US1548286A - Mail box - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 4, 1925.

R. C. SAYRE MAIL B0X Filed Aug. 21. 1923 2 sheets-'sheet 1 fg dfn/,7522,

FIG/l 5 n v r f 5 15 J5 am VBL VENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 4, 1925.

R. c. SAYRE MAIL BOX Filed Aug. 21. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I p INVENTOR,

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

UNITED STATES ROBERTO. SAYRE, OF lI-IILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVAIA.

MAIL BOX.

Application mea August 21, 1923. serial No. 658,504.

To `all 'whom z't may concern:

vBe it known that I, ROBERT C. SAYRE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Mail Box, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to mail boxes in general: and more particularly to mail boxes which comprise a plurality of compartments for receiving letters or packages, which compartments being separately marked or identified, serve to relieve a postman or other person collecting from them of the labor of such separate assortment as would devolve upon him if all of the letters addressed to different destinations were entered together in one compartment or box.

The object of my invention is the construction of a compartmental mail box the compartments of which are separately externally marked with the destination or character of their intended contents, and

in which locking devices are provided for maintaining the compartments normally closed until opened by the postman or other authorized person.

A yfurther object of my invention is the provision of means for illuminating the designations applied to indicate the in tended destination ofthe contents of given receptacles.

A further object is a simple, eflicient and inexpensive construction of the mail box as an entirety.

vWith the foregoing, and other, objects in view, my`invention comprehends a mail box of the character hereinafter described and claimed.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I'have shown in the accompanying drawings certain types and embodiments of it which are at present preferred by me because in practice they will be found to give satisfactory and reliable results.

It is to be understood, however', that the various instrumentalities in which my in vention is shown as embodied can be variously arranged and that my invention is not therefore limited to the precise arrangements which are typified in the constructions shown in the "drawings andhereiir after described.

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a mail box embodying my invention.

Figure 2 represents a sectional, side elevation on the (line 2 2 of the box illustrated in Figure l. n

Figure 3 represents a sectional planon the line V3---3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 represents -a sectional plan on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 represents a perspective view of a modified form of my mail box.

Figure 6 represents a sectional, side elevation of the mailbox illustrated in Figure 5.

Figure 7 represents a sectional plan on the line 3-3 of Figure 6.

Similar numerals of reference `indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to Figures l, 2, 3 and 4,-1 designates the back of my mail box which extends across the two compartments which the box is shown as containing and which Vare respectively designated 2 and 3. rlhe lower rear portion of the back is curved forwardly and inwardly to form an inclined direct-ing bottom 4 common to both compartments.

The front face or th-e outer wall 5 of each compartment is shown as curved outwardly and extended downwardly and inwardly preferably to meet the bottom edge 6 of the inclined bottom 4 of the box.

Paralleling each outer wall 5 is an inner wall 7 common to both compartments. Between the outer Aand the inner walls 5 and 7 is a channel 8, substantially corresponding in length with the lengths of the inner and outer walls, the purpose of which is to form a slideway or bearing within which travels a sliding door 9 of about half the length of the channel 8, and adapted when moved upwardly or downwardly, conveniently by a button l0 attached to it by a shank 1l which passes through a narrow vertical slot 12 in the front face 5, to open or clos-e a discharge opening formed by slots 13 and 14 extending tranversely across the lower parts of the two walls of each compartment of the box, and which are each, when not made continuous, essentially of a corresponding length and a widthequal to the width yof a compartment, so that when the door 9 of a given compartment is down in the position illustrated in Figure 2, it closes the discharge opening made by the said two slots 13 and 14, and closes the bottom of said compartment.

Vhen the button is moved upwardly to the top of the slot 12, the sliding door is lifted and the slots 13 and 14 uncovered to term an opening tor the discharge of its contents from a compartment of the box.

Each of the compartments is similarly slotted and similarly provided With a slidingV door, and, ot course, the compartments-4 of which, as explained, there may be more than tWo,-are separated by a dividing Wall 15.

The top of each compartment is provided with a light chamber 16 in which is contained an electric or other light 17, which casts its light upon a name plate 18, preferably ot translucent material, upon a tace of which is painted, or otherwise applied, the intended destination or Vdesignation of the contents ot the compartment.

Below the compartments and eXteriorly to them are lixedly attached holding hooks 19 to which maybe attached the hooks 2O ot' a mail bag 21, illustrated as made of tvvo compartments, which, when applied, Will receive the contents of a give-n compartment.

22 designates a lock, thelatch 23 of which normally locks a door 9 in its normally closed or down position as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and so prevents the drop ping out oi the contents ot a compartment until the unlocking of the lock of such compartment by a person authorized to collect from it.

Y 24 designates the drop door or closure ot the mouth piece o' a compartment, which is pivoted on the pivot 25, as illustrated in Figure 2, and which normally is in the position illustrated in said Figure 2 until it is forced down by the action of letters or packages introduced through it. This contrivance is of the character usual in mail boxes, and its construction and operation are generally understood.

Referring new to the modified construction illustrated in .Figures 5, 6 and 7,-the iorm oi the compartments is quadrangular instead ci' the curved front iorm of the consttuetion already described, and the drop at the letters through the drop door 24 carries them into a tiltable receiving boX 26, hinged at 27 along the bottom edge ci an opening' in the front Wall et the mail box.

ln the position shown in Figure the tiltable receiving box 26 which is shown as einbodying tivo compartments to correspond to the tivo compartments oii the mail box, see Figui e 7, is shown in its dropped or opened position so that the letters can easily be taken out of it.v While in Figure 6 the receiving box is shown in its normal position as closed within' the mail box proper.

A lock 29, oi' any preferred character and adapted to be opened by the person-authorized to collect the mail, is typically illustrated in Figure 6, in which figure is also illustrated a directing plate 30, corresponding to the inclined bottom 4 of the iirst construction, which helps to direct the letters dropped through the drop door 24 into the compartments et the tilting receiving box 26 Within the mail box.

While l have new described preferred embodiments oi"l my invention, it is, of course, to be understood that in various particulars these embodiments may be further modii'ied Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any et' its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is: l

1. A device et the character stated, comprising a casing the front Wall oi' which is provided With sets et grooved Ways, said :trent Wall being formed upon a curved lire from a portion adjacent the casing top to its bottom, a partition for said casing to provide separate mail receptacles arranged side by side, a letter drop for each receptacle, indicia above each letter drop denoting city mail tor one receptacle and out-of-city mail Jfor the other receptacle a bottom discharge opening for each receptacle and a pair of doors each having a handle, said doors conforming to the curve ol' said trout wall and ar 'anged side by side in the saidways for closing said discharge openings, the casing trent wall being provided with spaced, vertical slots 'for the Working therethrough of said door handles.

2. A device el the character stated, comprising a casing the trent Wall of which is provided with sets ont groovcd Ways, said trent Wall being formed upon a curved line from a portion adjacent the casing top to its bottom, a rear Wall for said casing which is perpendicular throughout the major portion et its extent and terminates in a Vbottoni portion which converges with the front curved Wall at its bottom, a partition for said casing to provide separate mail recep- "tacles arranged side by side, a letter drop for each receptacle, indicia above each `letter drop denoting city mail for one receptacle and out-o't-city mail for the other receptacle, a bottom idisonarge opening' ttor each receptacle and a pair of deors each having a handle. said doors conforming to the curve of said trent Wall and arranged side by side in the said Ways tor closing said discharge openings, the casing front Wall being provided With spaced, vertical slotsfor the Working therethrough of said door handles.

ROBERT C. SAYRE. l'Vitnesses z J. BoNsALL TAYLOR, N. BUssiNGEn.

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