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"[Science fiction is] anything that turns you and your social context, the social you, inside out."
- Gregory Benford

Trip-Box  
  A teleportation device.  

"Can you come through right now?"

"Maybe." He glanced at the gleaming cage to his left. "But what's this all about?"

"I'll have to tell you in person. Please reverse the transfer charges. It is important, Mr. Singer."

"All right. I'll come."

He moved to his trip box and began its activation. It whined faintly for an instant. Zones of color moved upward within the shafts.

"Ready," he said, stepping into the unit. Looking down, he saw that his feet were growing dim. For a moment, the world was disarrayed. Then his thoughts fell back into place again. He was standing within the unit similar to his own...

Technovelgy from Eye of Cat, by Roger Zelazny.
Published by Pocket Books in 1982
Additional resources -

Another thing I like about this expression is that you can make a cool (or even "groovy") verb out of it:

He was nowhere on the premises, and they guessed that he had tripped out from one of the downstairs boxes.

Teleportation is, of course, a science fiction staple. Compare to libra-transmitter from Into the Meteorite Orbit by Frank R. Kelly, the cosmic express from The Cosmic Express by Jack Williamson, Jaunte from The Stars My Destination and the Transo from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak.

See also Compare to the telepomp from The Man Without a Body (1877) by Edward Page Mitchell, the displacement booth from Flash Crowd (1972) by Larry Niven, the stepping discs from Ringworld (1970) by Larry Niven and the trip box from Eye of Cat (1982) by Roger Zelazny.

Also, see the Transo from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak and the geofractor (1939) from One Against the Legion by Jack Williamson.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Eye of Cat
  More Ideas and Technology by Roger Zelazny
  Tech news articles related to Eye of Cat
  Tech news articles related to works by Roger Zelazny

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