New York telephone set booth , once ubiquitous across the city , willsoon be no more . On Monday , Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to replace every pay phone in NYC — there are around 8,400 — with WiFi hot spot . Each of these slender kiosks will furnish free Internet approach for up to 250 gadget , and will also earmark users to make gratis domestic telephone call via cell phone connect to the internet .
The urban center hopes to eventually install 10,000 of these pillars , none of which will offer a skid glass door , coin tray , or dangling enchained phone book . The phone booth as we know it is on its last legs , but its death has been in the works for 10 . The following inventions look for to either replace , improve upon , or just repurpose the racing shell of classic phone cubicle .
1. Video Conference Booth
earphone booth attend to be a thing of the past times as betimes as 1930 , whenThe New York Timesteasedthe development of a radical new " sight - sound television system " that was a precursor to video chat . The paper explains :
" Suppose that a transcontinental conducting wire or radio circuit is in use and a somebody in New York wish to speak with a ally in San Francisco by television so they can see each other . They ill-use into video - telephone Booth which are about the sizing of an average phone booth . They turn in swivel chairs and face up the screen , about a pes square . The faces are chop-chop scanned by a meek beam of blue light which reflects from their faces to the photoelectrical cells and give rise to the current which conduct their image to the removed booth . "
2. Chore Booth
In 1960 , Westinghouse announce a Modern technology that would connect a house ’s appliances to a " telephone dial control " organization that would let you call in orders from any earpiece stall . As theTimesexplained , “ One can sit down in a Los Angeles phone stall and wangle a steak , wash the laundry , defrost the icebox , or switch the lights on in a New York apartment . "
The future is someone turn on the throttle grasp by calling the wrong identification number and burning down your sign .
3. Phone Booth Vending Machine
This patent of invention software , filed in 2010 , wanted to move around pay telephone set into vending car - loan-blend that would dispense products while offering telephone service .
The inventortheorized , " pay phone[s ] today [ are ] obligate by law ordinance for providing and enabling availability of pinch calls as necessary public service to all people .. Mobile earphone made give phone service neglected . give phone[s ] must offer additional service to the marketplace to provide answers mart is demanding . "
Make a phone call on your mobile devicewithouteating a Twix , or make a speech sound call in a telephone set boothwhileeating a Twix . The alternative seems pretty obvious .
4. Family-Style Restaurant Multi-Media Booth
This colossus wanted tocombinerestaurant and earpiece booth , impart " planet TV , overseas telegram , programme TV , computer programme and play , net access , " and then connect them with other like booths to " promote eminent tone video conferencing dining . " If it sound expensive , do n’t worry—“the price for videoconferencing can be reclaimed in the price of the food and/or beverage . " You mean to tell me this cheeseburger be $ 39.99andyou’ll broadcast video of me use up it ? Yes , please !
5. Phone Booth That Charges Cell Phones
ThisChinese inventionis the result of image a market movement and then provide the very first answer that comes to beware . " The utility program example provide a peregrine phone charging function [ in ] public telephone booth , to puzzle out the problem of low utilization of public telephone stall the rising slope . "
It ’s deserving notice that the kiosks New York plans on installing will feature charging stations for mobile twist .
6. Wireless, Booth-less Pay Phone
It ’s a pay phone , but without a telegram . Thepatent applicationprovides no more data , nor does it serve dubiousness like , " What ’s to prevent people from walk away with the pay phone ? " and , " Where do the quarters go ? "
7. Drive-Thru Phone Booth
While not the most prescient idea at the time , had this1992 inventionthat merge burning engine - power change of location with tethered body politic railway line make out out in the ' 50s , it would have been all the rage .
8. Nitrogen Tire Inflation System
This propose use for onetime phone boothsmakes sense , although it ’s doubtful New York City would want to convert 8,400 decommission pay earphone into N dispenser .
