US2452667A - Illuminated mailbox and house number - Google Patents

Description

1943- A. J. LAMBERT ILLUMINATED MAIL BOX AND HO USE NUMBER Filed Dec. 23, 1946 M m m m AQTHUE J. LAMB Em". BY Z Patented Nov. 2, 1948 UNl'l'ED amps? STATES PATENT GFFICE ILLUMINATED ivraitsox AND HOUSE NUMBER 2 Claims.

This invention herein disclosed relates to an illuminated house fixture externally applied, and has for its principal object a fixture that is pro vided with means to easily and readily receive house numbers inserted therein for the identification of houses, and another means associated with first said means to contain mail, said fixture being externally applied adjacent outside doors, porches, garages, or any suitable place where numbering of a house, store, or the like, is desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide a casing having two compartments, one above the other, the upper compartment having a front wall which is open, and in which house numbers are distinctively carried, while the lower compartment is provided with a transparent window for observing the presence of mail.

A still further object is to employ opaque house numbers so that when carried in the opening of the fixture, said numbers will be clearly discernible during the day as well as night.

A still further object is to provide a light bulb for the fixture that is of a very low voltage type, and which may be continuously energized day and night and still retain the cost of operation at a minimum, and furthermore to position the light bulb in said upper compartment downwardly from the house numbers whereby diffusion or intermingling appearance of said numbers is eliminated, however if such light were directly in back of said numbers, the same would produce a bright spot to an observer and thus reducing its efficiency for displaying clear-cut numbers.

A still further object is to construct a casing, wherein the lower compartment for mail is forwardly positioned or offset with respect to cross section from the upper compartment, whereby an opening is provided between said lower compartment and structure to which the fixture is supported for the insertion of magazines, news- Fig. 4 is a front view of one of the house numbers, illustrating the entire structure thereof made from opaque material.

Fig. 5 is a modification of a house number having its projecting ends thereof transparent.

The purpose of this invention is to identify a house, store, or the like, through the arrangement of clear-cut numbers, and associate therewith a means for retaining mail, whereby the inconvenience of a postman in locating a selected house number during the delivery of mail is eliminated, and more particularly in obscure places and during partially darkened days or at night when little or no outside light is present. In my invention, the fixture is illuminated day and night and thus producing the numbers in a silhouette appearance at all times, while other wise should the light be turned out during a bright day there is a possibility that the occupant of such house may not remember to turn-on said light when darkness approaches.

The invention consists of a casing preferably made from aluminum material so that the same is light in weight, and furthermore made from aluminum a smaller light bulb is required to illuminate the interior of the casing sufficiently due to the intensifying power of aluminum.

The casing has an upper and a lower compartment, the upper compartment being for supportpapers, or such articles which are too bulky to be inserted through the mail compartment receiving slot.

These and other objects will hereinafter be more'fully explained, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters will apply to like parts in the different Views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the invention, parts removed for convenience of illustration.

Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1.

Fig.3. is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

ing house numbers I, while the lower compartment is for mail delivered by a postman. It will be seen in Fig. 3 that the number supporting compartment is substantially rectangular in cross section and comprises a bottom wall 2, a rear wall 3, a top wall 4, end walls 5, and a front wall 6. The top wall 4 is inclined downwardly from the rear wall to provide for drainage of rain water, while the front wall 6 has an opening the major area thereof and forming a rectangular elongated frame for supporting the said house numbersyi. The confronting side edges l of the frame have channels 8 formed therein a spaced distance to slidably receive projections A that are secured to the upper and lower extremities of the house numbers. Said numbers are formed from comparatively thin material, but having suflicient width to produce clear-cut outlines when observed from a substantial distance.

The numbers and their projections as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 may be made from aluminum sheet material, which is opaque, and the numbers themselves exclusive of the projections may be painted black whereby the numbers will be distinctively displayed in the day time. The numbers, if so desired, may be constructed from plastic material as shown in Fig. 5, in which case,

a the number portion 9 is made opaque while the projections it are transparent. In the latter arrangement, the numbers will be clearly defined at the upper and lower extremities thereof by reason of the opaque and transparent portions, especially during the night when the transparent projecting ends are illuminated. It will be noted that the projecting ends of the numbers may also be formed by diverging its Side edges of the projections from the number portion to increase the carrying capacity of the projections when positioned in the channels of the frame.

To insert the numbers in the channels, the projections are placed in their respective notches II that are formed by removing a portion of the front leg of the channels as shown in Fig. 1. The notches are placed intermedially of the side edges of the frame, and when enstalling the numbers, the same are moved from the notches each way and equally spaced in the opening of the frame.

