US1069816A - Mail-box indicator. - Google Patents

Description

S. B. SARGENT.

MAIL BOX INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1910.

Patented'Aug. 12, 1913.

3 SEEETS'SHEET 1.

OLlDA I 1 COLUMBIA 'PLANOGRAPH 50.. WASHING S. B. SARGENT.

MAIL BOX INDICATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED D110. 6, 1910.

Patented Aug; 12, 1913.

a flunk-SHEET a.

S. B. SARGENT.

MAIL BOX INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 6 1910 1,069,816. Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANUGIIAPH cn., WASHINGTON n c FQTQE.

ann'r SUMNER B. SARGENT, OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO GRACE E. SARGENT, OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.

MAIL-BOX INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12,1913.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SUMNER B. Sanonn'r, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Charlotte, county of Mecklenburg, State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Box Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to indicators such as are used on mail boxes for the indication of the different times during the day and night that collections are made from the box.

The mail box indicators which are in general use at present are constituted by a single card upon which the different hours and the other indications are suitably imprinted, and this card is applied in an appropriate manner to the front face of the letter box. This form of indicator is open to the serious objection that as the hours of collection are changed frequently the card has to be entirely replaced in order to set forth the desired information correctly; and this is a matter of considerable trouble and expense. The old cards have to be removed from the boxes and the newly printed cards have to be installed, it being apparent, moreover, that in a large city in which the collections differ considerably in number and time in different sections, a very large number of different indicating cards must be, furnished.

The present invention aims to provide an improved mail box indicator having removable and interchangeable indicating devices whereby the indication of any particular time can be changed as desired without altering the other indications on the box.

The invention also aims to provide an indicator having indicating devices of improved form, and so mounted on the mail box as to prevent the damaging of the indicator or tampering therewith by unauthorized persons; and my indicator also has the substantial advantage that it can be readily set or adjusted by an authorized person without the necessity of having access to the inside of the box, as is necessitated by the arrangement now in general use, wherein the card-holding frame has to be completely removed from the box wall, in order to change the card, by loosening bolts from the box interior.

The novel features of the invention will appear clearly from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mail box provided with an indicator embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the lower part of the box, showing the cover of the device swung down for access to the indicating members; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the improved indicator detached from the mail box; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line 33 of Fig. 2% Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view partly in section of one of the series of carrying elements on which the indicating members are mounted; Fig. 5 is a cross section through a carrying member; Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a modified form of indicating member or plate, Fig. 6 showing the means forattaching the plate to the car rying element or support; Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View of another or modified form of indicating plate; Fig. 9 is a perspective View of a carrier upon which plates similar to those shown in Fig. 8 are mounted; and Figs. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate still further modifications of the carrier or support and its indicating plates.

Referring to the drawings, my improved indicator is denoted generally by reference character A, and it is shown as mounted on the front of an ordinary mail box B in lieu of the customary printed indicating card. From Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that an attaching plate 15 is bolted to the front wall of the box by means of a bolt 16, and that the plate 15 carries a pintle 17, upon which a cover 18 is mounted to swing preferably in a vertical direction. The cover 18 incloses a plurality of carrying elements 19 upon which indicating members are arranged preferably in a vertical row, and said carrying elements or supports are hinged at their lower ends on the pintle 17 within the cover and extend from said pintle in parallel relation although the hinging of the carriers is not an essential feature of the invention when considered from its broader aspects.

At the upper part of the indicator, a cleat 20 is bolted to the box wall, and it is provided at one end with a slotted flange 20? into which the sliding locking bolt 21 of a lock 21 applied to the upper part of the cover 18 interiorly thereof, is adapted to slide. The lock 21 can be operated by means of a key which is insert-ed therein through a keyhole 22 preferably formed in the outer face of the cover, as shown in Fig. 1 although this precise arrangement is not essential. then the lock 21- is unlocked by an authorized employee of the Post Office Department the cover 18 can be swung down on the pintle 17 into the position shown in Fig. 2, and in this way the several carrying elements 19 and their indicating members are rendered accessible for adjustment. It will be understood of course, that the cover 18 is provided with inturned flanges at the sides and top, as shown, so that when it is in its closed po sition the carriers are not accessible at those points and bars or solid portions of the cover when the latter is in locked position may conceal and make inaccessible the ends of the indicating members. The bottom of the device is partially protected by a flange 15 on the plate 15, which flange 15 extends below the pintle 17 and into close proximity to the lower edge of the cover. The cover is movable on the pintle by means of bearings 23 at the ends and intermediate lugs 24. The indicating members 25 carried by the respective supports or carriers are visible through rows ofsight openings 26 in the front wall of the cover, which sight openings are alined with the respective carriers and are separated from each other by parallel solid portions 27. The solid portions adjacent the sight openings overlie and preferably abut the side edge portions of the indicating devices 25.

