GB2198183A

GB2198183A - Letter box attachments

Info

Publication number: GB2198183A
Application number: GB08612523A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Llewelyn Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-05-22
Filing date: 1986-05-22
Publication date: 1988-06-08
Also published as: GB8612523D0

Abstract

Letter Box Attachments comprises an open top container with a can be an additional deflection plate 3 to allow items to ride over into the container. Side walls are higher than Letter Box opening then slope up towards the other end wall 4, which has a portion 5 will be turned inwardly to deflect large items back into the container. <IMAGE>

Description

"Improvements relating to Letter Box Attachments" This invention relates to an attachment for a letter box to make access to the interior of a property through a letter box much more difficult to achieve. If a letter box is provided on a door it may be possible for a person to insert his arm or a tool through'the door to try and and undo a latch on the inside of the door, or to pour inflammable materials, for example, through the letter box onto the floor of the property. This invention aims to make it much more difficult for such practices to be carried out.

Accordingly, this invention provides a letter box attachment comprising an open-topped container with one end wall formed with an opening to receive a flap of a letter box when attached to a door to cover the region occupied by the letter box flap, and a deflection plate projecting into the container upwardly from the lower edge of the opening.

The deflection plate provides a relatively narrow opening between itself and the opened flap of the letter box through which it is difficult to pass a hand or a tool, whilst still allowing items such as letters to be pushed through to ride over the deflection plate so as to fall into the container.

Also the deflection plate restricts the view of anyone trying to look through the opening for the letter box flap. Furthermore any unwanted-materials pushed or poured through the flap can only pass into the container in view of the minimal access available.

Still greater security is achieved if the deflection plate extends for a short distance to the outside of the box so that this extension will lie within the opening for the letter box flap when the attachment is in place.

It is preferred that the side walls of the container should extend up beyond the level of the top of the opening so that it is very difficult for anything to be poured over the side of the container. Ideally, the side walls will slope up from the one end wall towards the other end wall.

The other end wall will ideally extend up substantially above the side walls, and with advantage the free end of the other end wall will be turned inwardly.

A portion of the end wall above the opening can incorporate fixing means enabling the container to be attached to a door.

The invention may be performed in various ways and a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section through a letter box attachment of this invention attached to a door; and Figure 2 is a further vertical cross-section on line II-II of Figure 1.

The letter box attachment is provided in the form of a container 1 having two side walls 2, a front end wall 3 and a rear end wall 4 which between them define an open-topped container. The end wall 3 has an opening 5 defined therein which will align with an opening 6 formed in a door 7 and closed by a hinged flap 8.

Projecting inwardly and upwardly from the lower edge of the opening 5 is a deflection plate 9. This extends also outwardly of the container 1 as a short plate 9A which will be received within the opening 6 and closes the gap between the container 1 and the door 7. As can be seen from Figure 2, the end wall 3 also incorporates holes 10 for the receipt of screws which will be driven into the door 7 to hold the container 1 in position.

In use, items such-as letters can be passed through the door by raising the flap 8 to the position indicated in dashed outline at 8A and the letters can then be pushed into the container 1 through the gap between the raised flap 8 and the deflection plate 9 (although some letter box flaps can be raised outwardly).

Large letters or newspapers, for example, when pushed through to the far side of the container 1 will be deflected upwardly by the rear wall 4 and, if necessary, by an inwardly-turned portion 11 at the free end of the wall 4 until the other'end of the article passes over the free end of the deflection plate 9 so that the whole item can then fall into the main part of the container 1. The raised and upwardly sloping edges of the side walls 2 render it very difficult for anything to be passed through the narrow gap between the raised flap 8 and the deflection plate 9 and over the edge of a side wall 2.

It will be appreciated that if necessary further attachment screws could be provided through holes in the lower portion of the wall 3 below the deflection plate 9. Easier fixing of the lower portion of the attachment is achieved however by providing wings 11, with fixing holes 12 for the receipt of screws, at the outside of the container 1

Claims

CLAllES.

1. A Letter Box Attachment comprising of an open topped container with a Letter Box opening deflector plate upwardly into container, opposite the Letter Box opening another deflector plate is also the end wall, with top portion of this wall being turned inwardly giving a further deflection in a downward motion. With side walls sloping upwards from Letter Box opening to opposite wall.

2. A Letter Box Attachment as claimed in 1 where deflector plate is provided at Letter Box opening to commence upwardly motion into the container.

3. A Letter Box Attachment as claimed in 1 opposite the Letter Box opening another deflector plate continuing upwardly motion. This plate forming end wall.

4. A Letter Box Attachment as claimed in 1 or claim 3 deflector plate forming end wall, with further deflector plate at top portion there of forming downwardly motion into container.

5o A Letter Box Attachment as claimed in 4 wherein the catchment of items fall into the secure container.

6. A Letter Box Attachment as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the container is provided with at least one deflector plate.

7. A Letter Box Attachment as claimed in 6 wherein the or each deflector plate is provided with a portion of a deflector plate forming another deflector plate so giving a further motion.

8. A Letter Box Attachment substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 - 6 of the accompanying drawing.