US2604260A - Mailbox - Google Patents

Description

y 22, 1952 F. G. BROWN 2,604,260

MAILBOX Filed Aug. 1, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

F-G- BROWN ATTORNEY Patented July 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAILBOX Frank G. Brown, Salem, Ill.

Application August 1, 1949, Serial No. 107,880

2 Claims.

This invention relates to deposit and collection receptacles, and more particularly to a mail box designed to be attached to the wall, door or other portion of a building, and in which unauthorized access thereto is prevented by the provision of locking means operable only from the inside of the dwelling or other building to which the device is attached.

Heretofore numerous devices of this nature have been developed, but with many of these the contents of the mail box interfered with proper operation of the locking means, and in some instances where a particularly large quantity of mail was deposited in the box, it was impossible to properly engage the locking means.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a relatively simple mail box which may be economically constructed of wood, plastic, metal, or other desired material, and which may be applied to the wall of a building with a minimum of alteration thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a mail box in which locking means is provided for preventing unauthorized access thereto, which locking means may be operated only from the interior of the building upon which the mail box is mounted.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mail box having means for accommodating large matter such as newspapers or other periodicals and in which means is likewise operated to prevent accidental opening of the box upon release of the locking means.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a mail box in accordance withthis invention mounted on a wall, the box being in closed position;

Fig. 2, a fragmentary perspective of the mounting plate applied to the wall of a building and the means for supporting the mail box thereon and locking. the same in closed position;

Fig. 3, a longitudinal sectional view of the mail box applied to the wall of the building and illustrating the arrangement of the locking means to be operated from the interior of the building; and

Fig. 4, a fragmentary sectional view taken on the lined-4 of Fig. 3, and showing the details of the locking and latching mechanism.

With continued reference to the drawing, a mail box In comprises an elongated container generally rectangular in cross section, this container being pivotally mounted on a supporting plate H by hinges or other suitable means l2.

Plate H, as shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a plurality of apertures l3 for receiving screwthreaded fastening means or the like M, whereby the plate H is securely fastened in place on the wall of a building or other desired supporting means.

Container [0 is provided with an inclined top wall I 5 and in this wall there is an elongated slot Hi to facilitate the deposit of mail or the like in the container [0. In order to prevent entry of rain or other foreign material through the slot into the box, there is provided a cover I! pivotally mounted by a hinge pin is attached. to upstanding ears l9 provided on the box It The cover I! is movable, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 3, in order to permit the easy introduction of mail through the slot l6 and will return to position under the action of gravity, the weight thereof being sufficient to prevent upward movement by the wind.

Box ll may also be provided on the outer surface thereof with a frame 20 adapted for the reception of a card or the like bearing information as to the owner of the box. In order to facilitate handling newspapers or other bulky periodicals there are provided brackets 2|, each of which may be conveniently cut from a single piece of material, such as wood or plastic, and having upstanding portions 22 spaced forwardly of the front surface of the box l0, whereby the periodicals may be positioned between the upstanding portions 22 and such front surface. Brackets 2i are secured in position on the box ID by screw-threaded fastening means or the like 23 passing through portions thereof and into the side walls of the box l0.

Box IE! is provided with a rear wall 24 extending upwardly from the bottom 25 for a portion of the width thereof, the wall 24 terminating in edge 26, as shown in Fig. 3, the space between this point and the top wall l5 providing an aperture sufficiently large to permit the removal of mail or the like deposited in box II].

In order to securely lock the box ID in closed position with the rear surfaceof rear wall 24 abutting the front surface of plate I I there is provided on the Wall 24 a projection 2'! surrounding a recess 28. A plate 29 is secured to projection 21 by screw-threaded fastening means or the like 30, this place extending inwardly over a portion of the recess 28 and being provided with a slot 3| for the reception of a locking bolt 32. The bolt 32, as shown in Fig. 2, is of elongated construction and when located in one position is adapted to pass through the slot 3!, thus permitting movement of the box i8 and rear wall 24 away from plate ii, whereby access to the interior of box It may be had and upon return of the box and rear wall 24 to its initial position bolt 32 will be disposed within the re cess 28 and will serve to lock the box in such position by rotation thereof through an arc of approximately 90 whereby the bolt 32 is disposed crosswise of the slot 3|, the bolt engaging plate 29 to retain and lock the box in position.

