- May 2023
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www.levenger.com www.levenger.com
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Levenger sells a line of various "pocket briefcases" which include space for 3 x 5" index card "ticklers" which are similar in form to the old Memindex.
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www.3x5life.com www.3x5life.com
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Thank you for your interest in our Corporate program. We offer bulk discounts on product for organizations that are looking to incorporate 3x5 Life into their company culture or would like to utilize our product as a way to stay 'top of mind' with their customers. We offer a co-branded solution to add your personal touch to the cards.
Much like its predecessors (Park Sherman Co.) 3x5 Life offers co-branded products to corporations.
Did Memindex do this sort of co-branding? I feel like I've seen something to indicate it.
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www.3x5life.com www.3x5life.com
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Compare with other products in this category: - Analog (Jeff Sheldon productivity system) - Memindex - Bullet Journal - Frictionless Capture Cards - Pile of Index Cards
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ugmonk.com ugmonk.comAnalog1
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https://ugmonk.com/pages/analog
Jeff Sheldon describes how the Analog system works, generally following most of the outline of the Memindex method, but with some hints of the Bullet Journal method's notation.
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www.kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com
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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ugmonk/analog-the-simplest-productivity-system
Jeff Sheldon's Analog productivity system is a physical product consisting of a wooden tray, metal divider, 3 x 5" custom printed index cards (and refills), a felt carrier, and other accessories which functions as a minimalistic version of the old Memindex.
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help.micro.blog help.micro.blog
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simonwoods 10:28 am I'm using the Analog system by Jeff Sheldon. It's like Memindex mixed with Patrick Rhone's Dash/Plus System.
comment at micro.camp https://help.micro.blog/chat/channel/6/micro-camp
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baronfig.com baronfig.com
- Apr 2023
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https://www.etsy.com/listing/798326374/directory-telephone-address-book-zande
Zande was making the Phonedex in Sweden by some time in the 1960s.
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/265844599407
The product information from the Phondex indicated that Memindex was established in 1902
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Memindex Phondex Office Phone Number Organizer Styrene NOS
Memindex, Inc. of Rochester, NY manufactured a plastic "Phonedex" in the mid-20th century. It was made of Dow Chemical Styrene and sat underneath a standard rotary dial telephone and contained index cards with one's lists of phone numbers on them.
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- Mar 2023
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www.shopbrodart.com www.shopbrodart.com
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Brodart Full-Length Single Charging Tray<br /> Full- length charging tray with 1,000-card capacity<br /> Price: $96.32
- Adjustable steel follower block with automatic lock
- Felt pads on tray bottom protect desktop
- Full-length charging tray for countertop use
- 4"H x 4"W x 16"D
- Holds 1,000 5"H x 3"W cards
- Includes antimicrobial finish
- Made in the USA
See also: https://hypothes.is/a/ao89RMQmEe2zIvsu3lf6kw for a smaller version
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www.shopbrodart.com www.shopbrodart.com
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Brodart Mini Single Charging Tray Mini single charging tray with 600-card capacity More Info Price: $76.76
- Adjustable steel follower block with automatic lock
- Felt pads on tray bottom protect desktop
- Mini charging tray fits on your lap
- 4"H x 4"W x 8"D
- Holds 600 5"H x 3"W cards
- Includes antimicrobial finish
- Made in the USA
This could be used for a modern day Memindex box for portrait oriented 3 x 5" index cards.
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Trademark for Memindex
Ser. No. 511,916. WILSON MEMINDEX COMPANY, Rochester, N. Y. Filed Aug. 23, 1947.<br /> FOR LOOSE-LEAF DAILY MEMORANDUM CARD SYSTEM COMPRISING MEMORANDUM CARDS AND POCKET AND DESK CASES THEREFOR.<br /> Claims use since Aug. 1, 1903.
(p58, SEPTEMBER 7, 1948) (aside: interesting to note that Wurlitzer is on the same page!)
Memindex, Wilson Company, Rochester, N. Y. Loose - leaf daily memorandum card system . Serial No. 511,916, Sept. 7. Class 37.
Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office. Vol. 614. United States Patent Office, 1948.
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www.google.com www.google.com
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https://www.google.com/books/edition/Collier_s/IDwa6nqexo8C?hl=en&gbpv=0
Memindex advertised in Collier's (Volume 34) in 1904.
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www.google.com www.google.com
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General instructions for using a Memindex
HOW IT IS USED <br /> Things to be done today, jot on face card. Things to be done tomorrow or next Friday, jot on card for that day. Things to keep before you until done, jot on opposite front card. A matter for January 10th jot on a short card put under the band till you return to your desk, then file next to card for January 10th when it will come out and refresh your memory.
Things to be done when in New York or Chicago jot on card "N" or "C." The new address of Mr. Jones, under "J." Ideas on advertising jot on card tabbed "adv." Things for your clerk to do, on his card , etc., etc. Retire today's card tonight, carrying forward things not completed and put next card in the file in has proved that almost back of pocket case. The alphabet enables one to index all jottings for instant reference. This system is very comprehensive yet perfectly simple. You soon the learn to depend on it every hour of every day.
