Adjustable telephone handset cradle

A tiltable and to-fro adjustable telephone handset cradle. A curvilinear wire-or band-frame cradle has a base that engages a track which is fixable to a handset. Pivotability means in the cradle, as well as a slideable, adjustable attachment to the handset, achieves an apparatus that grants considerable comfort to the telephone user by allowing side-to-side head motion and adjustment of head to-fro posture.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to telephone handset holders of a 
type that allow use of the telephone handset without a person gripping it, 
and more particularly to a handset cradle which holds the telephone 
handset against the user's ear by snubbing part or all of the handset unit 
between the user's head and shoulder. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Since the advent of the modern telephone handset, which contained both 
listening and speaking apparatus, many devices in the form of handset 
adjuncts have been attached to the handset so as to allow the user full 
freedom of his or her hands, while carrying on a telephone conversation. 
To this end, a relatively modern device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,556,762 which issued to Campbell in 1985. This invention conceives of a 
rigidly affixed (to the handset) curvilinear wire cradle having several 
pieces. A base piece which conforms to the shoulder of the user is rigidly 
affixed, by banding means, to the handset. Another piece, also curvilinear 
is wound about the user's neck and affixed to the main cradle frame 
through a hook-in-eye arrangement. An alternative embodiment conceives of 
a more stylized rendering of the cradle base, as well as alternative 
attachment means. In both embodiments, Campbell retains the main theme of 
the invention and offers no alternative to the neck-encompassing member. 
It appears, to one of ordinary skill in the art, that the invention cannot 
function sans a neck-encompassing element. 
Art available prior to U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,762, is exemplified by U.S. Pat. 
No. 2,493,954, issued to Epstein in 1950. Epstein taught a shoulder 
conforming base to a cradle that pivotally engaged the handset. The 
ability of this invention to pivot somewhat, as the handset was cradled 
and snubbed between the user's shoulder and ear, fullfilled a long 
standing need in devices of this nature. Notably, and as an exhaustive 
search of the prior art has revealed, pivotability and latitude for head 
motion, in addition to shoulder motion, is rarely if ever, contemplated by 
inventors. It appeared to this inventor that no thought is ever paid to 
comfort, when developing inventions of this genre. 
Recently, a telephone handset cradle that offers a modicum of comfort to 
the user, was brought to this inventor's attention. A resilient 
curvilinear attachment trademarked as Softalk, has been recently brought 
to the market by Practical Innovations, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. This 
invention is comfortable in that it is soft and resilient. The producer 
claims that it will fit either shoulder comfortably; as one familiar with 
the art, the inventor would attribute this to its inherent resilence. It 
attaches easily by means of a form of adhesive tape that is affixed to the 
back or handset-receiving side of the invention. The Softalk attachment is 
extremely useful; but unfortunately suffers from the fact that, like all 
the prior art, it entertains no adjustability per se. Rather, it relies 
upon its collapsibility to afford what should be inherent design 
parameters, namely, adjustability for the tilting of the head from side to 
side as well as an adjustment for the variability in "nod" i.e., to-fro 
positioning of the head of any user. 
To overcome limitations of the prior art, this inventor chose to depart 
from the traditional design theme found in this field and systematically 
provide an apparatus that would allow freedom of motion in the planes 
defined by head tilt and "nod" postures. All the while, it was necessary 
to keep in mind that the preferred embodiment must have a high degree of 
esthetic attraction. To this latter end, there has been provided a feature 
of the invention that serves a dual purpose--an element that achieves 
comfortable securement of the invention while it is in use, and which 
affords an engaging or "cute" appearance when the handset/invention is not 
in use. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The disadvantages arising from the usage of prior telephone handset 
holder/cradles are obviated by providing a curvilinear frame which has a 
curved top portion cojoined with at least a single base means, to mount a 
soft resilient figurine thereon, and a curved lower portion that conforms 
to and is slidably mountable on the handset handle. The bottom, 
handset-conforming portion of the frame has built-in flanges which are 
adapted to engage a rigid track-like strip that has been adhesively fixed 
to the handle of the handset. When the flanged curvilinear frame is slid 
on to the track-like strip, the entire cradle may be adjusted to any 
desired postion on the handle. This ability to position along the handle's 
longitudinal axis affords adjustability in what was earlier described as 
the to-fro plane ("nod"). With one or more soft, resilient figurines 
attached to the upper portion or shoulder engaging portion of the frame, a 
non-slip secure stability is inculcated in the invention. 
Optionally, the invention conceives of a pivotal coupling between the 
shoulder-engaging portion of the frame and the handle-affixing portion. 
This pivotability is, by design, limited since it would serve no useful 
purpose to allow anything but a modicum of movement in the tilting plane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The preferred embodiment of the instant invention comprises a singular 
attachment (adhesive) means, a base means and two cradle devices, one 
separate and pivotally mounted, the other integral. The preferred 
embodiment also conceives of using a firm, yet resilient, figurine at the 
shoulder-engaging portion of the cradle. The figure serves a dual purpose 
of providing a secure, non-slipping contact point (or surface) in addition 
to lending an esthetic and engaging appearance to the invention. 
