US1028756A - Mail-receiving apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

W. L. MAINER.

MAIL RECEIVING APPARATUS. APPLIGATION FILED FEBJO, 1912.

' Patented June 4, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH C0WASHIN0|\JN. D. c.

W. L. MAINER. MAIL RECEIVING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1912.

1,028,756. v Patented June 4,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES,

PATENT curios.

WILLIAM L. Minivan, or LAMB,"TEXAs, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T0 J. M. I-IUBERT, :or'

LAMB, TEXAS."

MAIL-RECEIVING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedqune 4, 1912.

.Application filed February 10, T912. Serial No. 676,790.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. MA NER, a citizen of the United States,.residing at Lamb, in the countyof Liberty and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Receiving As will be hereinafter more fully 6X plained, the particular advantage of my device isto overcome any necessity of the postmaster or station-master having charge of the mail, remaining on watch'to'r'eceive the mail which may be delivered at the station by moving trains, my invention being adapted especially.- to insure its proper safety in delivery .as well as prevent likelihood of the mail being exposed to the elements and thereby injured. i

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view' of. myinvention, showing the same in positionto .receive a bag of mail. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation,

.partly in section, showing the catchingarm after the bag has been deposited-in the box in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4+4: of Fig. 2 showing the'arm in position to receive the mail ba l Throughout the following detail description and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters. I v

Referring now to the drawings, a re-v ceiving apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention consists of a plurality of standards 1 having secured on their upper portions areceptacle or housing 2which may be of any size or shape most suitable for'the purpose forwhich it is desired. "The receivjacent the track 3 of the railroad or contiguous to the platform of a station, the

ing apparatus is designed to be locatedvad side of the receptacle 2 adjacent the track 8 of said arm having its hearings in the transverse bars 9 and 9 secured to the: op-

posite sides of the upper ends of the standards 1. The arm or receiving member 7 has adjustably mounted at one end acounterbalancing weight 10, the tendency of, which i isto bring the arm intovertical position, and the end opposite, the weight being adapted to swing into the receptacle as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. ,3

This tendency above, referred tois assisted further by mounting the pivot at of the center ofthe arm.

one side The end of the arm'7 opposite the weight 10 has mounted thereonia grabbing hook :11 formed with a U-shaped portion, 1 1 and elongated end 11", the shapev of the hook being especially provided to most readily 'catch'a bag of mail impingedthereagainst.

The hook 11 is furthermore mounted in the arm for partial rotation, the'inner end 12 i thereof belng bent'laterally and adapted to .move in-the notch 12" as will-behereinafter more fully. described. o e H At a suitable'point near the upper ,por

tion of the front standards 1 is a small platform 13 supportedby means of the brackets 14c secured to the standards: aforesaid. Mounted on'the upper surfacevof the plat- 15, eachrhaving ashank'15' secured to the platform as by the staples 16, thejextremity of vsaid shank. being bent at right angles thereto to form astopfinger 15 to permit from its vertical position.

As thus described the operator having 7 charge of themail opens the doors 4 of, the

casing. 2, access tosaidcasing being pro- .vided by the ladder. 16 at one side of'the form 13 are the retaining hooks: or triggers 1' said hook to rotate only intone direction 9 standards 1, said ladder extending to the platform 13', and bearing downwardly on the end of the arm 7 until it assumes an approximately horizontal position, the hook 15 is then engaged over an elongated projection 17 on the side of said arm. As will be noted from the drawings the arm 7 has a screw-eye 18 near its outer end through whichthe rope 5 passes, and said rope is of sufficient length to permit the arm to assume its horizontal and vertical positions. The grabbing hook 11 is then adjusted so as to present its open portion toward the direction in which thetrain is to come and thehook 15 on the same side of the arm 7 as this direction is used when adjusting the arm in its operative position. The apparatusrequires no further attention on the J partof the operator until such time as it 20 is convenient for him to remove the contents of the receptacle.

horizontalarms 20 between which the bag or pouch of mail 21 is removably suspended.

Saidpouch 21 is tied preferably at its cen-' 'tral portion and in passing my apparatus the contracted portion is engaged in the hook 11, the jar imparted by the action described disengaging the retaining hook 15 from the arm 7 whereupon the bag, by reason of the mounting of said arm and the weight 10 on the opposite end thereof, is swung and deposited in the receptacle 2, the

arm 7 moving through the slot 6 in the bottom of said receptacle.

Through the instrumentality of the rope 5 which is attached to the arm, the doors 4 are pulled shut and being preferably provided with a lock 22 the receptacle is thus closed against unauthorized access.

A spring 23 secured to the side of the receptacle 2 engages with an eye on the doors l to hold them from being swung by the wind, but will readily permit disengagement when the arm is forced upwardly and the rope 5 draws them into closed position. The mounting of the hook '11 will permit the same to be turnedfrom itshorizontal planeby the weight of the bag as it is swung into the receptacle 2 and will assume a position in a vertical plane, as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, so

that said bag is released from the hook and deposited in the receptacle. Having thus described what is claimed as new is: v

1. A mail bag receiving apparatus comprising. a receptacle, a pivoted receiving the invention,

member, a trigger coeperating with one end of the receiving member to engage and hold said member in an abnormal position to catch the bag and operable by impact of the with the receiving member to disengage the trigger from the latter, and a ing means normall move a bag from a moving train, means to permit the arm to deliver the bag into the receptacle when actuated, and means cooperating with said arm to automatically close the doors aforesaid as the bag is deposited in the receptacle.

3. A mail bag receiving apparatus, comprising standards, a receptacle mounted thereon, doors for said receptacle, an arm pivotally mounted beneath the receptacle, a connection between the doors aforesaid and the arm operable to close the doors when. the arm is actuated, and means to hold the arm in operative position and adapted to be released by contact of thebag with said arm.

4:. A mail bag receiving apparatus, comprising standards, a receptacle carried thereby, doors for said receptacle, means for catching a bag from a moving train, delivering the bag into said receptacle and simultaneously closing the doors aforesaid.

5. A mail bag receiving apparatus, comprising standards, a receptacle carried thereby, doors for said receptacle, an arm pivotally mounted on the standards having means normally tending to cause the arm to assume a vertical position, means for holding the arm in operative position to receive a bag from a moving train, means connecting the doors and arm aforesaid normally inactive when the latter is in operative position and ing hook to hold the arm in approximately horizontal operative position to receive a bag from a moving train, and operable by contact of the bag to release the arm and permit it to be swung into the receptacle, a

flexible connection between the doors 'aforesaid and connected to the arm, anda grabbing hook mounted on one end of said arm I to catch the bag and deposit the same into the receptacle. 7

7. A mail bag receiving apparatus, comprising standards, a receptacle carried thereby, doors for said receptacle, an arm pivotally mounted beneath'said receptacle, havtending to cause the arm to swing therelnto, a platform secured to the standards aforesaid, retaining hooks rotatably mounted on said platform and adapted to engage one end of the arm to hold the same in operative position to receive a bag from a moving train and adapted to be released from the arm by contact of the bag thereagainst, a grabbing hook pivotally mounted in one end of the arm and adapted to catch the bag and to be rotated to release said bag as the arm is swung into the receptacle, a flexible-connection between the doors aforesaid and connecting with the arm whereby the doors are automatically closed as the arm is swung into the receptacle, and locking means on said doors operable as they are closed to prevent unauthorized access to the said receptacle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. MAINER.

Witnesses F. B. HENDERsoN, ALBERT RAGSDALE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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