US458273A - Letter-box for collection and delivery - Google Patents

Description

(No Modem' 2 sheets-smet 1. W. SCOTT.v LETTER BOX FOR COLLECTION AND DELIVERY.

No. 458,273. Patented Aug. 25, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM SCOTT, OF LEAVENVORTH, KANSAS.

LETTER-BOX FOR COLLECTION AND DELIVERY.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,273, dated August 25, 1891. Application tiled February l0, 1891. Serial No. 380,937. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, VILLIAM SCOTT, of Leavenworth, Leavenworth county, Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Receiving and Deliver ing Mail-Matter, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to devices which are designed to be attached to the doors of dwellings and other buildings and which are intended to receive and deliver letters, papers, and other mail-matter; and the objects of my invention are to produce a simple, durable, and inexpensive arrangement which can be easily manipulated either by the postman in delivering mail-matter or by the occupants of the building in depositing mail-matter to be collected by the postman.

A further object of my inventionis to produce an arrangement which shall eifectively protect the mail-matter from being stolen from the receptacle in which it is placed for collection, and, finally, to produce an arrangenient which shall be ornamental in appearance and inexpensive in construction.'

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain peculiar and novel features of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an outer side elevation of a portion of a door with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same on the line 2 3 of Fig. l, the collection-receptacle being in closed position. Fig. 3 is a similar section on the said line 2 3, the collection-receptacle being in open position. Fig. et is a vertical cross-section of the same on the line at l of Fig. 3, the plane of section being at right angles to that of Figs. 2 and Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section of the same on the line 5 5 of Fig. l, the plane of the section being similar to that of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. G is an inner side elevation of a portion of a door with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. is a detached detail view of a modiiied forni of a support for the mail bag or receptacle.

In the said drawings, l designates a portion of the outside door of a dwelling, oflicebuilding, or other similar structure, the door being presumably an outside door, as described; it being understood that my improved devices are designed for application to any door at which deliveries and 'collections of mail-matter are to be made. 2 designates an elongated horizontal slot or opening which is cut through the door at any point which is convenintly accessible to a postman while delivering and receiving letters and other inail-matter. For this purpose this slot or opening 2 is preferably cut in the middle or lower part of the door, and it is preferably so cut that its lower margin shall incline downwardly and inwardly, as shown.

The upper part of this slot is formed with an upwardly-extending open portion 2l,which is a continuation of the slot 2, and which opens at its upper end through the rear or inner side of the door, and the lower part of which communicates with the upper part of the said slot 2 between its inner and outer sides. The purposes of the slot 2 and its upper portion 2l will be hereinafter fully explained. Upon the outer side of this door is attached by screws 3 or other equivalent devices an open rectangular frame et, the sides of which coincide with the margins of the slot, while the opening of said frame corresponds with the opening of the slot. Upon the outer or front side of this frame is formed a flange 5, which coincides with the upper side of the opening of said frame, and which also projects horizontally outward or forward therefrom for a purpose to be presently explained. Two vertical iianges 6 are also formed upon the outer or front side of the frame, one of said flanges being located at each end of the opening of the frame and adjacent to the end margin of said opening. Between the margin of the opening and the corresponding side of the flange 6 is placed a leaf-spring T, the upper end of which IOO rivet or pin 9, which passes transversely through a suitable standard or double projection upon the inner side of the covering or name-plate .l1 and near the lower edge thereof. This covering or name-plate is shown as of suitable rectangular form to correspond with the opening of the frame 4: and is formed or provided on its inner or rear side with a continuous marginal flange 12, which, when the plate is closed, covers the flange 5, before referred to, and thus effectually excludes dirt, dust, rain, moisture, or other injurious substances from entrance into the slot 2. The general arrangement of the parts above described iis similar to that shown and described in Letters Patent No. 449,593, granted to me March 31, 1891, and the cover is retained in opened and closed position by the peculiar point of attachment of the lower ends of the springs 7, similarly as in said former application. It is to be observed, however, that in the presentinstance the screw or rivet or similar device which connects the upper ends of the i springs 7 to the frame et do not extend parallel with the outer side of the frame et, as in the said former application, but that said attaching devices extend through the upper ends of the springs at right angles to the outer side of said frame. This is a material and important distinction, inasmuch as the attachment of the springs is in the present instance greatly facilitated, and the compactness of the structure is greatly enhanced, while the working strains are much more evenly borne than in the previous arrangement referred to.

Upon the opposite or inner side of the door 1 is attached, by screws 13 or equivalent devices, a frame 14, which is of open rectangular form, and the margins of the opening of which coincide with the inner margins of the slot 2. On its outer side this frame 14 is formed suitably or provided with a flaring flanged holder 15, which is designed to receive the upper part or mouth of a bag or pouch 16 to receive the letters delivered by the postman through the slot 2. As shown in Fig. 6, this holder is of continuous elongated form with its inner portion coinciding with the margins of the opening of the frame 11.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a modified form of the holder, which is composed of two flaring segmental flanges 31, which are designed to be attached by screws 32 or other equivalent means to the inner surface of the door at op posite ends of the slot 2. In either event the mouth of the bag or pouch is provided with a string or band 17, preferably of elastic material, which surrounds the flanged holder, and thus retains the pouch in proper position to receive mail-matter inserted through the slot 2.

