US521993A

US521993A - savage

Info

Publication number: US521993A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1894-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 1911-06-26

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. L. SAVAGL 8v W. H. HARRISON.

LETTER BOX.

No. 521,993.- tented June 26, 1894.

we, M WA/MZ a. W 1%wM/ij% Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G.'L. SAVAGE 8: W. H. HARRISON.

.(No Model.)

LETTER BOX.

Patnted June 26,1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

GRANVILLE L. SAVAGE AND WILLIAM H. HARRISON, OF NEW YQRK, N. Y.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,993, dated June 26, 1894.

' pp i filed anuary 2, 1894. Serial No. 495.291. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GRANVILLE L. SAV-V AGE and WII LIAM I-I. HARRISON, citizens of the United States, and residents'of New York, 1n the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes, &c.; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descript1on thereof, reference being had to the accompanylng drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

Letter-boxes and other like receptacles are commonly provided with lids to close the receiving slot in order to protect the contents of the box from the access of rain, snow, insects and the like. These lids or covers are usually arranged to be held normally in position to close the receiving slot and must therefore be held open by one hand while the other hand'is engaged in inserting the matter intended to be placed in the box. In many cases this is a great inconvenience and we have therefore sought to provide means whereby the lid or cover, when once opened, shall be held open for a proper length of tlme, say a few seconds, to permit the insertion of the matter through the slot and which shall then operate to close the lid or cover automatically. 7

With this special objectin view, therefore, we have devised the mechanism hereinafter described which accomplishes the desired result in an efficient manner and is equally applicable wherever it is desired to have a detent which shall operate to release the body held by it at a predetermined time and shall require no manipulation.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein this embodiment of our invention is illustrated: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a letter-box equipped with our device, the section being taken on the plane indicated by the line 'ww of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the parts in different positions. Fig. 3 isa transverse section looking toward the right of the box, on the plane indicated by the line w-w of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a sectional detail view in elevation, from the opposite side presented in Fig. 1, of the .escapement mechanism, the section being taken on line y y of Fig. 3.

. The box or other structure to which our improvement is applied may be of any suitable shape and made in any suitable manner according to the uses to which it is to be put. We have indicated in the drawingsa street letter box A substantially of ordinary construction and having a receiving slot B in one end with a lid or cover 0 for the same hinged to theend of the box above the slot B, as at D. A door E is provided as usual to permit the'removal of matter from the interior of the'box. Within the box, and preferably forming a partition wall therein is fixed a plate F which supports the mechanism employed for effecting the desired purpose. If necessary the side of the box may be dished or bulged, as at G, in order to give the small amount of room required for our'device without encroaching upon the interior space.

Within the space between the wall G and the plate F is mounted upon pivot points f, g, a carrier H which is preferably in the form of adisk and which is free to rotate or oscillate about its axis. I The carrier supports upon one side two diametrically opposite pins h, h, and upon the other side it has fixed thereto or formed therewith a closed tube K the ends of which project equally from the center and which rotates with the carrier H about the axis of the latter. The tubeK maybe varied in shape according to the necessities of its use and the limitations of the spacein which it is mounted but ispreferably made in somewhat the shape of an hour-glass, having two chambers Zak, connected by a channel k One or more screws 10 may be tapped through the walls of the channel as a convenient means for permitting the size of the channel to be varied when desired. The tube K is preferably filled with any ponderous substance which will run freely from one cham- To the door 0 is connected a rod L which extends rearwardly in the plane of the pins h,

7t, and which has a notch Z adapted to engage with the pins 71., h, in the manner hereinafter set forth, the carrier with its pins forming a detent for the rod or connector L.

It will be evident that if the carrierand tube are rotated to bring the loaded end of the tube uppermost, with the tube in an inclined position,as shown in Fig. 2,the tendency will be for the loaded end of the tube to swing downward again and it is therefore desirable to provide means which shall insure the retention of the tube in such position for the time being, while permitting the tube to move in one direction at the proper time. Accordingly we secure at each end of the tube a tongue or projection 14: or 71: which co-operates with a movable latch M supported in suitable position on the plate F. For the simple purpose just referred to this latch might be of any ordinary construction but as we desire it to have an additional function, hereinafter referred to, we prefer to construct the latch as represented. in the drawings, wherein the latch piece proper m is formed as a bolt having its lower end beveled oif and being itself supported by a lever m to slide vertically to a limited extent in a guide-way formed by a plate m The other end of the lever m supports a bolt m which has a stoptongue m inclined toward the end of the bolt m, as indicated in the drawings. The up ward movement of the bolt m and consequently the downward movement of the bolt m, is limited by contact. of the tongue m with a projecting portion m of the plate m The mode of operation of our device will now be readily understood. The parts are with the lid. 0 closed, the tube K standing in a vertical position with all the mercury inthe lower end,.and the notch Z of the rod or con nector L in engagement with the pin 7t of the carrier H. When the lid 0 is opened, as indicated in Fig. 2, the rod L, by reason of its engagementwith the pin it to the carrier H,

