US2217242A - Illuminating device for telephones - Google Patents

Description

@ct. 8, 1940. w, c gWALLEY r AL 2,21%242 ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONES Filed April 6, 1938 2 Sheehs-Sheet l Winn 54 fig 2 29" Z5 Z1 40 2 INVENTOR5 w. s. SWALLEY m" AL, ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONEIE Filed April 6, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 INVENTORJ Mum/4 6. 51449446? ATTORNEY 5 Patented Oct. 8, 1940 UNITED STATES ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONES William O, Swalley and Arthur J. Lichtinger,

Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to The Dialite Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 6, 1938, Serial No. 200,453

2 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for illuminating telephones and more particularly for illuminating the calling device or dial unit of telephones.

Various telephone illuminating devices have been proposed or constructed heretofore, but none of those devices which have come to our attention have gained popular favor because of various disadvantages and the disapproval of the telephone companies who own and service most of the telephones in public use. In general, these prior illuminating devices were intended to be attached to the telephone instrument in one way or another and devices of this character are usually disapproved by the telephone companies because of the likelihood of damage to the telephone instruments and the likelihood of interference withthe rendering of eflicient telephone service. As will appear more fully hereinafter, our invention provides an improved telephone illuminating device of attractive and economical construction and which overcomes the disadvantages of such prior illuminating devices.

It may, therefore, be said to be an object of our invention to provide an illuminating device for telephones which is of attractive and economical construction and which during use is not connected with the telephone other than by the telephone resting thereon.

Another object of our invention is to provide an improved illuminating device for dial telephones in which a generally flat or tray-like structure is adapted to rest upon a supporting surface and to receive the telephone thereon, and

- in which such structure has a portion projectin beyond the base of the telephone at a point below and adjacent the dial and an electric lamp mounted on such projection supplies illumination to the dial and is adapted to be connected with an available power and lighting circuit by a conductor cord extending from the structure.

Still another object of our invention is to provide an improved illuminating device for dial telephones comprising a structure adapted to receive the telephone thereon and having a portion projecting beyond the telephone base and carrying an electric lamp for supplying illumination to the dial, and in which the structure has a recess shaped to receive the base of the telephone and to hold the same against relative turning with the dial thereof in position to be illuminated by the electric lamp.

A further object of our invention is to provide an improved telephone illuminating device, of the type referred to, which has a recess adapted to receive the base of the telephone and a forwardly extending projection for supporting a pad or book, and in which an electric lamp mounted on such projection between the recess and pad support is adapted to supply illumination both to 5 the dial and the pad support.

Our invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting of certain novel combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and more particularly set out in the appended 10 claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing one embodiment of our illuminating device with a telephone thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the illuminating de-' vice and telephone;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of such device and telephone;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing another form of our illuminating device in which the pad support or book rest has been omitted;

Fig. 5 is a partial front elevation showing another form of our telephone illuminating device in which an automatically operating switch is provided for controlling the electric lamp.

Fig. 6 is partial side elevation, with portions broken away, showing our illuminating device adapted for use with a telephone having a circular base; and

Fig. '7v is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the structure formed of molded material and with the lamp casing as an integral part thereof.

More detailed reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in describing our invention and although we have shown what we now regard to be the preferred forms of the invention, it should be understood, however, that the invention may be embodied in still other forms of construction and devices of this character.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, we show our illuminating device III with a telephone I2 thereon. Although our illuminating device may be used with various different telephones of the type having a base or standard, in this instance we show the telephone I2 as being a dial phone of the cradle type.

The telephone I2 may have a base or standard I3 with a cradle I 4 thereon for removably supporting a hand set I5. The base I3 may also have a dial unit or calling device I6 mounted thereon at the front of the telephone. The hand set I5 may be of the usual form and construction, that 'in adjacent relation to the lamp 2'! and the ilis to say, it may comprise an intermediate handle portion I! and end portions carrying. respectively, the receiving and transmitting elements l8 and IS. A conductor cord or cords 20 extending through an opening of the base at the back thereof serve to connect the hand set with the base and to connect the telephone with the line.

