US2791865A

US2791865A - Telephone pad attachment

Info

Publication number: US2791865A
Application number: US600600A
Authority: US
Inventors: Iscoe Irving
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-07-27
Filing date: 1956-07-27
Publication date: 1957-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 1974-05-14

Description

United States Patent'l O ine Patented May i4, 'i957 TELEPHONE PAD ATTACHMENT Irving Iscoe, Hollywood, Calif. Application .lnly 27, 1956, Serial No. 600,606

6 Claims. (CL 45-.5)

The present invention relates to a writing pad holder and particularly to a holder for a Writing pad with means on the holder for ready, removable attachment to a telephone.

Writing pads of various sorts have been widely used for recording brief messages such as calls by telephone, orders for groceries and the lilte. Customarily the writing pad and a pencil are placed adjacent the telephone. The use of such pads is generally unsatisfactory, however, especially when a person is attempting to use the telephone in one hand and to wri-te with the other because the small loose pad slides around upon the supporting surface. Further, the pads frequently become mislaid and therefore are not available -at the time of need.

Attempts have been made heretofore to overcome these problems by devising means to secure the writing pad permanently to the telephone. These devices also have proved unsatisfactory generally because the attachment means is secured to the telephone base only with difliculty. Moreover, the device usually requires multiple parts which are costly to produce and which must be joined together in the manufacturing process, thereby increasing labor costs.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a pad holder for attachment to a telephone without altering the construction of the telephone and without requiring any tools.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for a writing pad that may be rigidly secured to the telephone base in one simple manual movement, and just ias easily removed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a writing pad holder that may be simply manufactured in one piece, which will be durable and useful while being inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and `advantages. of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings lin which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a conventional telephone base having secured thereto a writing pad holder and pad embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a View in perspective of the writing pad holder of Fig. 1 with the pad removed for the salte of clarity;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the telephonev base showing the means of rigidly and removably lattaching the writing pad holder to the base;

Fig. 4 is a View in perspective, similar to Fig. 2, showing a modified form of the writing pad holder; and

Fig. 5 is a View in section, similar to Fig. 3, of said modified form.

Generally stated, the present invention relates to a unitary writing pad holder of a type particularly adapted to removable attachment to the base portion of a modern telephone, said pad holder including a rigid one-piece substantiallyv planar body upon which` a writing pad may be mounted, means tc removably secure the writing pad to the body, and interlock means integral with the insists' body and adapted to pivotally engage within a rearwardly opening carrying recess normally found below the hand set receiving cradle on a telephone base. In conventional devices such carrying recess is normally provided with a rib projecting downward at its rear edge. The novel interlock means of the present invention includes an upstanding hooi; flange adapted to pivotal insertion into the carrying recess in such a manner that a point provided on the flange is held in abutment against the downward projecting rib by the weight of the pad holder and writing pad. Moreover, the interlock means is adapted to tit snugly adjacent interior surfaces of the carrying recess so as not to detract from a normal usefulness of the recess when carrying the telephone. Desirably, the writing pad holder body is provided With transversely eX- tending portions adapted to engage side portions of the recess and thereby properly orient the `angle of support of the pad at the rear of the telephone.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, l@ indicates the conventional telephone base employed with modern telephones. A hand set receiving cradle l2 is provided adjacent upper surfaces of the telephone base. Below this cradle is 'provided the usual recess lli which has a rib le projecting downward at its rear edge. As is well known, the portion of the telephone base 18 lying between the hand set receiving cradle and the recess i4 forms a handle allowing the telephone to be easily transported from one place to another.

The present invention contemplates a unitary Writing pad holder 2li adapted to pivotal engagement within the carrying recess of a telephone base and to the rigid support of a writing pad in an easily accessible position to the rear of the telephone. ln its preferred embodiment the writing pad holder is formed in one piece from a single sheet of material such as metal, plastic or composition, the pad carrying portion 22 of said holder comprising a rigid substantially planar body upon which a writing pad may be mounted. lf the pad holder 20 is to be constructed of Very thin material, as would generally be `desirable from a cost standpoint, longitudinally extending grooves 54 may advantageously be provided to strengthen the body 22 of the holder against the downward pressure of writing on the writing pad 26.

ln' a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figs. l to 3, the body 22 is transversely elongated and of approximately the length of a writing pad to be mounted thereon. Guides or flanges 24 provided at the sides of the body permit a conventional writing pad 26 to be easily and removably secured thereto. As best seen in Fig. 3, the writing pad 26 is secured within the anges 24 by means of the usual cardboard backing which is slid from the side into the space between the anges and the body 22. If desired, means such as the cylindrical bracket 2; may also be provided adjacent the pad-carrying portion to receive a pencil or other scribing device. As shown in Fig. l, a exible cord or chain 32 may be secured in apertures 3i? formed in the base and attached to the pencil, as at 34, to prevent its loss.

In accordance with the invention pivotally engageable interlock means d@ are provided integral with the pad holder body adapting the holder to be received within the carrying recess 14 to thereby rigidly support the Writing pad at the rear of the telephone base. ln the embodiment of Figs. l to 3, the pivotally engageable interlock means 4th comprises a pair of hook flanges 4Z extending substantially perpendicularly upward from the planar body 22 of the pad holder. Engaging portions of the hook flanges are preferably gently rounded as at dd and terminate in points 4d adapted to abut against the inner surface of the downward projecting rib la of the carrying recess. lf desired, each of the points 46 may be provided with a liattened upper surface 48 to permit a larger area of abutment or retaining contact of the point against a correspondingly attened upper surface normally found in the carrying recess 14.

