Antiseptic attachment for telephone-mouthpieces.

Application filed April 17i 1902. Serial Ko. 103j351. (Xo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Charles W. Clough, a citizen of the United States, residing at Watsonville, county of SantaCruz, State of Cali5 fornia, have invented an Improvement in Antiseptic Attachments for Telephone-Mouthpieces; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

io My invention relates to improvements in means for disinfecting telephone - mouthpieces. Its object is to provide a simple device which can be quickly attached to any ordinary mouthpiece, which shall in no wise 15 interfere with the transmitting quality of the telephone, and which shall have the property of destroying bacteria and other germs expelled by the breath. These bacteria and germs often render promiscuous use of tele20 phones a menace to health.

The invention consists of an antiseptic or sterilizing adhesive wafer stretched over the end of the mouthpiece and having no other means of attachment to the mouthpiece than 25 its inherent adhesiveness.

The figure shows my attachment applied to the mouthpiece of an ordinary telephone.

In carrying out my invention I take a piece of thin flexible material of suitable strength 30 and texture, cut it into the shape preferably of a disk of slightly greater diameter than the end of the mouthpiece, and then dip it into an antiseptic gum solution or wax compound which has the quality of only partially 35 setting when dry, so that the wafer remains flexible and will adhere to the object to which it is to be attached. Either one or both sides of the wafer may be coated. The ingredients of this compound are not essential for the pur40 poses of this application. Sufficient to say that when the material forming this wafer, which material may be paper, rubber, or any suitable textile fabric, has been so treated the wafer will have the quality of adheringto anything it touches on the application of suffi- 45 cient warmth and, moreover, all exhalations by the breath will be completely sterilized by contact therewith. The flexibility and adhesive quality of the wafer allows it to be stretched over the end of the mouthpiece A 50 and its ends drawn down against the sides of the mouthpiece to cause it to adhere thereto. As the wafer forms a thin tight drum or diaphragm B it interferes in no way with the transmitting power of the telephone, and it 5 5 can be removed at a moment’s notice to allow another one to be stretched over the mouthpiece whenever the antiseptic qualities have become diminished.

These wafers may be produced at slight ex- 60 penseand without special machinery, may be packed flat in a box, and require no special or separate appliance to hold them on the mouthpiece.

Having thus-described my invention, what 65