US475095A - House-door letter-box - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 ShetS-Shet 1.

W. C; ORNTON.

' HOUSE LETTER BOX.

No. 475,095. Patented May 17, 1892.

avwenlfoz (No ModeL) w. 0. THORNTON. HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented Maj 17,v 1892.

UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

WILLIAM CLARK THORNTON, OF JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI.

HOUSE-DOOR LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,095, dated May 17, 1892.

Application filed June 10,1891. Serial No. 395,774- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM CLARK THORN- TON, residing at Jefferson City, in the county of Cole and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to an improved delivery-box which is attached to the door or gate of abuilding and in which mailmatter is deposited by the carrier.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of this character that shall be thoroughly safe and reliable, weather-proof, one that is cheap and simple in construction and efficient and easy of operation.

A further object of my invention is to render the Various parts as nearly automatic as possible and also to provide an alarm mechanism in connection'with the box, whereby the inmates of the house may be notified of each delivery.

WVith these various objects in view my invention consists in the peculiar construction of the several elements and their novel arrangement or combination, all of which will be fully disclosed in this specification, and designated in the appended claims.

In the drawings forminga part of this specification, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the delivery device. Fig. 3 is afront view of the box, parts being broken away. Fig. 4 shows a somewhat different construction. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation illustrating one form of alarm and its relation to the plunger.

My improved delivery-box A is formed of the end pieces a, the forward side a, and the rear side a the rear side being connected with the door or gate of the residence, and the forward side also constitutes the top and bottom of the box. About midway the'height of the rear side is produced a curved portion a and between the end pieces of the box and opposite the said curved portion a is arranged the delivery device 13, said device consisting of two semi-cylindrical sections 1) and b, arranged with their fiat faces adjacent to each other, the upper section I) having head-pieces b between which the lower section b is arranged, the said head-pieces turning freely upon the journals of the lower section b, and the sections are so arranged in relation to each other that the upper section has a limited amount of play upon the journals of the lower section, the purpose of which will appear farther on. The journal at one end of the lower section is provided with a crank 0 without the box, and as said journal is rigid with the lower section by turning the crank the said section will be moved according to the direction of the crank. An inwardly-projecting stop-pin c is arranged upon the headpiece 12 adjacent to the crank C, and'the end of the lower section is slotted, as at o, to receive said pin, whereby the downward movement of the lower section is limited and the upper section allowed to have a limited play upon said lower section. A second stop-pin c is passed through the end of the box adjacent to the opposite end of the delivery device, and the headpiece is slotted, as at 0 to receive said stoppin, said pin projecting through the headpiece, whereby the upward or rear move-' ment of the upper section b is limited and also the downward movement of the lower section, the lower section being limited first, whereby the upper section has alimited play upon said lower section. The sections b and b, it will be seen, are arranged a certain distance apart, so as to produce a slot or opening between them, into which the letters are forced, and by arranging the top section to have a definite amount of play upon the lower section this opening is alternately opened and closed at its opposite ends as the sections are revolved back and forth, whereby a letter is received by the delivering device and then deposited.

An opening D is produced in the forward side a of the box and opposite the delivery device, whereby letters are inserted between the sections or in the slot or opening, and to guide the same safely into-said slot or opening I employ two plates DD, pivoted upon opposite sides of the opening D and extending inwardly, as shown, the inner ends of said plates resting within the slot or opening between the sections when the said sections are at the forward or lowermost positions and rest against the lower sections when the said sections are raised ready to enter the slot or o peningthe moment they are lowered. These plates therefore guide the letters that are pressed between them into the forward end of the slot or opening in the delivery device, and by turning the crank rearward the sections are moved upward" and'rearward, and when the upper section has reached its rear limit the lower section has yet a limited play, whereby the rear end of the slot or opening is opened and the letter deposited.

A rearwardly and downwardly inclined plate E'guidesthe letters to "the rear of 'the box, and a supplemental box'or drawerF may be arranged within the box, as shown in Fig. 1,0r aslot G may be produced in the rear side of the box,-asshown inwFigLAL; which slot registers'witha slotdn the door or gate,- whereby the letters-willbe deposited in=,a' box or upon the-floor, as. the occupant may prefer.

Should a drawer be used ,-therear side should be" curved; as shown,- whereby the letters deposited within the-samewill be arranged: in regular order and will not 'clog andinterfere with the delivery device. 'lhe box or drawer F maybe secured and removed inany suit:

rablemanner. -Itwillbeunderstood-however,

that the con'structionof the delivery and collection receptacleor'box formsnopart of the present .invention,- such subject-matter form; ing part ofmy application filed of even date herewith andserially numbered r. 395,775

An electric push-button or mechanicalbell; plunger [-1 isarrangedadjacent to the crank O and-inthe .path of the same,-said-button or plunger extending through the door and con-. nected with a=gong H or anyother suitable alarm mechanism arranged eithenat the door or-in any particular apartment. A letter is thus insertedinthe opening in the box and pressed between the plates into-the slot of. the deliverydevice. Thecranlr is then turned rearward,-depositing the letter, and by com ing in contact with the button or plunger in itsbackwardturn the alarm is sounded and the occupant notified of-a delivery. i Ifdesirerhabox K fornewspapersmay-be hinged at the top of the box A, said'box-K having :a lid adjacent "to thesaidbox A,

whereby-papers may be inserted,- and when it is sodesired to insert papers the box K is turned downuponthe forward side of the box A and the lid- 70, which then forms the-top of the box, raised. The normal position'of the boxis against the door-abovethe box A, the lid- 7a then forming the bottom of the box. The lower section b is-weighted,as shownat b and the erank arm,"as-at 0,130 aid tl1e-sec tions in theirautomat-ic movements. It is also obvious that the twosemi cylindricalsections constituting a cylindrical deliverydevice could be used upon the ordinarystreet letter-boxes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination, with a letter-box, of the semi-cylindrical sections journaled therein, having a slot or opening'b'etween them to receive the letter and each having a limited movement upon the other, whereby the letters are deposited, substantially as shown and described.

I 2. The combination of the letter-box and the semi-cylindrical sections journaled therein, their-flat faces adjacent and apart, said sections being arranged to move in unison with each other and also upon-each other, substantially as and for 1 lt-he purp'ose described.

3. The combination;-with the-letter-box, of the lower sections journaled therein, the-upper sect-ions journaled upon the "journals of lower sect-ion, the slotted head-pieces, and the stop-pins,:all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination;-with the letter-b0x, of the semi-cylindrical sections journaled therein, the devi-cefor revolving-the sections; and an alarm-plunger arrangediin-the path of said revolving device and communicating Withan' alarm, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination,--with the lettenbox, of thesemi-cylind-ricalsections journaledtherein,flthe revolving device," the slotted headpiecesand stop-pins, and the alarm-plunger co m mu nicatin g with? analarm, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, with a letter-box havin g an opening, of thesemi-cylindrical sections j our-naled in -the box opposite to saidopenin g, and the guiding-plates arranged =upon' opposite sides of the opening to guidethedetters between the sections, substantiallyas shown and described.

7. The combinatiomwith atletter box having anopening, of the semi-cylindrical secnicating withv an alarm, all arranged'substan- 1 tially as set 'forth.

8. The combination,- with aletter-box, of a paper-box-hinged to the top of the same, said paper-box being-adapted to be turned down upon the letter-box to receive the papers, substantially as shown and'described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature-in presenceof two witnesses.

WILLIAM CLARK THORNTON. NVitnesses:

1 DANL. GUNDELFINGER,

B: S. MoRnoW.

IOC

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