US787731A - Mail-box. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

J. H. DIGKSON.

MAIL BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED D50. 20, 1904.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES PATENTED' APR. 18, 1905.

J. H. DICKSON.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 20, 1904;

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

:Lq.E.,

Patented April 18,1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. DICKSON, OF POLK, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,731, dated April 18, 1905. A li ti fil d December 20, 1904.. Serial No. 237,668. 7

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that LJAMEs H. .DIoKsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Polk, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a mail-box which will require the use of but one hand to place letters therein and to so construct the box that it will be strong, compact, and simple and able to stand any reasonable test and wherein also the box will be waterproof and practically burglar-proof.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the improved letter-box, a portion of the casing or body thereof being broken away to show the interior mechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the casing of the box and an end view of the operating mechanism within the body, showing the door closed and the chute for the letters open. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the entire box, the door for the pocket being open and the chute which receives the letters closed at the bottom. Fig. i is a detail perspective view of the framework for the pocket and a portion of the chute adapted to receive letters introduced through the pocket, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a part of the upper portion of the door of the box and the support therefor.

A represents the body or casing of the box, which may be of any desired size and shape, and the said body or casing is provided with an opening suitably closed by adoor a, which opening is located at the bottom portion of the box and is adapted for the removal of the mail-matter therefrom. Another opening 10 is produced at the upper portion of the box, through which the mail-matter is introduced. At the rear of the said opening 10, within the box A, a pocket B is located, and this pocket B, as is best shown in Fig. 4., consists of end or cheek pieces 11, which are preferably provided with segmental lower edges and with front flanges 12, whereby the said cheek or end pieces are secured to the body of the box. Furthermore, a bottom 13 is provided forthe pocket, which is also segmental in cross-seetion and is secured in any suitable or approved manner to the bottom edges of the cheekpieees 11. The upper face of the bottom 13 is concaved and the under face convexed, and in this bottom 13 a longitudinal slot 15 is produced, extending nearly from end to end of the said bottom, and the said bottom 13 is provided with a flange 14. at its front, whereby the bottom portion of the said pocket is secured to the body A.

In connection with the pocket B, I employ a chute C. This chute is preferably rectangular in general contour and is provided with an upper marginal flange 16, the chute being open at the top and at the bottom. The chute C is adapted for attachment, by means of its flanges 16, to the bottom of the pocket B in such manner that the opening 15 in the pocket will be in registry with the upper opening in the said chute, as is illustrated in Fig. 3.

At the upper portion of the opening 10 within the box or casing A a shaft 17 is mounted to turn in openings 18, produced in the cheek-pieces 11 of the pocket B, and the ends of the shaft 17 are polygonal in cross-section, as is shown at 18 in Figs. 2 and 5, and extend beyond the outer faces of the cheek-pieces 11 of the pocket. The door 19 for the opening 10 is secured in any suitable or approved manner to the shaft 17, and this door opens inward and has movement in the pocket B, as is shown by positive lines in Fig. 3 and indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. A plate 20 is fulcrumed, by means of suitable pins 21 at each end of the chute C, as is illustrated in .ing more or less convexed, asis indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. The sliding bottom 24, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is segmental in cross-section, having a concaved upper and a eonvexed under face.

A counterpoise-weight 25 is connected by arms 26 with the forwardly-extending upper members 22 of the carriers 20, as is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 8, and extension-arms 27 are secured in any appropriate manner to the opposite upper members 23 of the said carriers '20, and both of the arms 26 and 27 are carried to the fulcrum of the carriers 20 and are pierced by the pivot-pins 21. The extensionarms 27 from the carriers 20 are connected by links 29 in a pivotal manner with crankarms 28, which crank-arms are secured to the outer polygonal end portions of the shaft 17, carrying the door 19. Thus in operation when the door is closed, as is shown in Fig. 2, the counterpoise-weight 25 will act and give the carriers 20 an upward and rearward inclination, carrying the slide 24 from the bottom portion of the chute C and permitting the letters and mail-matter contained in the chute to drop down into the said box or casing A. When, however, mail-matter is to be placed in the box, it may be done by the use of one hand only, as it is simply necessary to press the door 19 open with the hand containing the mail-matter, whereupon the connections between the said door and the carriers 20 will act to close the slide 24: beneath the chute C as the door is opened, and the mailmatter can then be dropped in the chute, and as soon as the door 19 is permitted to close the slide 24 at the bottom of the chute is carried to the open position, (shown in Fig. 2,) and the mail-matter drops down into the bottom portion of the box.

