US1639722A - Rural-mail-receiving apparatus - Google Patents

Description

g F. J. CLARK RURAL MAIL RECEIVING APPARATUS Filed Sep/t. 4, 19213 IN vE/v ron. Hmz/fr J.v cL amr r 22a/Mn,

' needs of rural delivery and have led toY` this improved device for receiving mail.

To the ends above enumerated thel inven-.

Patented ug. 23, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. CLARK, or HARMONY, MINNESOTA.

RURAL-MALARECIVING APPARATUS.

Application lecl September 4, 1923. Serial No. 660,676.

ages as well as the ordinary mailbox for. letters and papers and having mounted beMV tween the two a Vremovable name plate.

lt is a further object in such apparatus to Ymake the height of the rotatable receiving apparatus.adjustable.

` Over twenty years of service as a rural mail carrier have well qualihed the applicant to thoroughly know the conditions and tion'consists of the novel devices and coinbination of devicesherein described and set forth in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the aecompanying drawings wherein like notations refer to similar parts throughout the sev,- eral views and, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device mounted in the grouniil; y

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and f Fig. 3 is a vertical section, with some portions broken away, taken ron line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. y

rlhe applicants device is supported by Ameans of an upright post comprising cylindrical teleseoping sections, the lower or stationary section of which is designated by the numeral l and adapted'to be secured in the ground. This lower section l lmay be either of solid or hollowrfo'rmation. The upper section 5 is preferably in the form of an open-ended sleeve telescoped over the stationary section 4t and having its upper end threaded. A horizontal carrying head 6, preferably of cast metal construction, has its under surface recessed at a suitable point and threaded to engage with the threaded end of the telescopingsleeve 5 and thereby rigidly connecting these part-s. Although connected by threaded engagementV these parts may be fastened together in any other suitable lmanner is normallyadapted to be seatedin the recessed portion of the head 6 and `thus allow th-e head 6 together with the sleeve 5, secured thereto, to be free y-for horizontal'- rotation thereon. The head 6 is considerably eX- tended at one end to form a flanged rec- 'bottom of said rack. per portion, preferably just above the suprjhe stationary section ,4

tangular seat 7 in which a standard mail boi; 8 may be readily secured or in which a fwooden blockmay be fastened to 'accom- Vmodate a mail box of different structure.

The other end of the head 6 comprises an elongated transverse securing bracket 9 herein shown of angle bar form to which a comparatively large parcel rack 1() of any suit-V able structure is bolted or otherwise secured. rlhe rack 10, as herein shown, is of slatted open box formation and has side-supporting braces 11 extending from the telescoping sleeve 6 toV intermediate pointsV near the At its intermediate upporting post, the head 6 has ranother transverse securing bracket 12 of U-shaped cross section to which an upstanding U-shaped member 13 is bolted o'r otherwise secured, as bestshown in Fig. 3. The verticall upper sides of the member 13 are flanged to form guides for a removable naine plate 14 and a horizontal lower guide 15 is fastened to the two vertical guides at the proper distance from vthe top of the same. The name plate 14 has a projecting portion on its upper edge, preferably of Acircular form, upon which thevbox number may be printed and which may also be used as a lifter for removing the plate. Upon the body of the name plate identification matter including the name, rural route and address of the owner is adapted to "be printed in accordance with Government requirement-s.A

As will be'later explained, lit is often desirable to vary the height of the receiving apparatus'from the ground. To do, this, the

applicant provides an adjustable stop shown in the form of a clamping collar 16 which may be fastened at various suitable positions on the stationary section l of the post toform a seat for the lower end of the telescoping` sleeve 5, ythus maintaining the carrying head 6 at a desired height from the ground.

The operation of the device is probably obvious from the foregoing but may be briefly summarized as follows: l

kThe apparatus, when installed along the road, lwill normally have the mail boX end of y the rotatable head outwardly so that, when the postman makes his delivery, the box may be readily identified-from the conspicuous elevated naine plate end, due to the projecting members of the rotatable head, the postman mayl drive up in convenientk position for delivery. The letters, cards, etc., may be then placed in the mail box and the head then rotated and the packages disposed in the parcel i'aclr 10, all Without the mail deliverer leaving his vehicle. The rotatable head will then be turned back to its normal i position With the mail box outwardly.

Hitherto, much difficulty in delivering parcel post packages has been experienced by rural carriers since there has been no ,means on the regulation mail boxes ltor receiving parcels. As a result, the mailman hasoten been obliged to either get out of his-vehicle and set the ,packages at the bottom of the post or else throw them there from the vehicle with the chance ot having the contents fractured. The applicants rotatable apparatus mounted on a single post will obviously overcome v this difiiculty.

Moreoveig the upstanding conspicuous name` able snow on the ground, the surface oi? the road Will be much higher than usual and the ordinary rural mail box will be at a very inconvenient heiglit for the mail Ycarrier to reach. By providing` an adjustable means for maintaining the rotatable receiving apparatus at various heights, the post may be kept at the proper height at all times.

A further disadvantage of the ordinary rigid boxes is that domestic animals often rub against thebo-xes and damage them in so doing. It is a Well known Jfact that a horse or cow Will not rub against a movable object so that applicants box will never be damaged in this manner.. y

From the above description, it is apparent that the applicant has provided an extremely simple and highly eiiicient device for receiving rural mail and one Which may be manufactured ata small cost. Government requirements are met in applicants device and tus comprising an Voscillatory substantially horizontal head adapted to be mounted for swinging movement on a .vertical axis, said head having an elongated angle yseat at one side or" its axis to which ,a parcel receptacle is adapted to be secured, and having an opi positely disposed substantially rectangular seat on the other side of itsvaxis adapted to support a mail box and said head also having a transverse channeled portion intersecting the axis of said head to which an upstanding main plate lio-lder is adapted tobe secured."

2. A mounting for mail receiving apparatus comprising a substantially horizontal head, a depending pivot member secured to said head and adapted to be mounted 'for movement on a vertical axis, said head having a transverse elongated angle bar seat disposed at one side of its axis to which a parcel receptacle is adapted to be Vattached and having an oppositely disposed substantially rectangular seat at the other side oitl said axis being iiangedto accommodate and support a standard mail box, and said head Y also having a transverse channeled portion intersecting said axis and disposed between said'seats to which an upstanding main plate Vholder is adapted to be secured.y

In testimony Whereotl I aliix my signature.

FRANK .17.'cLxRx

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