US2240462A - Illuminated signaling mailbox - Google Patents

Description

April 29, 1941- L. A. ROICVHELEAU 2,240,462

ILLUMINATED SIGNALING MAILBOX Filed Dec. 23, 1939 .IAIIV/ENTORI 4 Leo A.Rocheec(u 30.3%

ATTORNEY Patented Apr..29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUMINATED SIGNALING MAILBOX Leo A. Rocheleau, Detroit, Mich, assignor of onehalf to Leah M. Johnston, Detroit, Mich.

Application December 23, 1939, Serial No. 310,733

2 Claims.

My invention pertains to an improved (illuminated and signaling mailbox and more particularly to an illuminating unit with cooperative light and signal operating switch means adapted to be conveniently installed in mailboxes.

. It is an object of my invention to provide a compact electric illuminating unit adapted to be installed in mailboxes for conveniently illuminating the interior thereof.

It is also an object of my invention to provide such an electrical illuminating unit also having signal switch means compactly associated with the conductive members for manually or automatically controlling the operation of 'any remotely disposed signal with which the switch means may be connected.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an improved illuminated mail box comprising electric lamp supporting means disposed in a position for effectively illuminating the interior Fig. 6 is a schematic wiring diagram.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, I have illustratively disclosed a mailbox I, such as commonly provided on private residence houses or in apartments, having a front door 3 pivotally connected thereto as bya hinge 5 extending along one side in a usual manner. Such a mailbox is usually providedtwith a letter receiving slot 1 through which mail may be deposited in the box by the postman. Also the doors of such mailboxes are usually provided with a suitable look (not shown) controlled by inserting a suitable key in a key hole Sin thegdoor, in awell known manner. For convenience in'ascertaining it mail is presentin the'box without first un- "locking and opening the door, a window II is usually provided. But at night or when installed in dark locations such a window does not serve its useful purpose and the owner of the of the mailbox and having conductive energizing means associated with circuit making and breaking means disposed for convenient external control.

Another object of my invention is to provide a swinging pendulum switch actuator disposed in i the upper portion of a mailbox to be automatically actuated by the insertion of mail through the slot of the mailbox for intermittently actuating any remotely located signal which may be operatively connected therewith.

Further objects and advantages are within the scope of my invention, such as relate to the arrangement, operation and function of the related elements of the structure, to various details ofconstruction and to economics of manufacture and numerous other features as will be apparent from a consideration of the specification in conjunction with the drawing disclosing an embodiment of my invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a mailbox provided with an electric lamp and with lamp andusignal control switches in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the front door of the mailbox opened;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional viewon line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line showing.

through the mailbox the rear of the insulating panel supporting the lamp socket, the contacts, and the wire connectors thereon;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

and

4-4 of Fig. 3 and on a smaller scale gize a small electric ton I3 is provided which mailbox is subjected to the inconvenience 'of opening the door and feeling in the box to determine if mail has been deposited therein.

In accordance with myinvention a push butslides through a bushing M provided in the front door of the mailbox and which may be conveniently depressed to enerllght bulb l5 which is mounted in a socket I! in effective position in the upper portion of the box for illuminating the interior thereof. Also a push button I9 is provided in the door whereby the postman may conveniently operate a remote signal to call the owner of the box as when he has a registered letter,

.or at anytime when mail is'deposited. Also intermittently for several door of the mailbox, a

the walls of the box as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,

engages a swinging pendulum 25 which is set in motion oscillating to operate a remote signal 27 operations, in a manner to be subsequently described.

In order to mount the incandescent electric light bulb 15 and the light and the signal control means in a compact unit in the upper portion of a mailbox suitably disposed for convenient manual or automatic control, the cooperating 'electric elements to be installed in the mailbox are all secured to and mounted upon an insulating front panel 29 of Bakelite, or any other suitable insulation material. This insulating front panel 29 depends from the front edge of the upper wall of the box and extends across the upper portion ofthe doorway of the mailbox where it is conveniently'mounted by a bracket' flange 31 which .Fig. 3, the front 1 ends of the contact sheet, as

extends horizontally and rearwardly from the upper edge of the front panel to be clamped firmly to the upper wall of the mailbox, as by screws 33 passing therethrough. As shown in panel 29 and the horizontal fastening flange 3| together form an insulating structure of L-shaped cross-section.

The front side of' the insulating panel 29 carries a pair of resilient contact members 35 and 31 which are adapted to be depressed by. the push buttons l3 and 19 respectively for engaging stationary contacts for illuminating the lamp or actuating a remote signal, in a manner to be subsequently described. The resilient contact members 35 and 31 may comprise tongues pressed forwardly out of an integral sheet 39 slot. The front door of the vided with the bushings H in suitable positions of a suitably resilient metal mounted on, and

