US558826A - Andrew b - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

2 sheets-sh'en 1. E. H. MIDDAUGH.

MAIL POUCH 0R BAG. N0. 558,826.

Patented Apr. 21, 1896.

GRAHAM. PHOYOUTHOWASNINGTON. Dc

Arne nfrnNr ELMER II. MIDDAUGH, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE G. BRIGGS, ALBERT .I. GIDDINGS, AND IIOMER I.. BOYLE, OF SAME PLACE.

NiAlL POUCH OR BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters :Patent NO. 558,826, dated April 21, 1896. Application filed August 12,1895. Serial No. 559,093. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern: mouthpiece closed, part being broken away. Be it known that I, ELMER H. MIDDAU GH, a Fig. S is a cross-sect-ion on the line VIII VIII citizen of the United States, residing at the of Fig. 7, showing also attached parts of the city of Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent mail-sack in section. Fig. 9 is a cross-sec- 55 5 and State of Michigan, have invented a certion on the line IX IX of Fig. 7.

tain new and useful Mail Pouch or Bag, of The plates composing the mouthpiece or which the following is a specification. closure of the mail bag or pouch are made,

This invention relates to mail bags or preferably, of wood fiber, but they may be pouches for carrying mail-matter and for made of any other suitable material. 60

1o other purposes, but more particularly to As shown, the two longer plates or sections mouth-plates or closures for mail-bags. A A at one side of the mouth of the pouch or The primary objects of my invention are to sack are pivotally connected to the shorter provide a mouthpiece for mail-bags and the section B, while the corresponding longer seclike which shall be light and iieXible, yet tions AA on the opposite side are pivotally 65 15 strong and durable, simple in construction, connected to the short section B', the three and inexpensive in manufacture. sections A AB forming one half of the mouth- Other objects are to provide a mouthpiece piece or closure, while the three opposite coror closure for mail-bags or other similar conresponding sections A', A, and B form the trivances adapted to present an opening of other half thereof. 7o

zo large area for the reception of mail-matter, and The several plates or sections of the mouthto permit a free and unobstructed discharge piece, as shown in Figs. l to 9, inclusive, are thereof, so as to facilitate the filling of the channeled or U-shaped in cross-section. Two bag with letters, papers, dac., and the emptyof the longer sections and one of the shorter ing of the saine of its contents, and to prevent sections, forming one side or half of the mouth- 7 5 2 5 a letter or package from catching into a crevpiece, are preferably larger than the opposite ice or onto a projection in the act of being corresponding sections, so that the smaller discharged, and, further, to provide a mouthsections may close into or iit snugly within piece or closure which may readily iiex or the concavity or channel formed in the larger fold in opposite directions to prevent bendsections when the mouthpiece is closed, as 8o 3o ing the sections of the mouthpiece in use. shown. in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 7, S, and 9. The longer The invention will iirst be described with sections of each half or side are connected at reference to the accompanying drawings, one end to an intermediate shorter section which are to be taken as a part of this speciand have their opposite or outer ends pivoted iication, and then pointed out in the claims to the outer ends of the opposing longer sec- 8 5 3 5 at the end of the description. tions, so as to adapt the smaller sections to In the drawings, Figure l represents a plan iit into the channel or concavity in the inner or top view of the pivotally-connected plates faces or sides of the larger sections, and the forming the mouthpiece or closure for the several sections are provided with pendent mouth of a mail-pouch, showing the mouth iianges, as at a a', to the inner sides of which 9o 4o open. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same with the 4upper edges of the mail pouch or sack the pouch closed and locked. Fig. 3 is a plan may be secured, as shown more clearly in side or top view showing the mouthpiece closed view in Fig. 7 and in cross-section in Fig. S, and folded in triangular form. Fig. 4E is a the cloth or leather forming the pouch being plan or top View of the same, showing the attached by rivets or otherwise to the inside 95 45 parts folded in the opposite direction, with of the flanges entirely around the framework the longer plates in contact. Fig. 5 is a fragor mouth-plates, so as to present a smooth surmentary top view showing the jointed plates face between the pouch and mouthpiece and or sections of the mouthpiece slightly sepathereby prevent letters or other mail-matter rated and provided with a label-holding defrom lodging or catching onto projections loo 5o vice. Fig. G is a cross-section on the line VI when emptying the pouch. This method of -VI of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side view of the attachment also tends to strengthen the mouth-plates and obviates the necessity for using protecting plates or strengthening means. A staple C, projecting from the inner side of the intermediate plate or section B, is adapted to pass through an opening in the section B when the mouthpiece is closed, so as to receive a padlock D or other suitable fastening.

E denotes a handle or loop for carrying the pouch, sack, or bag proper, F, the upper edges of which are shown as they appear when the sack is closed in Figs. S and 9, such handle being attached to the framework of the mouthpiece.

As will be seen more clearly in Figs. 7 and 9, the pivots which connect the longer and shorter plates or sections are so arranged that when the mouthpiece is closed the pivots of the smaller sections will be coincident with the pivots of the larger sections, so as to pass between the upper and lower rivets of the larger sections, as shown in Fig. 9, whereby the mouthpiece is adapted to flex or yield at the joints and to be turned upon its intermediate pivots in such manner as to fold readily in opposite directions toward either right or left, as indicated in Figs. 3 and fi, thereby adapting the mouthpiece to readily give or yield under pressure without bending or warping the individual sections.

