US3826519A

US3826519A - Telephone pad

Info

Publication number: US3826519A
Application number: US00343242A
Authority: US
Inventors: A Friedman; T Gavin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-03-21
Filing date: 1973-03-21
Publication date: 1974-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 1991-07-30

Abstract

A looseleaf pad for listing selected telephone numbers is mounted on binder means that provides a hinge connecting the aligned outer ends of a rectangular blank of light cardboard or the like which is doubled upon itself on a center line of fold to constitute a two-ply pad holder. The holder is apertured to engage over the front pair of handpiece cradle posts of a cradle type telephone, or to engage over the ends of the handpiece holder fork lever of a conventional wall mounted telephone. Each section of the blank between its outer end and the center line of fold is formed with an additional line of fold parallel to the center line, whereby the portions of the sections between the center line and the additional lines of fold may be flattened in a common plane to provide the base or floor of a tent-shaped structure whereof the remaining portions of the sections are the sides and the binder is the ridge. In this condition, the assembly is usable independently of a telephone, simply as a desk or table top pad and holder.

Description

United States Patent [191 Gavin et a1.

[ July 30, 1974 TELEPHONE PAD [76] Inventors: Thomas W. Gavin, 3380 Merrick Rd., Seaford, 11783; Arthur S. Friedman, 2144 Seneca Dr., Merrick, both of NY. 11566 22 Filed: Mar. 21, 1973 211 Appl. No.: 343,242

[52] US. Cl 281/15, 281/33, 40/336 [51] Int. Cl. G09f 3/04 [58] Field of Search 40/336, 339, 119, 120;

281/33, 15 R, 15 A, 15 B, 45

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,983,443 12/1934 Duceska et al 281/15 B 2,626,479 l/l953 Marrits 40/336 FOREIGN PATENTS QR APPLICATIONS 1.019.995 11/1957 Germany 281/33 1,360,980 4/1964 France 545,656 6/1942 Great Britain 281/33 Primary Examiner-.1. H. Wolff Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Dennison, Dennison, Townshend & Meserole table top pad and holder.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A looseleaf pad for listing selected telephone numbers is mounted on binder means that provides a hinge connecting the aligned outer ends' of a rectangular blank of light cardboard or the like which is doubled upon itself on a center line of fold to constitute a twoply pad holder. The holder is apertured to engage over the front pair of handpiece cradle posts of a cradle type telephone, or to engage over the ends of the handpiece holder fork lever of a conventional wall mounted telephone.

Each section of the blank between its outer end and the center line of fold is formed with an additional line of fold parallel to the center line, whereby the portions of the sections between the center line and the additional lines of fold may be flattened in a common plane to provide the base or floor of a tent-shaped structure whereof the remaining portions of the sections are the sides and the binder is the ridge. In this condition, the assembly is usable independently of a telephone, simply as a desk or V wP ains 4 Pravinsfisila 1 TELEPHONE PAD BACKGROUND The field of the invention is the art of telephone memo'pads that are constructed and arranged for attachment to the bodies of telephone instruments.

The prior art is replete with various assemblies of 1 memo pads and holders for attachment to various types of telephones, particularly those of the cradle type having a dial or push button means for selecting a desired number to be called. For the most part, the pads are mounted on stiff holder panels that extend upwardly and backward from the telephone instrument body, which is not always a convenient arrangement where space is limited. Furthermore, the looseleaf sheets or index cards of a pad so mounted may, and often do, fall forwardly and obscure the face of the selector dial.

' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a telephone pad of simple, inexpensive construction that may be attached to a telephone instrument in such manner as to be supported from the handpiece holder posts of a cradle type telephone or from the fork lever handpiece holder of a wall mounted telephone with equal facility and without in any way disturbing the relative positions of the component parts of the pad assembly. The assembly is a looseleaf pad of phone number index sheets or cards mounted on a metal or plastic spiral binder which serves also as a hinge which not only connects both plies of a two-ply pad backing and holder, but also provides a hinge connecting the pad with its holder. The completed assembly is constructed and arranged so that the major portion of the two-ply holder seats loosely on and over the face of the conventional selector dial of the' phone instrument with the pad swung back and over the dial covering portion of the holder, so that the pad is presented at the best optical angle for reading from a point above and in front of the instrument. When the desired information is obtained from the pad it, together with its underlying sections of the holder, may be swung as a unit up and slightly back over the empty handpiece cradle so that it will not interfere with the reading and operation of the dial or push buttons of the instrument. The weight of the inclined unit of pad and underlying holder sections is such that the pad cannot inadvertently fall forward over the dial, and will not do so until moved manually.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION The phone index comprising the present invention is a three-part assembly consisting of a loose leaf pad ar ranged as a card index for a selection of telephone numbers, a holder therefor, and hinge means connecting the two. As shown in FIG. 4, the holder is formed from a flat rectangular blank of light cardboard or similar material having a central line of fold 10 intermediate its ends 11 and 12 and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the blank, providing first and

second sections

13 and 14, respectively, that are foldable upon themselves. The outer end edges of the

sections

13 and 14 are perpendicular to their side edges. In the section 13 a second line of fold 15 is provided in the body of the blank intermediate the center fold line 10 and its outer end edge 11. This second line of fold is parallel to the center line of fold 10 and much closer thereto than to the end 11, thus establishing in the section 13 an inner end zone 16 in the area between the two lines of fold. This zone has therein a pair of transversely aligned apertures 17, each of which is spaced slightly inward from its adjacent side edge of the blank and closer to the center line of fold 10 than to the fold line 15. A wall hook reception hole 18 is provided between the apertures 17 on the longitudinal axis of the blank.