Bolt 32 is mounted on a shaft 33 extending through a sleeve or the like 34 disposed in the wall 35 of a building, the shaft 33 being provided at its opposite end with a finger-engaging knob 38 to facilitate turning of the bolt 32. In order to indicate whether the box is in locked or unlocked position an indicating means in the form of a pointer 3'? may also be secured to the shaft 33 adjacent the knob 36, and a plate 33 with suitable indicia thereon may be positioned against the inner surface of wall 35 in order to cooperate with the pointer 3'. in indicating whether the box is in locked or unlocked condition.

When the box is in unlocked position it is de sired to prevent inadvertent opening thereof by action of the wind or other means, and for this purpose there is provided a resilient latch in the 1 form of a spring member 39 secured to the plate I l by screw-threaded fastening means or the like 40 adjacent the side of the box it away from hinges i2. Latch 33 is provided with an aperture 4| adapted for engagement with a pin or been provided a relatively simple mail box in i,

which the box will normally be retained in locked condition, as shown in Fig. 3, in which case mail may be deposited therein through the slot i6, and when it is desired to obtain this mail, it is only necessary to manipulate the knob 35 to position the locking bolt 32 for passage through the slot 3i, whereupon the box may be swung outwardly on hinges 12 after disengaging latch from pin 42, the mail in the box being removed through the space above rear wall 24. The box may then be returned to closed position where it is held by latch 39 until knob 30 is actuated to return the bolt 32 to a position crosswise of the slot 3!, thereby securely locking the box in closed position. The provision of the locking means on the rear surface of wall 24 precludes any interference with the operation thereof by mail or other material within the box, and consequently regardless of the volume of mail the operation of the lock will in no way be impaired. Such a device provides for complete protection of mail and renders the same completely inaccessible to unauthorized persons, it being impossible for anyone to obtain access to the box who does not also have access to the interior of the building on which the box is mounted.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departure from the spirit of the invention, and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A mail box comprising an elongated substantially rectangular receptacle for mail, having a top wall, a bottom wall, side walls and a rear wall, said rear wall terminating in spaced relation to the top wall providing an access opening, one of the exposed walls being provided with a mail slot, a mounting plate for said receptacle, pivot means connecting one edge of the rear wall of the receptacle to said mounting plate so that the receptacle may swing outwardly to aiford access to the receptacle and may be swungin the opposite direction to bring its rear wall into parallelism with said mounting plate so that said access opening will be closed by said mounting plate, a projection on the outer surface of said rear wall, said mounting plate having an opening for receiving said projection, said projection having a recess and an elongated opening communicating with said recess, a shaft having a transverse bolt at one end for disposition in said opening in said mounting plate and constructed to extend through the elongated opening in said projection and be rotated in said recess for looking engagement with said projection, said shaft adapted to extend through a portion of a building, and operating means on the other end of said shaft.

2. A mail box for mounting on one side of a portion of a building comprising a receptacle havin a rear wall, a front wall, side walls, a top wall and bottom wall, means for mounting said receptacle for movement from an inner position with the rear wall adjacent one side of a portion of the building to a position spaced therefrom, said rear wall being provided with an access opening for the removal of mail from the receptacle, one of said other walls having a mail receiving slot, locking means engaging the outside of the rear wall of the receptacle for securing the receptacle in its inner position whereby the side portion of the building closes said access opening, rotatable shaft means extendable through said side portion of the building and actuatable from the other side thereof for operating said locking means for selectively securing said receptacle in its inner position closing said access opening and for releasing said receptacle for outward movement for exposing said access opening.

FRANK G. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 111,461 Lewis 1 Jan. 31, 1871 861,290 Koons July 30, 1907 865,400 Koons Sept. 10, 1907 955,730 Westelin Apr. 19, 1910 1,024,617 Chambers Apr. 30, 1912 1,344,281 Walker June 22, 1920

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