US792675A - Rural-route-mail deliverer. - Google Patents

Description

No. 792,675. y f PATENTED JUNE 20. 1905.

V. F. SPRINGER.

RURAL ROUTE MAIL DELIVERER. APPLIoATIoN FILED 13110.29, 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

VALENTINE F. SPRINGER, OF MILFORD, NEBRASKA.

RURAL-FIOUTE-NIAIL DELIVERER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,675, dated June 20, 1905. Application filed December 29, 1904'. Serial 110.238,723.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LVALENTINE F. SPRINGER. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milford, in the county of Seward and State of Nebraska, have invented a certain new and useful Rural-Route-Mail Deliverer,which will be described more fully hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown, in Figure 1, a side elevation of my rural-route-mail deliverer, while Fig. Q shows an end View thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a mechanical mail-deliverer to be used upon rural routes.

In carrying out the aim of my invention I use two suspended wires, as a and a', which are held superposed in being secured to the cross-arms a, fixed to suitable poles m, as shown in Figs. l and 2, these poles being of such length that the suspended wires a and a will be such a distance above ground that an ordinary train or wagon may readily pass below the same. Traveling upon the upper wire a are two grooved sheaves 9 and 9', from which extend the hangers 4', held by means of the supporting-pins 10 and 10', and this hanger 4 is secured to the bracket 4 and forming part of the same, as is shown in Fig. 2. To the sheave 9' is secured a gear 12, which gear 12 meshes with the driving-gear 11, xed to the driving-shaft 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and this driving-gear 6 is held within the bracket 4, which bracket is shown in Fig. 2 as approximately U-shaped, while at each end are secured the terminal bearing-brackets 3 and 5. Secured to this driving-shaft 6 is a suitable driving-spring 14, secured by means of the pin 13 and fastened to the shaft 6, which is provided with the ratchet-wheel 15 and the pawl 16, held upon the pin 17, so that Athis spring 1.4 may be wound, as an ordinary clock-l spring Is wound, to drive the shaft 6, which is provided with a square termination, enabling a key to be fitted to the same. To this shaft 6 is also loosely secured the lower guidingpulley 8, so that this hanger, which forms a carriage for the driving mechanism, cannot be readily displaced in storms or by parties tampering with the same. Secured to this bracket 4 and the bearing-brackets 5 and 3 is a suitable housing A, divided into a plurality of compartments closed by means of the doors 1, these doors being secured by means of snitable hinges 2, and each door is provided with a suitable lock b. At suitable points along the line one or more of the cross-arms z are provided with the electric terminals o and fu', which come into rubbing contact with the sheaves 9 and 8 to close an ordinary bell-circuit, so that an alarm will be rung by the carriage before a suitable station is approached.

My device is used as follows: The line-wires a a are strung along a predetermined route, especially in country districts, and it is intended that a proper oiiicial distributes the mail and places the same into the proper boxes. As a matter of illustration, we will assume that the line has six subscribers, drawings showing the deviceyprovided with six receiving lock-boxes. Thespring being wound, the device is permittedto travel along the line. As the house is usually a considerable distance from the road and as it will be known when the carrier is started out, some party at the first house is expected to be on the alert, and as the carrier travels along by means of the spring-motor 14 a suitable alarm will be rung in, an ordinary bell-circuit being closed in that the terminals o and o are brought into circuit with the metallic carriage, and as soon as the bell rings the party on the alert repairs to the point most convenient, which will have to be on an elevation or the wires be permitted to lower, so that as the carrier cornes along it will be stopped by the party, who will unlock the door and remove the contained mail. The party then in order to insure success winds the motor again and permits it to continue to the second station, where previous to its arrival the traveling mail -carriage will close a circuit to Warn the parties to repair to a proper point and interrupt the passage of the carrier. Now should the party at the first or second station be absent the carriage will of course continue through to the end, it being intended to provide a motor for each carrier of sufhcient power to carry it the full predetermined distance. Now the party at the last station on the line is required to wind up the motor and reverse the same, so that IOO the driving-sheave 9 will rotate in an opposite direction, so that the carriage will pass over the course and return to the original station to be in shape to receive the mail on the neXt delivery.

WhileI have shown and described an ordinary spring-motor, it is ot' course understood that an electric or any other suitable motor could be used. So, also, could a greater number or a less number of delivery-boxes be used.

I nd it desirable to use the two wires principally in order to keep the carriage in pendent condition and prevent its being violently swayed in storms in view of the reasons mentioned above.

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

In a device of the character described, the combination with two superposed suspended wires, of a carriage, said carriage being provided with brackets, a sheave supported within each bracket working upon the uppermost suspending-wire, a gear secured to one of said sheaves, adrive-gear secured to said carriage meshing with said first-mentioned gear, a suitable motor actuating said gears, a sheave secured to said driving-shaft adapted to corne in engagement from below with said lowermost suspended wire, and a mail-receptacle secured to said carriage.

In testimony whereofI aiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VALENTINE F. SPRINGER.

Witnesses:

H. D. LANDIS, C. F. SPRINGER.

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