Protective cover for telephone

A protective cover for a key-actuated switching array which projects through a general planar surface on communications equipment or the like comprising:

• a flexible elastomeric sheet having at least one recessed portion with side walls forming a pocket which is adapted to overlie the said array of key-actuated switches whereby each of said key-actuated switches is independently depressible through said sheet, said sheet including a skirt-like portion extending laterally beyond said array, and said sheet being continuous between its lateral edges, whereby said entire key switch array may be overlaid by said pocket, with said skirt-like portion contacting said planar surface, said array thereby being protected from environmental hazards;
• a metal frame surrounding said flexible sheet and to which said flexible sheet is permanently secured;
• and
• adhesive means to attach said combination of metal frame and sheet permanently to said planar surface to prevent removal thereof by unauthorized persons.

A protective cover for a push-button array extending through a generally panar surface of a telephone set, each of said push-buttons having indicia thereon, comprising:

• a generally rectangular metal frame adapted to fit over the panar surface and surrounding the push-button array, said frame being formed at its periphery into a lip extending toward the said planar surface of the telephone set;
• a flexible elastomeric sheet having a grid of upwardly-directed pockets which are adapted to individually overlie each push-button of the array;
• each of said pockets being defined by substantially vertical side walls rising above the main plane of said sheet and an upper top portion extending across the tops of said vertical walls, each said pocket thereby extending above the said plane of said sheet and being open at the lower end for receiving each of the buttons of said array and thereby overlying the array of push-buttons on said telephone, said top portion of each said pocket being provided with an upwardly protruding portion, the lateral periphery of which is inward of said vertical side walls, said pockets being elastically depressible independently of one another toward their open ends to permit individual displacement of the underlying telephone set push-buttons received in said pockets;
• said sheet including a skirt portion extending laterally beyond the push-button array, said sheet being continuous between its lateral edges, said sheet extending into and being secured in the lip in said frame to form a unitary assembly which can overlie and cover the entire push-button array and thereby prevent environmental hazards from entering and interfering with the operation thereof;
• a strip of adhesive material extending completely around the periphery of the flexible sheet within the frame for permanently attaching the sheet and frame to the planar surface;
• and
• a removable layer of material covering the adhesive material which can be removed before the flexible sheet is secured to the planar surface.