It is to be understood that if preferred the holder may be constructed simply of wire or similar material, so as to be of skeleton form, without departing from the essential spirit of my invention.

In order to facilitate the opening and closing of the name-plate or cover 11, a knob 18 or similar projection is formed or cast upon the upper part of said plate, and thus by a pressure of the thumb or finger upon said knob or projection the plate can be readily moved into open or closed position, as desired.

In order to prevent the contents of the bag or pouch from being stolen after having been delivered by the postman, a flap or gate 19 of suitable rigid material is hinged at its upper edge upon the outside of the frame, as shown at 20, and lies pendent over the inner terminus of the slot 2. From this construction it will be seen that when the bag orpouch 16 is i-n position any attempt to force the iiap or gate open beyond what is required for the admission of mail-matter will be prevented by said Hap coming into contact with the upper part of the bag, and consequently all possibility of abstracting the contents of the bag or pouch is prevented.

The portion 21 of the slot 2 is for the purpose of admitting letters, papers, or other mail-matter which the occupants of the build-A ing desire to be collected bythe postman, and it will be seen that without the attachments, which are to be presently described, this additional slot 21 forms a convenient means for delivering the mail-matter to the postman without necessitating the opening of the door. In the lower part of this slot 21 is placed a hinge-pin or pintle 22, which extends horizontally parallel with the outer and inner sides of the door. To this pintle is hinged the lower edge of a plate or cover 23, which is of such size and shape as to close the inner part of the portion 21 when said plate is in closed position. To the ends of this plate or cover 23 are attached triangular pieces 24 of any suitable flexible fabric or material, the opposite edges of which are secured to the adjacent end margins of the portion 21 of the slot 2. Immediately above the portion 21 is a turn-pin 25, which extends loosely through the door, horizontally, from front to rear thereof. The inner end of this pin carries a disk-like enlargement 26, which engages over the upper edge of the plate 23 when the pin is properly turned axially, and thus retains said plate 23 in raised or closed position. The opposite or outer end of the pin 25 is provided or formed with an arm 27, extending at right angles to the body or stem of the pin, and it will be seen that t-he postman will know by the position of this arm whether the plate 25 is open or closed, and consequently whether any mail-matter is to be collected or not. Upon thc same pin or pintle 22, upon which the plate 23 is hinged, is also hinged the lower or inner edge of a plate 28, which is of such form and size as to tit over the lower end of the portion 21 at its point of juncture with the slot position, it forms a bottom for the portion 21, and consequently any mail-matter placed in Vsaid slot will be retained therein as in a rcceptacle until the plate 2S is turned downward. The outer end of this plate protrudes lVhen this plate 2S is in closedY IOO IIC

beyond the outer side or surface of the door, and thus the postman can readily depress the plate by applying pressure to its pro- "truding edge, and the mail-matter will drop of itself out of the portion 2l of the slot 2 and into his hands. This plate is retained in raised or closed position by two springs 29, each of which is set in a recess in the upper part of each outer end margin of the slot 2. Each of these springs is of elongated form and its body portion is inwardly curved, so that as the plate 2S is raised and lowered its end margins will move over the convex surfaces of said springs and will be retained thereby either in open or closed position, as desired. It will thus be seen that I have devised a simple and compactform of collection attachment operating with the portion 2l of the slot 2 and serving to greatly facilitate the collection of mail-matter by the postman, and at the same time fully protecting the mailmatter while awaiting collection.

The structure as a whole is simple, durable, and easily manipulated, is not liable to get out of order, and is both inexpensive in construction and ornamental in appearance.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l l. An improved mail-delivery device coinprising a covering-plate hinged upon sustaining-springs pivotally connected to said plate, the ends of said springs which are connected t0 the door being secured thereto by pins or equivalent devices passing through the ends of the springs transversely to the surface of the door, substantially as set forth.

2. An improved mail-delivery device comprising an open frame designed to be attached to a door and provided with a iiared support for abag or pouch, and a gate or flap hinged within the opening of said frame and serving to prevent abstraction of the mailmatter from the bag or pouch, substantially as set forth.

An improved delivery device for mailmatter, comprising a supporting-traine for a bag composed of two separate curved and outwardly-flared sections designedto be secured to the inner surface of a door, so as to stand vertically against said surface, and serving to support the mouth of the bag, substantially as set forth.

4. An improved mailing device comprising a door having a slot extending through from its outer to its inner surfaces and provided with an upwardly and inwardly extending opening, a plate covering the inner portion of the opening at the point of its juncture with the slot, and retaining-springs engagingthe ends of the plate and serving to retain the plate in open and closed position in said slot, substantially as set forth.

5. An improved mailing device comprising a door having a slot extending from its outer to its inner surfaces and provided with an upwardly and inwardly extending opening, a movable plate covering the inner part of said opening, a turning bar extending through the door and having at its inner end an enlargement to .engage the upper edge of said plate and to retain the latter in closed position, a handle or arm upon the outer end of said bar, and a second plate covering the inner portion of the opening at the point of its juncture withv the said slot, substantially as set forth.

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

VILLIAM SCOTT.

Vitnesses:

.l No. L. CoNDoN, G. Y. THoRPE.

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