Improvements in Postal Boxes and the like.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in Postal Boxes and the like.
I, JEAN AUGUST JACOBS of 15 Seymour Street Euston Square, London N.W.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates principally to boxes or receptacles for the reception of
postal letters and the like and in general to such boxes or receptacles.as are provided
with a slit or opening, through which articles or things may be passed into said
boxes or receptacles the latter being intended for the safe keeping of said articles or
things.
The principal object of the invention is to prevent the extraction of letters or
other articles from such postal boxes or other receptacles aforesaid through the slit
or opening thereof, through which said letters or articles have been passed into the
box or receptacles.
It is known that in the case of ordinary letter boxes letters etc. may be abstracted
therefrom through the slit or opening through which they have been passed, by means
of a string, wire, tape or the like carrying a small weight with some adhesive substance
thereon, said weight being lowered through said slit onto the letters and drawn up
with such letters etc. as may adhere thereto.
A minor purpose of the invention is to detect if a similar device to that above
described has been attempted to be used by preventing the withdrawal of the tape or
weight from the letter box or other receptacle.
The following is a description of the invention in relation to a letter box capable
of being fixed to doors or the like substantially as ordinary letter boxes.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 represents a vertical cross section of the improved letter box.
Fig. 2 is a similar section on an enlarged scale of the slit and parts relating thereto
showing the same open.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing details of the mechanism hereinafter described,
such mechanism being in the position occupied when the slit flap is closed.
Fix. 4 is a similar view of the same mechanism in the position occupied when the
slit flap is open.
.

page_text: Fig. 5 is a side view of said mechanism as shown in Fig. 3, these three views being
on the same scale as Fig. 2.
A represents in cross section a door, if the box be such as is attached to a door, or
the fore plate of the box. L is the face plate surrounding the slit O; B is the flap
covering the slit O, the latter being pivoted at a to lugs or wings on the face plate L
hereinafter described. The plate L carries fixed to or formed with it three or more
plates or wings b c d (Fig. 2), the upper or inner plate 6 is substantially flush with
the edge of the slot O and the wings b c d run parallel lengthwise of the lower edge of
the slot and are bent perpendicularly round parallel to the sides of the slot, terminating
round about the pins a to form the hearings of said pins. The lower or horizontal
parts of the wings bed are formed as parts of cylinders, the axes of which are coincident
with that of the pins a.
The flap B consists of a plate e forming the flap proper, said plate adapted to lic
when the flap is closed, before the slit. O as shown in Fig. 1 and close the same.
With the lower edge of said flap is fixed or formed the plate extending rearward and
continued at the sides of the flap to form wings terminating round about the pins a
and serving for the pivoting of the flap to the plate L, that is to say to the wings bed
thereof as aforesaid. Parallel to the wings are the wings g and ; the same being
continued upward parallel to the side extensions of said wing and terminating likewise
about the pins a.
The wings gare connected to each other and to the wing by
the web and side webs k. The horizontal parts of the wings f g h are so shaped as
to be parts of cylinders the axes of which are coincident with that of the pius a, and
the wings f g h are so distanced from said pins, that when the flap is closed the
wings g arrive and pass into the spaces K'I between the flaps bed, and the flaps c d
arrive and pass into the spaces IK between the wings fg h. The upper edge of the
front plate è before mentioned is continued up circularly about the axis of the pivots a
over the latter to a distance somewhat further than a quadrant of a circle (Fig. 2) and
above the said edge so as to be clear from the path thereof is a downwardly projecting
rim or flange O' attached or formed on the plate L-As near to the hinge of the
flap B as it may conveniently be placed according to the thickness of the door etc. A,
is pivoted the arm F having the slot G therein, and the flap B is provided with the
pin H gearing into said slot G. The pin H is extensible to or from the pivots a and
may for this purpose be supported by a screw threaded pin or pins J attached to the
rear web passing through perforations in a plate carrying said pin H, there being
nuts on each side of said plate screwing on the pin or pins J, so that the pin
plate H may be fixed at any position along the pins J.-The raising and lowering of
the flap B about its pivots a, therefore raises and lowers respectively the arm F
about its pivot, and this arm operates the mechanism shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5
for the purpose or purposes hereinafter shown.
