US34940A - Letter-box - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. BROWN, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

LETTER-BOX.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,940, dated -April 15, 1862.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN XV. BROWN, of the city, county, and State of New York,have invented a new and Improved Letter-Box for the Post-0flice Department and Designed for City Use in Streets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure I is a vertical central section of my invention, taken 'in the line am, Fig. 3; Fig. 2, the same view as Fig. l, showing the movable parts in a different position. Fig. 3 is a section of same taken in thev line y y, Fig. l; Fig. 4:, a detached face View of a toothed or serrated edge of an opening of saine.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in the several igures.

This invention relates to a new and improved letteiwbox of that class which is attached to lamp-posts or other convenient lixtures in streets to receive letters for the general postoft`1ce.

The object of the invention is to obtain a box which will admit of theletters Vbeing deposited in it with great facility, and from which they cannotbe illegitimately abstracted, and still be exceedingly simple in construction, not liable to get out of repair, nor capable of being choked or clogged, so as to be rendered inoperative by the insertion of packages or parcels of undue size.

To enable those skilled in the art 4to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the upper part of a box, which may be of any convenient size, and B is a hollow cylinder, which is attached to the upper part of the box A, and communicates with the interior of A by an opening a. The cylinder B also has an opening Z7 made in its upper part, the use of which will be presently explained. The cylinderB has a semi-cylinder C fitted on it. The semi-cylinder C is movable or is allowedto turn on an axis, which is formed of two pins or journals c c, which pass through the centers of the ends d d of the cylinder B, the latter being stationary. The semi-cylinder C is loaded or has weights attached, so as to keep itin the position shown in Fig. 2, which position, it Will be seen, covers the hole or opening l) in the cylinder C. One

function, therefore, of the semi-cylinder is Shown.

Iithin the cylinder B there is placed another cylinder D, which has thepins or journals c c for its axis. The semi-cylinder C and cylinder D, therefore, have a common axis, and they are connected by pins c e-one at each side-which pins pass through curved slots ff in the ends d d of cylinder B. The curved slots f f admit of the inner cylinderD and semi-cylinder C turning a distance equal to the length of the slots. The inner cylinder" D has two Iixed partitions g g within it, which form a central chamber E, one end of which is open, as shown at h. The chamber E is equal in width to the length of the cylinder D, and the length or depth of the former is equal to the diameter of the latter.

Vithin the chalnber'E there is a flap or valve F, which extends the whole length-or depth of the chamber and has its back end secured in the chamber by pivotsz'. The flap or valve F has a pin j attached to each side of it, and these pins pass through curved slots k 7c in the ends l Z of the inner cylinder D, and also pass through curved slots m m in the ends CZ d of the cylinder B, the slots m m being concentric with the slots f f, as shown clearly by the dotted lines in Figs. l and 2.

rlhe operation is as follows: In order to deposit the letter in the box A, the operator turns the semi-cylinder C, so as to expose the opening b in cylinder B, and by so doing brings the open end h of the chamber E in line with the openingh in cylinder B,as shown in Fig. l. The package or letter is inserted in the chamber E and the operator releases the semi-cylinder C, which, with cylinder D, turns back to its original position, the former covering the opening h, and the open end or mouth of chamber E coming in line with the opening of., so that the package or letter will drop from chamber E into box A.

The liap or valve F performs an important function, as follows: When the mouth h of chamber E is in line with the opening b, the flap or valve F is about parallel with the lower side or partition g of the chamber, and the flap or valve cannot be moved farther outward or upward from said side or partition, as the pins ,7' are restricted in their upward movement by the slots.m mi. The flap o1' valve F, therefore, determines or limits the dimensions of the chamber E when the'latter is in a position to receive the package or letter. When, however, the chamber E reaches its discharging position, the flap or valve F is at liberty to move outward from the side or partition g a distance equal to the length of the slots la k, (see Fig. 2,) and the chamber E being thereby enlarged the package or letterdrops freely from it. Thus it will be seen that the chamber E cannot become choked or clogged by pressing packages or bundles of letters in E, for the dimensions of the latter may, by means of the Hap or valve F, be increased when in a discharging position.

The lower opening a of the cylinder B has ya toothed or serrated edge n at its front side. .This notch or serrated edge extends the whole width of said opening (see Fig. et) and serves to prevent letters or packages being abstracted from the box A by means of a hook and line, for the serrated edge will catch theto prevent the abstraction of letters .from the box. These iiaps or valves would 1n a majority of cases serve as an obstruction to the raising of aletter by means of a hook and cord, as the letter in being drawn up would catch against their lower edges and the valves would close by the raising of the letter. To insure this result, the valves are not allowed to assume a vertical but a slightly-inclined position, in consequence of bearings bX d1- rectly behind them. (See Figs. l and 2.) These valves, however, may be used or not, as desired.

I do not claim separately any of the withindescribed parts; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure ,by Letters Patent- 1 1. The valve F, in combination with the chamber E, cylinder D B, andv semi-cylinder C, the cylinder B being provided with the openings a b, and all arranged for joint operation, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

, 2. The toothed or serrated edge fn. of the opening al of cylinder B, when used in connection with the semi-cylinder C, and cylinder D, provided with the chamber E and valve F. for thep'urpose specified.

J. W. BROWN.

Witnesses:

RICHARDSON GAWLEY, J AMES LAIRD.

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