US670553A - Collection and delivery mail-box. - Google Patents

Description

COLLECTION A ND EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE A xi ' lowing to be a full, clear, and exact descrip- JAMES P. BROWN, OF HILLSBORO, ILLNOIS.

`COLLECTION ND DELIVERY MAIL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,553, dated March 26, 1901.

Application iiled January l0, 1901 To LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES P. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hillsboro, in the county of Montgomery and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collection and Delivery Mail-Boxes; and I do declare the foltion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to mail-boxes designed for. use more particularly on rural mail-routes, and has for its object the production of an improved mail colleotion'and delivery box possessing advantages in point of simplicity and durability of construction, added to which the box is weatherproof, is readily opened and closed, and is equipped with signaling devices to indicate whether the box contains'mail for collection or delivery.

Other advantages appear ,iu the following detailed description of my improved box, in connection with which description attention is called to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mailbox embodying my invention, the box being closed and displaying the carriers signal to indicate mail to be collected. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the box opened. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the box. Fig. 4 is a section on line i 4 ofv Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A denotes the bottom of the box, having at its sides depending iianges a, to which are riveted or otherwise secured the box sides B B, and C designates the top', which is of pitch form 4and which is preferably integral with the sides. The top, bottom, and sides are lap-jointed to the rear wall D, rendering the box absolutely weatherproof.

The upper portion of the front of the box is closed by a wall E, having side and upper lianges e engaged by folds b onthe sides and top B C, and rivets are employed to securely fasten the parts together. The wall E is set back from the front edges ofthe sides and Serial No.'42,770. (No model.)

top, and the front edge of the bottoni terminates in substantially the'vertical plane of said wall. The wall E has at its lower side an outwardly-projecting ange e', provided centrally with a hole e2. Y

F denotes the door, which in its closed position fills the opening in the front of the box. The door is recessed, being provided with side flanges ff, and a pintle-rod g is passed through the lower ends of said iianges and the sides to enable the door to be vertically swung. below the bottom, and in the lowered position of the door said end engages the bottom and supports the door in substantially a horizontal'position. The side flanges of the door are upturned, as atf, and in the raised position of theY door the upturned edges engage the edges ofthe sides and act as shoulders to limit the inward movement of the door and also to render the box weatherproof 'around the door. At the upper end of the door is an outwardly-extending flange f2, having a hole f3, which when the door is raised registers with the hole e2 in the langee. h is a padlock, the shackle of which is passed through the holes 62,73 to lock the door. rlhe outer edge of the door-{iange f2 is downwardly turned, as atf4, to give stiifness and also to provide a finger-hold to facilitate the opening of the door.

I denotes what I term the carrier-s signal. Itconsists of an arm pivoted by arivet t to the inner side oi the door, and at one end the arm is bent inwardly, as at 71, to be readily moved and to frictionally hold the arm in its positions, whileits other end is of sufficient length to extend when the arm is moved to display position well below the lower edge of the door to be readily seen by the carrier The lower end of the door extends from the road. The carriers signal is moved into display position by the person depositing the mail for collection, and this can be accomplished only when the door is in open position.

The patrons signal (shown at J) consists of anarm pivoted at its lower end by a rivet j to the side of the box, preferably at its'upper front corner. When mail is deposited by the carrier for delivery, he raises the arm J to vertical position, where it is held by a clip 3'2 on the box side, and in such position the IOO arm extends above the box sufficiently to be plainly seen from a reasonable distance. Both signal-arms are folded at their edges to give stitness.

The box is preferably constructed throughout of non-oxidizable sheet metal and is devoid of curves and therefore readily constructed with ordina-ry tools. The top and sides of the box are formed from a single sheet of metal, and all other parts are constructed equally simple, thus enabling the box to be built at a low cost. The Hanging of the parts of the box secures stiffness, and the use of lap-joints and rivets, as well as the other provisions hereinbefore specified, renders the box perfectly weatherproof. The door is hinged to swing downwardly and is held when lowered in line with the bottom of the box, thereby facilitating the insertion and withdrawal of the inail-matter. The provision of the holes in the door and front wall flanges to receive `the padlock-shackle adds further to the simplicity, effectiveness, and security of the construction and dispenses with the use of separate tongues, staples, or their equivalent for the purpose.

It will be understood that in practice the box is secured to a post or other upright at the proper height to be accessible to a person standing on the ground or seated in a vehicle.

I claim as my invention 1. A mail-boX havinga recessed front wall above the box-opening said wall having at its lower side an outwardly-projecting flange provided with a hole to receive the shackle of a padlock, and a door hinged to swing vertically and extended at its lower end below the bottom of the box whereby it is supported in its lowered position by said bottom, said door also having at its upper end an outwardlyprojecting i'lange provided with a depending portion and with a shackle-hole registering with the hole in the front-Wall flange when the door is in closing position.

2. A mail-box having a recessed bottom and a recessed front wall above the box-opening having an outwardly-projecting fiange, and a door hinged above its lower end to swing vertically and provided atits upper end with an outwardly-extending iiange having a depending portion and with side fianges having upturned edges adapted when the door is closed to shoulder against the edges of the sides of the box-body.

3. A inail-box having a peaked top and a recessed front wall above the box-opening said wall having at its lower side an outwardlyprojecting flange, and a door hinged to swing downwardly and extended at its lower end below the bottom of the box whereby it is supported in its lowered position by said bottom, said door also having at its upper end an outwardly-projecting iiange provided with a downturned portion and having side 'flanges upturned at their edges to embrace the edges of the sides of the box-body when the door is raised.

4. In combination with the body ot'a inailbox, a swinging door therefor, and a signalarm pivoted to the inner side of the door and adapted to be swung to bring one end below the door into display position the other end of the arm being inturned to frictionally hold the arm in its positions.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES P. BROWN.

Witnesses:

THOMAS C. WHITE, THOMAS P. MARTIN.

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