US965426A - Signal. - Google Patents

Description

M. F. WELGH.

SIGNAL.

APPLIOATION'PILED APR. 27, 1910.

Patented July 26, 1910.

' INVENTOR 1 \Ar 2 i Q h WITNESSES ztoreys MARION F. WELCI-I, OF HOLLIS, KANSAS.

SIGNAL.

assess.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 26, 1910.

Application filed April 27, 1910. Serial No. 557,870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARION F. VVnLoH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hollis, in the county of Cloud and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signals; 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.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in signals and more particularly to that class adapted to be used 1n connection with mail boxes and my ob ect is to provide means for operating the signal to set the same when the lid for the mail box is opened and closed, and, a further object is to provide means for indicating when there is mail in the box to be removed by the carrier.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and. claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mail box showing my improved signals applied to use thereon. Fig. 2 is a detail top plan view of the box and signal. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the signal employed for notifying the car rier when mail is to be removed from the box. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the bearing for the signal.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the mail box which may be of the usual or any preferred construction used in rural districts.

The box 1 is provided with the usual form of cover 2, which is hinged to the box and has flanges 3 around its edges which extend over the edges of the box. Attached to the rear face of the box 1 is a bearing block 4, through which is formed a socket 5 and in said socket is adapted to take a pintle 6 of a standard 7, thereby rotatably mounting said standard on the bearing block.

The standard 7 is preferably square in cross section and has attached to its upper end a flag or indicating plate 8, the faces of the flag being preferably colored, so that it may be readily seen from a distance.

The flag 8 may be turned in certain positions so that the patron can readily ascertain when there is mail matter in the box or whether mail matter placed in the box by the patron has been removed by the carrier.

In order to positively set the flag or signal, I provide a setting mechanism, which may be operated by the movement of the cover for the box. To accomplish this result, an oblong loop 9, preferably formed of spring wire, is pivoted at one end to a stud 10 on the cover 2, while the opposite end of the loop engages the standard 7, said standard extending between the arms 11 of the loop.

()ne of the arms 11 is bent in its length to form a shoulder 12, which shoulder is adapted to engage one corner of the standard 7 when the cover is elevated and cause said standard to rotate a quarter turn when the cover is lowered. In view of the spring tension of the arms against the faces of the standard, said standard will be securely held in its adjusted position until the cover is again raised and lowered.

The loop 9 is preferably formed from a single section of wire and is constructed by first doubling the wire upon itself and coiling the loop to form an eye 13, through which the stud 10 extends, that portion of the arms 11 immediately in the rear of the eye 13 being wound together and then extended rearwardly and on opposite sides of the standard 7, the extreme outer ends of the arms being then twisted together, as shown at 14 in Fig. 2.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the flag is set so as to present its edge toward the dwelling of the patron and in order to notify the carrier that there is mail matter in the box to be removed, a colored tag 15 is suspended on the outer face of the box, as shown in Fig. 1, said tag being attached to a tongue 16, which tongue is in turn attached to a spring 17, the opposite end of the spring being secured in any manner to the under face of the cover 2.

The tongue 16 is adapted to extend between the edge of the box and the flange 3, said tongue being provided with a vertical portion 18, as shown in Fig. 3, which will permit the cover to be readily closed and at the same time expose the tag.

As soon as the carrier raises the cover 2, the spring 17 will immediately move the tag inwardly so that said tag will be suspended within the box when the cover is again closed. As the cover is swung upwardly, the loop 9 will be moved longitudinally until the shoulder 12 passes in the rear of the standard 7 and as said shoulder engages one corner of the standard, the downward movement of the cover will cause said standard to rotate and thereby dispose the flag at right angles to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thus indicating to the patron that the carrier has placed mail in the box. If, on the other hand, the carrier has no mail for the patron and it is necessary to open the box to remove the mail placed therein by the patron, it will be necessary for the carrier to raise and lower the cover twice in order to set the signal in proper position to show to the patron that there is no mail in the box.

In view of the simplicity of my invention, it can be very cheaply constructed and can be applied to any form of mail box having a swinging closure therefor and it will likewise be seen that by constructing the parts of the device of metal, the same will be practically indestructible from use.

What I claim is 1. A signaling device, comprising the combination with a box having a swinging closure therefor, of a mounted on said box, a loop pivoted to the cover and engaging the standard and means 011 the loop adapted to engage the standard when the cover is raised and partially rotate said standard when the cover is lowered.

2. A signaling device, comprising the combination with a movable cover, of a rotatably mounted standard, a loop pivoted to the cover and surrounding said standard, said loop having a shoulder adapted to engage the standard when the cover is raised and partially rotate the standard when the cover is closed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARION F. WELCH. lVitnesses W. H. L. PEPPERELL, E. E.- FAUNOE.

standard rotatably

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