E is the wall of the box shown in Fig. 1, and F is the counter part of the arm F,
being connected to said arm by being fixed on the same pivotal pin traversing the
wall E. Fig. 3 shows the arin F in the position it occupies when the flap B is
closed; and Fig. 4 shows the arm F¹ in the position it occupies when the flap B is
open as in Fig. 2.
The double lever Q₁ is pivoted at Q; the upper end thereof carries the horn Q³
the inner edge Q of which is shaped as the are of the circle whose centre is the pivotal
centre of the arm F¹ when the rear side Q of the horn lies against the stop rail U¹,
as in Fig. 4. At the base of the horn Q³ is the recess Q equal in breadth to the
edge F2 of the arm F¹ and bounded by the two noses Q Q. The lever Q¹ being in
the position shown in Fig. 3, the lower end F2 of the arm F engages in the recess Qº.
When the arm F¹ commences to press against the nose Q8, the lever Q is moved
about its pivot Q, until the end of the arm F¹ is enabled to pass the nose Q and
arrive in the curve Q, which will occur as the rear edge Qof the horn Q³ arrives
against the stop rail U₁, further upward movement of the arm F¹ will not cause any
movement of the lever Q', but will cause the same to be retained in the position
given to it. In the lower end of the lever Q is the slot Q, and in said slot engages
the pin R of the lever R' pivoted on the end of the shaft or rod R passing through

page_text: the wall E and traversing the box or receptacle at or near to the front wall
thereof (Fig. 1). To this rod is connected the flap or plate D adapted to be raised
so as to form a barrier across the box or receptacle dividing the same into two com-
partments E E-M and N are guide plates, the first serving as an abutment for the
outer edge of the plate D, the other as a cover for closing the space between the front
wall A and the rod R. By moving the lever R¹ from the position shown Fig. 3 to
that shown in Fig. 4, the plate D is moved from the position shown in full lines in
Fig. 1 to that shown in dotted lines; by this means the communication between the
upper compartment E and the lower compartment E is temporarily closed.
The movement aforesaid of the lever it is entirely made by and during the pressure
of the arm Fagainst the nose Q8, and the arm F' will have passed out of the
recess Q and onto the curve Q before the jaws fhg of the flap B are disengaged
from those of the plate L. The flap D will therefore be closed before the
flap B is opened, and while the latter is open, the flap D cannot be opened, since
it is locked in its position; when however the flap B is fully closed, the flap D is
fully opened.
Since the flap B is owing to its construction comparatively heavy, a counter-
weight is combined therewith, to balance the weight of the flap B, and this may be
conveniently contrived as follows:
The arm is connected by a rod P with one arm of a bell crank lever S¹, the
other arm of which is connected by a rod T to the weight U, which is preferably
guided between rails U¹ U².
Since also the arm F¹ may be moved to the position shown in Fig. 4 when the
flap B is fully open, and the arm F could not in such position act efficiently to
lock the horn Q³, the following additional lock mechanism is preferably combined
therewith.
The lever Ris provided with the extending nose R³ the under side R of which is
curved to be as an arc about the centre S of the bell crank lever S¹, when the
lever R' is in the position shown in Fig. 4, that is to say, when the flap D closed.--
The bell crank lever S¹ carries the nose S, the outer edge S³ of which is circular
about the centre S and is adapted to ride under and so form an abutment for the
nose R³ of the lever R', the under edge S* of the nose S' is also so shaped that the
nose R³ may lie therein as shown in Fig. 3 when the flap D is open and might in case
of emergency (as for instance the breaking of the lever Q') be raised by such nose S²
so as to close and lock the flap D.
Thus by the time the arm F has passed beyond the curve Q, the nose S has already
arrived under the nose R³ and the flap D is held locked.
