Telephone locking device

Claim 1

A device for locking a desk telephone to prevent its use for both incoming and outgoing telephone calls by maintaining the telephone plunger switch button in a depressed condition, said device consisting of a latch member which is fitted with a groove so as to permit the latch member to slide about the horizontal shelf on the telephone between the two plunger switch buttons, with the shelf restricting the vertical movement of the latch member when said groove engages the horizontal shelf, said latch member being fitted with a projection on its upper surface on one lateral side, said projection being adaptable to cover the depressed plunger switch button on one side of the telephone, when the latch member is slid transversely on the telephone shelf in the direction of said projection, said latch member being fitted with a through channel or retaining a slider member designed to cooperate with the latch member in such a way as to retain the device on the telephone, the mid-section of the slider member being of a cross-section to slidably fit through said channel in the latch member, the slider member being fitted with end stops to limit the travel of the slider member in the latch member and to prevent the disengagement of the slider member from the latch member, the side of said slider member being fitted with a hole of a size to accommodate a conventional telephone dial lock, said hole located such that the insertion of the telephone dial lock in the hole in the side of the slider member prevents sliding motion of the slider member relative to the latch member towards the latch member past the lock and hole, so that the slider member prevents lateral motion of the latch member relative to the telephone and the telephone plunger switch button in a direction away from the button when the device is installed on a telephone and a telephone dial lock is assembled in the hole of the slider member, said slider member being of a length to fit between the two telephone posts located on each end of the telephone shelf so as to prevent lateral movement of the assembled device in the installed locked position, and said slider member being fitted with a projection on the upper end of the slider member which is opposite from the end of the slider member adjacent to the telephone post covered by the latch member in the locked position, said projection extending laterally from the upper end of the slider member, in the locked position over the section between the telephone posts opposite said above-mentioned post and in front of the rearmost one of the said opposite telephone posts, so that said projection on the slider member and the projection on the latch member, in the locked and assembled position, prevent backwards movement of the device off the telephone shelf past the rear uprights of the telephone posts.

Claim 2

A device for locking a desk telephone to prevent its use for both incoming and outgoing telephone calls by maintaining the telephone plunger switch button in a depressed condition, said device consisting of a latch member which is fitted with a groove so as to permit the latch member to slide about the horizontal shelf on the telephone between the two plunger switch buttons, with the shelf restricting the vertical movement of the latch member when said groove engages the horizontal shelf, said latch member being fitted with a projection on its upper surface on one lateral side, said projection being adaptable to cover the depressed plunger switch button on one side of the telephone, when the latch member is slid transversely on the telephone shelf in the direction of said projection, said latch member being fitted with a through channel or retaining a slider member designed to cooperate with the latch member in such a way as to retain the device on the telephone, the mid-section of the slider member being of a cross-section to slidably fit through said channel in the latch member, the slider member being fitted with end stops to limit the travel of the slider member in the latch member and to prevent the disengagement of the slider member from the latch member, the side of said slider member being fitted with a hole of a size to accommodate a conventional telephone dial lock, said hole located such that the insertion of the telephone dial lock in the hole in the side of the slider member prevents sliding motion of the slider member relative to the latch member towards the latch member past the lock and hole, so that the slider member prevents lateral motion of the latch member relative to the telephone and the telephone plunger switch button in a direction away from the button when the device is installed on a telephone and a telephone dial lock is assembled in the hole of the slider member, said slider member being of a length to fit between the two telephone posts located on each end of the telephone shelf so as to prevent lateral movement of the assembled device in the installed locked position, and said slider member being fitted with a projection on the upper end of the slider member which is opposite from the end of the slider member adjacent to the telephone post covered by the latch member in the locked position, said projection extending laterally from the upper end of the slider member, in the locked position over the section between the telephone posts opposite said above-mentioned post and in front of the rearmost one of the said opposite telephone posts, so that said projection on the slider member and the projection on the latch member, in the locked and assembled position, prevent backwards movement of the device off the telephone shelf past the rear uprights of the telephone posts.