An Improved Device for Preventing the Pilfering of Letter Boxes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 15th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Device for Preventing the Pilfering of Letter Boxes.
I HENRY WILLIAM CAVENDISH HARVEY, Gentleman, of 27 Lansdowne Road,
Tottenham in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this.
invention to be as follows:
This invention has for its object to so construct letter boxes as to effectually
prevent the extraction of letters therefrom.
The usual modus operandi of the letter-box thief is to pass through the letter
slit a piece of cobblers wax, hooks, or other adhesive or grappling substance or
device attached to the end of a string or wire so as to secure one or more letters,.
when the string is withdrawn and the letter extracted therewith.
This invention consists in placing inside the letter box and beneath the letter
slit a serrated metal plate, or a series of separate teeth or prongs having hooke!
ends so inclined to each other that a string or wire falling between any two teeth
passes over the hooked end of one of them and is prevented from being withdrawn
free of it. The teeth or prongs are tapered, forming a sharp V at their roots, and
are curved and shaped with sharp cutting edges so that any attempt to withdraw
the wire or string causes it to be drawn between the said cutting edges and thereby
tightly gripped or severed.
The teeth or prongs are so inclined to the casing and to each other as to offer
no obstacle to the passage of letters etc. into the box.
Dated this 17th day of May 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
An improved Device for Preventing the Fiffering of Letter Boxes..
I HENRY WILLIAM CAVENDISH HARVEY, Gentleman, of 27 Landsdowne
Road, Tottenham, in the County of Middlesex, 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 has for its object to so construct letter boxes as to effectually
prevent the extraction of letters therefrom.
The usual modus operandi of the letter box thief is to pass through the letter
slit a piece of cobblers wax, hooks or other adhesive or grappling substance or
device attached to the end of a string or wire so as to secure one or more letters,.
when the string is withdrawn and the letter extracted therewith. .
This invention consists in placing inside the letter box and beneath the letter
slit a serrated metal plate, or a series of separate teeth or prongs having hooked
ends so inclined to each other that a string or wire falling between any two teeth.
passes over the hooked end of one of them and is prevented from being withdrawn
free of it.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the upper part of a postal pillar box provided
with a device constructed according to this invention.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a serrated or toothed plate for preventing the
extraction of letters, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same.
A serrated plate a formed with curved teeth b as shown is secured to the side of
the letter box c iminediately beneath the letter slit d. The teeth or prongs 6 are
tapered forming a sharp V at their roots, and are curved and shaped with sharp
cutting edges so that any attempt to withdraw the wire or string causes it to
be drawn between the said cutting edges and to be thereby tightly gripped or
severed.
It will be observed that the teeth or prongs b are so inclined to the casing and
to each other as to offer no obstacle to the passage of letters etc. into the box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. Placing beneath the letter slot inside a letter box or receptacle a serrated
plate or a number of separate teeth or prongs, substantially in the manner described
and for the purpose set forth.
2. A device for preventing the pilfering of letter boxes arranged and constructed
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of February 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.