US2802623A

US2802623A - Rural mailbox

Info

Publication number: US2802623A
Application number: US532835A
Authority: US
Inventors: John C Meiling
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-09-07
Filing date: 1955-09-07
Publication date: 1957-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 1974-08-13

Description

J. C. MElLlNG RURAL MAIL-BOX Aug. 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 7, 1955 ATTORNEY INVENTOR JOHN C. MEILING BY {Q 55, 7

Aug. 13, 1957 J. c. MElLlNG RURAL MAILBOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 7. 1955 :5 n 9 0 B43 J MINITO M 6 Q 4 W. I k #2 mvsmbk JOHN c. MI QILING 7 BY $4) $5M ATTORNEY until the yoke lever is raised.

.form of a yoke enables United States Patent 0196,

"This invention relates to a rural mail box and the primary object is to provide a rural mail box with the approved name plate extending lengthwise along the top .of the box, having a front closure that may be swung and automatically maintained in a position above the box .to permit close access to the same and at the same time clear the name plate. 1

Another object of this invention is to provide a conventionally fabricated rural mail box with a flat front closure operable by a forwardly extending yoke lever that upon depression will lift the closure above the box entrance and automatically hold it in elevated position A further object of the invention is to provide a rural mailbox with a fiat arcuately swingable front closure that by a system of bell crank levers connected in the h the closure to be elevated above the box-entrance when the yoke is depressed below the box entrance and to be automatically held in elevated position until the yoke is raised.

Still another object is to provide a'conventional flag signal for the mail box that when manually raised is held in upright position but is automatically dropped by cooperative movement between an end of the operating lever and end of the flag staff when the lever is depressed.

still further object of the invention is to provide suilicientclearance between the swingable closure and box topwhen the-former is in elevated position to permit a name plate to be mounted lengthwise along the top of the mail box.

These and other objects of the present invention will appear as the following description thereof proceeds, and in order to more clearly understand the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mail box in closed position with the signal flag shown in raised position in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the mail box in open position;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the mail box;

Figure 4 is a partial end elevation showing the box in closed position with the signal flag raised;

Figure 5 is a vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Figure 6 is a vertical section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 4.

In the delivery and collection of mail in rural communities it is customary to mount a box on a post at the roadside accessible to the postman and vehicle used in covering the route. Usually these boxes have an outwardly swinging front door or closure which makes it difiicult for the postman to drive close enough to make collections and delivery from the vehicle. A desirable form of mail box is one that permits the closure to be swung out of the way and so held when the collection and delivery is being made in very close proximity to the open end of the box. The present invention accomplishes this objective with the added cooperative signal flag drop metal. A front closure 2 of similar Patented Aug. 13,1957

and top name plate and the assembly is approved f0 manufacture and use by the postal authorities.

The inventor is aware of the patent to Bowers "1,895,912, January 31, 1933, which shows a lever, op-

erated front closure that is swung upwardly but the front closure is curved and can only be held in open position by constant downward pressure on the operating lever. The size of the box is reduced and the approved top name plate could not be used with this structure. Broadly, a signal is released by the depression of the lever but this is beneath the box and not the conventional and approved side signal flag'. -Another form of upswung closure is disclosed in the patent to Babcock 2,684,197, July 20, 1954, but the closure there is hand operated and does not use a. forwardly extending operating lever and furthermore the top name plate could not be used with this structure. e

' With reference to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a conventional rural mail box with a flat bottom, upright sides, an arch shaped top and closed rear end. This is formed of any suitable material, usually material is provided that conforms to the cross sectional area of the box and this closure is provided with a rearwardly extending flange 3 overlapping the front edge of the box at the sides and arched top portion thereof. Mounted on the top of the box and extending substantially the length of the same is the postal approved name plate 4. Extending rearw-ardly from the closure 2 at a medial point at each side are parallel fiat arms 5. These arms are mounted on pivots 6 in the form of rivets projecting from the sides of the box with the outer ends of the rivets supported by .side brackets 7 and 8 secured to the side walls of the box. The pivotal connection for the arms 5 at each side of the box is adjacent the terminal of each and spaced slightly below the upper edge thereof.

The closure 2 is swung from a closed to open position by a yoked operating lever 9 that comprises a front cross handle 10 and rearwardly extending bell cranks '11 that run parallel with the sides of the box. Each bell crank is pivoted at its apex on rivets 12 extending from the sides of the box. The portion of each bell crank 11 from the pivot 12 to the cross handle 10 is longer than the portion extending from "said pivot to the terminals 13 of said cranks. The pivots 12 for the bell cranks are below the horizontal medial plane of the box and the bell cranks are of such a length and curvature that the handle 10 each slidably and pivotally connected therewith by a rivet 14 carried adjacent the terminals 13 and engageable in a vertical slot 15 in each arm spaced below but in substantial verticalalinement with the pivot 6 of each arm.