As is usual in telephones of this type, the base 13 may have a substantially fiat bottom 2! which is adapted to rest upon a supporting surface and which may be covered by a protective pad or layer 2 la of felt or other yieldable material. The base l3 may have any desired shape or outline, but for a purpose to be presently explained, is preferably of a non-circular form such as the oval shape shown in Fig. 1.

Our illuminating device l may comprise a generally flat or tray-like body or structure 22 which is adapted to receive the telephone l2 thereon and which may have a substantially flat bottom 23 adapted to rest upon any available supporting surface. The structure 22 may be formed of metal or other suitable material, or if desired, may be molded from hard rubber or some other appropriate composition. This tray-like structure may have any desired shape or outline, but is preferably of a size such that a. recess 24 can be formed therein to receive the base [3 of the telephone and such that portions of the structure extend or project beyond the base of the telephone. Such a projecting portion 25, which may be an integral part of the structure 22, extends forwardly of the telephone at a point below and adjacent to the dial device iii.

For supplying illumination to the calling device or dial I6, we provide a hollow lamp casing 26 having an electric lamp, 21 therein and which is mounted on the forwardly projecting portion 25. The lamp casing 26 may be of any suitable form and construction and, if desired, may be integral with the projecting portion 25 or may be a separate part connected therewith in any appropriate manner. This casing is preferably lateraliy elongated and may have a correspondingly elongated slot or opening 28 located to cause i1- lumination from the lamp 2'! to be focused or thrown on the dial device i6.

As mentioned above, the base i 3 of the telephone is of oval or other non-circular form and the recess 24 of the structure 22 has a shape corresponding with that of the telephone base. When the telephone is placed on the illuminating device the base thereof enters the recess 24 and has interfitting engagement therewith whereby the telephone is held against turning relative-to the illuminating device. By thus providing an interfitting engagement between the base of the telephone and the illuminating device l0, it will be seen that when the telephone is in position on this device it will be held with the dial device l6 lumination slot 28. By reason of this cooperation between the telephone base and the illumina-ting device, it will also be seen that the tele-.

phone can be placed on the device in only one correct position andthat the mere placing of the telephone on the device locates the, dial l6 adjacent the illumination slot 28.

The telephone I2 is preferably not connected with the illuminating device ill in any wayother than. by merely resting upon this device such that the telephone can be removed from the liluminating device merely by a simple lifting operation. The interfitting of the basel3 in the recess 24 prevents the telephone from being accidentally displaced from the illuminating de: vice.

Any suitable switch may be provided for controlling the lamp 21, for example a simple manually operable snap-type switch 30 may be mounted in or on the structure 22 at a conveniently accessible point. In this instance we show the switch 30 as being mounted in a side edge of the illuminating device substantially opposite the lamp casing26, although any other desired portion or location may be used.

For connecting our illuminating device with a source of current we provide a suitable conductor cord- 3l extending from the structure 22, preferably at the back thereof, and which has a plug 1 or terminal fitting 32 for connection with a receptacle or outlet of an available power and lighting circuit. It will be understood, of course, that the structure 22 has passages or openings therein accommodating wires or conductors which con- 0 nect the cord 3! with the switch 30 and with the lamp 21.

If desired the structure 22 of our illuminating device may be constructed with an extension portion 34 projecting forwardly as an extension of the portion 25. The extension portion 34 may be so constructed and shaped as to accommodate a memorandum pad 35 thereon and also to serve as a book rest upon which a telephone directory may be supported during use. When this projecting portion 34 is provided on the structure 22 we also provide the lamp casing 26 with an additional illumination slot or opening 36 at the front thereof for supplying illumination to the pad or' to a book or the like resting on the pad sup- 35 port.