Within the general instructions in a 1904 Memindex advertisement (next to an ad for "Genuine Edison Incandescent Lamps") we see the general ideas of indexing things into the future and carrying undone tasks forward, just as is done in the bullet journal method.
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Howard L. Wilson, Manufacturer, 45 State St., Rochester, N. Y.<br /> (next to an ad for "Genuine Edison Incandescent Lamps")(p.2 in a 2/3 page ad)
Carleton, Hubert, ed. St. Andrew’s Cross. Vol. 19. Brotherhood of St. Andrew., 1904.
Specific issue: Nov-Dec 1904 Vol. 19, No 2-3, Pittsburgh, PA
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www.google.com www.google.com
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Howard L. Wilson, Mfr., 61 State St., Rochester, N.Y. (p.392)
Miller, Kempster B., William A. Colledge, Alfred S. Johnson, and Carl S. Dow, eds. Technical World Magazine. Chicago, IL: American School of Correspondence at Armour Institute of Technology, 1905. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Technical_World_Magazine/CgLOAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Specific issue: The Technical World, Volume II, No. 3, November 1904 Chicago
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inst-fs-iad-prod.inscloudgate.net inst-fs-iad-prod.inscloudgate.netcontent3
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Hudson & Hudson are also supplying business housesthe rubber, and gives many odd and curious shapes. How- with “ Memindex, " the vest pocket card index, which makesever, it is somewhat difficult for us to describe these cards it impossible for any business appointment or transaction
Hudson & Hudson of Toledo, OH were one of the early distributors of Howard L. Wilson's Memindex system.
Geyers Stationer. “The Revolving Desk Tray.” Geyer’s Stationer: Devoted to the Interests of the Stationery, Fancy Goods and Notion Trades, November 10, 1904. vol. 38, issue 940, p25. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Geyer_s_Stationer/L507AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
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2 3-4 x 4 3-4 inches in size, made of seal grain , real sealor Russia leather, in a thoro
Memindex dimensions mentioned in a 1904 advertisement<br /> cards: 2 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches<br /> case: 2 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches
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mindex.THIS is the name Howard L. Wilson, of Rochester, N.Y.,hasgivenhisvestpocket cardsystem.Itisa
Geyers Stationer. “Memindex Advertisement.” Geyer’s Stationer: Devoted to the Interests of the Stationery, Fancy Goods and Notion Trades, September 15, 1904. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Geyer_s_Stationer/L507AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Howard L. Wilson of Rochester, NY named his vest pocket card index system the Memindex.
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656,140 72/009,833 12/24/1957
https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og/1998/week46/pattmex.htm
This would appear to indicate that the Trademark of the Wilson Memindex expired in 1998.
Compare with listing at https://www.google.com/books/edition/Index_of_Trademarks_Issued_from_the_Unit/YhBWAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
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patentimages.storage.googleapis.com patentimages.storage.googleapis.com
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H. W. ONSTEDMEMORANDUM FILE,APPLICATION FED MAR. 10, 1915,1,196,269. Patented Aug. 29, 1916,Y: NIIWax SavassasZ INVENTOR 7Zez-?ezz W. OZZzzsaeafuis ATTORNEYS
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/9c/1b/c4/42ee9bd28aae7d/US1196269.pdf
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1196269A/en?assignee=memindex&oq=memindex
Patent for Memex, but not for the original system.
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www.tvawsome.com www.tvawsome.com
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www.ebay.com www.ebay.com
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Poem from the inside back cover of a 1913 Memindex Catalog:
JUST JOT IT DOWN.
If you’re going to meet a man<br /> Jot it down<br /> If you’ve got a little plan<br /> Jot it down<br /> If you never can remember<br /> Your requirements for September<br /> ’Till October or November<br /> Jot ’em down.
If you’ve got a note to pay<br /> Jot it down<br /> If its due the first of May<br /> Jot it down<br /> If collections are so slow<br /> That to meet the note you know<br /> You must dun old Richard Roe<br /> Jot it down
If you have a happy thought<br /> Jot it down<br /> If there’s something to be bought<br /> Jot it down<br /> Whether duty calls or pleasure<br /> If you’re busy or at leisure<br /> It will help you beyond measure<br /> Jot it down
If there’re facts that you’d retain<br /> Jot ’em down<br /> If you’ve got to meet a train<br /> Jot it down<br /> If at work or only play<br /> If at home or far away<br /> In the night or in the day<br /> Jot it down
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Plan Your Work and Work your Plan An Infallible Rule for Success
was there a prior source for this aphorism?
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c.1913 Wilson Memindex Desk Organzier Catalog Price List Booklet Rolodex Prequel
In a 1913 catalog for the Wilson Memindex, the company suggested putting to do items and one's schedule on one side of the card and potentially keeping one's accounts or a diary on the reverse side.
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www.reddit.com www.reddit.com
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Witness the unapologetic swagger of "FORGET WITH IMPUNITY" vs. its wimpy cousin Evernote's "Remember Everything".
—u/spanchor
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archives.yale.edu archives.yale.edu
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Wilson Memindex Company (Rochester, N.Y.), 1922
The archives at Yale have Some trade catalogs of the Wilson Memindex Co. on file.
