US1628881A

US1628881A - Mail box

Info

Publication number: US1628881A
Application number: US39028A
Authority: US
Inventors: Helm John; Henry C Helm
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-06-23
Filing date: 1925-06-23
Publication date: 1927-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 1944-05-17

Description

` 1, 2 May 17,1927. J. HELM ET AL Y 6 8881 MAIL Box Filed June 23. 1925 4/ My/M f if Z 4 marei L Patented May 17, 1927.

JOHNv HELM AND HENRY c. HELM, `or sfr. Louis, Missoula,

l MAIL Box.

Application filed .Tune 23, 1925.v Serial No. 39,028.

This invention refatesto mail boxes, and more particularly to those of the character that are built into the lwal-l of a house and having its deposit opening on the outside,

within convenient reach of thecarrier, and

its outlet opening on the inside, with a neat and conveniently arranged door in the wall'.

The invention has for its objects to .improve generally upon mail boxes of this io character; to provide for the utilization of a standard length of box shell which may be readily adapted and conformed to walls of various thicknesses; to provide for the interchanging of the front panelor wall of the 1.5 box; to provide a novel door structure for the deposit opening ofthe box; and to attain certa-in advantages as 'will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention consists in the parts and in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and afterwards pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. Y

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical embodiment of the invent-ion,.-

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the mail box and the adjacent portions of the wall; Y

Figure 2 is a .horizontal section of the same, the doorfor the deposit opening being shown in top plan; d.

kFigure 3 isa fragmentary section of the box shell detached, and the front panel or wall member of the box in side edge view;

Figure l is a top'plan view of the door for the deposit opening detached from the box; Y Figure 5 is a side edge view of the door; Figure 6 is a front elevation =of the front panel or wall member, a portion of the door being broken away to show the deposit opening and particularly the notch in the vcrtical edge portion at said opening; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspectivey view of one corner portion at the inner end of the box. illustrating the manner of slitting the boxr shell for the purposeV of flanging the samewhen'securing it to the inside-of the wall of the building.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the Vwall of a house or other building, which, as shown, is of brick construction. In this connection, however, it is to be understood that the box may bealso applied to the walls of wooden' or other frame building(S.tructurev The shell of thebox 2, which. preferably as shown, isl generally rectangular, extends throughout the width of the wall, and has its inner end portion slitted longitudinally at its four corners, as at 3 (see Figure 7). The respective portions 4t thereof, between said slits 3, are turned4 at right angles to afford flanges lying against the inner face of the wall' and may be there secured,

As shown, the `shell of the box may be embedded in mortary or plaster, as at 5, throughout the extenty of the opening provided therefor in the wall, and also embedded in the plaster coating 6 on the inner face of the wall (see Figures 1 and i Secured to or about the fianges t of the box' isa door-frame 7, .in which a door 8 is hinged, 4as at 9, and is provided with a snitable latch 10. rThis door is for the removal ofthe contents of the box.

In the outer end portion of the box shell 2 is a front panel or -wall member 11, having a boxlike lflange 1 2 on itsinner side and near its margins, which. fits rather snugly within said shell 2. This flange 12 is provided Ywith a series of apertures 13 (see Figure 3,) which register with corresponding apertures provided in the box shell-2, and through which are inserted headed studs or bolts 14, from the outside. These studs or bolts may be provided on their inner end portions with retaining devices or nuts 15, if desired, but the same are not absolutely necessary, because in the case of ak solid wall of brick, concrete or the like, as shown, the studs are retained in place by the abutting faces of the wall surrounding the box.

ABy the herein above described construction and arrangement, a standard size box shell 2 may be adopted in practice to cover the range of walls of different thicknesses, and the front panel or wall member 11 may be made' interchangeable with other panels of the same general dimensions tothe flange portions 12 which lit within the box shell, but, obviously, of various outward designs and types. That is to say, the front panel may be like that shown in Figure 6, or, in some cases, forA example, said front panel may obviously havey a marginal extension, either' from the top or bottom` as may be desired, in which extension may be mounted apuslibutton for an electric bell. The partic'uf ar details of such features, however, do not enter of themselves into the present invention, and, thercfore,-i't is netvdeeinecl CTI necessary to illustrate the same in the drawings.

