Telephone instrument
OwnerEric Chaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A telephone instrument comprising a handset and a base unit in which the base unit is substantially smooth on its upper surface except for a raised area having a spherical surface and a slight recess which respectively cooperate with a correspondingly formed spherically shaped indentation and a small raised semi-cylindrical portion on the handset. In this manner, the base unit provides a substantially smooth upper surface, so as not to provide any area that might retain dirt or grime. In one embodiment, the telephone instrument is formed of thermoplastic rubber and is substantially water-resistant, with all electrical components contained within the handset.
Claims15
A telephone instrument, comprising:
- a handset unit elongated along a curved longitudinal axis extending from an earpiece end to a microphone end and having an earpiece and a microphone in spaced-apart relationship, said earpiece being mounted near said earpiece end and including a concave portion having a spherical surface and said microphone being mounted near said microphone end in a semicylindrical raised portion having an axis substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, said concave portion forming a first locating recess and said raised portion forming a first locating element;
- and
- a base unit for receiving said handset unit and being formed with a convex area with a spherical surface forming a second locating element cooperating with said first locating recess formed in said handset unit and having a semicylindrical concave portion forming a second locating recess spaced apart from said second locating element by a distance substantially equal to a distance separating said first locating recess and said first locating element on said handset, said second locating recess cooperating with said first locating element, and said base unit being formed with an upper, substantially smooth surface proximate said handset.
A telephone instrument for use with a telephone network comprising;
- a base unit elongated from one end to an opposite end, formed with a substantially smooth, unbroken upper surface, having at said one end a rounded, smooth, upraised portion and at said opposite end a concave slot, and having between said one end and said opposite end a smooth, upraised arcuate portion, said base unit being electrically isolated from said telephone network;
- and
- a handset unit selectively electrically connected to said telephone network, said handset unit being elongated along a curved longitudinal axis extending from an earpiece end to a microphone end and having at said earpiece end an earpiece formed as a rounded, smooth concave portion cooperating with said upraised portion in a handset-base unit at-rest position and at said microphone end a microphone formed as a rounded, upraised rib element cooperating with said concave slot in said at-rest position, a surface of said handset unit being arcuately contoured between said earpiece end and said microphone end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.