US935715A - Mail-box support. - Google Patents

Description

J. M. WATSON.

MAIL BOX SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED APR.23, 1909.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

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JAMES M. WATSON, OF ECRU, MISSISSIPPI.

MAIL-BOX SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 2-3, 1909.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909. Serial No. 491,731.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES M. TVATSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ecru, in the county of Pontotoc and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Mail-Box Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail box supports, and has for its object to provide a device of that kind which will enable the supported letter box to be swung into the buggy of the rural mail carrier and the mail taken up and deposited without danger of being wet during the transfer in rainy weather.

Another object is to provide a device that is out of reach of passing vehicles, but can be readily swung into operative position by the rural carrier.

Still another object is to provide a device that will be simple in construction, cheap in manufacture, and will be impervious to all kinds of weather and climate.

lVith these advantages and other objects in view, which will be shown in the following specification and set forth in the claims, my invention embraces the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the support in applied position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modification of same. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the grasping hook.

In a more detailed description of my invention, in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the views shown, (1) is a post of the usual kind, having a projecting cross arm, (2) preferably of wood, suitably secured to its top. A tubular shank is vertically secured to the post by the staples (4c) and (5) disposed adjacent the opposite ends of the shank, and adapted to allow the shank to be freely rotated on its longitudinal axis. One end of the shank is screw threaded into the elbow (6). The opposite end of this elbow is also provided with screw threads on its inner surface to engage the screw threaded end of the sleeve (7) which projects from said elbow in a plane at right angles to the plane of the shank (3). The sleeve (7) is provided with a pair of slots (9) disposed on diametrically opposite points of the sleeve, the purpose of which will hereafter be explained.

A screw threaded bracket (10) having the head. bent over at right angles to the shaft thereof, is screwed into the postat a point below and in axial alinement with the staples (at) and (5), the head of the bracket being adapted to project into the base of the tubular shank (3), the bracket with its projecting head forming both a support and a bearing for this shank. This bracket is so placed that the tubular arm will be elevated sutliciently to cause the sleeve, supported trans versely thereon to extend along the cross arm,

The supporting arm consists essentially of a solid shank (11), adapted to slidingly fit the bore of the sleeve, (7), and having disposed transversely at one end a pin (12), whose length is greater than the outside diameter of the sleeve, (7), so that the ends project through the slots (9) and are adapted to slidingly fit in the same. The opposite end (13) of the supporting arm is bent vertically upward from the sleeve and terminates in a polygonal sided end (14), adapted to receive thereon a base plate This base plate is substantially rectangular in contour, preferably made of metal, having an aperture adapted to receive the polygonal sided end of the supporting arm, and a few blows of a hammer or other implement on the end of the arm, will secure the base plate firmly in place. In order that a mail box may be secured on this plate, a plurality of holes (16) are formed therein, adjacent the corners.

The shank (11) of the supporting arm is adapted to have a sliding motion in the bore of the sleeve and this movement is limited by the length of the slots (9) for as may be readily seen by referring to Fig. 1 the arm may be drawn out until the cross pin comes in contact with the end of the slots 7 7 and likewise may be shoved back again until the pin comes in contact wit-h the opposite end of the slots. The pin being of a size to snugly fit in the slots, prevents any lateral or rocking movement of the parts, thus holding the supported letter box stationary in the strongest breeze.

In order that the supporting arm may be held against the cross arm (2) of the letter box post when not in operation, a latch (17) is provided. This latch is preferably a single piece of wire in shape resembling the figure 3, and is provided at one end with an eye (18) adapted to be pivotally secured to the side of the cross arm (2) at a point adjacent to the end of the slots \Vhen in operative position, the latch embraces the slotted part of the SlGGNG (7) in such a manner that the pin is held fast when at rest in the extremity of its inward movement as shown in Fig. 1. Not only is the supporting arm held at rest, but also the sleeve is held fast against the cross arm (2) and neither can be moved from that position until the hand latch is raised clear of the sleeve by the operator.

A eevice of this kind is impervious to all kinds of weather. by the wind and cannot be frozen as water will be drained off through the bore of the tubular shank as fast as it finds its way into the sleeve (7).

Grasping hook (19) which is simply a lon 'stiif )iece of wire bent over at one end is provided for the rural carrier, to enable him to easily reach and throw back the latch,

but this hook is not essential to the opera tion of the device as the carrier may use the butt of his whip or any other long stick to throw back the latch.

A. modified form of my invention is shown in Fig. 2 in which the tubular shank terminates in a pointed end (20). An angle iron (21) is suitably secured to the post by nails or bolts (22), and is provided with a recess (23) to form a seat for the pointed end of the tubular shank. This angle iron is so placed on the post that the SlQ"6 is extended along the cross arm as above de-' scribed.

The device is preferably set up with the projecting arm (2), turned away from the street so that it will at all times be out of the reach of passing vehicles. WVhen the rural carrier comes along he stops his buggy alongside the post, reaches in, throws back the latch and pulls the sleeve around until it? projects toward his buggy, when a second pull slides the supporting arm to its outward limit of motion and places the letter box supported thereon, before him in the middle of his buggy. The exchange of mail may now be made without danger of soiling or wetting the mail in rainy weather.

Having thus described my invent-ion, what I claim as new is 1. The combination with a mail box post, of a device for supporting a mail box thereon comprising a turning tubular shank, a sleeve supported transversely on said shank, a sliding supporting arm carried in said sleeve having one end bent upward and adapted to have a letter box securedthereto, means for limiting the sliding motion of said arm in the sleeve, and av latch pivoted on the side of the post to engage the sleeve and hold it against the side of the post.

It cannot oe shaken loose 2. The combination with a mail box post, of a device for supporting a mail box thereon comprising a tubular turning shank mounted vertically on the post, a slotted sleeve supported transversely thereon, a supporting arm slidingly fitted in the sleeve having one end bent upward and adapted to have a letter box secured thereto, stops on the arm playing in the slots in the sleeve, and means for securing said arm in operative position.

3. The combination with a mail box post, of a device for securing a mail box thereto comprising a tubular turning shank mounted vertically on the post, a sleeve supported transversely on said shank and having diametrically opposed longitudinal slots, a sliding supporting arm provided at one end with a transversely disposed pin projecting through said slots, said supporting arm having one end bent upward to receive a base plate thereon, and means for simultaneously securing and locking said supporting arm in operative position.

4. The combination with a mail box stop, of a device for supporting a mail box thereon comprising a tubular turning shank mounted vertically on said post, a sleeve supported transversely on the upper end of said shank, a sliding supporting arm carried by said sleeve and having one end bent upward and terminating in a polygonalsided end adapted to receive a base plate, and means for holding the arm to the post.

5. The combination with a mail box post, of a device for supporting a mail box thereon comprising a tubular turning shank mounted vertically on the post, a sleeve supported transversely on the upper end of said shank and having a pair of diametrically opposed longitudinal slots, a sliding supporting arm provided at one end wit-h a transversely disposed pin slidingly fitting in said slots to limit the sliding motion of said supporting arm, said supporting arm having one end bent upward and terminating in a polygonal sided end, a base plate provided with a plurality of holes disposed adjacent its corners for securing a mail box thereon and a central polygonal opening to engage the polygonal end of the arm, and a latch pivotally mounted above the upper end of the shank to embrace said sleeve and lock the said sleeve and supporting arm in operative position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. \VAT SON.

Vitnesses E. L. BROWNING, EARLE 1mm.

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