US1992640A - Extensible mail box - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 26, 1935*. H. STEEN EXTENSIBLE MAIL Box Filed Jan. 31, 1935 INVENTOR BY/ 0r @fe el? M1 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 26, 1935 n i 3' l `vvUNITED :STATES PATENT oFFicli:A

` fEx'rENsIBLE Box Henry Steen, Vashon, Wash.' v Application January 31, 1933, Serial-No. 654,381

claims.L (o1. 23a-i7) This inventionhas reference to improvements felled t0, -and Whiell Will be' particularly dein mail boxes of the variety which may be ex" scribed in Order( tended to accommodatethem to packages or ar" "A'teleSeOpic member, generally denoted as 10, tioles 0f unusum length f a has a bodyfportion 11vof approximately the same s itsv objects, generaiiystated, arez. length as Seid body 1 and snugly co'nforrilablel` 5 To providek a. mail box, normally of the dithereto, the Sama as is evident, beingfdesgnedmensions which conformto therequirements of' to teles'copicallyengage said body. The rear end the United states Post-.OfficeDepartment,v lout 0f the'body portionlly is at all times Open, and having a telescopic member engaging the body its frontv edge is provided throughout With abead of the box and provided with a door,.and which 12, thisv bead 'purposely having a. crossv sectional 10 member may be manipulated from the front of area considerablir larger than the 4beadededge 5. the box soas to extend the length of the box, Said member'lo, includes at its front end, a door therebypermitting'it to receive objects or pack- 13, WlliCll ObViOuSly permits the' vfiOIll @11d t0 ages unusually long; beopened or closed'eas'de'sired. Said door is l5 To provide in such a mail box, a catch 'device hingedly Connected With the lOWer edge 0f lthe 15 A instrumental in extending' saidv box to different body portion 11,`a`s at 14, and carries a flange 15, and predetermined lengths,y but wnicnserves to which 'affords a weatherproof connectionffor limit the longitudinal movement of said tele-r the door with thfbead ,"12. Said flange iS 0f scopic member so that itmay not be withdrawn Suflicient Wdthfand the heavier bead 12 vCauses! from the body of` the Vbox without dsengaging the 'flange 1,50 be Sleillefi4 aWY fIOm the WallSOf 20 said device;V and, K the body portion 11 to such an extentvas toalso To provide elements which render. thebox afford a Weather-proof' connection for said Weather-proof Avvhen said `box is in either exflange with the beaded edge' on the body 1, tended 01` closed position- When Said member 10S fully tleSCOpBd Within 1n the accompanying drawingv g said body.l 16 denotes a handle for manipulating 25 Figure 1 is a perspective of said mail lbox in Said teleSeOpic member, and 17 vdesignates genf extended position A k erally, a retainingfdevice for'said door.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same in Said device comprises a member 20, made of telescoped position. relatively -stiff springmateriaLrixedly secured at Fig. 3 is a cross section, drawn on theline 3-'-3,. diie end tothe body portion llvand bent vso as to 30` of Fig. 2, affording a front View of an upstandaccommodate the beaded edge 5 and thereby pering projection of said catch device as located in mit the member 10 t0 be telescoped in closed p0- its groove in the body of the box. .l sitionwithin the body of the box. The member Fig. 4 is a cross section, drawn on the `line 4,-4, 20 is Valso bent' so that it may clear thedoor 13 of Fig. V2, showing, in an enlarged form, said. and extend in an approximately horizontal po 25 catch devie sition,the`same being of alengthwhich will per- Fig. 5 is a view of a portion of Fig. 2 on anenv mit it to projectfor a substantial distance beyond i larged Scale, said door. A''Ihe'freeend o-f the member 20 is pe Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 turned slightly, as at 21, to fori`r 1 a-lip,andisaid 4 denotes the body of the mail box, Which bodymember-is-provided withan upstanding bight 40 is mainly conventional'in form. vvAs it may be portion v22 and an opening 23. Asecond member f noted particularly in Figfz, the bottom portion iS'DifOvided'for this device, the same including a 2 of the body is provided with ends 3,bent right body' Dertien 24, xedly secured-'to the door 13. f angularly andl downwardly,l which serve to ele-` Extendmg .from Said bQdY @11201124 iS a hOrir vate said portion slightly when itis secured in Zfmtauy" `dl,sposed portion 25 Whlchfanles El 4*? place, and also provide, inconnection with the blght prtmn 26. and' an, .Openmg '27 Cmplefv mentary to said bight portion 22 and opening 23. sldes andrear end of the body,a bottom flange 23denotesan e e A- gerpiece depending from said body 4 for'sald body' The body 1 1S 0105.66' at lts rear portion(r Said bight portions function as retain--y end and open vat its front end, said front end,

exclusive of 'the adjacent edge of the Ibottom 1 and 2 vfor keeping Said Vdoor Shut, *and Said.

POI'iOn 2,`bei1!gp1`OVided With a beaded edge 5- iingerpiece obviously is useful in raising yand 6 designates an integral `and internalv longitudilowering said door and in bringingy said retaining nal groove formed in the top of said body, vthe elements intoclosed or open position. When the same constituting apart of the catch device re-y door is shun-the openings 23 and'27 are broughtl 55' ing elements, when they contact as shown in Figs. 50 i into alignment, and a padlock may be installed therein, if desired.