Referring more particularly now to FIG. 1, there is depicted in isometric 
illustration the two main features of the invention, the cradle 10 and the 
handset attaching strip 26. 
The cradle 10 is comprised of a curvilinear wire 14 having a pronounced 
peninsular-shaped projection 12 upon which is mounted some firm, yet 
resilient, mass (not shown) that will afford a frictional, non-slipping 
surface to the projection 12 portion of the cradle 10. Curvilinear wire 14 
is further defined by leg portions 14' which are pivotally mounted at 
holes 16 in base 18. Preferably, the inventor employs a means for 
acquiring pivotability and, with a pivotal mounting through base tabs 18' 
by holes 16, limits the extent of pivotability by recurving wire ends 16' 
approximately 80-90 degrees off the axes of legs 14'. This opposing 
recurvature of legs 14' allows cradle 10 to incline approximately ten 
degrees to the left and ten degrees to the right of the plane defined by 
the cradle 10 presented orthogonally presented to the base 18. For 
illustrative purposes, that plane may be visualized by photographic or 
picture frames 22 which lie congruently in the plane. Frames 22 are 
provided, either affixed to wire 14 or, alternatively to base 18. The 
purpose of the frames is to hold visual matter or reading matter for 
either esthetic purposes or for posting often-used telephone numbers or 
emergency instructions. It will be further noted, by the reader, that wire 
ends 16' limit motion in the plane (defined by frames 22) by contact with 
base 18'. Thus, a desired tilting i.e., the cradle with respect to the 
base, may be readily adjusted by the user to allow tilting (dynamic) 
positioning during use. 
Referring to base 18 of FIG. 1, there is further depicted a pair of 
colinear flange, 20 curving under the base. This flange is integral with 
the base and shall appear in more lucid detail in FIG. 4. It is the 
purpose of base 18, through flange 20, to engage a flat rectangular, 
curvilinear track 26 that has been affixed, by suitable adhesive means, to 
handset handle 24. The inventor uses a contact cement strip 28 for the 
adhesion means. Like many elements of this invention, the strip 28 has a 
two-fold purpose, also. Rather than produce a base 18--engaging track, and 
then place mucilage or adhesive on it, the inventor employs double-sided 
adhesive tape of a plastic or fibre composition, readily obtainable in 
most hardware stores. The tape strip 28 is cut narrower than the track 26 
so that after fixing one side of it to the track, distinct overlap margins 
30 are acquired on the track. When the base 18 flanges 20 are engaged with 
margins 30 of track 26, the entire cradle 10 may be positioned anywhere 
along the track. Since it is the purpose of the strip 28 to also adhere to 
handle 24, it follows that when properly engaged, the handle 24 and track 
26, the cradle will be adjustable in the "nod" plane that was described in 
Background Art of this disclosure. 
An orthographic set of illustrations, FIGS. 2A and 2B, more clearly defines 
the apparatus described above. For the sake of clarity, the upper 
shoulder-engaging portion of wire 14 is shown in phantom. The recurved 
ends 16' are clearly depicted from above and the reader can discern the 
recurve, here orthogonal to legs 14'; but, in conjunction with FIG. 1, 
clearly opposing. As mentioned earlier, the contact of end 16' with base 
18 limits the amount of cradle left-right tilt; while the amount of 
engagement of base 18 with and along track 26 provides nod, or to-fro, 
adjustment. 
FIG. 3 is an isometric illustration of the invention having all of the 
esthetics of the FIG. 1 embodiment but lacking tilt adjustability. A wider 
curvilinear band 32 has replaced the wire and a pedestal 34 takes the 
place of the projection. In keeping with the invention's esthetic design, 
figurine 36, composed of a firm, yet resilient-surfaced material is 
attached firmly to pedestal 34. The figurine's second purpose, comfortable 
securement, is fulfilled when the cradle is set on the phone user's 
shoulder. The slight resilience provides enough friction, even with the 
unclothed shoulder, to retain the band cradle 32 or the wire cradle 10 in 
the position in which it was placed. In some situations the user may wish 
to use the tilting device of FIG. 1. Such being the case, he or she has 
only to slide the band cradle off the handle and slide on, and adjust, the 
wire cradle. Once adjustments are made, the invention is used in the same 
fashion as all prior art handset holders are, with the distinction being 
that the instant invention allows rapid adjustment for individual comfort, 
selective nod latitude and head side-tilt motion. 
A reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, a cross section of FIG. 3 at 4A and 4B, 
shows how flanges 20 of band base 38 (or wire base 18) engage track 26 by 
a gripping action along margins 30. As described above, strip 28 is 
"sandwiched" between track 26 and handle 24. Strip thickness, as well as 
breadth, determines the tightness, as well as margin 30 exposure of track 
26. It is also noteworthy that the cradle unit of FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B is 
properly described as unitary. The flanges 20 are lateral band base 
extensions that have been "bent under" to form the means for gripping 
track 26 at margins 20. 
The aforementioned description and drawings shall serve to teach the 
principles of this invention. Further applications may be learned from 
practice with it, limitations thereto being had by the appended claims.