To insert the novel writing pad holder of the invention into a telephone base the holder is held in a substantially perpendicular position so that the interlock means 40 may be inserted part way into the carrying recess 14 of the base. The holder is now pivoted within the recess, upon the engaging surfaces 44 of the hook llanges, until the points 46 of the interlock means firmly abut against the inner surface of the downward projecting rib 16. Conceivably pivotal movement of the pad holder 20 could be continued until the body 22 of the holder engaged the bottom surface 50 of the recess 14. Desirably, however, the distance of the interlock means 49 from the body of the holder is such that the transversely extending guide anges 24 contact portions of the telephone 'oase horizontally adjacent the recess 14 at exactly the moment desired to properly orient the angle of inclination of the supported pad 26. Thus, as may be best seen in Fig. 3, the transversely extending body contacts the telephone base in such a manner that the pad is inclined at an angle of about 30 to the horizontal, although any desired angle may be devised by varying the length of the body portion 52 (see Fig. 2).

When it is desired to remove the writing pad holder, it is only necessary to again pivot the device upwardly and, thereafter, to remove the interlocking means 40 from the recess 14. As will be apparent -to one skilled in the art, insertion or removal of the interlock means 4!) and pivotal engagement of the points 46 within the recess can be accomplished in a moments time. Accordingly the manipulative procedures involved in attaching or removing the pad-holding device from the telephone are no longer a problem. Moreover, the interlock means being adapted to t snugly adjacent the interior surfaces of the recess 14, the normal usefulness of the recess in the carrying of the telephone from place to place is not impaired.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a modied form of the interlocking means in which a single hook flange is provided. In this form of the invention all points along the contacting edge 43a abut against the inner surface of the downward protecting rib 16 so that somewhat more rigid support is provided the pad holder. Moreover, as shown, the hook ange 42a need not present a smooth rounded engaging surface 44a, but may be formed as a series of planes at angles to one another, with the uppermost place 48a being adapted to abut or contact the interior flattened surface at the top of the recess 14. In other respects the construction and use of the modified device may be the same as the device of Figs. l to 3.

From the above description, it will be apparent that the present invention makes possible a simple efficient attachment of a writing pad to a telephone base, in a matter of seconds, with the pad thereafter being held rmly in position by its own weight and by the weight of the pad holder. In addition, the invention permits the writing pad holder to be simply and inexpensively manufactured, in one piece, from low cost materials such as sheet metal or plastic. Moreover, the present invention provides such a device with a pivotally engageable interlock means that, although tting easily into the carrying recess normally found in a telephone base, does not detract in any way from the normal use of that recess in the transportation of the telephone from place to place.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, clamps, adhesives, or other such means of attaching the pad to the pad holder body 22 may be employed instead of the guides 24 as shown. In addition, although the pad and supporting body 22 are shown in transverse position with respect to the telephone base, a lengthwise orientation of the pad could be easily accomplished without substantial variation in the structure illustrated. Furthermore, additional anges could be provided on the body portion 22 extending downwardly so as to provide means for holding an address or memo book or other such device adjacent the bottom surface of the pad holder. Accordingly, it should be understood that the disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

l. A unitary writing pad holder of a type particularly adapted to removable attachment to the base portion of a modern telephone, said base portion including a hand set receiving cradle and a carrying recess opening rearward and located below said cradle and having a rib projecting downward at its rear edge, said pad holder comprising a rigid one-piece substantially planar body upon which a writing pad may be mounted, means to removably secure a writing pad to the pad holder body, and pivotally engageable interlock means integral with said pad holder body and adapting said body to rigid support by the base portion of said telephone, said interlock means including an upstanding hook flange pivotally insertable into said carrying recess in such manner that a point provided on the ange is held in abutment against an inner portion of said downward projecting rib by the weight of said pad holder and writing pad, said interlock means being constructed to tit snugly adjacent interior surfaces of said carrying recess so as not to detract from a normal usefulness of said recess in carrying the telephone.

2. The writing pad holder of claim 1 in which said hook flange is provided with a attened surface adjacent said point adapted to abut against a correspondingly attened upper surface found in said carrying recess.

3. The Writing pad holder of claim 1 in which said pivotally engageable interlock means comprises a pair of hook flanges integral with and extending substantially perpendicularly upward from the planar body of said pad holder.

4. The writing pad holder of claim l in which grooves are provided extending longitudinally of said pad holder body to thereby permit a relatively thin but unbendable construction of said body.

5. A unitary writing pad holder of a type particularly adapted to removable attachment to a telephone base, said base including a hand set receiving cradle and a carrying recess opening rearward and located below said cradle and having a rib projecting downward at its rear edge, said pad holder comprising a rigid one-piece substantially planar body upon which a writing pad may be mount ed, means to removably secure a writing pad to the pad holder body, and pivotally engageable interlock means integral with said pad holder body and adapting said body to rigid support by the telephone base, said interlock means being pivotally insertable into said recess and into abutment with said downwardly projecting rib, said pad securing means extending transversely from said pad holder body so as to engage portions of said telephone base horizontally adjacent said carrying recess upon downward pivotal movements of said body relative to said interlock means whereby said pad holder and writing pad are held firmly in position by their own weight, by a pivotal wedg ing of said interlock means and by engagement of said pad-securing means with the telephone base.

6. The writing pad holder of claim 5 in which said pad holder is die-stamped from a single piece of sheet metal.

References Cited in the lle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,320,838 Watson June l, 1943 2,620,407 Nagy Dec. 2, 1952 2,693,509 Slee Nov. 2, 1954 2,731,764 Zeller Jan. 24, 1956