Patent ID: 7376231

Claim:
An abuse-resistant phone for permanent mounting to a mounting surface in an environment wherein the phone is subject to abuse, said phone attachable to a phone line, said phone comprising: a housing having a main housing member and a retrofit housing member; said main housing member including at least one push button aperture, and a portion of an inner surface, a housing interior, and an outer surface; said retrofit housing member securable to said main housing member and including another portion of each of said inner surface, said housing interior, and said outer surface, said retrofit housing member further including a pair of aural apertures; a mouthpiece and an earpiece at least partially disposed within said housing interior, said mouthpiece and said earpiece fixed with respect to said retrofit housing member of said housing, such that said mouthpiece and said earpiece may be selectively retrofitted and secured via the retrofit housing member to an alternate main housing member; a plurality of push buttons at least partially disposed within said housing interior and positioned with respect to said at least one push button aperture for functional access from outside said housing; an escrow mechanism accessible from outside said housing for accepting payment, said escrow mechanism including payment receiving slot, each through said housing front wall and a coin box interior to said housing for receiving payment; a dial tone actuating component accessible outside said housing for actuating a dial tone; and an electronic circuit board disposed within said housing interior and electronically connected to each of said earpiece, said mouthpiece, said plurality of push buttons, said escrow mechanism, and said dial tone actuating component.