US2584769A - Telephone card holder - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 5, 1952 a WE TL K'E, JR 2,584,769

TELEPHONE CARD HOLDER Filed Sept. 15. 1947 l I INVENTOR. Y 9

6'1 #arm: 3.

Patented Feb. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

. 2,584,769 TELEPHONE CARD HOLDER; I Edward B. Westlake, J r., Havertown, Pa.

Application September 13, 1947, Serial No. 773,873 1 can. (01. 40-10) This invention relates to an information panel and more particularly to a panel of the type used on telephones and the like. T

It is recognized that a large number of indicia holders have been designed for use on telephones and the like and that some of these have included removable or changeable indicia mem-v bers. In view of the large volume of holders sold from year to year and in view of the need for these holders to convey important instruc: tions and information to the telephone users so as to eliminate needless delays and misunderstandings, it is obvious that minor changes and improvements are'of great importance. It is an object of this invention to provide .a lowzcost indicia holder in which theinformation to be conveyed is presented in an effective manner and in which it is possible to make changes in the information given with a minimum of effort and cost. I I" More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an'indicia' holder wherein the front piece of the holder is made of a protective transparent panel and in which that portion of the information which requires no changing from time to time is distinctly printed on the back face of the transparent panel and in which that portion of the information which may require changing is printed on separate pieces insertable into and removable from a pocket provided directly behind one portion of the transparent panel.

A further object of this invention is to provide a holder for the telephone number and the name of the telephone exchange wherein each of the digits of the telephone number is printed on a separate piece of cardboard or the like and is held in place in the holder along with other digits by means of a key member on which the name of the telephone exchange is placed.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved arrangement for concealing the lines of separation between the fixed portionslof the indicia holder and the removable portions of the indicia holder.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved arrangement for facilitating the removal of the removable indicia members.

A still further object of this invention is. to eliminate unnecessary light reflection or glare from the rear face of the transparent panel.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention reside in the construction and combination of parts and in the mode of operation as will be apparent from the following description,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown. j

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of an indicia holder of the type used on pay telephones; and

Figure-2 is a rear perspective view of the holder with parts broken away.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein I have shown a preferred form of my invention, reference numeral Ill designates a front panel member formed of transparent material which prevents defacing of the panel, and which has printedon its back'face standard information which never needs to be changed and which has been designated by the reference numeral l2. For purposes of illustration, the information material designatedby the referencenumeral l2 gives instructions on how to dial 54. calls. This information and any other similar information is preferably printed in black letters and the rest of the panel, except for the two window portions designated by the reference numerals l4 and I5, is coated with .a brilliant contrasting color such as orange or the like. The colors used and the exact information given can be varied to suit conditions. The transparent panel member isglued or otherwise secured to an intermediate member [8 which is provided with cut away portions 20 and 22 adapted to receive respectively, a key piece of cardboard or the like 30 on which the name of the telephone exchange appears and a plurality of cardboard members 28 bearing the proper digits for the telephone number. A back piece 24 is pasted or otherwise secured to the rear face of the intermediate member IB so as to cooperate with the members l0 and (8 in forming a pocket for the members 28 and 30. The cut away portions 20 and 22 together form a substantially T-shaped pocket in which the pieces 28 and 30 are placed in tiers in such a manner that the piece 30 in the upper tier serves as a key for holding the pieces 28 in the lower tier in place. The members [8 and 24 may be made. of any suitable material such as cardboard or the like. The advantage of using cardboard is that they may readily be glued together and may be manufactured at a low cost.

The rear cardboard member 24 is provided with a plurality of elongated slots 26 which correspond in number to the number of cardboard elements 28 used for the digits. The slots 26 serve as a meansfor gaining access to the rear portions of the inserts 28 and 30 so as to facilitate removal of the inserts when it is necessary to 3 change the numbers or name of the exchange.

In order to conceal the fact that the element 3!) is not a part of the member IS, a heavy line 32, preferably black, has been printed on the rear face of the transparent member so as to cover up and conceal the gap between the outer edges of the member 30 and the slot 20.

The construction and arrangement of parts makes it possible to make the telephone number large enough for anyone to see and to arrange the rest of the information or printing directly on the back of the front panel so that dirt or dust cannot lodge between the panel and the printing and so that there is no glare from the rear surface of the transparent panel. Brilliant and distinct colors may be used and these may identify various types of service and one type card with various inserts can be used for the entire telephone system.

By virtue of the above described arrangement, the initial cost of the panels as well as the maintenance cost has been reduced at the same time that the effectiveness of the panel has been increased.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claim which follows:

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In an information panel for use in displaying the name of a telephone exchange and the telephone number, the combination including a front panel member of transparent material, an intermediate panel member adhesively secured to the front panel member, said intermediate panel member being provided with a pair of cutaway portions one above the other, the lower cutaway portion being substantially rectangular, the upper cutaway portion being also substantially rectangular but longer than the lower cutaway portion so as to provide a pair of shoulders one adjacent each end of the lower cutaway portion, a backing member coextensive with the front panel member adhesively secured to the intermediate panel member so that the front panel member, the margins of the cutaway portions of the intermediate panel member and the backing member cooperate to form a substantially T- shaped pocket, a plurality of rectangular members being located side by side in the lower cutaway portion, the height of the rectangular members being equal to the height of the lower cutaway portion, the rectangular members being so arranged as to form the telephone number, and a rectangular key member filling the upper cutaway portion, said key member bearing the name of the telephone exchange and having a length substantially equal to the length of the upper cutaway portion and seated therein so as to hold the first mentioned rectangular members in position, the width of the key members being substantially equal to the height of the upper cutaway portion, the ends of the key member resting upon the shoulders adjacent the ends of the lower cutaway portion, the thickness of all of the rectangular members being substantially equal to the thickness of the intermediate panel member, the rear-surface of the transparent panel member being provided with opaque areas overlying the margins of both of the cutaway portions and the adjacent margins of the rectangular members so as to conceal the seam between the rectangular members and the intermediate panel member so as to display the name of the telephone exchange and the telephone number within the frame formed by the opaque areas.

EDWARD B. WES'I'LAKE, Jn.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 479,758 Gunn July 26, 1892 1,116,384 Case Nov. 10, 1914 1,659,298 Lefkowitz Feb. 14, 1928 1,845,650 Cox Feb. 16, 1932 1,845,747 Gutberlet Feb. 16, 1932 1,851,245 Fischer Mar. 29, 1932 2,083,872 Siegel June 15, 1937 2,105,685 Cox Jan. 18. 1938 2,385,778 Evalt Oct. 2. 1945

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