US821440A - Mail-box. - Google Patents

Description

No. 821,440. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906. 0. F. SMITH.

MAIL BOX.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 19. 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1. 55

E2 2 s: 2a Fi l i E5 E 3/ ig ,5 if \JI Witweoom No. 821,440. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

0. F. SMITH.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.19,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Witnesses ORREN F. SMITH, OF AMES, IOWA.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application filed September 19, 1905. Serial No. 279,109.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORREN F. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ames, in the county of Story, State of Iowa, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mail-boxes.

One object is to provide an exceedingly simple, inexpensive, durable, and efficient mail-box particularly adapted for use in the rural districts.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a mail-box embodying such characteristics that the same may be operated by the wheel of a vehicle.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, the dotted lines illustrating the position of the parts when the door is open. Fig. 2 is a front view. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the door of the box.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the reference character 1 designates a post mounted in the ground and provided at its upper end with an arm 2, having a cross-piece 3 at its outer end.

The reference character 4 designates the mail-box, which is provided with oppositelydisposed feet 5, through which latter and the aforesaid cross-piece 3 suitable fastenings are passed for securing the box to the cross piece. The front of the box 4 is provided with an opening 6, adjacent to which opening is arranged the lid 7 of the box, the lid being hingedly connected to the box at its lower edge and adapted to fall by gravity from over the said opening 6. It will be observed that the lid or door 7 is provided with side wings 8 and 9, which overlap the corresponding sides of the box 4 when the door is in its closed position, thereby protecting the contents of the box from the weather. The upper edge of the door 7 is provided with a flange 10, adapted to overlap the top of the box 4 for the same purpose as the wings 8 and 9 overlap the sides of the box. The upper edge of the door 7 is also provided with an upwardly-directed lug 11 for cooperation with the hooked end 12 of the lever 13, which latter is pivoted at 14 upon the short post 15, formed or secured upon the top of the box 4. It will be observed that the lever 13 is curved and that its hooked end 12 is considerably heavier than the opposite end thereof, so that the hook 12 will always be in position to engage the lug 11 of the door 7 when the latter is closed. A signal-supporting rod 16 is pivotally mounted at its lower end upon the wing 9 of the door 7 and is held in ts upright position by reasonof its engagement with a lug 17, formed upon the wing 9 of the door. When the door 7 is thrown from over the opening of the box 4, this lug 1.7 causes a swinging movement of the supporting-rod 16 accordingly. upper end of the supporting-rod 16 remains hanging from the wing 9 when the door 7 is closed until the postman arrives and places mail in the box or between the clip 19 and the inner face of the door 7, when he will swing the supporting-rod 16 into engagement with the aforesaid lug 17 thereby indicating by means of the arrow 18 that mail has been deposited in the box 4. A

When the postman arrives, he should cause the vehicle (not shown) in which he carries his mail to come in such close proximity to the post 1 as to cause one wheel of his vehicle to engage the free end of the spring trip-plate 20. This plate 20 is connected in any suitable manner at one end of a leg 21, and when pressure is brought to bear upon the free end of the trip-plate 20 a pull will be exerted upon the cord or rope 22,which latter is engaged with the said plate 20 near its free end, thereby pulling the ring 23 at the upper end of the said cord 22 from engagement with the inner end of the lever 13, causing the hook 12 of the said lever to become disengaged from the lug 11 of the door 7, permitting the latter to swing by reason of its own gravity from over the opening of the mail-box 4. It will be seen that the rope 22 passes through a perforation 24 in the arm 2, and. consequently, the ring 23 being larger than the said perforation 24, will limit the downward movement of Therefore the signal-arrow 17 at the the rope when disengaged from the lever 13. After the mail has been deposited in the box 4 it is simply necessary for the carrier to close the door 7 which will be held in closed position by the engagement of the hooked end 12 of the lever 13 with the lug 11 of the door 7. The signal-supporting rod 16 may be then swung into engagement with the aforesaid lug 17 to indicate that mail has been deposited in the box.

The free end of the spring-plate 22 is limited in its upward and downward movements by means of a U-shaped guide 25, secured to the post 1 immediately above the ground.

In order that the owner of the box 4 may signal to the carrier that he has deposited mail in the box for collection, I provide a separate signaling device 26, which is pivotally connected to the aforesaid signaling device or arrow 18.

What is claimed is 1. The combination of a post having an arm at its upperend, the arm having a crosspiece at its free end; of a mail-box secured upon the cross-piece, a hinged door for the box provided at its top and sides with means for overlapping the top and sides of the box and also provided at its upper edge with an upwardly-directed lug, a post upon the top of the box, a lever pivotally mounted upon the post and provided at its outer end with a hook for engagement with said lug to lock the door with respect to the box, a signal de- I vice pivotally mounted upon the door, a spring trip-plate constructed and arranged for vertical movement in close proximity to the post, a flexible rope connected near one end of the said trip-plate and provided at its opposite end with a ring for engagement with one end of the lever, whereby the hooked end of the latter may be removed from engagement with the lug of the door by pressure upon the said trip-plate.

2. The combination with a post, a mailbox constructed and arranged. for support by the post, a door for the mail-box, means for holding the door in locked position, a tripplate, and a connection between the tripplate and the locking means whereby the door may be opened by pressure upon the tri plate.

n testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ORREN F. SMITH.

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