US409559A - Frame for doors of post office look boxes - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B H. CAMP. FRAME FOR DOORS OP POST OFFICE LOOK BOXES. No. 409,559. Patented Aug. 20, 1889.

UNITE STATES ATENT FFICIE.

BUSHROD H. CAMP, OF NE\V BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE CORBIN CABINET LOCK COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FRAME FOR DOORS OF POST=OFFICE LOCK-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,559, dated August 20, 1889.

Application filed September 27, 1888- Serial No. 286,489. (No model.)

To whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BUSHROD ll. CAMP, of New Britaimin the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Frames for Doors of Post-Cffice Lock-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in the frames for doors of lock letter-boxes, the object being to afford a more reliable means for the attachment of the metal frames to the front faces of the series of boxes to which they are connected on the front end, thus se curing the frames and attacheddoors from improper removal to rob the box of its contents.

With this object in view my invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be more fully described, and pointed out in the claims. Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a door-frame and door in locked adjustment on it. Fig. 2 represents two door frames with the doors removed, showing the method of securing these frames in series on the front ends of the boxes. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of one of the doorfralnes. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the adj acent edges of two frames, representing a plan view of one of the bolts employed in fastening the edges together. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal view in section of one of the screws employed to hold the adjacent top and bottom edges of the door-frames together.

lleretofore in the construction of the metal frames that support the doors of post-office lock-boxes the usual mode of attaching the frames to the fronts of said boxesconsists in the notching of the adjacent edges of the frame at proper points in such form that when these edges are joined the orifice produced by any two opposite notches forms a screw-hole for the reception of a bevel-head screw, the hole being countersunk to allow the head of the screw to seat level with the outer surface of the adjacent frames.

In the attachment of door frames that are provided with the screw-holes made as stated it has been found that the aflixing of the screws in place will, by the wedging action of their heads, spreadthe adjoining edges of the frames, so that a crevice is formed in which a flattened lever may be inserted between these edges of the frames and they be forced from their position. This method of attachment is further objectionable, in that it prevents a neat juncture of the edges of the frames, and a disfigurement to the entire front results.

My invention totally overcomes the objectionable features mentioned in a simple and practical manner, as will be demonstrated by a detailed description which will now be given.

A is one of a series of similar door-frames that are affixed to the front edges of post-office lock-boxes and serve to support the doors, which close the boxes by a hinged attachment of the doors to the frames. The frames A consist each of a rectangular metallic border strip of a proper size to it upon the walls of the box to which they are attached, and such relative breadth of face is given to said frames that the doors B, which are hinged at a, will abut properly upon the frames and leave a marginal edge around the doors, as shown in Fig. l.

Each side bar of the frames A is provided with a projection or car a, which is only onehalf the thickness of the frame, one surface of the frame and car being cutawayto form an open recess 7) on one side of the frame. The cars or projections a are so arranged that their outer surfaces will be flush with one side or surface of one side bar and flush with the opposite side or surface of the other side bar, and hence the recesses b will be formed on opposite surfaces of the two side bars of the frame. By this construction the ear CL on one frame will overlap the ear to on the adjacent frame and fit into the recess 1) formed therein, so that when a series of frames are secured in place their surfaces will be in the same plane and produce an evenand level. front surface on the series of frames, while the cars a on adjacent frames will overlap each other.

The cars a are constructed to afford means for the secure attachment of the adjacent side edges of adjoining frames together and upon the front of the pigeon-hole boxes, and to effect this the ears are perforated, square holes 0 being formed that receive the bolts D, the construction of which will now be described.

The bolts D are all of similar form, and are of such a length that when inserted in place they will extend through holes made in the walls 0 of the wooden boxes to permit the nuts d to be adjusted upon their threaded rear ends, and thus secure the framesin place upon the front of the boxes.

It Will be seen that the portions of the bolts D which are adjacent to the rounded fiat heads 6 of the bolts are square in cross-section to allow them to be inserted and fit within the holes 0, which will prevent the bolts from turning, and thus facilitate the adjustment of the-nuts d, as previously mentioned.

On the top and bottom edges of adjoining door-frames A, near the center of Width of the same, the holes J are formed, which are located one half on each frame edge, so that when these edges are in contact the holes will be adapted to receive securing-screws f, that are inserted in the wooden walls 0 of the pigeon-hole boxes.

Reference to Fig. 5 will show the form of the screws f. The bodies of said screws are cut in the usual Way to form a wood-screw with gimlet-point.

The heads of the wood-screws f are cupped out on their lower surface to produce an annular groove 7t, with a sloping wall that by its junction'with the body of the screw provides an angular recess, into which the mating projecting coniform bottom wall of the countersunk portion of the holes g neatly fits, so that when the screws are fully inserted into place by a screw-driver inserted in the notches of the heads the impinging surface of the bolt-head will draw the adjacent edges of the door-frames A together in an obvious manner.

It is apparent from the form of construction, hereinbefore described, of the securing-bolts D and the screws f that. the frames A will be firmly held to the front edges of the boxes, and the adjoining edges of all adjacent frames will be forced to impinge against each other when the frames are attached t0 the boxes.

The doors B are hinged in the usual manner and secured by any proper form of lock. The preferred form of lock employed and the legend-plate that exhibits the number of the box are the subjects of other patents. It will therefore be unnecessary to give a detailed description of the same in this connection.

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

1. A lock-box frame having its sides provided with laterally projecting perforated ears or projections, the said ears or projections adapted to overlap corresponding ears or projections on the next adjacent frame, substantially as set forth.

2. A lock-box frame having its sides constructed with outwardly-proj ectin g perforated ears, the frame being provided with recesses on its side opposite the ears, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a series of lockbox frames, each provided with outwardlyprojecting perforated ears and constructed with recesses opposite the ears, whereby the ear on one frame overlaps the ear on the opposite frame and fits within the recess formed in the latter, of fastening-bolts, each con structed with an angular shank in cross-see tion that fits within the angular perforations in the overlapping ears, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a series of doorframes, the adjacent edges of which are provided with countersunk screw-holes, one-half of the countersink and opening being formed in each edge, the bottom of each countersink constituting a conical projection, of fasteningscrews, each having a conical recess formed on the under side of its head, substantially as set forth.

5. In a post-oflice lock-box, the combination, with a series of frames having perforated overlapping ears and holes that are formed in the edges of adjacent frames, the countersinks of which holes have cone-shaped bottoms,of screw-bolts that are formed to fit squared holes in the ears of the frames, and screws that are cupped on the lower faces of their heads to mate the cone-shaped recesses of the countersunk holes in the edges of the frames, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signedthis specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BUSIIROD H. CAMP. Witnesses:

G. E. Roor, A. N. ABBE.

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