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www.ebay.com www.ebay.com
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1930s Wilson Memindex Co Index Card Organizer Pre Rolodex Ad Price List Brochure
archived page: https://web.archive.org/web/20230310010450/https://www.ebay.com/itm/165910049390
Includes price lists
List of cards includes: - Dated tab cards for a year from any desired. - Blank tab cards for jottings arranged by subject. - These were sold in 1/2 or 1/3 cut formats - Pocket Alphabets for jottings arranged by letter. - Cash Account Cards [without tabs]. - Extra Record Cards for permanent memoranda. - Monthly Guides for quick reference to future dates. - Blank Guides for filing records by subject.. - Alphabet Guides for filing alphabetically.
Memindex sales brochures recommended the 3 x 5" cards (which had apparently been standardized by 1930 compared to the 5 1/2" width from earlier versions around 1906) because they could be used with other 3 x 5" index card systems.
In the 1930s Wilson Memindex Company sold more of their vest pocket sized 2 1/4 x 4 1/2" systems than 3 x 5" systems.
Some of the difference between the vest sized and regular sized systems choice was based on the size of the particular user's handwriting. It was recommended that those with larger handwriting use the larger cards.
By the 1930's at least the Memindex tag line "An Automatic Memory" was being used, which also gave an indication of the ubiquity of automatization of industrialized life.
The Memindex has proved its success in more than one hundred kinds of business. Highly recommended by men in executive positions, merchants, manufacturers, managers, .... etc.
Notice the gendering of users specifically as men here.
Features: - Sunday cards were sold separately and by my reading were full length tabs rather than 1/6 tabs like the other six days of the week - Lids were custom fit to the bases and needed to be ordered together - The Memindex Jr. held 400 cards versus the larger 9 inch standard trays which had space for 800 cards and block (presumably a block to hold them up or at an angle when partially empty).
The Memindex Jr., according to a price sheet in the 1930s, was used "extensively as an advertising gift".
The Memindex system had cards available in bundles of 100 that were labeled with the heading "Things to Keep in Sight".
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www.ebay.com www.ebay.com
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1930s Wilson Memindex Junior Index Card Box Pre Rolodex Ad Price List Brochure
Note that the seller mistakenly lists it as a pre-rolodex!
Good photos including a list of supplies and prices:
A description of roughly how the Memindex system works:
Page archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20230310002530/https://www.ebay.com/itm/165910053313
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www.ebay.com www.ebay.com
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Vintage Memindex Wilson Wood Box 1937-38 Diary Planner Date Keeper Ephemera
Includes particularly good image of the individual day cards:
Notice that the tabs are done as 1/6th as most of these systems were manufactured/sold with out including Sunday.
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www.ebay.com www.ebay.com
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Memindex Wilson Wood Box 1945-47 Diary file Planner Vintage Secretary
Great photos including one of some of the individual cards.
(Photo archived into note taking folder as well.)
Tags
Annotators
URL
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www.theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com
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There's some interesting comparison to the ideas here and the long term state-of-the-art in information management, particularly in business and library settings which Bush wholly ignores.
Most fascinatingly Bush "coins" memex here, but prior art for the Memindex as a similar product in the office/business productivity space easily goes back to 1906 and was popular to and through at least the early 1950s.
For details on this, see:
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www.thomasnet.com www.thomasnet.com
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It looks like Memindex is still in business according to ThomasNet!
The link on this page is directed to https://www.tri-pointproducts.com/ of Florida as of 2023-03-09. They're a company that sells calendars and planning products.
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Memindex
Let YOUR MIND GO FREE Do not tax your brain trying to re- member. Get the MEMINDEX HABIT and you can FORGET WITH IMPUNITY. An ideal reminder and handy system for keeping all memoranda where they will appear at the right time. Saves time, money, opportunity. A brain saver. No other device answers its purpose. A Great Help for Busy Men, Used and recommended by Bankers, Man- ufacturers, Salesmen, Lawyers, Doctors, Merchants, Insurance Men, Architects, Ed- ucators, Contractors, Railway Managers Engineers, Ministers, etc., all over the world. Order now and get ready to Begin the New Year Right. Rest of '06 free with each outfit. Express prepaid on receipt of price. Personal checks accepted
Also a valuable card index for desk use. Dated cards from tray are carried in the handy pocket case, 2 to 4 weeks at a time. To-day's card always at the front. No leaves to turn. Helps you to PLAN YOUR WORK WORK YOUR PLAN ACCOMPLISH MORE You need it. Three years' sales show that most all business and professional men need it. GET IT NOW. WILSON MEMINDEX CO. 93 Mills St., Rochester, N. Y.
Interesting that the use of the portmanteau memindex (as memory + index) for a card index being used to supplement one's memory. It can't go unnoticed that the Wilson Memindex Co. was manufacturing and selling these as early as 1906, several decades before Vannevar Bush's use of the word Memex which seems derivative and removes more of the traces of index from the root.
Note the use of card sizes 2 3/4 x 4 1/2" and 3 x 5 1/2" for this system.
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