It will be observed that under this construction the moment the door 19 is opened to deposit mail in the box the bottom portion of the chute C is closed, so that no one can abstract from the chute any mail-matter deposited in the box, it being necessary to open the door a at the bottom of the box to remove the mail-matter therefrom. The Weight 25 is sufficiently heavy to keep the door 19 closed under heavy pressure of wind.

Having thusdescribed my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In mail-boxes, a casing having an opening therein through which mail-matter is inserted, a pocket secured to the inner face of the casing, at the opening therein, and having an opening in its bottom, a chute extending from the bottom of the pocket below the open ing thereof, a slide for closing the lower end of the chute, a hinged plate-like door for closing the opening of the casing, and mechanism between the door and slide for operating the latter from the former.

2. In mail-boxes, a casing having an opening through which mail-matter is inserted, a hinged plate-like door for closing the said opening, a pocket having a segmental bottom with an opening therein and secured to the inner face of the casing at the opening thereof, a chute secured to the bottom below the opening in said bottom, a counterpoise-slide for closing the lower end of the chute, and

operating means between the pivot of the door of the casing and the said slide for operating the latter from the former.

3. In mail-boxes, a casing having an opening therein, a shaft mounted to rock at the upper portion of the said opening, a door for the opening, secured to said shaft, a pocket at the rear of the said opening, being secured to the said casing in which the said door has movement, a chute secured to the said pocket in communication therewith at the top, being open at the bottom, a slide capable of covering the bottom of the chute, carriers for the slide fulcrumed upon the chute, a counterpoise-weight for the carriers, and connections between the carriers and the shaft for the door, which connections impart movement to the slide at the opening and closing of the door.

I. In mail-boxes, a casing having an opening therein, a shaft mounted to rock at the upper portion of the said opening, a door for the opening, secured to the said shaft, a pocket fixed within the said. casing at the rear of the said opening, in which pocket the said door has movement, the pocket being provided with an opening in its bottom portion, a chute open at the top and at the bottom, which chute is secured to the bottom portion of the said pocket in registry with the opening in the pocket, a slide capable of covering or of uncovering the bottom of the chute, carriers for the slide, fulcrumed upon the chute, a counterpoise-weight attached to the carriers above and at one side of their fulcrums, upwardlyextending arms also secured to the carriers above and at opposite sides of their fulcrums, crank-arms secured to the said shaft for the door, and link connections between the crankarms and the extension-arms of the carriers.

5. In a mail-box, a casing having an opening for the insertion of mail-matter, a platelike door for closing said opening, a pocket secured to the inside of the casing at the opening therein, a chute extending from the bottom of the pocket and in communication with the said pocket, a swinging and counterpoised closure for the bottom of the chute, and mechanism for operating the closure from the door.

6. In a mail-box, a casing having an opening for the insertion of mail-matter, a pocket on the inside of the casing at the opening therein, a swinging door for closing the opening of the casing, a chute in communication with the pocket, a swinging closure for the bottom of the chute, having members pivoted on the outer sides of the chute, a counterpoise connected with one of the members of the closure, and mechanism between the pivot 0f lIS IO riers, crank-arms on the axis of the swinging door, and links connecting the crank-arms with the rearwardly-projeoting arms of the carriers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sub- 1 5 scribing witnesses.

JAMES H. DIGKSON. Witnesses:

GEO. B. HAYS, JOHN T. MOORE.

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