To intensify the numbers during obscured days, or at night, there is provided a light bulb 82 carried by a socket it, which is positioned in the bottom wall of the upper compartment and insulated therefrom by a rubber grommet it as shown in Fig. 3. It will be understood that the light bulb is of a very low voltage type, and being preferably supplied from the house current which is reduced to said bulb by any suitable transformer means not shown in the drawing. By the use of a bulb as above described, the same can be left energized day and night as the cost of operation is comparatively small.

The li ht bulb i2 as shown in Fig. 3 is positioned rearwardly of the lower member of the frame and is not noticed by observers as said bulb is positioned downwardly from the numbers with respect to a horizontal plane, but being capable of brightening up the interior of the compartment and presenting the numbers in a silhouette appearance, and as the numbers are supported in the open, the distinctiveness thereof is not diflused by any means.

The mail compartment is downwardly and forwardly positioned from said number carrying compartment. Said mail compartment comprises a rear wall iii, a slidable bottom it, an inclined top wall ll, end walls 58, and a front wall it, which is open the major area thereof, said opening being closed by a transparent window 2% that is inserted by pressing the same inwardly to seat against a peripheral flange 2!. Said transparent window is provided as visual means into the mail compartment as to the presence of mail therein. The inclined top wall ll is provided with an elongated slot 22 through which letters, or the like, are inserted to enter the mail compartment. Positioned on the upper side of ie slot is a ledge 23 running the full length of said slot and extending a short distance therefrom at its ends as means to carry away rain water that may be deposited thereon from the upper compartment. Openings 2t and 25 are provided for the upper and lower compartments, respectively, for drainage of moisture from said compartments.

The bottom It of the mail compartment is slidably carried in grooves formed in the end walls of said compartment as shown in Fig. 1, and furthermore said bottom resting on inturned flanges 26 integrally formed on the end walls. Said bottom has a tongue 2? as manipulating means for the bottom, said bottom being stopped in its extreme inward and outward movements by pins 4 2S downwardly protruding from the bottom adjacent the ends thereof, said pins engaging against a bottom portion 29 of the compartment in the inward movement of the bottom, and against extensions 38 of said flanges 26 in an outward movement.

As shown in Fig. 3, the said compartments are integrally connected with each other but may be removably secured if so desired, said lower compartment having a rearward extension 3! to support the lower extremity of the mail compartment rigidly to a structure through the medium of screws 32 engaging through car 33 integrally formed on said extension, while the upper compartment is secured to the structure by screws 3 extending through the rear wall of said compartment. It will be seen that the lower compartment is offset forwardly from the upper compartment to provide an opening 35 between the rear wall of said lower compartment and structure to which the fixture is attached, said opening 35 being for receiving newspapers, magazines, or other articles too bulky to enter through the mail receiving slot of said lower compartment.

To provide for a small amount of illumination which may be necessary in said mail compartment, there is provided, a slot 35 communicating with both compartments, whereby indirect illumination will be produced in said mail compartment which is convenient when the occupant of the house is observing the compartment for while the letter receiving slot will be illuminated from end to end thereof to locate the slot during partially darkened days or at night and being for the convenience of the postman.

While I have shown the structure s, ecifically, I do not wish to be confined to such exact structure as the same may be varied with respect to contour, proportion, and thickness of material, as well as other modifications which may be made as lie within the scope of the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an illuminated house fixture of the class described comprising a casing composed of an upper compartment and a lower compartment, the upper compartment having an open front providing a rectangular frame, opaque numbers and means to support the same in the opening of said frame, a light producing element positioned in the upper compartment and being below said numbers for illumination of said upper compartment, there being a slot between said compart ments and communicating therewith for indirect illumination of said lower compartment, and a transparent window in the front of said lower compartment as visual means for the presence of mail in said compartment.

2. In an illuminated house fixture of the class described, a casing being subdivided into an upper compartment and a lower compartment, said lower compartment being positioned forwardly from said upper compartment to provide a space for retaining articles between said lower compartment and structure to which the fixture is attached, said lower compartment having a slot for the insertion of mail into said compartment, the upper compartment having an open front with opaque numbers carried therein, a light bulb positioned within the upper compartment to illuminate the interior of said compartment, said casing having means to permit indirect illumination into id lower compartment from the upper compartment, rneans formed on the UNITED STATES PATENTS lower extremlt-y of the casmg to secure the same to the said structure, screws extending through Number Name Date said means and screws extending through a wall 4$0,255 m er Aug. 9, 1892 of the upper compartment for attaching the fix- 5 1.5551444 Greenbelg June 1913 ture to said tructura Thompson et a1. Feb. 11,

ARTHUR J. LAMBERT. ,2 Landgraf Jan. 13, 1 1

2,382,092 Onos Aug. 14, 1945 REFERENCES CITED

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