Integral with the body portion 11 of said telescopic member are a plurality of external grooves 29, disposed in spaced parallel relation. Said grooves are adapted to provide, in cooperation with the beaded edge of the body of the box, weather-proof connections for the body 11 of the member with the body 1 of the box, When said memberisin extended position, saidgrooves being designedto fit'iritdsaid edge 5, obviously when brought into contact therewith, 4and thereby affording close fitting joints. Said grooves also subserve another useful purpose, in that they provide channels for diverting Water downwardly so that it may more readily run off of the body of 4the member 10.

The catch device, previously ineriticne'zd,A` come prises a strip 30`of sheet spring stock, iixedly secured as at 31, to the underside of the top wall of. the telescopic member 10,1 It is provided at its free end with an integral, right angular and pointed projection 32 whi ch extendsthrough a slot` 3 3 in said top walL-,the said projection being freely movable vertically in said slot.- The'pro jection 32 normally extends into. and slidably enfgages the-groove- 6 inthebody of thebox, the front endof said groove serving to limit the forward movementof said vprojection therein, and thereby preventingthe telescopic memberv from being wholly withdrawnfrom said body while the device lisfunctioning as ay mail box,

As is evident, the normal position of the point of the projection 32 Ais above the top of the body ofthe member 10.` When inserting said member top of said body, click .intothe groovev 6, when said groove is reachedl It is then inoperative position, the projection ridingback and forth in said groove, as the member-lois moved inwardly or outwardly.

Assuming that the `telescsepic member -is disposed `completely Within the body of thel box; the

device functions asan ordinarymail box, mail matterj obviouslybeing deposited; after opening the door 13 by releasing the` retainingA device,- through pulling on the ngerpiece 2 8. If it be desired to extendsaid telescopic member, this is done by pulling on the handle 16, said retaining device being effectivein keeping said door closed against such action. When the mailbox has been `inte'riorly of said member, when the parts may be easily separated- While it is contemplatedthat this mail box when in telescoped condition may be of ordinary size, thev construction` described will permit, if desired, the provision of a mail box which is normally smallerthan usual, its extensible feature,

1 and weather-proof qualities whether the box'is extended or not, imparting to it effective increased capacity as thesame may berequired.

Changes-mandmodications of the` construction described maybe lmadejwithout departing .-1 from the spiritofmy invention orqsacricing-its advantages, hence it is asked that I be not confined to the specific structure set forth, except as limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An extensible mail box, comprising a body portion closed at its rear end and open at its front end, said front end having a beaded edge, a recess in said portion, a member telescopically engaging said portion, said member being open at its rear end and its front end, saidfront end having a beaded edge of greater cross-sectional area than the first-named beaded edge, a door hingedly mounted to the front end of said mem` ber, a flange carried by said door adapted to embraceV the second beaded edge and provide a Weather-proof connection for the door therewith, said flange having a width which will permit it also to embrace the rst beaded edge and provide a Weatherfproof connection with the front end of the body portion when said member is fully telescoped within said portion, a retaining device for said door, and a catch extending from said member and slidably engaging said recess for limiting the longitudinal travel of said member.

2. An extensible mail box, .comprising a' body portion closed at its rear end and openat its front end, said front end having a beaded edge,

an internal and longitudinal groove disposed iny said portion, a member. telescopically engaging said portion, said member being open at its rear ward end and its forward end, said forward end having a beaded edge, a door hingedly mounted to Jthe forward end of said member, a nange' extending continuously along the Side edge and top edge portions of said door and directed rearwardly, the rst-named edge being so proportioned in size relative to the size of the second-named edge and said flange having a width'and being of such a character as to provide a close contact for the flange with each ofsaidedges when said member is fully telescoped within said portion, and a spring catch extending from said member and slidably engaging said groove for limiting the longitudinal movement of Vsaid member.

3. In an extensible mail box, a body portion closed at its rear end and open at its front end, said front end having a beaded edge, a member complementary to and telescopically vengaging said portion for increasing the-length of said box, said member being open at its rear end and its front end, a door, having a ange, swingingly connected with the 'front end of said member and providing a Weather-proof closure therefor, said flange extending rearwardly of said door and adapted, when 'said member is telescoped Within said portion, to embrace said edge and provide a weatherproof connection for said member with said portion, and a spring-actuated catchdevice to prevent said member from being inadvertent- 1y v'rithdiawn from said portion.

4. In an extensible mail box, a body portion having a closed rear Aend and an open front end, said front end having a beaded edge,'a member complementary to and telescopically engaging said portion for increasing the length of said boxI said member being open at its rear end and pro* vided at its front end with a beaded edge larger in crosssectional area than the first-named edge, a door, having a flange, hingedly mounted to the front end of said member and providing a weather-proof closure therefor, said flange being adapteA ed, when said member -is telescoped within said portion, to cover, in close ttingengagement, the first-named edge, and a pluralityv of external grooves carried by said member and located in spaced parallel relation, said grooves providing Weather-proof connections for said member with the beaded edge of said portion when said member is in extended position.

5. In an extensible mail box, the combination of a main body portion having an open end provided with a beaded edge, an internal and 1on-` gitudinal groove disposed in said portion, a. member complementary to and telescopically engaging said portion, for increasing the length of said box, said member being provided with an opening positioned oppositely of said groove and also 'a plurality of external grooves disposed in spaced parallel relation, said grooves ybeing adapted to contact with said edge and afford weather-proof contacts between said portion and said member as the member is extended, and a spring retainer comprising a spring xedly secured at one end within said member, said spring having an upstanding free end retractable within said opening and engageable with said groove.

HENRY STEEN.

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