US397341A

US397341A - Letter-box indicator

Info

Publication number: US397341A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-02-05
Anticipated expiration: 1906-02-05

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. A. COLTON.

LETTER BOX INDICATOR.

Patented Feb. 5, 1889.

N. PEYERi. Pholo-blhugriplmr, Washinghm D. C.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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(NoModeL) G. A. GOLTON.

LETTER BOX INDICATOR.

No. 397,341. Patented Feb. 5, 1889L wi/twe/weo,

N, PETERS. PhoIo-Lilhagnphn, Washingmn. n1;

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UNTTEE TATEs PATENT OEETEE.

GEORGE A. COLTON, OF PIHENIX, NEW YORK.

LETTER-BOX mole/woe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,341, dated February 5, 1889.

Application filed May 2, 1388.

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Conron, a citizen of the United States, residing at Phoenix, in the county of Oswego, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Letter-Boxes, &c., of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to an automatic indicator for use primarily in connection with letter-boxes of that character which are employed for the collection of mail matter, the purpose of the indicator being to show the times of successive collection.

The invention is also applicable to any use which requires an automatic announcement of successive times of the occurrence of successive acts of theparties using the same.

The objects and advantages will appear in the following description, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of the inner surface of the side wall of a letter-box having attached I thereto an indicator constructed in accord-;

anee with my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the outer surface of said side wall with portions thereof broken away to illustrate parts of the indicator. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the indicator detached and having the dial-plate and pivot-bolt removed, showing the parts of the indicator which are arranged beneath said plate Fig. -1 is a plan of the dial-plate as it appears on its under surface. on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, looking in the directhe rcversing-plate. I. 1g. 7 is a section of a preferred form of glazed opening formed in the wall of the letter-box.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 represents a side wall of a letter-box or other compartment, and 2 the door, lid, or;

cover thereof, which is connected to the box by a hinge,

a is the casing, having lugs 5 and a keyhole or other form of slot, 6, adapted to pass back of the heads of screws 7, one of which is provided with an ordinary thumbnut, S, to

Fig. 5 is a central vertical section x (i is a pcrsliiective of Serial No. 272,597. (No model.)

facilitate the attachment and removal of the case for the'purpose of ready access to the mechanism of theindicator to adjust or regulate the same. The case is also provided with a seat or aperture, 9, for the reception of a pivot, 10*, for the operating-lever 11, which at its outer end is provided with an anti-friction roller, 12, which bears against the door 2 of the box, and is yieldingly held in contact therewith by a spring, 13, (see Figs. 2 and 3,)

against the pin 14 on the lever. The lever 11 is slotted, as at 15, so as to move longitudinally on its pivot 10. The inner end of the lever is adapted to fit the teeth of the ratchet 16, (see dotted lines, Fig. 3,) formed on the under side of the dial-plate 17. This dialplate bears upon upper surface a series of characters indicating the successive times of collection of mail matter or the successive times at which the box or compartment is to be opened.

at each opening of the door 2 the spring causes the lever 11. to move outwardly for a distance sufficient to bring its inner end backward over one teeth. of the ratchet 16 on the under surface of the dial, and that the act of closing the door will cause the lever to move inwardly a like distance, so as to move the dial the distance of one teeth of its ratchet, thereby exposing anew series of cl'iaracters or a subdial announcing the time of a successive opening of the box or collection of mail.

.18 represents a gravity-pawl, the pivot 19 of which is seated in the case 1-, the point of the pawl being held normally in the path of the 3 teeth of the ratchet 16 on the dial, so that said dial is retained from backward rotation The means 1. unless otherwise operated upon.

, of the dial consists of a spring, 20, one end of I which is secured to the dial, as at 21,an-d' the other to the pivot-bolt 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Jhe'pivot-bolt has a diametrical slot, 11*, which may be utilized as a means, in coni nection with. an ordinary screw-driver, for preliminarily adjusting the tension of the spring by rotating the belt, which is finally held against rotation by means of a pin or spline, 22, Fig. 5, seated in the bolt and casing, while the parts are retained in opera- As thus far described, it will be seen that employed for producing a backward rotation secured at one end to the case and bearing tive posit-ion by means of a screw, 23, and washer, 24-, the latter resting over and against the end of the spline or pin.

Now it will be noticed that in the act of opening and closing the door of the compartment or box the spring is wound up, whereby j power is furnished for reversing the rotation of the dial, so that all of the sub-dials or separate indicating characters on the dial have been brought opposite the glazed opening (see Fig. 5) in the wall of the box. The dial may be reversed to bring the first sub-dial opposite said opening. 'laking the characters shown on the dials in Fig. 2, it will be seen that they indicate times exttnulingfrom 6.10:1. m. to 1.15 p. m. by the means hereinat'ter described and employed for reversing the dial.

The indications may be changed from the latest to any intermediate time indicated by sub-dials back to the first, so that at the last collection of a day the act of opening and closing the box sets the dial tor the following day.

To accomplish the result just above mentioned, a reversiiig-plate, 2c, is employed. This plate is centrally apertured for the reception of and rotation upon the bolt 10, and is arranged beneath the dial 1? and its ratchet lb. It has in its periphery a notch, 27, for the reception of a s Jring-det nit, 28, secured at 29 to the case and held in. operative position relative to the reversingrplate by a screw-pin or lug, 30.

