US805351A - Mail-box. - Google Patents

Description

No. 805,351. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. W. 0. DRESSER.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.4, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ATTORNEYS PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. W. O. DRESSER. MAIL BOX. APPLICATION FILED PBB.4.1905.

3 8EEETSBHEET 2.

INVENTOR 77 Oflre 6'86) ATTORNEYS .mnwzw, a. canal 06.. mmuuusmmens. msnmcmu. u. c.

x WW.

uguunu I III llllllllllllllllllilllllll lllllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 5.

lllll ELI!lllll|IIIIIIIIIIQHW%%HF ml ll liillhl 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3,

NNNNNN 0R UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed February 4, 1905. Serial No. 244,145.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM OSCAR DRES- SER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oripplecreek, in the county of Teller and State of Colorado, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in mailboxes intended for use for street and rural delivery of mail-matter; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front View; Fig. 2, a side view; Fig. 2*, a detail crosssection on about the line 2 2 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 3 a cross-section on about the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, of a box embodying my invention. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on about the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on about the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail section on about the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7is an elevation of a portion of the inner side of the door, showing the combination-lock thereon; and Fig. 8 showsa box adapted to be cast in aluminium or suitable metal.

By my invention I provide a novel construction of box made of metal and suitably constructed of the difierent plates secured together, as will be described.

As shown, the box includes the base-plate A, the top plate B, the body-plate having the front section O and the side sections D, said front and sides O and D being integral, as best shown in the detail Fig. 2, and the bottom plate E. The plates B, D, and E are provided at their inner edges, respectively, with lateral flanges B, D, and E, which are lapped against and riveted or otherwise secured to the base-plate A, as shown at a in Fig. 1. The plates D are provided at their upper ends at their front corners with the upwardly-projecting lugs (Z, to which is pivoted atf the lid F, which covers the letter-slot O in the front plate or section (1. As shown in Fig. 4, the top plate B extends forwardly between the lugs d and beneath the pivot f and has a downwardly-bent flange 5, which forms the top wall of the slot G the lid F curving at F forwardly over the front edge of the top plate B, as the pivot f is located slightly in rear of the front edge of the top plate, as will be understood from Fig. 4 of the drawings. By this means I shed water from the opening 0 and prevent water from entering the box through the said opening. At its opposite sides the top plate B is provided with depending flanges B which overlap the upper ends of the side plates or sections D, said flanges B terminating at 6 close to the rear edges of the lugs d, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

At their lower ends the side plates or sec tions D are provided with the inwardly-projecting flanges D which lap beneath the bottom plate E, said flanges D and the flanges B of the top plate being riveted or otherwise secured to the plates which they overlap, thus forming a box which is strong and rigid in use.

The front plate or section O is provided with a dooropening O, which is closed by the door G, hinged at G at one edge and provided at its other edge with a bolt G Which may be engaged with a suitable stop Gr in the letter-box, as shown in Fig. 3, to lock the door. The bolt Gr is part of a combinationlock H, having the dials I controlling the movements of the bolt, which latter is arranged for operation by the handle J. Manifestly the form of the combination-lock may be varied, and it is not necessary to show the same in detail herein; but I have illustrated in Fig. 7 an elevation of the inner side of the lock and it is not thought necessary to describe it in detail. A combination-lock for this purpose would be found eflicient and very convenient. I also provide the door G with an opening covered by a glass plate g, so the contents of the box may be seen at any time.

Letters and the like may be inserted through the slot O and I find it convenient to provide means for holding newspapers and similar packages. For this purpose I employ a spring-wire bail K, which at its middle bears against the front of the box, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and extends for its major portion approximately parallel with the front of the box. as shown in Fig. 2, and then has its arms deflected rearwardly at K alongside the box and then extended downwardly at K and provided with a series of coils K with the extended ends K secured to the sides of the box at K it may be, by bending said ends into sockets in the sides of the box, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. I find it convenient to brace the bail and to confine the coils K by means of hooks L, (see Figs. 1, 2, and 6,) the hooks extending through the coils and operating to retain the same and also to stay the wire bail, as will be understood from Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawings.

WVhere desired, a name-plate M of suitable metal may be provided in the frontof the box to receive the name of the owner of the box or the number of the house or for any other purpose desired.

In Fig. 2 the drop-lid F is shown closed in full lines and open in dotted lines, and when arranged as shown it can be thrown open and will remain so while letters are being placed into the box.

In practice I find it desirable to construct the box of metal and find when made as shown and described it will form a safe and convenient place for reception of mail-matter.

It may be desirable in some instances to cast the letter-box in aluminium for attachment to office-doors, club-rooms, rooming-houses,&c., and I show such a construction in Fig. 8, in which the box is provided at its upper end with a lug O to receive a screw for securing the upper end of the box, a lower screw 0 being passed through the back of the box, so that the latter will be securely held to the door or other support.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The improvement in mail-boxes herein described comprising the base-plate, the main plate having the front and side sections and having the latter provided at their inner edges with lateral flanges lapping against and secured to the base-plate and the front plate or section being provided at its upper end with a letter-slot and at its lower end with a dooropening, the door fitted to said opening and hinged at one edge and provided at its other edge with a combination-lock having a bolt by which to hold the door closed, the side sections of the main plate being provided at their lower ends with inwardly-projecting flanges overlapping the bottom plate and also provided at their upper ends at their front corners with the upwardly-projecting lugs, the bottom plate secured to the inwardly-projecting flanges of the side sections and provided at its inner edge with the flange lapping against and secured to the base-plate, the top plate having at its inner edge the flange lapping against and secured to the base-plate, provided at its side edges with depending flanges overlapping the side sections of the main plate and having at its front edge a depending flange forming the top wall of the letter-opening, the drop-lid pivoted to the upwardly-projecting lugs of the side sectionsand curving thence and adapted to close the letter-slot, the springbail for holding newspapers having its arms coiled and extending beyond said coils and secured to the sides of the letter-box, and the hooks projecting from the box through and engaging with said coils, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination in a letter-box with the front plate or section having a letter-slot and the side plates or sections having the upwardlyprojecting lugs at their front edges, of the top plate projecting at its front edge between said lugs, and the drop-lid pivoted to said lugs above the front edge of the top plate and adapted when lowered to close the letter-slot, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM OSCAR DRESSER.

Witnesses:

J. H. LAWLOR, KATE J. MILLER.

Images