The section 14 of the blank is reversely identical to the section 13, having a second line of fold 19 corresponding to the fold line 15 of that section, and having also an inner end zone 20, apertures 21, and hole 22 corresponding to their counterparts in the section 13.

The marginal portion of the outer end 11 of the blank is provided with a series of holes 23 slightly inward from and parallel to the end edge, and in like manner the marginal portion of the other outer end 12 of the blank is provided with a similar series of holes 24. The function of these holes 23 and'24 is to mount binder means 25, here shown as a spiral coil binder, by which the ends 11 and 12 of the sections may be connected in hinged relation, and which mounts also inhinged relation the component sheets or cards of a phone number looseleaf pad indicated generally by the reference character 26. This pad may be printed on its exposed covers with any selected indicia for utilitarian and advertising purposes; which may include a calendar, not shown.

OPERATION When the assembly is not attached to a telephone, it may serve as a tented index, as shown in FIG 1.ln such case, the blank of FIG. 4 is first folded upon itself on the center line 10 and the free ends 11 and 12 are connected in hinged relation by threading the spiral binder 25 through the series of holes 23 and 24in the conventional manner of such assemblies, with the index pad 26 already attached to the binder. The

sections

13 and 14 are then manipulated by spreading apart with their inner

end zone portions

16 and 20 infolded on their

respective fold lines

15 and 19 so that they lie in a common plane to form the floor or base of the tent, with the binder constituting, in effect, its ridge. The tented assembly can be seated on any convenient flat horizontal surface with the index pad 26 depending from the binder and inclined in easy reading position on the front faceof the assembly.

It will be seen from FIG. 4 that the side edges of the blank are inwardly and oppositely recessed in the zone of the center line of fold 10 to provide recesses 27 whereof the walls are rounded and thus form

shoulders tions

13 and 14 in face contact after folding on the center line 10. In this position, the inner

end zone portions

16 and 20 of the sections are also in face contact and their apertures ,17, 18, 21 and 22 are respectively in registry. Also when in this position, the center fold line defines the upper endof the assembly and the hinge binder 25 defines its lower end in the service relationship of the parts as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates the index assembly as attached in service position on a telephone 29 of the cradle type. when the assembly is installed, the telephone handpiece is lifted from its cradle, the registering

apertures

17 and 21 of the doubled over end zone portions of the blank are engaged over the front pair of the cradle posts 31, the face contacting sections are laid over the conventional dial 32 (which may be a touch-tone panel) and the handpiece is replaced in the holder, seating'on the doubled end zone portions 16 and and the shoulders 28 of the assembly. When the handpiece is in position, the conventional enlarged circular end portions constituting-its earpiece and mouthpiece, respectively, hang down through the clearance recesses 27, so that the shank of the handpiece may rest on and depress the conventional switch operating plungers (not seen) of the instrument. The pad 26 is arranged so that it seats on the upper faceof that area of the assembly which overlies the dial area. 7

FIG. 3 illustrates the application of the index assembly to a conventional wall type telephone 33, in which its handpiece 34 is suspended from the fork 35 of its holder. In this installation, the assembly of blank and pad as shown in FIG. 2 is also suspended from the fork of the handpiece holder, with the registering apertures 4 l7 and 21 engaged over the holder fork 35, and with the pad 26 suspended vertically from the hinge binder 25. I

We claim: l 1. A pad assembly for attachment to a cradle type telephone instrument, comprising in combination: a onepiece elongated rectangular blank of light'cardboard or the like having intermediate its ends a central line of fold parallel to the ends of the blank and dividing it into two identical sections; each section having anindivid- 'u al line of fold parallel to said central line of fold; said individual lines of fold being spaced equally from the central line of fold and closer to that line than to the end edges of their respective sections; the portion of each section between its individual line of fold and the central line of fold having a pair of identical apertures aligned transversely between the side edges of its section and spaced inwardly therefrom; said apertures in each section being constructed and arranged to engage over the cradle posts of a telephone instrument when applied thereto, and being closer to the central line of fold than to their adjacent individual line of fold; the

side edges of the blank at the ends of said central line of fold being inwardly and equally recessed between the central line of fold and said section apertures, and being constructed and arranged to provide clearance for adjacentportions of the earpiece and the mouthpiece of a telephone instrument when applied thereto;

connecting the adjoining ends of the folded blank; and

a plurality of loose leaf index sheets in pad form mounted on the binder means in hinged relation thereto and'to the respective ends of the blank.

Claims

1. A pad assembly for attachment to a cradle type telephone instrument, comprising in combination: a one-piece elongated rectangular blank of light cardboard or the like having intermediate its ends a central line of fold parallel to the ends of the blank and dividing it into two identical sections; each section having an individual line of fold parallel to said central line of fold; said individual lines of fold being spaced equally from the central line of fold and closer to that line than to the end edges of their respective sections; the portion of each section between its individual line of fold and the central line of fold having a pair of identical apertures aligned transversely between the side edges of its section and spaced inwardly therefrom; said apertures in each section being constructed and arranged to engage over the cradle posts of a telephone instrument when applied thereto, and being closer to the central line of fold than to their adjacent individual line of fold; the side edges of the blank at the ends of said central line of fold being inwardly and equally recessed between the central line of fold and said section apertures, and being constructed and arranged to provide clearance for adjacent portions of the earpiece and the mouthpiece of a telephone instrument when applied thereto; said blank being doubled upon itself in full face contact on the central line of fold; ring binder means hingedly connecting the adjoining ends of the folded blank; and a plurality of loose leaf index sheets in pad form mounted on the binder means in hinged relation thereto and to the respective ends of the blank.