In the front panel or Wall member 11 is the deposit opening 16 (see Figure 6).v I-Iingedly supported on the lower edge portion of this opening is a closure member'17. This closure member or door 17, as shown more clearly in Figure 5, has a shoulder portion 18 extending the length of its bottom edge; and, extending inward and dov/nward therefrom, is a leaf or plate 19, on the under face of which latter are preferably provided protuberances 20 near its opposite inner corners, so as to give Weight thereto sufficiently to overbalance the front plate or closure portion 17 and thereby normally hold the latter in closed position as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

'Ihe leaf or plate portion 19 is provided to close the deposit opening 16 from the inside of the box as the door portion proper 17 is lowered, and, as it is set in angular relation to said door portion, it serves asan effective guard to prevent removal of the contents of the box through the opening 16 vvhen the door is only partially open (see, for example, the relative positions of the parts as indicated by the dotted lines in li'igaire 1).

In order to facilitate the insertion of apackage, such as a. rolled newspaper, maga- Zine or the like, into the box, an arcuate notch 21 is provided in the central marginal portion of the leaf or plate 19, `yet leaving sufficient Width to the leaf or plate in the region of the notch so as not to detract from its effectiveness as a guard.

The door portion 17 is of an overall length and Width to completely cover the opening 16 and with considerable overlap about the margins of the opening. The leaf or plate 19 is also longer than the length of the opening, and it is accordingly notched at its opposite ends, as as 22 (see Figure 4), said notches being of sufficient depth and Width to lit loosely about the adjacent edge portions of the panel or Wall member 11 at the ends of the opening 16 to permit a free hinging or locking movement of the door element; and, in order to facilitate the placing' and removal of the door element,

a notch 28 is arovided in the .marginal )ortion of the panel or Wall member 11 near the upper side of the opening 16 (see Figure 6). To place the door element it is only necessary to en gage the notch 22 atl the right hand end thereof with the correspondinglower corner of the opening 16, thence tilt the door element so that the left hand edge portion of the leaf or plate 19 will enter the notch 23, and. then drop the door elementuntil its shoulder portion 18 rests on the edge of the panel or Wall member 11 at the bottom of the opening 16. To further facilitate this manipulation the leaf or plate neaaeei portion 19 may be cut off obliquely, as at 24 (see Figures 2 and 4.-).

The placing of the door element must, of course, be accomplished'before the studs or bolts 14 are inserted through the apertures 18 inthe adjacent side flanges 12; and after the door element is placed and said studs or bolts, which, in these instances, are somewhat longer than those at the top and bottom of the box, are inserted, their ends overhang the end portions of the leaf or plate 19 and thereby prevent the removal of the` door element from the panel or Wall member 11. Y

In ease it is necessary to remove said door element, obviously thismay be readily accomplished by removing said studs or bolts 141, and reversing the manipulation' of the door element as just above described for placing it. This, of course, must be done while the box is removed from the Wall 1.

Extending across the front panel orwall member 11, above the opening 16 is a flange or lip 25 which overhangs the upper odge of the door member 17 and serves as a 'Watershed; and the door is obviously provided with a finger-piece 26 for convenience in tipping it. So, too, the front panel or Wall member 11 may be provided on its outer face with a pocket-frame 27 having a sight-opening 28 for a name card or plate; or, obviously, a sight-opening may be provided in lieu thereof in the panel or Wall member 11, through Which the contents of the box may be seen.

Vhile the front panel or Wall member 11 is primarily designed for use in connection with a Wall box of the character described, it is here noted that it may be conveniently utilized in eases Where it is only desired to provide a mail slot in a door, thin partition or the like. In such cases, it is only necessary to cut a rectangular onening in the door, partition or the like, intoV Which opening the flange portion 12 may be fitted and secured by driving nails or screws through the apertures 18 from the inside, instead of the outside, and into the marginal portions of the door or partition, as t he case may be, surrounding said panel or wall member.