In the form of the invention illustrated in detail in Figs. 2, 2, 3 and 4, the carriers 19 are formed of cast metal blocks each having a longitudinal row of openings 19 in which the respective indicating members, which in this case are constituted by small cast metal blocks, are set, said blocks being retained in position, when the coveris closed by the solid portions 27 of the cover wall, which overlie the edge portions of the blocks, in which retaining rabbets 28 to receive said solid portions are formed, as shown in F 1. At their upper ends the carriers or supports 19 are provided with flanges or lips 29, and over said lips lies a single slidable bar 80 which is retained in place between the cleat 20 and the front box wall, as shown in Fig. 3. The bar 30 is slidable freely in a horizontal direction beneath the cleat, and by moving it lengthwise in one or the other direction, as indicated in Fig. 2, the lip 29 of any desired carrier can be released so that such carrier can be swung forward on the pintle into a position wherein it is individually accessible for removing the indicating blocks and putting new ones in place. This hinged arrangement of the carriers is not of so much importance when the indicating blocks 25 are merely set freely in the holes 19 of the carrier, as indicated at the right of Fig. 2 but it is highly advantageous where the individual indicating blocks are retained in place by pins 31 passed transversely through holes in the carrier and in the blocks, as shown at the left of Fig. 2 Instead of locking the indicating blocks in place separately and individually, as just described, all of the blocks of one carrier may be locked in position by means of a single retaining rod 32 passed through the carrier longitudinally and engaging vertically directed holes 33 in the rear portions of the blocks, as best shown in Fig. 5. l/Vith this arrangement, the locking in place of an entire row of indicating blocks can be effected by placing the rod 32 in position in the carrier, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and by simply pulling out the rod from the carrier all of the blocks mounted in the latter are rendered removable.

The blocks the provided with indications corresponding to the different hours of collection, for example, 5.10, 6.10 etc.; and there are also A. M. and P. M. blocks and Sunday and Holiday blocks for arrangei'nent in the manner indicated in Fig. 1, or any other suitable arrangement made feasible by the rows of individual indicating blocks on the respective carriers. Still other blocks are plain on their outer faces, and are simply used as space blocks, as is also indicated in Fig. 1. The blocks are preferably made of cast aluminum, having rearwardly projecting lugs 34 which engage the shouldered sockets 19 of the carriers the lugs and sockets being of such shape as will retain each indicating block in proper alinement and spacing independently of the others. In casting the blocks, the indicating characters may be cast in relief or otherwise, as desired.

Instead of making the indicating blocks of cast metal, 1 may form them of sheet metal, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. In these figures, 35 indicates a sheet metal plate, the side edges of which are turned under, and which is provided at the ends with perforated lugs 36 adapted to be bent along the sides of a carrier 19 A cotter pin 37 passes through the body of the carrier and the lugs of the indicating plate and locks said plate in place on the carrier, as shown in Fig. 6.

F 8 illustrates a sheet metal indicating plate 38 having converging downturned side flanges 39 which form between them a dovetailed guide adapted to be slid over corresponding dovetailed ribs 40, of a carrier or support 19 as illustrated in Fig. 9. According to this modification the indicating plates are secured in position merely by sliding them lengthwise over the corresponding ribs of the carrier.

The carrier elements themselves may be made of sheet metal if such is desired, and this construction is shown in Figs. 10 to 12. In Fig. 10, 19 is a sheet metal carrier having a slitted end 41 bent to fit over the pintle removably, so that if desired the carrier may be easily detached from the latter. Along the side margins the plate or carrier is provided with small holes or slots l2 which serve to receive fastening devices 43 (which may be the ordinary paper fasteners) serving to lock the flat sheet metal indicating plate in position on the carrier, there being fasteners at both ends of each indicating plate said fasteners being covered and made inaccessible by the bars or transverse solid portions 27 of the cover when the latter is locked in place. Figs. 11 and 12 indicate a somewhat similar arrangement, in which, however, the fasteners are omitted. The indicating plates 45 are provided with terminal lugs L6 adapted to be bent around the edges of the carrier 19 and to belocked in recesses 47 cut in the side edges of said carrier.

It will be understood readily from the foregoing description that the indicating members may be adjusted or replaced very easily by an authorized person. It is simply necessary to unlock the lock 21 and throw down the cover l8into the position shown in Fig. 2, after which the bar 30 is slid lengthwise until it releases the carrier of any particular column. When the carrier is released, it is an easy matter to swing the same forward and to change the indicating members thereof, as desired.

