US3428285A - Receptacle attachment for telephones - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 18, 19 69 C. SEAWALL RECEPTACLE ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES Filed Dec. 1. 1966 INV ENTOR. (55m 5154 WALL W i4 TTGPNEK United States Patent 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combined telephone instrument base and cantilevered receptacle bracket, the latter having a hooked finger extending into the recess beneath the cradle of the instrument and hooked therein, and a heel fulcrumed against a sloping back surface of the base.

Summary of invention A receptacle attachment for a telephone instrument comprising a receptacle such as an ash tray, combined wit-h a support including a cantilever arm having on its end an upturned retainer finger operable, in response to fulcruming of the arm against a back shoulder of the instrument under the weight of the receptacle, to press upwardly into a recess beneath the hand-hold web of the instrument, and to lock in said recess so as to retain the arm and receptacle connected to the instrument; said retainer finger also being engageable by the finger tips of a person reaching beneath the hand-hold web, and thereby movable forwardly to release the locking engagement.

The invention is particularly characterized in that the support bracket is shaped and proportioned so as to perrnit the users fingers to be inserted beneath the handhold web behind the retainer finger, to engage the latter so as to push the bracket forwardly into the hand-hold re cess beneath the web, and to engage the underside of the hand-hold web so that the instrument can be picked up and carried from place to place with the bracket continuing to transmit support to the receptacle from the telephone instrument.

The prior art The patent to Harris No. 2,911,485 discloses an ash tray having an integral projecting forward end portion receivable in the hand-hold recess of a cradle telephone instrument with the tray fulcrumed against the base shoulder below the hand-hold web. Falk 2,795,877 and Shore 2,488,516 disclose similar constructions in a calendar pad support and a telephone index respectively. Nelson design patent Des. 162,060 discloses a generally similar construction in an ash tray support. Krug 2,558,259 also disclose supports having arms adapted to be engaged in the hand-hold recess of a telephone instrument of the cradle type.

None of the above-mentioned patents disclose a support bracket having a horizontal arm provided with a downwardly-rearwardly inclined heel adapted for rearward gravity-sliding against the near shoulder of a cradle base so as to seek a position in which an upwardly projecting retainer finger is hooked against a lip beneath the rear margin of the hand-hold web. Clark 2,981,021 discloses a bracket am engaged in a hand-hold recess of a cradle phone base in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined position, but does not disclose a tgravity-sliding action such as to self-seek a rearward limit position. Also, the Clark patent fails to disclose a retainer finger of substantial height such that the users fingers can be inserted between the bracket arm and the hand-hold Web and engaged against the finger to shift the bracket forwardly while engaging the underside of the web to carry the instrument.

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Description An object of the invention is to provide a support bracket including an arm and an upwardly projecting finger of such proportions and configuration as to enable the users fingers to be inserted into the hand-hold recess of a telephone instrument without removing the support bracket therefrom, to shift the bracket forwardly by engagement with the retainer finger, and to directly engage the under side of the hand-hold web while holding the bracket in the forwardly-shifted position, and such as to effect automatic gravity return of the bracket to a rearward limit position with the finger hooked against a rib on the underside of the hand-hold web when the fingers are withdrawn.

These and other objects will become apparent in the ensuing specifications and appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view. of a support bracket embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a cradle phone instrument with the bracket of my invention attached thereto, parts of the cradle base being broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the same with the bracket shifted forwardly by a users fingers engaging the underside of the hand-hold web to pick up the instrument; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the bracket.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, I have shown in FIGS. 1-3 thereof, as an example of one form of the invention, a support bracket A constructed from a length of ribbon material (which can be plastic or metal strap) a cradle phone base B to which the bracket A is attached, and a receptacle (ash tray) C carried by the bracket A.

In accordance with conventional design, cradle base B embodies a dial panel 10 at its forward end, a sloping shoulder 11 at its rear end, and an intermediate hand-hold recess 12 defined by a hand-hold web 13 spaced above an apron 14 extending forwardly from the shoulder 11. The web 13 has an integral downwardly projecting lip 15 extending transversely along the underside of its rearward mar-gin, to define in the underside of the web 13 a shallow pocket to receive the fingers of a person lifting the instrument to move it from place to place. The invention preserves this function of the base unimpaired while bracket A continues to be attached to the base in supported attachment thereto.

Bracket A comprises an attachment arm 20 and a receptacle support arm 21 joined to arm 20 by a substantially vertical riser 22, in the general form of a Z. At the forward end of attachment arm 20 is a straight upwardly projecting retainer finger 23 of sulficient height (e.g., so that the fingers of a user can be inserted between the forward end of arm 20 and the underside of hand-hold web 13 without shifting the finger 23 downwardly out of contact with the underside of web 13, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus it is possible to lift the cradle base while the bracket A is supported by engagement of finger 23 beneath web 13 and by fulcruming of a heel 24 at the rear end of arm 20 against the cradle base shoulder 11, without having the fingers pinched between the web 13 and the arm 20.