will rotate the carrier of the tube into the position thereof represented in Fig. 2, bringing the loaded end of the tube uppermost. As the tube is rotated its projection passes under the end of the bolt m,lifting the same in. itspassage. As soon asithe projection has passed the bolt on the latter falls again and therefore holds the tube in the position represented for the time being, thetendency of the tube being to rotate backward as soon. as the lifting force is removed from the lid 0. As soon as the tube K is brought into or near the position represented the mercury, or whattheempty chamber 70 which is nowthe lower one and when a sufficient portion has run from one chamber to the other to overweight the lower chamber and to bring the preponderance of weight on its side of the axis, the: tube continues its forward movement until it reaches once more its normal vertical potion.

.pin 72. thereby permitting the rod to move As the tube and' back and the lid to close. the lid come to rest the notch Z of the rod L will engage the pin 72. and the parts will therefore be in readiness for another opera- The rapidity of flow of the mercury or other substance from one chamber to the other may be regulated by adjusting the screw or screws k and. the time during which the lid. is held open will be determined accordingly. It is obvious that it no means is elevated by the passageunder it of the 1 projection k or 70 the bolt m is correspondingly depressed to bring its tongue. m into the path of the said projection 70 or Wand i so to check instantly the forward. movement Iof the end of the tube.

The bolt m drops quickly enough after the passage of the projjection beneath it to intercept it on the re- ;bound. represented in Fig. 1 in their normal position door, or whatever other form the part Omay The device forretaining the movablelid or assume, for a definite time in its abnormal position is believed to be new of itself and it 'is not desired to limit its application to: the lid of a letter-box as shown. although many devices have been produced Furthermore,

and are now in use for the purpose of efiectat the expiration of such time. Accordingly the use in this description and in theclarms of specific terms is not to be considered as imposing specific restrictions upon: the ini vention but asresorted to only for the sake of clearly disclosing the best means atpresent known for practicing theinventiom ever othershifting weight may be employed for the purpose, runs gradually down into.

. an axis, a tube fixed to said carrier, a ponderous substanceto run from one end to theother We claim as our invention- 1.. The combination of acarrier mountedlon of said tube, a device adapted tobemoved from its normal position and to be held tem- 1 porarily in its new position, and a connector intermediate said device and said carrierand adapted to engage the latter whereby said de ICC vice is held until the carrier moves, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combinationof a carrier mounted on an axis, a tube fixed to said carrier, a ponderous substance to run from one end to the other of said tube, a latch to prevent backward movement of said tube and carrier, a device adapted to be moved from its normal position and to be held temporarily in its new position, and a connector intermediate said device and said carrier and adapted to engage the latter whereby said device is held until the carrier moves, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of a door, a detent, means to shift said detent at a predetermined time after it has been set, and a connector intermediate said door-and detent whereby the detent is set by the movement of the door in one direction and whereby the door is held from movement in the opposite direction until the detent is shifted, substantially as shown and described.

4E. The combination of a tube mounted to swing on a transverse axis and containing a ponderous substance adapted to run from one end to the other,.a door, and a-oonnector between said door and tube adapted to engage a detent and hold said door inone position and to be disengaged from said detent by the movement of said tube, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of a carrier mounted on an axis, pins supported by said carrier, a tube fixed to said carrier, a ponderous sub-, stance to run from one end to the other of said tube, a notched rod adapted, to engage 6. The combination of a carrier mounted onan axis, pins supported by said carrier, a tube fixed to said carrier, a ponderous substance to run from one end to the other of said tube, a latch to engage said tube and hold it from backward movement, a notched rod adapted to engage one of said pins to be held by said carrier and adapted to be disengaged therefrom by another pin as the car rier is moved by the shifting weight, and a door connected to said rod, substantially as shown and described.

7. The combination with a letter-box having a receiving slot and a lid to close the same, of a carriermou nted to rotate on an axis, pins supported by said carrier, atube fixed to said carrier, a ponderous substance to run from. one end to the other of said tube, and a notched rod connected to said lid and adapted to engage and be. held by one of said pins and to be disengaged therefrom by the other of said pins as the carrier is moved by the shifting weight substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. GRANVILLE L. SAVAGE. WILLIAM H. HARRISON.

Witnesses:

ED. BEEsLEY, H. POW.