One of the intermediate: sections, as B', is formed or provided with a recessed projection b', adapted to receive and hold any suitable label, which may be retained in position in the recess, when the mouthpiece is closed, by a flange or projection Z) on the opposite corresponding section, the iiange being adapted to come into contact with or sufficiently near the label when the mouthpiece is closed to confine the label in position in the recessed holder and prevent displacement thereof until the closure is unlocked and opened. l A metallic or other suitable label may be employed, with any desired inscription thereon.

A mouthpiece or closure constructed as thus far described is not only strong and durable in use, but is sufficiently iexible to prevent bending and consequent injury to individual sections, and enables the user to fold the same when closed into either of the positions indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, and to readily open the mouth of the bag, so as to provide a hexagonal or polygonal opening, which is approximately circular and therefore of large area, aifordin g free access to and egress from the pouch for the purpose of filling or emptying the same, and which at the same time may be closed and locked at a single point, and the rivets connecting the intermediate sections with the longer ones cannot be removed without practically destroying the mouthpiece, for, as ,will be seen in Fig. 9, the largersections A B are connected by short upper and lower rivets c c, which are exposed at one end only, while the smaller sections A and B are connected by a single rivet or pivotpin c', which, when the parts are closed, is not exposed at either end, but appears to be a continuation of the smaller rivets c, and the inner ends of both sets of rivets are preferably eountersunk, so as to be iush with the surface of the plate through which they pass and thereby present smooth contacting surfaces Vhen the sack is closed, three of the mouth-plates will lit securely and snugly into three of the opposing plates, and in case either plate should become bent by accident or otherwise it may be readily straightened without removing the same from the sack, or, if broken, another plate may be readily substituted in its stead. The rivets, which attach together the sections of the mouth-plates, may also, if desired, be made vof different designs, so that if one should be lost or removed and another substituted the sack will show that an alteration has been made, and thus afford means for detecting and thereby preventing tampering with the mails.

In stead of providing channeled or U -shaped plates, as hereinbefore described, the plates in Fig. 2 may be cut away, as indicated by the dotted lines, to lessen the weight.

It will be observed that in the several figures the mouth-plates upon one side of the mouth of the bag are adapted to close and fit snugly into-7l. e., within or in interlocking' relation to--the opposing plates forming the other half of the mouthpiece, so that when the mouthpiece is closed the intermediate pivot or pivots connecting the sections composing opposite sides or halves of the mouthpiece will be so arranged that the intermediate pivots on one side will be brought into the same vertical plane with the corresponding pivots of the opposing sections the intermediate pivots of the two opposing sections being thus made to coincide, thus permitting the mouthpiece to flex at the joints and assume various positions between the straight position shown in Fig. 2 and the folded positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A sectional flexible mouthpiece or closure for mail-bags and the like, the sections of which are pivotally connected together end to end and adapted when spread apart to form an opening of large area; the sections upon one side of the mouth of the bag being adapted to close into the opposing sections so as to arrange themselves in the same longitudinal plane therewith, with the pivots of the intermediate section upon one side in the same vertical plane with the pivots of the intermediate plate of the opposing sections, whereby the closure may flex or yield at the joints toward either the right or left and maybe compactly folded in leither direction, substantially as described.

2. A sectional flexible mouthpiece or closure for mail-bags and the like, comprising for each side of the mouthpiece three pivotally- IOO IIO

connected plates or sections; those upon one side being adapted to fit into the opposing sections so as to be arranged in the same longitudinal plane, with the pivots connecting the intermediate and end sections in the same vertical plane, whereby the closure may flex or yield at the joints both right and left and may be compactly folded in either direction, substantially as described.

3. A mouthpiece or closure for mail-bags and the like comprising, for each side of the bag, three pivotally-connected plates or sections two of which are longer than the intermediate section to which they are pivoted at their inner ends, the outer ends of the longer sections being pivoted to the outer ends of corresponding opposing sections and the intermediate shorter sections being arranged diametrically opposite each other; the pivots uniting the longer and shorter sections upon one side being so arranged that when the mouthpiece is closed the pivots of both intermediate sections will be coincident with each other at the joints, to permit the closure to flex either to the right or to the left and to be compactly folded in either direction, substantially as described.

4. A mouthpiece or closure for mail-bags comprising, for each side of the bag, a pair of channeled or U-shaped plates pivotally connected at their inner ends to a short similar section and having their outer ends pivoted to the outer ends of the longer plates of similar opposing sections, the plates upon one side being larger than those upon the other and arranged so that when closed the smaller plates may iit snugly within the concavities of the larger ones, with the pivots of the intermediate smaller plate fitting between the pivots of the larger intermediate plate and coincident therewith, substantially as described.

5. A mouthpiece or closure for mail-bags and the like, comprising, for each side of the bag, a series of pivotally-connected plates or sections having pendent flanges to which the upper edges of the mail bag or pouch may be secured; said plates being adapted when closed to fit one into the other so that the contiguous edges of the mail-sack may be brought vinto close contact between the flanges of opposing plates; the pivots of the intermediate section upon one side of the sack being coincident with the pivots of the corresponding opposing section when closed, so as to permit iiexure in opposite directions, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two witnesses.

ELMER H. MIDDAUGH. [L s] lVitnesses EDWARD TAGGART, CHRISTOPHER HONDELINK.

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