Gosta Thames

The Ericofon from 1956

Gösta Thames ( pronunciation : [ ˌ ʝœsːta ˈtɑːməs ], * December 1, 1916 ; † September 14, 2006 in Mjölby ) was a Swedish engineer and industrial designer who is mainly associated with the development of the Ericofon by LM Ericsson .

Gösta Thames joined LM Ericsson in 1938 as an engineering student. In 1949 he was commissioned by the company to lead the development work of the Ericofon . Design studies for this phone had been made by designer Ralph Lysell in the early 1940s , but World War II interrupted further development. The biggest problem was to accommodate all of the components in the apparatus. But Thames was tough on the question, if there weren't any parts in a can in the wall, he said.

My starting point for the design was always the grip of the phone. It should be easy and natural in the hand. Even in the dark you have to be able to feel how to hold it, Thames said in an interview in 2000. Gösta Thames did not sketch himself, but after numerous ergonomic studies with Ericsson's model carpenters, the final shape was gradually achieved.

In 1953 the first copy of the Ericofon DBJ 500 was handed over to the Swedish Televerket , just in time for the 100th anniversary. The device went into production three years later.

Quote from Gösta Thames:

"A mold maker cannot be trained to be a designer, but you can train a designer to be a mold maker."

literature

• Telephones, en designhistoria , Atlantis förlag 2007
• Ericssonkrönikan , LM Ericsson, Informationsförlaget 2000

Web links

• Gösta Thames at Ericsson history
• Gösta Thames , Stockholm National Museum
• Dödsfall Gösta Thames , Helsingborgs Dagblad, December 5, 2006