Sealing means for telephone cover device

Claim 1

A protective cover for the push-button array of a push-button telephone set, comprising: a flexible elastomeric sheet having a grid of upwardly-directed pockets, 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, the adjacent vertical walls of adjacent pockets being spaced from each other; said pockets 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 corresponding 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 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 said grid and said sheet being continuous between its lateral edges, whereby said entire push-button array is overlaid by said cover and thereby protected from spillage of liquids or other environmental hazards; and a gasket for effectively sealing said protective cover to said telephone set, said gasket being adapted to extend completely around the periphery of the elastomeric sheet, said gasket being flexible and adherent to the elastomeric sheet and the telephone set; and said gasket having covers on opposite sides thereof which are removable for attachment of the gasket, by the application of pressure, to the elastomeric sheet and the telephone set, respectively.