Hanging latch hook mechanism for telephones

Abstract

An apparatus sets a telephone to an on-hook state. The telephone has a base with at least one cavity forming a cradle for a handset The telephone also has a handset with an operative surface including a mouthpiece microphone and an earpiece speaker. A first surface of the handset is opposite to the operative surface. The apparatus includes a first arm having a surface, and the first arm responds to the surface being pressed by a portion of the handset being positioned in the base. The first arm moves to actuate an on-hook switch to set the telephone to the on-hook state. The surface of the handset which presses the first arm is the operative surface or the first surface. The first arm responds to the handset having the operative surface facing away from the base. The first arm also responds to the handset being positioned entirely out of the cradle by extending from a first slot in the base. With a portion of the handset being positioned in the cradle, the first arm is moved by the portion to be retracted through the first slot into the base. A cooperative arm is pivotally coupled to the first arm, with retraction of the first arm into the base causing the cooperative arm to extend through a cooperative arm slot to engage the handset to maintain the first arm in a retracted position in the base.