Obviously, the structure admits of considerable modification Without departing from the spirit and scope of the .invention as defined by the appended claims. It is, therefore, not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown .in the accompanying drawings.

)What is claimed is:

1. A Wall panel for mail boxes and the like, having an opening therein, a closure element for said opening, comprisinga door portion proper, having a shouldered bottom edge portion resting loosely and rockably on the lower edge portion of said opening, said Cil lil)

closure element having notches at its opposite ends coincident with its shouldered bottom edge portion, said notched portions loosely straddling the adjacent side marginal portions of said opening, and retaining studs projecting inwardly at opposite sides of said opening and overhanging said closure element but being normally free of contact therewith and peiinitting tilting of said closure element.

2. A wall panel for mail boxes and the like, having an opening therein, a closure element for said opening, comprising a door portion proper, having a shouldered bottom edge portion restino' loosely and rockably on the lower edge portion of said opening, said closure element having an angulai'ly extending plate extension from its shouldered portion, said plate extension being weighted to overbalance saidv door portion proper whereby to yieldably hold the latter normally closed and to return it to closed position, said closure element having notches at its opposite ends coincident with its'shouldered bottomedge portion, said notched portions loosely straddling the adjacent side edge portions of said opening so as to permit tilting of said closure element, and inward projections at opposite sides of said opening overhanging said Closure element lwhereby to retain the latter in working relation to said openino'. Y

3. In a wall panel for mail boxes and the like Vhaving a rectangular door opening therein, a closure element for said opening comprising a door portion proper whose side and top marginal portions overlap the corresponding marginal portions of said opening in said panel and whose bottom edge portion is shouldered to rest on the bottom edge of said opening, and a plate extension on the inner side of said door portion inclining rearward and downward therefrom and being weighted to over-balance said door portion so as to yieldably hold the latter in closed position, said plate extension being longer than the length of the door opening in said panel, said closure element having notches at its opposite ends coincident with the shoulder portion thereof so as to fit the adjacent side marginal portions of said opening in said panel, and means for attaching said panel at its opposite sides to a mail receptacle, said means overhanging said plate extension whereby to retain said closure element in working relation to said door opening in said panel.

1. The combination with a inail receptacle, of a detachable Wall panel having a flange portion on its inner side near its opposite side margins, said flange portion having apertures therein for securing studs, and said panel having a rectangular door opening therein, one side marginal portion of said opening having a notch therein, a door element comprising a door closure plate whose opposite side marginal portions and top marginal portion overlap the corresponding marginal portions of said opening in said panel on the outside of the latter, said door element having a shoulder portion at its bottom edge to rest on the bottom edge of said opening in said panel, and a rearward and downward plate extension on its inner side, said plate extension being longerthan the length of said opening in said panel and being adapted to close said opening from the inside of the receptacle, said door element having notches at its opposite ends coincident with said shoulder portion thereof so as to receive the adjacent marginal portions of said opening in said panel loosely,

and said plate extension being overhung by the securing studs which are inserted in said apertures in said flange portion of said panel.

'5. In a mail 'box for installation in the wall of a building or the like, a rectangular box shell for insertion in an opening through said wall, said box having provision for retaining it at the inner side of the wall, a

ront wall panel having flange portions on its inner side fitting within said box shell and having apertures in said flange portions registering with apertures in said box shell,

headed securing studs inserted through said y apertures from outside the box shell, the studs at the opposite vertical sides projecting beyond the inner sides of said flange portions of said panel, said panel having a rectangular deposit opening therein, a door element comprising a door closure plate whose side marginal portions and top marginal portion overlap the corresponding marginal portions of said deposit opening in said panel on the out-side thereof, said closure plate having a shoulder at its bottom edge resting on the bottom edge of said deposit opening, and a rearwardly and downwardly extending guard plate at the rear of said shouldered portion, said plate being of a length longer .than the length of said deposit opening in said panel, and being overhung by the securing studs in the flange portions at the adjacent sides of said panel, and said door element having notches at its opposite ends coincident with the said shouldered portion thereof, said notches receiving the adjacent marginal portions of said deposit opening in said panel loosely so as to permit tilting of said door element.

JOHN HELM. HENRY C. HELD I.