US1946617A - Attachment for use in connection with telephones - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 13, 1934.

A. ELBOZ 1,946,617

ATTACHMENT FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH TELEPHONES Filed June 22, 1931 J/VViA/TOE Patented Feb. 13, 1934 PATENT oFFicE ATTACHMENT FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH TELEPHONES Alfred Elboz, Bristol, England Application June 22, 1931, Serial No. 546,051, and

in Great Britain June 23, 1930 2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved disinfecting attachment for telephone mouthpieces, and especially relates to an attachment for this purpose of the kind comprising a cap formed with an annular recess or chamber for the reception of a disinfecting pad adapted to be applied to atelephone mouthpiece in a readily detachable manner.

According to the present invention the attach- 101 ment is of ring-like formation and is adapted to engage over the edge of the mouthpiece and to afford an unobstructed central passage of substantial size, and the annular chamber for the reception of the disinfecting pad or the like is 151 arranged to project into the mouthpiece, the wall of such central passage being formed with apertures so that the disinfectant in the annular chamber was direct access to such passage. The annular chamber also may be formed with apertures in the rearwardly directed wall or walls thereof to enable the disinfectant to penetrate directly into the telephone mouthpiece.

The disinfecting pad or filling may be held in place in the annular chamber by means of a flanged cap having a corresponding central aperture similar in form to the cap of a telephone earpiece.

For the purpose of holding the device in place upon the telephone mouthpiece, an elastic mem- SO ber, such as a continuous helical spring, may be stretched around a' peripheral groove in a part of the device which engages over the edge of the telephone mouthpiece, two, three or more slots being cut through such part at intervals so that 315 the elastic member projects through at the inner side of such part at such positions to such an extent that when the device is applied in position, the projecting portions of the spring member engage behind the lip or edge of the tele- 'Iphone mouthpiece and hold the device securely but removably in position.

The invention is hereinafter described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:-

45.' Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation illustrating one construction of attachment according to the invention and showing how it is applied upon a. telephone mouthpiece;

I Figure 2 is a front elevation corresponding to SO-Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a rear elevation corresponding to Figure 1.

In carrying the invention into effect and with =reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, the device consists of a ring-like member 9, formed for instance from ebonite or the like. Such member is formed with an outer ring or flange 9a adapted to engage freely over a telephone mouthpiece 2, and also with'an inner ring 92) adapted to extend into the telephone mouthpiece 2, the inner and outer rings 9a, 9b being connected together at the front side of the device.

The inner ring 912 is adapted to form an annular chamber or channel 90, the inner wall 911 5B of which is of cylindrical formation, while the outer wall 9e converges from front to rear and is connected to the inner wall at the rear by a narrow ring-like wall 9 the said chamber or channel being open at the front. The inner Wall 9d is of such internal diameter as to afford a free passage 10 to the telephone mouthpiece for the transmission of speech. The inner and rear walls 902, 9e and 9 respectively of the chamber or channel are perforated with a number of 7B" apertures 11 so as to permit disinfectant vapour evolved from a pad or filling '7, such as of sponge rubber soaked or impregnated with a suitable disinfecting fluid to penetrate freely into the telephone mouthpiece 2 and into the central passage 10 to disinfect the same and to protect the user from infection. The outer ring 9a is formed with a peripheral groove 99 for the reception of a continuous flexible member, such as a helical spring 12, which is stretched around such groove 9g under tension, and, at two, three, four or more circumferentially spaced positions, such groove 9g is slotted or out completely through the outer ring 9a so that the flexible member 12 by reason of its tension, projects at the inner side of the outer ring So as shown in Figure 3, to such an extent as to engage at the rear of the lip or edge of the telephone mouthpiece 2, as shown in Figure 1,,to hold the device firmly in position, it being understood that the device is simply pushed on to the mouthpiece 2 and pulled off as required. If desired, the outer ring 9a may be made separately from the inner ring 9b, in

which case the latter would be formed at the front with an outwardly extending flange adapted to be clamped against the front face of the outer ring by means of a flanged cap 13 screw threaded internally, the outer ring 9a, whether made separately from or integrally with the inner ring 9b being screw-threaded externally to engage with such cap 13 which is preferably of a formation similar to a telephone earpiece cap and servesto close the front of the annular chamber 9c. In place of perforating the walls of the disinfectant chamber, one or more u of such walls may be constituted by or fitted with perforated metal or wire gauze.

The container above referred to is preferably of substantially flat formation so that it may be conveniently carried on the person and readily attached to the mouthpiece of the telephone when required for use, and detached therefrom at will. In some cases, however, such a device may be provided permanently attached to a telephone; for example in hotels, clubs, offices and the like, an arrangement of this kind would be very desirable.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular details of construction hereinbefore described. Thus, any other suitable means such as spring clips or the like may be provided for holding the attachment in position upon the telephone mouthpiece.

Furthermore, although a material such as ebonite is preferred, the device may be constructed of any other suitable material.

What I claim is:-

1. An attachment for telephones comprising an annular disinfectant retainer adapted to fit within a telephone mouth piece, the front of the container being open and the inner and rear walls thereof perforated, a cap forming a closure for the open front of the container, an outer ring engaging the cap and provided with an internal circumferential groove, the walls of which are cut away at spaced intervals to form openings, and a resilient retaining member seated in said groove and having portions thereof extended through the openings in the wall of the groove for engagement with the mouth piece.

2. An attachment for telephones comprising an annular casing the front of which is open and provided with a central opening the walls of which are perforated, the rear wall of the casing being inclined to conform to and adapted to fit within a mouth piece, a cap detachably secured to the casing and having an opening therein reg-'- istering with the central opening in the casing and provided with an internally threaded flange, an outer ring engaging the threads on the flange and adapted to extend around the outer wall of the mouth piece, said outer ring being provided with a continuous annular roove the walls of which are cut away at. intervals to provide openings, and a coil spring seated in the groove and having portions thereof extending through said openings and yieldably engaging the mouth piece.

ALFRED ELBOZ.

Images