US438095A - Indicator for letter-boxes - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

G. A; OOLTON.

INDIOATOR FOR LETTER BOXES. No. 438,095. Patented Oct. 7, 1890.

'AUNITED STATES ATENT rricnt GEORGE A. COLTON, OF LAFAYETTE, NENV YORK.

INDICATOR FO R LETTER-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,095, dated October 7, 1890.

Application filed December 17, 1889. fierial No, 334,083. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. COLTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lafayette, in the county of Onondaga, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in letter-boxes of that class provided with an automatic indicator arranged to show the times of successive collection-such, for instance, as is shown in my Patent No. 397,341, dated February 5, 1889, and upon which this is designed as an improvement, and, like the devices shown in said patent, is also applicable to any use which requires an automatic announcement of successive times of the occurrence of successive acts of the parties using the same.

The objects and advantages of the present invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and. in Which- Figure l is an elevation of a portion of the inner surface of the side wall of a letter-box having attached thereto an indicator constructed in accordance with my invention, with portions broken away to better illustrate other parts. Fig. 2 is a detail in vertical section, showing a modified form of hasp, and Fig. 3 is a like view with the parts closed and locked. Figs i and 5 are details hereinafter referred to.

' Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

I provide the retaining-pawl with a lug or finger extending through an opening in the case, by means of which the pawl may be disengaged from the dial, so as to allow the dial to return to its normal position in case of Sunday or irregular collections. I also provide an improved means for locking the door and forcing the leverinward to move the dial the distance of one tooth of its ratchet to expose a new series of characters or a sub-dial announcing the time of successive opening of the box or collection of the mail.

resents a side or bottom of a letter-box or othercompartment, and B the door, connected thereto by means ofa hinge, as A.

O is the casing, having lugs 0, adapted to engage screws 0 or other analogous devices to facilitate the attachment and removal of the casing, for the purpose of ready access to the mechanism of the indicator to adjust or regulate the same, as occasion may require.

As the mechanism of the indicator forms no part of the present invention and is fully described and illustrated in my patent above referred to, I have shown only such parts as act directly with the parts constituting my invention. Such parts are the ratchet D, the

. gravity-pawl E, and the lever F, it being understood that these'parts are arranged and operate in relation to the other parts of the indicator in the same manner as shown and described in the prior patent, except as here inafter specified.

Upon Sundays and holidays it is customary to vary the time of collection, and in order to avoid the necessity of opening and closing the door when irregular collections are to be made I form the pawl E with a projecting portion or finger E, which Works through an opening E in the side of the'case, so that it can be readily reached when the box is opened and operated to release the dial and allow it to return to its normal position.

The end of the lever F is designed when the door is opened to be forced by means of its spring through an opening F in the door ICO the outer end of the lever F, and thus force it in to cause it to move the dial the distance of one tooth of its ratchet. \Vhen the hasp is in the proper position, the parts are locked by means of a suitable fastening device, such as G It being the object of this invention to provide for the automatic forcing inward of the lever by the locking devices, it is evident that various modifications may be resorted to for .accomplishing this purpose without departdoor is closed the hasp is thrown upward into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3, embracing the staple, and the end of the lever may be formed with shoulders, as G3, against which the walls of the opening in the hasp engage and force it inward, as illustrated in Fig. 3, or the opposite sides of the free end of the lever may be beveled, as shown at F in Fig. 3, and the hasp passed freely over the same without contact therewith, and the lever being designed to be moved backward by the insertion of the lock G as it is inserted through the staple. In the latter form the free end of the lever projects through the opening in line with the staple.

Various other modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The dial plate or disk K is provided with a plurality of disks K, of paper or other suitable material, designed to be held therein by friction or otherwise, and each recess or depression in which said disks are held is provided with a hole 70, through which suitable means may be introduced from the rear side to remove the disks for the insertion of others. These disks each bear a number or other character, as shown in Fig. 5, and in any suitable position-for instance, as is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 at 7t, where it is seen from the outside of the boxis placed acard, as L, shown detached in Fig. 4, bearing the times of collection, as shown, and the times being designated by numbers or other characters corresponding with the numbers on the disks, so that when the disk is exposed to view through the sight-opening, if the figure l is exposed, for instance-by looking at the corresponding number on the card it will be seen that the next collection will take place at 5.30 a. m.

The hasp in the different constructions shown serves to close the opening through which the lever projects, and thus serves to prevent tampering with the registering device. This is deemed important.

That I claim'as new i's- 1. The combination, with the indicator mechanism and the case, of a leverindependent of and actuated by the closing of the locking device, a part of said locking device serving to practically close the opening through which the lever passes, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the case and indicating mechanism and its lever, of the looking devices, the hasp of which is arranged in the path of said lever and arranged to close the opening through which the lever passes, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the case and the indicator, having one end of its operatinglever independent of the locking device projecting through an opening, of the locking devices having the movable portion thereof arranged in the path of said end of the lever and arranged to close the opening through which the lever passes, as set forth.

'4. The combination, with the case and indicating devices and the operating-lever of said indicating devices extending through an opening in the case, of the staple and the hasp moving in the path of the extended end of the lever and arranged to close the opening through which the lever passes, as set forth.

5. The combination, with the case and indicating devices, the lever of which extends through an opening in the case, of the staple on the case in line with the extended end of the lever, and the pivoted hasp arranged to engage said lever and close the opening th rough which it passes, substantiallyas specified.

6. The combination, with the case and in dicating devices, the operating-lever of which extends through an opening in the case, of a staple on the case in line with the extended end of the lever, and a pivoted hasp having an. aperture adapted to embrace said staple and end of the lever, as set forth.

7. The combination, with the case and indicating devices, the lever of which projects through an opening in the case, of a staple.

on the exterior of the case in line with the extended end of the lever, the extended end of the lever being beveled, and a pivoted hasp having an aperture designed to embrace said staple and end of the lever, as set forth.

8. The combination, with the case and in GEORGE A, COLTON.

Witnesses:

HENRY H. MUNGER, EDWARD W. SMITH.

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