Telephone hang-up cup having rectractable latch member operative responsive to actuation force applied at either side thereof

Claim 1

A telephone receptacle for receiving a portion of a telephone handset, the portion of the telephone handset having first and second handset latching surfaces formed thereupon, said telephone receptacle comprising: a receptacle housing formed of first and second sidewalls, respectively, and a face surface interconnecting the first and second sidewalls, both said first and said second sidewall, respectively, having means forming openings extending therethrough; means forming a recessed area extending into the face surface of the receptacle housing, the recessed area formed thereby defined by a recessed surface disposed beneath a plane defined by the face surface, and recessed area sidewalls interconnecting the recessed surface and the face surface, said recessed surface for receiving the portion of the telephone handset thereupon, at least one of said recessed area sidewalls having a fixed latch member formed to project therebeyond for engaging with the first handset latching surface formed upon the telephone handset, and at least one of said recessed area sidewalls having means forming an opening extending therethrough; means forming a retractable latch member for extending through the opening extending through the at least one recessed area sidewall, the retractable latch member formed thereby movable to permit positioning thereof at either a latch position or a release position such that, when positioned at the latch position, the retractable latch member is operative to engage with the second handset latching surface formed upon the telephone handset; means including a spring, engaging with the retractable latch member and capable of exerting a spring force thereupon, for maintaining the retractable latch member in the latch position; a first plate member housed within the receptacle housing and having: an end portion thereof forming a force receiving surface, and a rail formed to extend along the length of the first plate member; said end portion of the first plate member extending through the opening formed to extend through the first sidewall of the receptacle housing; a second plate member housed within the receptacle housing and having: an end portion thereof forming a force receiving surface, and a track formed to extend along the length of the second plate member; said end portion of the second plate member extending through the opening formed to extend through the second sidewall of the receptacle housing, wherein said track formed along the second plate member and the rail formed along the first plate are aligned theretogether in confronting engagement to permit sliding engagement therebetween such that application of an actuation force to the force receiving surfaces of either, or both, of the first or the second plate members, respectively, causes translation of the first and the second plate members whereby translation of the plate members causes positioning of the retractable latch member at the release position to release the telephone handset from the receptacle housing thereby permitting movement of the telephone handset thereaway.