US781754A - Letter-box fastener. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED FEB. 7. 1905.

E. F. WALLAGB.

LETTER BOX FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1904.

MJTORAEK iJNITED STATES Patented February '7, 1905.

EMILUS F. \VALLACE, OF SYRACUSE, NElV YORK.

LETTER-BOX FASTENER- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,754, dated February '7, 1905.

. Application filed May 31, 1904. Serial No. 210,501.

To 117/ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILUs FJVALLAon, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Letter-Box Fasteners, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a device for fastening letter-boxes by which a letter-box may be detach-ably secured to a telegraph-pole, post, or other support upon which it may be desired to place a letter-box without liability of being maliciously removed or displaced.

My object is to provide a simple, practical, and etticient fastening means for the letterlJOX which can be locked and unlocked only from the inside of said letter-box by the employee or attendant who has a key and is legally entitled to open the box.

Other more specific objects and uses will appear in the following description.

in the clrawings,Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved letter-box-fastening device, the portion of one of the bearings for the pintle of the locking member being broken away to show said pintle. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken, respectively, on lines 2 9. and 3 3, Fig. 1, the movable locking member being shown in its locked position in full lines in 1 Fig. and in its unlocked position by dotted lines. Figs. a and 5 are fragmentary perspective views showing, respectively, a portion of the member which is secured to the post or other support and a portion of the element which is secured to the letter-box.

ln 2-, A represents a support, such as a portion of a post, pole, or building, to which is secured by suitable fastening means, as screws 1/, a sheet-metal plate 1 of rectangular form, as seen in Fig. 1, and having its central portion pressed or stamped outwardly to form a dovetail rib having beveled sides 2 and a concave front 3, the sides converging rearwardly from the front and are separated some distance from each other to afford as broad a hearing as possible for the locking member, presently described, which is secured to the letter-box. This metal plate 1 is secured to the support A in such manner that its dovetail rib stands in a substantially vertical position, with the sides 2 2 substantially parallel vertically from top to bottom and the front dished inwardly or rearwardly and transversely, so that the sides, or rather vertical side edges of the sides, 2 2 project some distance beyond the longitudinal center of the front 3. A portion of the front 3 near the bottom of the plate 1 is cut away to form a transverse slot or opening 4, which is comparatively narrow vertically,but extends from side to side between the front edges of the sides 2, the lower edge of this slot being formed with a substantially central projection 5, extending upwardly a short distance, so as to form opposite lateral abutments or shoulders 5.

1 have thus far described the part of the fastening device which is permanently secured to the support A, and while this device is described as being formed of sheet metal it is evident that it may be made from cast metal or other suitable material, the essential feature being to provide a vertical rib which is dovetail in cross-section and has a trans verse cut-out in its front face for a purpose presently described.

B represents a letter-box, to which is secured by any suitable fastening means, as screws or rivets, a sheet-metal plate 6, having a dovetail groove '7, formed by bending the opposite longitudinal edges of the plate (5 in the same direction toward each other, so as to form rearwardly-converging sides 8, united to the main body, as 9, which in this instance is substantially flat or plain from top to bottom. 'lhis main body or front portion 9 of the plate 6 is also cut away near its lower end for forming a transverse slot ll) of substantially the same vertical width as the slot L in the plate 1 and is also located at substantially the same distance from the bottom.

The central portions of the lower and upper l edges of the front portion 9 of the plate 6 are slightly depressed at 11 and 12 to form bearings for pintles 13 of a horizontal rock- 1 ing locking member 14. The locking member 14 is therefore journaled in the bearings 11 12 and is held in said bearings by suitable clampingplates 15. This locking member and its pintles are formed of sheet metal, the main body being plano-convex in cross-section, so as to form a vertical opening therethrough from top to bottom, and when the parts are locked together, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the lower end of the locking member let incloscs the projection 5, to prevent said locking member from being rotated to its unlocked position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The transverse slot lin the plate 1 is somewhat wider vertically than the vertical width of the locking member 14 and its slot 10, the width of the slot 1 depending upon the vertical length of the projection 5-that is, a clear space between the upper edge of the projection 5 and lower edge of the slot 4 must be equal to or greater than the vertical width of the locking member 14, so that the latter may be unlocked or thrown to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 when the letter-box is elevated a sufficient distance to move the locking member above the plane of the upper edge of the projection 5.

The object of making the front wall 3 of the plate 1 concave is to permit a free clearance for the bearings of the pintles 13 as the letter-box, withits plate 6, is moved vertically in attaching it to or detaching it from the plate 1.

The lower and upper ends of the dovetail rib of the plate 1 between the sides 2 and front 3 are closed by end walls 16 to prevent access through said ends to the locking member 1 1 and also to prevent the entrance of dust or moisture. This plate 6 may also be formed of cast metal or other suitable material, the essential feature of which is to form a vertical groove which is dovetail in cross-section and of substantially the same size as the dovetail rib upon, which it is mounted with a sliding fit.

In assembling the parts of my invention the plate 1 is stamped or pressed to the form described and is then permanently secured to the support A by the screws (4. The plate 6 is also constructed and the locking member assembled thereon in the manner described, after which the plate 6 is secured to the rear wall of the letter-box b, which is formed with a transverse slot or cut-out 17 of substantially the same size as and in alinenent with the slot 10, so that when the plate 6 is secured to the letter-box the locking member 14 may be rocked upon its pintle into the interior of the letter-box, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and when in this position the letterbox,with the plate6 secured thereto, is brought to such position that one end of the dovetail groove '7 is brought into registration with one end of the dovetail rib as for instance, its upper end-whereupon the box is permitted to descend by gravity with the sides 8 interlocked with the sides 2 until the locking member 14 is registered with the opening 4 in the plate 1, whereupon the locking member is rocked through the opening or slot 4;, and the letterbox is then allowed to move downwardly a slight distance until the lower end of the looking member 14: engages the lower wall of the slot 4 around the projection 5, it being understood that this rocking movement of the locking member 14 is effected only from the interior of the box B. When in this position, the lateral rocking movement of the locking member is limited by the shoulders 5.

In removing the box from its fastening the attendant or carrier having a key to the letter-box opens the same and is then enabled to engage the locking member with the finger at one side of its axis and to rock the same substantially half a revolution to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, this being done after the box is lifted or elevated a slight distance, so as to bring the locking member above the shoulder or projection 5, and the box may now be elevated until the sides 8 of the plate 6 are disengaged from the sides 2 of the plate 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device for fastening letter-boxes to posts and similar supports comprising two parts having sliding interlocking connection, whereby one part may be moved endwise from the other, opposed shoulders on one of the members and a movable locking device on the other member movable into and out of looking engagement with said shoulders.

2. In combination with a letter-box and support there-for, one of the parts being provided with a dovetail rib and the other with a dovetail groove in which said rib has asliding fit, a pivotal locking member operable only from the interior of the letter-box and operatively engaged with the support for locking the box to the support.

3. The combination with a support having a vertical rib dovetail in cross-section, a let ter-box having a vertical groove dovetail in cross-section and having a sliding fit with the rib, an opening in the rib and a pivotal locking member on the letter-box accessible only from the interior of said box and movable into and out of said opening for locking the letter-box to the rib.

1. A device for fastening letter-boxes to from independent endwise movement relative to the plate. Y

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of May, 1904.

EMILUS F. VALLAUE.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, MILDRED M. No'r'r.

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