substantially coextensive with, the front side of the insulating front panel 29, in order to provide for a permanent integral conductive relation. Another contact tongue 4| is pressed rearwardly from the contact sheet 39 to extend through an aperture 43 in the front panel 29 extending to the rear thereof for engagement by the conductive rod 45 of the pendulum 25. For attaching the contact sheet 29 on the front side of the panel, tongues 41 and shown in Fig. 2, and these are deformed rearwardly through notches 5| provided in the ends of the panel where they are turned in against the rear side of the panel, as may be seen in Fig. 4. One of the attaching tongues 41, of the contact sheet, has a small wire clip 53 pressed therefrom forming a clip for resilientlygripping a wire 55 in a wellknown manner for convenience in installing and connecting the apparatus.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the miniature low voltage incandescent electric light bulb I5 is supported in a suitable socket l1. which is mounted on a base plate 51 attached to the rear side of the insulating panel 29. As shown in Fig. 5, the metal 39 and the insulating panel 29 have apertures 59 aligned and opening therethrough in alignment with the circular terminus of the resilient tongue 35 so that the central terminal 60 of the light bulb |5 when inserted in the socket will be disposed for direct engagement by the resilient tongue 35 each time it is depressed by the push button I3. A narrow tongue BI is pressed from the base plate 51 to form a resilient wire grip for resiliently receiving and clamping the end of an electrical conductor 63 in a well known manner.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a contact plate 65 is mounted on the rear side of the insulating panel 29 having a contact tongue 61 pressed therefrom and bent forward to extend through the panel in alignment under the resilient contactor 31 so that a direct electrical contact between these members will be created when the push button 31. A wire receiving clip 69 is deformed from the contact plate 65 for firmly gripping the end of a wire 1| therein. When button I9 is manually depressed the fiexible'contactor 31 engages the stationary contact 61 extending through the panel 29 and completes a circuit for sounding a remotely positioned signal 21. For also actuating the remote signal automatically when mail is inserted in the slot the contact plate 65 has a rearwardly turned edge 13 suitably apertured for receiving the upper end of the conductive rod 45 of the pendulum which'ls bent to form a hook at the upper end. The rod 45 of the pendulum 49 are pressed from the- IQ depresses the contactor tongue ing compactly mounted on the front panel 29 are all cdnveniently installable by providing the screws 33 through the upper wall of the mailbox and the pendulum is mounted in a suitable cooperative position adjacent the letter receiving mailbox is then profor depressing the resilient contactor tongues 35 and 31. The bushings |4 may be secured in suitable apertures in the door in any suitable manner, as by soldering. The push buttons l3 and I9 are of any suitable electrical insulation material such as rubber, fiber or Bakelite for example. Base plate 51 and contact plate 55 may be secured-to the insulating panel 23 by screws 10 counter-sunk therein.

For energizing the low voltage electric lamp |5 the conductor 63 connecting from one side of the lamp may be extended for connection with a low voltage secondary terminal of a suitable transformer T, such as the usual bell ringing transformer, as diagrammatically represented in Fig. 6. The wire 55 connecting from contactor means 35, 31 and 39 is extended to the other low voltage terminal of the ,transformerT. From the conducto'r 63 a conductor 11 may be connected with one terminal of a bell or buzzer 19 the other terminal of which may connect with the wire 1| which extends from the contact plate 65, as previously described. The bell 21 and the bell ringing transformer T may be the bell and bell ringing transformer T usually available in every apartment or residence house.

It will be apparent that the signal circuit will be completed when wire 55 is connected to wire 1| either by manually depressing flexible contactor 31 against stationary contact 61 or by the pendulum contact 4|.

I 45 may complete the circuit from stationary contact 4| to contact plate 65. In boxes which have been previously wired, the unit may be conveniently connected with the old wiring for operation of the signal, as will be understood.

The bulb |5, is energized by depressing push button l3 through a circuit extending from secondary winding S by way of conductor 55, wire clip 53, conductor plate 39, flexible contactor 35, bulb terminal contact 30, socket l1, contact plate 51'and returning to the other terminal of the transformer secondary winding by way of the .conductor 63.

It is apparent that within the scope of this invention, modifications and different arrangements may be made other than herein disclosed, and the present disclosure is illustrative merely, the invention comprehending variations thereof.

I claim:

'1. In a mailbox illuminating unit the combination of, an insulating panel of a suitable length from the diagram Fig. 6'

for extending across the upper portion of the doorway of a mailbox, a supporting flange extending perpendicularly from one edge of said panel for attachment to the upper wall of a mailbox to support the panel across the doorway of a mailbox, a socket on the inside of said panel for supporting a miniature incandescent electric light bulb in the upper portion-:91 a mailbox for illuminating the interior thereof, an aperture in said panel substantially in alignment with said socket for passing the central terminal of an incandescent electric bulb extending through the aperture in said panel toward the front side thereof, and a resilient contactor on the front side of said panel adapted to be-manually depressed to contact the central terminal of a light bulb in said socket for completing an energizing circuit for the bulb to illuminate a mailbox in which the unit maybe installed. i

2. In a mailbox illuminating unit thecombination of, an insulating member of a suitable length for extending across the upper portion 01' the doorway of a mailbox. said insulating member being 01' substantially L shape in cross-section providing a vertically disposable panel and a horizontally disposable flange extending from one edge of the panel for attachment on the inside surface of the upper wall of a mailbox, a miniature lamp socket, means mounting said lamp socket on the inside of said panel for supporting a miniature incandescent electric lamp bulb horizontally and rearwardly therein with the central terminal of the bulb projecting through the socket toward the front side of the mailbox in which the unit may be-installed, a contactor member mounted on said panel and said contactor member having a resilient portion projecting in front of said socket to be manually distorted into engagement with the central. terminal or a light bulb by depressible push button means actuable from the unit is installed.

LEO A. ROCHELEAU.

front of a mailbox in which the

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