Thomas A. Edison attempted to build a spirit communication device (ESCD) in the 1920's before he died in 1931. It was called the "Spirit Phone", "Spirit Communicator", "Telephone to the Dead", and various other names. This is not generally known, and it has been speculated that it was not only an embarrassment to the Edison family and curators of Edison museums, but also that records related to Edison's research on the afterlife and his attempts to build the ESCD have been hidden away or possibly destroyed.
Robert Rosenberg, Ph.D is an expert on the Edison papers
Questions to Be Answered in relation to the Edison Spirit Communication Device (ESCD):
1. Did Edison ever apply for a patent for the ESCD?
2. If so, was that patent rejected or otherwise set aside and not receive a patent?
3. What records exist, open or hidden, relating to the ESCD in Edison museums, archives, libraries, and other repositories ?
4. Did anyone work with Edison on this device who may have saved letters and other records of discussions or correspondence about the ESCD?
Notes and Observations:
1. A Google search on November 5, 2014, for the words: "Thomas Edison" + "spirit communication" produced 3,210 results, so there are many websites that have to be checked to shed some light on the above questions.