The flap D is preferably provided with a serrated or toothed edge at D-It may
however be replaced by two flaps closing together against each and simultaneously
operated or such other means may be employed provided that the flap or equivalent D
is closed, when the flap B is open and vice versa is opened when the flap Bis
closed.
In order to place a letter in the improved letter box, the flap B is pushed back
until the nosing e arrives beyond the inner edge of the plate b, and the letter is dropped
in. During this movement however the flap D is closed and the letter drops upon
this flap. When the flap B is dropped and closed, the flap D opens and the letter
drops into the lower space E2.-If now it be sought to extract such letter through the
slit O, and a weight with adhesive substance is lowered into the box by a string, tape
or the like through slot O, the weight will at first rest upon the closed flap D and after
closing, the flap B will drop into the space E-By closing the flap B the string how-
ever is held in the jaws formed by the plates bcdfgh aforesaid and cannot be
withdrawn unless the flap B be opened, when the flap D will close and the weight or
letter attaching thereto will arrive against the edge. of said flap D and cannot be with-
drawn. The weight cannot therefore be extricated, and will remain in the receptacle E²
detecting the tampering with the letter box.
To prevent the string or the like from being passed over the hinge of the flap B,
the flange O is contrived as shown upon the plate L or otherwise to form a corner

page_text: into which the end of the string would pass if pushed up as described, said corner thus
preventing the string from passing over the flap B.
The sides of the flap are protected by the jaw-like closing of the aforesaid plates
b c d f g h extending up the sides of the flap and slit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
In receptacles for postal letters and other objects.
1) The combination of an upper receptacle having an orifice for the reception
of postal letters and other objects a receptacle under the same, in communication
therewith a device for closing said orifice and a device for cutting off communication
between said receptacles, together with mechanism connecting said devices so that the
orifice is closed when the communication between the receptacles is open and the
latter is closed when the orifice is opened for the purpose set forth.
2) In a receptacle consisting of two superposed parts E¹ E, the combination of an
orifice O in the upper part E, a flap Dadapted to separate the parts E' and E², a
flap B adapted to close the orifice 0 and mechanism connecting the flaps so that one
is open while the other is closed.
3) In a receptacle consisting of two superposed parts E¹ E2, the combination of an
orifice O in the upper part E, a flap D adapted to separate the parts E' and E², a
flap B pivoted over the orifice O, a plate b about said orifice, and mechanism adapted
to be operated by the lifting of said flap B to raise the flap D into its closed position
and there lock the same, before the flap B has passed the edge of the plate for the
purpose set forth.
4) In a receptacle consisting of two superposed parts E' E2, the combination, of a
flap D adapted to separate said parts, an orifice O in the upper part E, plates be d
about said orifice as set forth, flap B adapted to close said orifice, said flap having
plates f g h adapted to engage with plates bed as set forth and mechanism adapted to
be operated by the lifting of said flap B to raise the flap D into its closed position
and there lock the same before the plates f g h are disengaged from plates 6 c d for
the purpose set forth.
C
5) The combination with an orifice closed by a hinged flap, of a flange O' above
said hinge substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6) The combination with the flaps B and D of mechanism comprising the lever Fi
adapted to be raised by the opening of the flap B, lever Q¹ having recess Q with
noses QQ and horn, slot Q in said lever Q, rod R² carrying Hap D, lever R¹
fixed on said rod and having pin R engaging in slot Q, substantially as set forth.
7) The combination with the flaps B and D of lever F adapted to be raised by the
opening of flap B, lever having recess with noses Q7Q8 and horn Q³, the
edge Qbeing shaped as described, slot Q2 in said lever Q', rod R2 carrying flap D,
lever R having pin R engaging in slot Q and nose R², the edge R³ being shaped as
described, lever S having nose S with edges S³ S shaped as described, rods P and T
and counterweight U substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 28th day of October 1881.
J. A JACOBS.
By Herbert & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C.,
Agents to Applicant.