US1587920A - Adjustable mail-box support - Google Patents

Description

'Jun 8 1926.

R. C. PIXLER ADJUSTABLE MAIL ox SUPPORT Filed April 8, 1925 gwwmtot C PrJaGZerh Patented June 8, 1926.

NITED sir RALPH -C. .IPIXLER, OF LUANA, IOWA.

ADJUSTABLE MAIL-BOX SUPPORT.

'Application filed April 8, 1925. 'Serial No. 21,640.

This invention relates to supporting devices and more particularly to a supporting structure for rural mail boxes. As a matter of convenience, it is desirable to support 'r'ural "mail boxes at such an elevation that the 'mail carrier may deposit mail therein without leaving the vehicle in which he is traveling, whether-the vehicle be an automobile, -a horse-drawn vehicle such as a carriage, or a sleigh, and, in fact, in some States, the regulations require that the box shall, be 'sosupported if mail is 'to be deliv- "cred. Asthe ground at the roadside may vary in elevation with respect to the road surface at different points of delivery, each mail box-owner is, therefore, required to obtain a ZPOS t'Gf a height which will properly support his particular mailbox, which, however, it is not always convenient to do. Therefore, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a mailbox supporting structure which may be placed upon the market and readily set up by the purchaser and adjusted so as to support his particular mail box at the properelevation and which in fact, may .beso adjusted by the mail carrier tobest suithisconvenience. Therefore, the invention contemplates obviating the ne cessity of obtaining a supporting post of predetermined length and provides means wherein readjustment may be made in the event the carrier should change from one type of vehicle to another which, under present conditions, would necessitate taking down the post already erected and obtaining and erecting a new one.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mail box supporting structure embodying means whereby it may be conven iently adapted to support a mail box at any desired elevation and one element of which constitutes also a means from which tied parcels may be suspended, thus avoiding the necessity of depositing them upon the ground or placin them upon the top of the mail box, from which they are extremely likely to slide and fall to the ground.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the supporting device that it will support the box in a very firm and substantial manner and will as a whole be attractive in appearance rather than unsightly.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, illustrating the structure embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated thus obviating the necessity of manufacturmg an upright of a specific designexcept that the upright 1 is provided with a longitudinally xtending series of openings 2 which serve a purpose to be presently explained. lnpractice, the upright 1 will be of a length somewhat greater than the maximum height at which it will likely be found necessary to support a mail box above the ground surface, and the upright is mounted by the purchaser either directly in the ground 'or in a concrete base 3, as illustrated in Figure ofthe drawings. In any eventythe in vention contemplates that the uprights will be made in one size only andof such length that, in accordance with the invention, a

mail box may be supported thereon at any desired elevation.

The mail box, which is of any of the or-' dinary types and indicated by the numeral 4, is supported upon a tubular arm 5 and secured thereto by rivets or bolts indicated by the numeral 6, the bottom of the box being disposed upon the upper side of the arm and the rivets or bolts being secured through the said bottom of the box and dia1netrically through the arm. The arm 5 is threaded at one end, as indicated by the numeral 7 and is fitted at its said end in a threaded socket 8 which projects radially from. a sleeve 9 which is slidably fitted to the upright 1. Eye members 10 are provided with threaded studs 11 which are fitted into threaded openings in the under side of the arm 5 and these eye members are provided. each with an opening 12 and a latch rod 13 is slidably fitted through the openings in the two eye members. A, coiled spring 14 is disposed upon the rod 13 and bears at one end against that one of the eye members 10 which is nextadjacent the inner end of the arm 5 and at its other end against a suitable abutment element as for example a pin 15 driven diametrically through the said rod 13. The spring 14 yieldably holds the rod 13 shifted to position with itsinner end engaging through an opening 16 in the sleeve the rod to disengage its inner end from theopening 2 in which it was previously engaged, to permit of vertical adjustment of the sleeve 9 upon the upright. Preferably, the lower end of the finger piece 17 is turned outwardly and upwardly to provide a suspension hook 18 upon which may be hung any tied packages in lieu of placing the packages on the ground or on top of the mail box 4.

From the foregoing description of the invention, it will be seen that there is provided a mail box support which may be placed upon the market and readily set up by the purchaser and so adjusted as to support the mail box at any desired elevation above the ground surface. It will also be evident that the mail carrier may himself adjust the supporting device to position the mail box to suithis convenience.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A support of the class described comprising an upright having vertically spaced sockets provided therein, asleeve slidable upon said upright and provided with an opening adapted to register with the sockets of the upright, a threaded side extension carried by said sleeve, an arm having one end in threaded engagement with the threads ed side extension of said sleeve, and a latch carried by said arm and extending throu h the opening in said sleeve and adapted to e removably fitted into a selected socket of said upright to releasably hold the sleeve in a desired position upon the upright and prevent rotation of said arm.

2. A support of the class described comprising an upright having a series of vertically spaced openings therein, a sleeve fitted upon the upright and vertically adjustable thereon and having an opening to register with the openings in the upright, an internally threaded socket carried by said sleeve and closed at its inner end by the sleeve, an arm having one end portion screwed into said socket, spaced guide eyes upon the underside of the arm, a rod extending longitudinally beneath said arm and slidably mounted in the said guide eyes and engageable at one end through the opening in the sleeve and selectively in the openings in the upright, said rod constituting alatch adapted to releasably hold said sleeve and arm at a predetermined elevation upon said upright, an abutment upon the said rod, and a spring upon the rod engaging at one end against the abutment and at its other end against the inner one of the guide eyes and adapted to yieldably hold the rod against movement away from said sleeve and upright.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RALPH o. PIXLER. as

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