It should be understood, however, that our illuminating device may be constructed without the pad support and book rest portion 36 and,

in Fig. 4 ofthe drawings, we show the device 40 Instead of controlling the lamp of our illuminating device by a manually operable switch as explained above, we may provide an automatically operating control switch and in Fig. 5 of the drawings we have shown our illuminating device 59 constructed to embody such operating control switch 31. In other respects the illuminating device 38 of Fig. 5 is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

an automatically In this arrangement the switch 31 may comprise a switch housing 39 which may be formed as an integral part of thestructure 22 or may be a separately constructed part suitably attached thereto. The switch is provided with a vertical movable push button 4 0 and is located on the 60 structure 22 so that this push button will be engaged by some part of the hand set I 5, preferably the transmitting element I9 thereof, when the hand set is placed in the cradle M. In the form of our illuminating device having the automatic switch 31 the conductor cord 3| preferably connects with the device through the housing of the switch 31. When the hand set I5 is removed from the cradle, as is necessary preparatory to proper operation of the dial IS, the push button 40' will be released and the resulting actuation of the switch 3'! will cause current to be supplied to the lamp 21. l

. Although the recess of our illuminating device is preferably'non-circular in shape, such as oval or rectangular, so as to prevent relative turning between the device and the telephone, we may construct the device with a circular recess 4| as shown in Fig. 6 when it is to be used with an older style of telephone having a circular base 42. In this form of our device the recess 4| may be provided with projecting means, such as the dowel pins 43, which extend into and cooperate with the base of the telephone for holding the latter with its dial substantially opposite the electric light 44.v

In Fig. 7 we show a construction in which the illuminating device 45 is a unitary molded structure formed of Bakelite, or other suitable composition, and in which an integrally molded hollow portion 46 of the device forms a housing for the electric lamp 41. In this construction the lamp housing may have an opening 48 therein located to throw light on the dial unit 49 and a second opening in the bottom thereof which is closed by a plate 50. The lamp 41 may be mounted on this plate by suitable bracket means 5| or the like to thereby provide an assembly such that when theplate is applied to the structure to close the bottom opening the lamp will be inserted into its housing and located in the proper position therein.

From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings it will now be readily understood that we have provided an improved telephone illumlnating device which is of simple and economical construction, but nevertheless having a neat and attractive appearance. It will also be seen that our illuminating device requires no connection with the telephone and is so arranged that interfltting engagement between the base of the telephone and the device holds the telephone against accidental displacement and locates the same with the dial device adjacent the electric- 40 lamp.

While we have illustrated and described our improved construction for telephone illuminating devices in a somewhat detailed manner, it should be understood that we do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangement and construction herein disclosed but regard our invention as including such changes and modifications as do not involve a departure from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention we claim:

1. In combination with a telephone having a base and dial unit thereon, an illuminating device comprising a structure formed of molded material and having integrally united portions, one of which is adapted to receive the telephone thereon and the other of which is hollow and adapted to receive an electric lamp therein, said hollow portion having an opening in the bottom thereof, and a cover adapted to close such opening and having an electric lamp mounted thereon.

2. A combined stand and illuminating device for a telephone of the type having a baseand a dial unit thereon, comprising a tray-like structure formed of non-metallic molded insulating material adapted to receive the telephone thereon and having a generally flat bottom adapted to rest on a supporting surface, one portion of said structure having in the top thereof a shallow recess of a size and shape to receive the base of the telephone to prevent accidental lateral shifting 'therebetween but the telephone being otherwise unconnected with the structure, said structure having another portion projecting laterally beyond the telephone base below the dial unit thereof and elongated to extend across in front of the dial unit, such other portion being formed as a molded integral hollow extension of said one portion, a lamp casing on saidother portion and being, at least in part, formed as an integral molded portion of said hollow extension, an electric lamp, and means mounting said lamp in said casing in a position to supply illumination to said dial unit.

WILLIAM C. SWALLEY. ARTHUR J. LIGHTING.

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