Picturephone

This patent is the reason you can see who you’re speaking to when you FaceTime. In 1964, AT&T introduced the Picturephone to the public, both in a highly publicized and popular exhibit at the New York World’s Fair, and in public meeting rooms in three major cities. AT&T researchers then produced an improved Picturephone, which the company introduced commercially with great fanfare in 1970, first in Pittsburgh, and then in Chicago. But the Picturephone was largely a commercial failure as it was expensive and required both the caller and the receiver to have the technology. Fast forward a decade, and the picturephone again gained popularity among businesses across the country. Today, it’s as easy as picking up your smartphone to video call around the world!

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This custom lobby scene, Knowledge Archive, celebrates AT&T’s rich legacy as one of the nation’s most prolific inventors and largest patent holders. Each abstract object surrounding you is a unique data sculpture quite literally derived from the data points of individual AT&T patents. Every sculpture in the lobby is unique and represents one of AT&T’s thousands of patents.

There are six major patent categories, each with its own set of identifiable data sculpture characteristics. This patent is one of many AT&T patents for Customer Experience. The design of this sculpture contains multiple user interface elements – control buttons, knobs and sliders – as an artful representation of the contact point between user and technology.

Scan other QR codes to discover how each AT&T patent has impacted your daily life.