Heel 24 is inclined downwardly and rearwardly at a substantial angle (e.g., between 30" and 45) and engages shoulder 11 where its slope is substantial (e.g., in the range of 30) such that gravity will cause the heel 24 to slide against the shoulder 11 so as to elfect automatic self-seeking of the rear limit position shown in FIG. 2, wherein finger 23 is hooked against lip 15 and thereby retained, the weight of receptacle C, attached to support arm 21, overbalancing arm 20 so as to cause the 3 finger 23 to press upwardly against the web 13 and thus be retained in the shallow pocket in its underside.

When the user wishes to move the phone instrument to a new location, he inserts his fingers into recess 12, engaging retainer finger 23 with the finger tips and pushing it rearwardly until it abuts the vertical wall 16 at the forward side of recess 12, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus the fingers are received in the recess 12 between web 13 and arm 20 with comfortable clearance, and the finger tips can make direct supporting engagement with the underside of web 13, as shown. The bracket A is thereby tilted slightly upwardly and forwardly, the heel 24 sliding upwardly on shoulder 11. The receptacle C remains securely supported by the continued engagement of finger 23 beneath web 13 and the abutment of heel 24 against skirt 14.

When the phone is set down and the users fingers withdrawn, the bracket A will slide by gravity back to the position shown in FIG. 2, the finger 23 being arrested by the lip 15.

FIG. 4 illustrates how the bracket can be fabricated from wire instead of the strap material of FIG. 1. Support arm 121 may be a circular collar adapted to receive the base of a receptacle. Riser 122 may be a pair of spaced end portions of a length of wire bent to include a pair of spaced intermediate portions 120 terminating in upwardly bent forward end portions 123 cooperatively constituting a retainer finger including a bridge 25 integrally joining the portions 123 and providing the tip of the retainer finger which is engageable against the underside of hand-hold web 13. Bends 124 between arm portions 120 and 122 cooperatively constitute a heel for engagement with phone base shoulder 11. A finger touchplate 26 is attached to finger portions 123 and bridges between them, for fingertip engagement in pushing the bracket inwardly as the finger tips are inserted into recess 12. The proportions and configuration of parts 120, 122, 123, as seen in side elevation, are the same as in bracket A of FIG. 1, and the operation is the same.

I claim:

1. In combination:

a cradle phone base having in its rear portion a skirt defining a downwardly and rearwardly inclined shoulder, a web spaced above said shoulder to define a hand-hold recess, and a lip on the underside of said web, spaced rearwardly from the forward wall thereof;

and a bracket including a forward attachment arm, a

retainer finger and a riser projecting upwardly from the forward and rear ends of said attachment arm respectively, a receptacle support projecting rearwardly from the upper end of said riser, and an intermediate downwardly and rearwardly inclined heel joining said riser to the rear portion of said support arm and fulcruming against said inclined shoulder under the weight of said receptacle support and its load, with said finger received in said recess and engaged upwardly against the underside of said web under said fulcruming so as to balance said load, said finger having an area such as to provide a finger-tip engagement surface extending substantially the full height and width of said recess, and a height sufiiciently less than the height of said lip above said shoulder so that said finger may be freely entered into said recess, but sufficiently high to provide adequate space between said attachment arm and said web for free insertion of the fingertips into said recess between said web and said attachment arm;

said finger being normally engaged against said lip in a normal position in which said heel is in a rearward limit position, and being slidable forwardly in said recess in response to engagement by the fingertips. inserted into said recess, from said normal position to a position adjacent the forward wall of said recess such as to accommodate full supporting engagement of the fingertips directly against the undersurface of said web for carrying the phone instrument while said bracket and its load remain attached thereto, the space behind said finger and above said attachment arm being unobstructed so as to permit said free insertion of the fingertips into said recess for said supporting engagement.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, formed of plastic strap material.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said finger, attachment arm and riser comprise respective laterally-spaced wire parts and said finger includes a finger touch plate bridging between and attached to its respective wire parts.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said fulcruming engagement of said heel with said inclined shoulder is such as to cause said bracket, under its load, to seek said rear limit position by downward and rearward gravitational sliding of said heel on said shoulder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,077,027 10/1913 Austin 2483 15 2,614,177 10/1952 Orms 179-146 2,658,116 11/1953 Skantze 179-146 2,732,438 1/1956 Mansell et al. 179146 2,795,877 6/1957 Falk 40336 2,911,485 11/1959 Harris l79146 3,272,531 9/1966 Krauth 179-146 JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 179-146

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