The reversing-plate is also provided with a paw -operat'ing cam, Bl, a lug, 32, extending, substantially,to the aperture in the plate, and a lug, 33, a distance from said aperture. The lug 33 is extended beyond the periphery of the plate, as shown at St, in the shape of a tooth adapted to take into a curved notch, 35, in the edge and near the end of the lever 11.. A stop-lug, 36, projects from the case into the path of the lug I33 and teeth 34, so as to prevent rotation ot? the reversing-plate in one direction beyond said stop-lug 36.

lly reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the ratchet 16 is provided with a depending lug, 2-37. This is arranged at such a distance from the center or the bolt 10 as to pass inside of the pawl-cam 31 outside of the lug 2-32, and to abut against the lug 33. The relative positions of the lug 37 and screw 38 with the lugs and cam on plate 26 are illustrated by dotting the lug and screw in Fig. 3, it being understood that the plate 16, having said screw and lug, is operatively located above plate 26, as shown by dotted lines, when viewed as in said figure of the drawings.

The screw :38 may be seated in any of the circular series of holes 39 in the dial, so as to project below the same and to come in contact with the lug 32.

As thus far described, it will be seen by reference more particularly to liig. 3 that by opening or closing the door of the box the lever 11 moves the dial, by means of the ratchet it, one tooth at each double reciprocation ot the lever, and that durin the rotation of the dial the screw 38 comes into contact with the lug 3 and carries the reversing-plate with it and the dial, so that the pawl cam 31. is brought into contact with the free end of the pawl 18, forcing it out of contact with the ratchet, when by reason of the power of the spring, as above described, the dialv and reversing-plate are both carried back to the starting point. The first function of the screw 38, however, is to move the reversingplate so as to bring its tooth 34.- into thenotch ot' the lever ll, and the parts are so proportioned that at the time of the escape ot' the gravity-pawl 1.) from the ratchet ll) the inner end of the lever 11 is also by the tooth :311: forced out of the path of the teeth of the ratchet, and hence both the dial and reversing-plate are brought back. to the startingpoint. Now, by simply removing the screw 38 from one hole, 3.), to another of the series, the reversal of the dial may be made to take place after the arrival. and exposure of any sub-dial. at the sight-opening 25 in the box.

The object of the detent 28 is to prevent the rotation of the reversing-plate by a mere friction of the parts and until the screw 38 comes into contact with the lug 32 thereof.

Each of the sub-dialshas a hole, 4.0,the object of which is to facilitate the removal of the disks, t] of paper constituting the sub-dial (or other material bearin g the characters) for the substitution of others.

lly reference to Figs. 1 and 5 it will be seen that the case 4 is made ei'rrved along its upper edge, and is extended to cover the entire mechanism inclosed, so that the catching of mail matter upon the case is prevented.

If desired, the key-hole slot 6 maybe simply notched like those in the lugs 5. In fact such a construction is preferable, as the case is more readily placed or hung upon. the screws 7. The walll of the box constitutes the back wall of the case, such being unnecessary as regards the case, as allthe operative mechanism is connected with the tront wall of the case. In Fig. 3 the case is shown without an extension to cover the operating-lever.

The side opening in its preferred form is made by insertinginto a hole formed through. the side wall, 1, of the letter-box where it will disclose one of the sub-dials an intcriorlyscrew-threaded collar, 4-5, having one or more studs, all], adapted to take into a recess, 47, formed. in. the outer face of the wall 1. The glass 25 is inserted in the collar 45, and an exteriorly-screw-thrcaded collar, 4:9, is intro duced into the collar 45. The flang 48 of said inner collar take a bearing against the inner side of. the wall, whereby the is maintained in position and the outer collar prevented from being rotated so as to disconnect it from the inner eollar from the outside of the box.

lla-ving described my invention and its operation, what I claim is-- IIO 1. The combination, with a boX and its cover, of a ratcheted dial carrying a lug, an interposed ratchet-operating lever, and a reversing-plate, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a box and its cover or door, of a ratcheted dial provided with a circular series of apertures, a ratchetoperating lever extending from the dial to the door or cover, a screw adapted to fit any hole in the circular series, a reversing-plate, and means, substantially as described, for giving the dial and reversing-plate backward rotation, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with a box and its door or cover, of a reciprocating lever, a ratcheted dial connected with its pir'ot bya spring and provided with a reversing-plate-operating lug or screw, a reversing-plate having a pawl-releasing cam, and a pivoted pawl arranged to co-operate with the ratchet of the dial, substantially as specified.

4. In an indicator of the class described, the combination, with a dial having a ratchet provided with a lug, of a reversing-plate having a pawl-operating cam and a projecting leverdisengaging lug, a gravity-pawl, and a ratchetoperating lever, substantially as specified.

5. In an indicator of the class described, a

case for the operating parts, extended to cover the operating-lever thereof and provided with slots or notches adapted to take upon the bodies of screws, one of said screws beingprovided with a thumb-nut, substantially as specified.

6. In an indicator of the class described, a dial having a series of circular recesses for sub-dials, as 4.1, a central recess for a spring and the head of the dial-pivot, and having on its rear side a ratchet, and through the body of the dial a series of holes communicating with the dial-recesses, and an. inner series of holes for a removable reversing-plate-operat ing screw or lug, substantially as specified.

7. In an indicator of the class described, a case provided with notched suspension-lugs, and having a main annular recess for the reception and operation of the movable parts of the ii'idicator, and an interior lug, as 36, serving as a stop for a reversing-plate, substantially as specified.

8. In an indicator-o1 the class described, the combination of a case carrying a rigid pivot, as 10*, a reciprocating lever mounted thereon and notched, as at 35, a pivot-bolt, as 10, a dial, 17, and reversingplate 26, mounted thereon, a pawl, 18, and a detent, 28, substantially as specified.

9. The reversing-plate 26, provided with a pawl-operating eam,31, the lugs 3.. 133, and the tooth 34:, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

iEORGE A. COLTON.

Witnesses:

H. GIBSON,

1E0. ARCHBOLD.