Abstract: For use in conjunction with vehicular, hand-held, pay telephone, a telephone holder and latching mechanism for securing the telephone in the holder and, in response to actuation by a telephone user, releasing the telephone from the holder. The holder includes an elongated holder channel of stepwise construction. The holder channel is enclosed at one end by a butt plate that provides access holes for the telephone line cord and a hook switch. The holder channel is enclosed at an opposite end by a credit-card-actuated latching mechanism. The latching mechanism includes a matching plate that provides a slot aligned with a slot in the holder face plate. A credit card, once inserted into the slots, is guided by a holder box so that the credit card is caused to abut a latch-release plate that is pivotably mounted to the holder channel.

Abstract: In conjunction with a hand-held, credit-card telephone for use aboard, for example, commerical aircraft, a telephone holder and credit-card unlatching mechanism ("CCUM"). The holder includes a holder channel of generally longitudinal, stepwise construction. The holder also includes a face plate with a vertical slot for the insertion of a credit card. A butt plate, secured to one end of the holder channel, and the CCUM, which is secured to the other end of the holder channel, together form, with the holder channel, a telephone-receiving cavity in which the telephone is secured when not in use.The CCUM itself includes a latch plate attached to the holder channel and exhibits a longitudinal slot in alignment with the vertical slot in the face plate. A latching mechanism is secured to the holder channel and operates to selectively, in response to the insertion of a credit card, latch or unlatch the telephone from the telephone-receiving cavity.