US459290A

US459290A - Max hoeft

Info

Publication number: US459290A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1891-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 1908-09-08

Description

(No Model.)

M. HOEFT.

NOTE CASE.

No. 459,290. Patented Sept. 8, 1891.

F5 1 V F542.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX HOEFT, or BERLIN, GERMANY.

NOTE-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,290, dated September 8, 1891.

Application filed November 28, 1890. Serial No. 372916. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAX HOEFT, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, andaresident of Berlin, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, have invented a new and useful Note-Case, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to note-cases.

In the accompanying drawings the im proved device constructed according to my said invention, having a strip of paper on which notes, orders, or the like may be written, is shown as applied to a letter-box. A characteristic feature of this device is that it enables the written notes to be read only by the persons who are authorized to open the letter-box.

Figures 1 and 2 show the letter-box in front and side elevation. The strip of paper is here placed in the interior of the letter-box behind a square aperture a a a a in the door A. Its arrangement is shown in Figs. 3 to 5, of which Fig. 3 is an interior view, and Fig. 4 a transverse section.

The strip of paper P on which notes are to be written is first wound upon the roller 1) or slid as a finished roll upon the same. The roller 1) is held below the aperture to in small lateral brackets, and a second roller 0 is arranged in a similar manner above the said aperture. Upon the second roller is wound the part of the strip of paper written on. This is effected by means of the knob g from the outside of the letter-box as soon as something has been written upon the surface presented; also, the lower roller 1) is provided with a turning knob, which, however, is notaccessible from the outside. The rollers 19 and 0 may be supported with their journals in any suitable manner. In the example represented small sheet angles serve as bearings, these being provided with holes for two journals and with slots for the two other journals to enable the rollers to be conveniently put in their place. The journals placed in the slots are securely held in their position by a hooked rod k. In order that the notes written on the strip of paper shall not be accessible to unauthorized persons, the roller 0 is turned by means of the knob'(, which can ordinarily take place only in one direction,

inasmuch as a ratchet mechanism 6 e is prohowever, necessary to open the letter-box first.

The said pawl is preferably made of the stopnose 6' and a spring, as shown. By means of a short cord 6 which has at its end aring, the spring can be lifted off and the pawl disengaged, the ring being then attached to the hook 11. Such a disengaging mechanism can of course be carried out in various manners.

In order to getthe device ready for use, one end of the paper strip is stretched out behind the above-mentioned aperture, and the outer edge, as shown in Fig. 5, is fixed by clamping, pinning, or otherwise to the roller 0. Then the strip of paper lies behind the aperture a in front of the plate d, over which it is smoothly stretched out. This plate 61 serves to support the paper and is secured to the rear of the door of the letter-box. Upon the plate dare secured the springs ff,which are to prevent the paper stripbeing wound off too easily. When an order has been written upon the strip of paper, the knob g is turned until the portion which contains the writing is no longer visible'-that is to say, has been wound upon the roller 0. To read the notes again the letter-box must be opened, the pawl disengaged, and the slip of paper turned back by means of the knob h until the writing appears again at the aperture, whereupon the device is again got ready foruse. The rollers may also be taken down and the writing may be read by winding off the strip.

What I claim is- A note-case consisting of a closed lock-box having an aperture for the passage of a paperweb to be written upon and a plate for supporting the paper while writing thereon, a pair of rolls for the paper-web, one serving to unwind and the other to wind the web and both inclosed within the lock-box, a knob arranged on the shaft of the unwinding-roll at a point outside the lock-box for unwinding the paper-Web without opening the box, a knob arranged on the shaft of the windingroll at a point inside the lock-box, and ratchet mechanism inclosed within the lock-boxaud In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX HOEFT.

YVitnesses:

J. LEMAN, A. SIEBER.