Obviously I do not wish to limit myself to the particular constructions shown in the drawings, as many others may be adapted without digressing fro-m my inventive idea.

hat I claim is 1. In a mail box indicator, the combination of separate and independently movable carrier elements adapted to be supported in hinged relation to the box wall, individually removable and interchangeable indicating devices mounted on and extending transversely across each of said elements, and a cover adapted to be supported in hinged relation to the box wall and arranged to inclose and confine said carrier elements, said cover being provided with sight openings to register with the indica tions of said indicating devices when the cover is closed, and the solid portions of the cover adjacent said sight openings being arranged to abut and overlie the side edge portions of said indicating devices.

2. In a mail box indicator, the combination of separate carrier elements adapted to be located side by side against one wall of the box. indicating devices mounted in a row on each of said elements, means to secure the respective end portions of said carrier elements in position against the box Wall in such a manner that said elements are separately movable and accessible for the adjustment of the indicating devices thereon, means to secure the indicating devices detachably on the carrier elements, and a cover adapted to be hingedly supported by the box wall and adapted, when closed, to inclose and confine said carrier elements, said cover having sight openings to register with the indications of the indicating devices, and also having solid portions to abut and overlie the side edge portions of said devices.

3. In a mail box indicator, the combina tion of a pintle adapted to be applied to one wall of the box, separate carrier elements individually hinged to said pintle so that each may be swung against and away from the front of the box independently of each other, means at the free ends of said ele ments to hold them detachably against the box wall, a plurality of detachable indicating devices mounted on each carrier element, and a cover hinged to said pintle and arranged to inclose and confine all of said carrier elements, said cover having sight openings to register with the indications of the indicating devices and also having solid portions to abut and overlie the side edge portions of said devices.

4. In a mail box indicator, the combination with a pintle adapted to be applied to the wall of the box, and a casing mounted to swing on said pintle and having sight openings, of a plurality of carriers each mounted at one end on the pintle within the casing, and adapted to lie in the same plane against said wall of the box, and individually removable indicating members mounted on each carrier and visible through said sight openings in the casing.

5. In a mail box indicator, the combination with a pintle applied to the box wall, a casing hinged to the pintle, indicator carrying elements hinged to the pintle within the casing, and locking means carried by the casing at the side opposite the pintle and coacting with a fixed part of the box wall.

6. In a mail box indicator, the combination of a hinged casing adapted to be applied to the box wall and carrying a look at its free edge, a cleat adapted to be applied to the box wall to coact with said look, a slidable bar adapted to be retained between the cleat and the box wall, and a plurality of indicator carriers each of which fits at one end under said bar.

7. In a mail box indicator, the combination of a pintle adapted to be applied to the box wall, a casing or cover adapted to be supported in hinged relation to the box wall by means of said pintle said casing carrying a look at its free edge, a cleat adapted to be applied to the box Wall and coacting With said lock to lock the casing against said Wall, a slidable bar adapted to be retained between said cleat and said Wall, and a plural ity of indicator carriers hinged on said pintle and inclosed by said casing when the latter is locked to the Wall, the free end of each carrier being detachably retained beneath said slidable bar.

8. In a mail box indicator, an indicator carrier, a pintle hingedly supporting said carrier With respect to the box Wall, and individually removable and interchangeable indicating devices mounted on said carrier, said carrier adapted to be freely removed from said pintle and replaced thereon.

9. In a mail box indicator, an indicator carrier, a pintle hingedly supporting said carrier With respect to the box Wall, and individually removable and interchangeable indicating devices mounted on said carrier, said carrier adapted to be removed from and replaced on said pintle Without removing the latter.

10. In a mail box indicator, a pintle, an indicator carrier mounted thereon, means to secure said pintle to the box Wall, a cover hingedly supported by the box Wall and adapted to inclose said carier, locking 3 means associated With said cover and box Wall, said cover adapted When closed to render said pin-tle securing means and said locking means inaccessible.

11. In a mail box indicator, a pintle, an

indicator carrier mounted thereon, means to secure said pintle to the box Wall, said means being removable only from the interior of the box, a cover mounted on said pintle and adapted to inclose said carrier, locking the box, and said cover adapted When closed to render said locking means and both of said securing means inaccessible.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my slgnature,

in presence of tWo Witnesses.

SUMNER B. SARGENT.

Witnesses:

F. N. McCoUR'r, A. MURRAY BENSON.

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

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