be adopted by us for use in the
ing forward to a dance of the Welfare Associa-
plans for 1920, but principally to an accentuated future.
tion which will be held on December 5th in Ar-
demand on the part of the public for Amberolas.
"Especially worthy of mention are the modern
cadia Hall in that city.
business
methods of the Iver-Johnson Sporting
Mr.
Moses'
visits
to
the
jobbers
were
prelimin-
Recent literature sent out from Pathe head-
quarters has attracted much favorable comment. ary to two great Amberola advertising campaigns, Goods Co., Amberola dealers in Boston. A. W.
The Pathe record poster featuring the Ziegfeld which have just been launched. A third plan, Chambcrlin, the manager of the phonograph de-
Follies girl in colors is one of the most attrac-
tive that has been issued. A new booklet of ma-
chines which has recently been published is being
welcomed by Pathe dealers everywhere as a val-
uable sales booklet for their showrooms. A folder
entitled "Ad Suggestions from Pathe" has also
been mailed, containing many suggestions in the
way of dealer advertisements with various size
spaces. The ads are strongly written and many
dealers have already responded requesting stereo-
types or mats for use-in advertisements in their local
papers.
AMBEROLA ADVERTISING PLANS
WITHSTOOD VICIOUS EXPLOSION
In a letter recently received by Thomas A. Edi-
son, Inc., from H. E. "Joseph, an Edison owner
of Pittsburgh, Pa., he tells of an explosion in
the front part of his home and notes the fact
that while an Edison phonograph was twelve
feet distant from the explosion only the dia-
phram of the reproducer was 1'oosened. The in-
strument has a number of pieces of shrapnel
imbedded in its casing as" a-souvenir.
PREMIER QUARTET TO MAKE TOUR
The Premier American Quartet, composed of
Billy Murray, Steve Porter, Donald Chalmers and
John Young, are very busy this season recording
for the various record companies. They are short-
ly to make a concert tour of the country and, in-
cidentally, are recording many of the songs which
they will feature in their program. These include
"Floatin' Down to Cotton Town," from the Mc-
Kinley Music Co. catalog. They have recorded
this number for the Victor, Edison, Emerson,
Pathe, Vocalion and other talking machine com-
panies.
F. S. Hammond, Diamond Music Co., New Orleans, ana Amoeroia supervisor j . w . ocott
which includes advertising in the Saturday Even- partment, has a most attractive department, clever
ing Post, will be put into effect soon.
sales plans, and novel advertising and window
"Indications promise a far greater success than display methods.
we predicted for the Dealers' Co-operative Adver-
"Our Amberola supervisor at large, J. W. Scott,
tising Campaign, a campaign that will run until for many years familiarly known to the phono-
next April in each dealer's local newspapers," graph trade of America as 'Scotty,' is enjoying
said Mr. Moses. "The expense of this campaign his most successful of many brilliant years with
is to be shared by dealer, jobber and the labora- Thomas A. Edison, Inc. His tour in the Indiana-
tories.
polis territory is producing many thousands of
"As an indication of the success of this plan, dollars of new business weekly."