With the parts of this device arranged as shown in Fig. 1, when the handle 10 is depressed the bell cranks 11 at each side of the box will rock on the pivots 12, and the slidable connection of the terminals of the bell cranks adjacent the lower edge of the terminal portions of the arms 5 described, being located below the pivots 6 of said arms will rock the arms on said pivots 6 and cause the closure 2 to move arcuately upwardly to an elevated position above the box as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The bell cranks, arms and pivots are so proportioned and arranged that when the closure 2 clears the front of the box it is elevated in spaced relation above said box and is automatically held at the limit of its swing upon full depression of the yoked operating lever 9. It will be noted the slidable and

pivotal connections

14 and 15 between the terminal portions of the bell crank extensions and arms 5 permit this swinging of the arms on the pivots 6 to the secured trough portion in which the position aforesaid. Thus upon full depression of the operating lever9 the handle portion'lt) is out of theway of the open front of the box and the closure 2 has cleared ,the top name plate 4 on the box 1.

It is customaryandapproved to provide ruralmail boxes of this type with a normally raised signal that is dropped "when collection and delivery has 'beenrmade.

For this purpose there is provided .a flag 16 and flat staff 17 usually formed of metal. The 'statf 17 'has its lower end curved as shown at 18 and adjacent thereto is'a longitudinal slot 19. The rivet 6 that forms a pivot for the arm and which is supported by the bracket 8 extends through the slot 19 and forms a pivotal and sliding support for the stair 17 adjacent the inner face of the bracket. Thi's bracket 8 has a trough like extensionZO secured to the side wall of the box and extending lengthwise thereof. Spacedfrom the trough portion 20 of the bracket and secured to "the inner face ofthe arm 5 is a stop 21. Thus a space is formed between the stop and staff 17 may be positioned upright with the supporting rivet 6 at the upper end of the slot 19. In this position the lower end 18 of the staff is a'djacent'the nose of the terminal portion of the adjacent bell crank 11 and the statf 17 and flag 16 are held in raised position.

As soon asthe closure operating lever 9 is depressed the nose of the bell crank 11 engaged with the lower end 18 of the staff will move upwardly and forwardly and due to the slot and pivot mounting of the staff described will lift and tilt the stafi and flag which when so released will drop in the trough 20. When the operating lever 9 is again raised the staff and flag may be swung manually on the pivot 6 to a raised or vertical position when due to the slot 19 it will drop between the stop 21 and trough extension 20 and will be held thereby in upright position.

The assembly described provides a very durable, practical and economical form of rural mail box that meets the postal requirements .and has all the advantages necessary for eflicient operation of a device of this character.

Although the improved rural mail box has been illustrated and described herein to a detailed extent, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be regarded as limited correspondingly in scope, but includes all variations coming within the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mail box having an open front end, a flat closure for said end, a yoke shaped operating lever normally extending across the upper portion of the front of the closure and rearwardly along the sides of the box, the rearwardly extending portions of the lever being in the form of bell cranks with the apex of each pivoted to the sides of the box at a horizontal plane below the cross portion of the operating lever,;fiat arms on opposite sides of the closure extending rearwardly along the sides of the box and terminating adjacent thecrterminals of the bell cranks, means for pivotally connecting the upper portions of said arms adjacent their 'terminals'to the sides of the box, and a cooperative pivotal connection between the terminal of each bell crank and the lower portion of the adjacent arm in substantial vertical alinement with the first mentioned pivotal connection whereby the closure is elevated and automatically held in such. position when the operating lever is fully depressed.

2. A mail box having an open front end, 'alflat-closure for said end, a yoke shaped operating lever normally extending across the upper portion of the ,front of the closure and rearwardly along the sides of the :box, the rearwardly extending portions of the lever being in the form of bell cranks with the apex of each pivotedto the sides of the box at a horizontal planev below the :cross portion of the operating lever, flat arms on opposite sides of the closure extending rearwardly along the sides of the box and terminating adjacent the terminals of the bell cranks, means for pivotally connecting the upper portions of said -arms adjacent their terminals to the sides of the box, and a slidable pivoted connection between the terminal of each bell crank and the lower portion of the adjacent arm in substantially vertical alinement with the first mentioned pivotal connection whereby the closure is elevated and automatically held in such position when the operating lever is fullydepressed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Harrison Mar. .30, 1954