US2581880A

US2581880A - Automatic rural mailbox signal

Info

Publication number: US2581880A
Application number: US162767A
Authority: US
Inventors: Price Lawson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-05-18
Filing date: 1950-05-18
Publication date: 1952-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1969-01-08

Description

Jan. 8, 1952 L. m 2,581,880

AUTOMATIC RURAL MAILBOX SIGNAL Filed May 18, 1950 INVENTOR. zAv/Jvn F916! Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC RURAL MAILBOX SIGNAL Lawson Price, Rensselaer, Ind.

Application May 18, 1950, Serial No. 162,767

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to rural mail boxes, and the main object thereof is the provision of a signal therefor which is automatically operated and moved into visible or signalling position when the door of the box is opened by the mail carrier prior to his placing the mail therein. Thus, without any other operation on the part of the carrier than that of opening the door of the mail box, the signal to the box owner is automatically set so that the latter may see at a glance whether or not there is any mail for him.

The above broad as well as additional and more specific objects will be clarified in the following description, wherein characters of reference refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a rural mail box having the automatic signal of this invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrating the automatic dropping of the signal to visible position upon opening of the mail box door.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the mail box, showing how it appears, with the signal in fully extended visible position, after the carrier has closed the door after placing mail in the box.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral l indicates a rural mail box comprisin the elongated housing I I open at the front end, provided with the floor [2. A door I3 is hinged on a horizontal axis below the front open end of the box, as shown at M, and cooperating spring clips IE (on the housing II) and IS (on the door) serve as readily releasable means for maintaining the door in vertical or closed position.

The side walls I! of the housing II extend downward below the level of the floor I2 to rovide opposed longitudinal flanges under the box. Pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis on aligned pins [8 in the said flanges below the floor 12 and near the open forward end of the housing, a plate-like signal member is provided at I9. The signal I8 is normally adapted to be positioned, by gravity, in vertical suspension from its pivots I8. The free end of the signal l9 has a partly doubled-back forward edge providing a lip 20.

Intermediate the width and height of the door l3, a resilient band or member 2| is secured to the door and has its lower end 22 free and extending outward at an acute angle to the plane 2 of the door. With the door 13 closed, the signal I9 is swung into horizontal position and the lip 20 engages and depresses the free extension 22 of the member 2|. The latter operation is performed by the mail box owner after he has removed the mail. Then, when the box is empty, the signal is invisible under the floor of the box, as shown in Fig. 1. When the carrier opens the door I3, as obvious in Fig. 2, the signal I9 is released to fall into the visible position shown in Fig. 3.

I claim:

A rural mail box comprising a housing open at the front end and having a floor, said housing including opposed side walls extending below said floor thereby providing longitudinal flanges under the box, a door hingedly mounted on a horizontal axis extending substantially across the lower edge of said front end of the boxand adapted normally to be positioned vertically against said open end of the box, releasable means for maintaining said door in vertical position as aforesaid, a signal comprising a normally horizontal plate-like member having one end thereof pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis between said flanges, said last-named axis being positioned rearward of said open end of the housing, said signal being urged by gravity into vertical position of suspension from said last-named axis, and means partly on said signal and partly on said door for releasably locking said signal in horizontal position after manual swinging of the signal to horizontal position and after said door is closed, said means comprising a doubled-back lip on the free end of said member extending outward from the normally upper side of said member, said door having a member secured thereto on the outer surface thereof, said door member having an extension extending at an acute angle to the plane of the door in a downward direction, said lip being engageable by said extension when said door is closed and said signal is positioned horizontally as aforesaid.

LAWSON PRICE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS