Improvements in and relating to Letter Boxes for use on Private Dwellings.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1893-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
'
Improvements in and relating to Letter Boxes for use on Private
Dwellings.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON HALL, a citizen of the United States of America,
residing at No. 221 E Street, N.W., in the City of Washington, District of
Columbia, United States of America, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
..
My improved letter or mail receiving and collection box has a collection
compartment provided with a suitable lock, for the reception of mail matter to be
taken up or collected by the mail carrier. The box projects more or less into or
through a hole in a door or wall, and has also a compartment for the reception of
mail matter delivered by the carrier, and deposited through said opening in the
wall. This receiving box may be without a bottom, so that the mail dropped therein
will fall to the floor, or it may be a completely closed box or receptacle, provided
with a door having a suitable lock to be opened by the occupant of the premises..
This recepatcle may be made of perforated sheet metal, so as to disclose the mail
matter therein, or it may be of woven wire, or of wood, or any other suitable
material.
The box is secured in position by means of screws or other retaining devices
inside of the door, and the hole through the door or through the partition has
preferably a suitable frame surrounding the same on the outside to which the lock
is secured, and said frame may form an abutment or pawl rest hereinafter referred
In practice this hole is closed by a projecting portion of the collection
receptacle, and said opening may be exposed by pushing back the said collection
receptacle.
to.
This collection receptacle is in the form of an arc, and is supported by levers
which have their fulcra in the side walls of the receiving box; the curvature, of
the collection box being the arc of a circle having its center at the lever fulcra,
and being of such thickness or depth as to neatly close the hole in the door when
not pressed backward. The outer face of said box projecting through said hole
may be used as a name plate. Inasmuch as the said collection box or receptacle is
hung in rear of its center of gravity, its tendency is to rock forward through the
opening in the door, and said box has a bottom plate in which is cut a hole, and
in its top a hinged cover, which may also form the end of the box that projects
through the door; and in said top plate or lid is formed a slot for the introduction
of matter to be collected by the carrier.
Within the box is pivoted a pawl immediately in front of the letter slot, and
when the box is empty the said pawl drops down, its front end dropping through a
hole in the bottom plate of said box and engaging an abutment, as for instance the
lock frame above referred to, or the inclined wall of the hole or slot formed in the
door, so as to prevent said box from tilting forward, the upper end of the cover
thereof remaining within the hole in the door so that the box cannot be opened,
and this position of said box indicates that it is empty. When, however, letters
are introduced into said delivery box they necessarily lift the front end of the
pawl so that it moves out of engagement with its abutment, thus allowing said
box to swing forward until a boss on the upper curved wall of the box engages a
locking bolt of the lock in the frame plate that surrounds the hole in the door or par-
t'tion, so that the carrier can see from the outside that there is mail matter in the box
to be collected. Any suitable indicator on the upper edge of the cover of the box,
such as a band of color, or any other object to catch the eye of the carrier may

page_text: .
be used, should the position of, the box alone be deemed insufficient to indicate that
it contains mail matter for collection.
The lock should be of such a character that it can be opened only by a person
authorized to do so, and having the proper key, as for instance a mail carrier.
When unlocked the cover of the box falls forward into the open position, so
that the letters can be taken out at the outside of the door, or said cover may be
arranged to swing far enough outward to permit the contents of the box to drop
into a bag. After removal of the mail matter the carrier closes the box and
pushes it backward, when it takes its normal position inside of the door.
To prevent the removal of mail matter from the delivery box from the inside of
the door, suitable guards are provided, as for instance, teeth or fingers formed on
the top plate, said teeth or fingers having inclined rear faces and perpendicular
front faces; the rear wall of said box being provided with similar fingers or teeth
projecting upwardly between the fingers on the top plate or between the plane of
travel described by said fingers in moving forward and backward with the box. When
the collection box is in its normal position, a letter pressed sidewise into the intro-
duction slot will first depress the rear end of the pawl pivoted therein, then slide
forward through the slot in said pawl and lift the front end thereof; as soon as the
rear edge of the letter has passed the teeth on the rear wall of the receiving box
the collection box is tilted backwards in order to hold the letters from moving back,
said letters being moved forwardly by the backward movement of the box, and as
the curved form of said box tends to lift the rear side of the letters, the teeth on
the rear wall of the box will hold them from being drawn backward through the
slot which serves for their introduction.
It will be understood that the rear end of the pawl when the box is empty, lies
in the introduction slot of said collection box, and the bottom plate of said box is
provided with suitable slots to permit the passage of the teeth or fingers on the
back wall of the reception box, said teeth having fingers that extend into said
slots and form a continuation of the bottom of the box.
The levers that support the collection box being firmly attached thereto and
moving therewith can be readily utilized to operate a guard or cut-off to prevent
the abstraction of mail matter through the slot cut in the door or partition to
which the box is attached, but when the box is swung forward, that is to say,
when it contains mail matter to be collected, its front end forms a closure for said
slot or opening in the door and no cut-off or guards are then needed, but when
swung back it may be possible to reach the mail matter in the receiving box by
means of a wire or hook, and in this case guards are preferably used.
Dated this 12th day of May 1899
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Letter Boxes for use on Private
Dwellings.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON HALL, a citizen of the United States of America,
residing at No. 221 E Street N.W., in the City of Washington, District of
Columbia, United States of America, Clerk, 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:—
My invention has relation to letter or mai deposit and collection boxes, and my
invention consists of a letter or mail deposit and collection box having a locked
receptacle which the carrier can unlock and collect the mail, and a receptacle into
which he may drop the mail intended for such deposit; also an indicator 'which
will show when mail is in the box or receptacle for collection; also guards to

page_text: prevent the removal of mail matter by unauthorized parties; also a stopper for
the opening in the door or partition.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of part of a door or partition, showing the front of
the letter receptacle projection, in the position it occupies when no mail is in the
receptacle.
Figure 2 is a perspective of the front plate and box.
Figure 3 is a view showing the position when a letter is in the box for
collection.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the parts shown in Figure 1, with letter
receptacle open, as for collection by the carrier.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of door and upper part of box, showing position
for receiving mail.
Figure 6 is a similar section showing position when the letter receptacle is
opened, as by the carrier in collecting mail.
Figure 7 is a broken rear elevation with the rear casing removed.
Figure 8 is a top plan with the inside top casing removed.
Figure 9 is a broken plan of detent or pawl for letter receptacle.
The mail box has a collection compartment or box, A, into which letters may be
placed for collection by the carrier. This box A projects more or less into or
through a hole F in the door or partition D. It also has a casing C, which
receives the mail deposited by the carrier through said opening in the door. This
casing C may be without a bottom, so that mail dropped therein will fall to the
floor, or it may be a complete box provided with a door E, which may be opened by
the householder by means of a proper key. The receptacle C may be made of
sheet metal, perforated to show when there is anything within, or it may be of
woven wire, or of wood, or other suitable material. The whole device is applied,
to a door or partition and secured by screws or other suitable retaining devices.
The hole F, through the door has a suitable frame 5, to which the lock is secured,
and said frame may form the pawl rest or abutment hereinafter referred to.
The opening F is usually closed by the projecting portion of the letter
receptacle, A, but the opening may be exposed by pushing back the box A, as
shown in Figure 5.
1.
The box A is in the form of an arc, and is supported by levers, 1, 1, which
are pivoted at 2, inside the upper portion of the side plates 3, 3, of casing C.
The box A is curved at top and bottom on circles struck from the pivot 2,
and is of such thickness as to neatly close the opening F in the door when
the box A is not pressed backward. The bulging front may be used as a name
plate.
The box A, being hung in rear of its center of gravity, tends to rock forward
through the opening in the door.
The box A has a bottom plate 9, which has a hole 10 therein. The top of
the box has a hinged cover, 11, which may also form the outer end of the pro-
jecting portion of the box. The top plate 12 of box A is extended inside the
door, and has a letter slot 13, therein, into which slot a letter or letters may be
passed.
A pawl 14 is hung to the top of box A, just forward of the letter slot 13.
When box A is empty, this pawi 14 falls down, and its front end drops through
the hole 10 in the bottom plate 9, and the front end of the pawl, engaging the
abutment 5, as in Figure 1, prevents the box A from swinging forward, so that the
upper end of cover 11 remains within the aperture F, and thus box A cannot be
opened. This position of box A, with the pawl engaging its abutment, shows that
box A is empty.
When letters are pressed into the slot 13, they necessarily lift the front of the
awl 14, so that it cannot fall down to engage its abutment. Consequently the
box A, not being held back by the pawl, will rock forward, so that a boss 20 on
he upper inner end of the cover 11 is brought against the bolt 19 of lock 6. This
.
"

page_text: extended position of box A shows to the observer outside the door that there is a
letter in box A, waiting for collection. Any suitable indicator on the upper
edge of the cover 11 may be used, as a band of color, or any object to catch
the eye of the carrier, should the position alone of box A be deemed an insufficient
indicator.
Lock 6 should be of such character that it can be opened only by an authorized
person having the proper key. When this is unlocked the cover of box A falls
forward into the open position shown in Figures 4 and 6, and the letters are
taken out by the carrier; or the cover may swing far enough to permit the
letters to drop into a bag. After removing the letters the carrier closes box A,
and pushes it inward, when it takes the normal position shown in Figures 1
and 2.
To prevent the removal of letters in box A. from the inside of the door, said
box is provided with suitable guards. Thus the top plate 12 has fingers or
teeth, 22, projecting downward, and having inclined faces at the rear, and substan-
tially perpendicular faces at the front, as well shown in Figures 1 and 6. The rear
plate H has also fingers, 28, projecting upward between the fingers 22, or between
the planes of travel described by said fingers 22 in moving forward and back with
box A.
When box A is in its normal position, Figure 1, a letter pressed sidewise into
slot 13 will first depress the rear end of pawl 14, and then slide forward through
the slot in said pawl, and lift the front end of said pawl 14.
As soon as the rear
edge of the letter is past the teeth 24, the box A should be drawn back into
position shown in Figure 5. The letters will be held from moving back by
teeth 24, and the box will thus be drawn back relatively to the letters, so that the
rear edges of the letters will be pressed forward of teeth 22, and as the curved
form of the box tends to lift the rear side of the letters, the teeth 24 will hold
them from being withdrawn backward through slot 13. A letter will lift pawl 14
when first inserted, and will hold it up by passing toward the front end of the
pawl.
The bottom plate 9 of box A is slotted, as shown at 23 to permit teeth 24 to
project through said slots during this backward movement of box A. Teeth 24
have fingers 28, projecting forward and forming a continuation of the box bottom.
The top plate 12 of box A should project over the teeth 24 in all positions of
box A, and plate 12, preferably has a small handle or turned up edge 26, by which
the box A may be moved. The bottom plate 9 extends far enough to the rear to
guide letters forward from slot 13, but by reason of the guard fingers, 24, 28, a
perpendicular rear side for box A is not essential.
As the levers or supports 1 are firmly attached to box A and move with said
box, said levers can be readily utilized to operate a guard or cut off, to prevent the
abstraction of letters through opening F.
When box A is swung forward, it closes the opening, F, and no cut-off is needed
at that time. When it is swung back it might be possible to reach in a wire or
hook and abstract letters.
It is evident that the movement of levers 1 may be utilized in more than one
way to cut off communication below. One way which I have devised is herein
illustrated.
The levers lie close against the end plates 3 of the main casing C. Each arm 1
has a rigid extension 31 below the pivot 2.
A cam plate 33 is pivoted to cach end piece 3, inside the main casing C, and
below the pivot 2. The cam plates 33 are connected by a curved plate 34, which
plate is about half as wide as the receptacle C. An incline guard plate, 35, rigid
with the box, also extends about half way across the box C, from rear to front, or
a little more than half way. When cam plates 33 are rocked on these pivots, the
guard plate 3+ may be swung under the plate 35, as in Figures 1 and 6, or may
be swung in reverse direction, as in Figure 5, thus forming a partition entirely

page_text: across the box. Ribs, 36 may be provided on the box to further strengthen the
partition. Piece 35 should be inclined so that the letters will fall from it when.
plate 34 is swung open.
:
The cam plates. 33 have slots 37, with which pins 38 on the arms 31 engage..
When the box A and its arms 1 are rocked forward in either of the positions.
(Figures 1 or 6) the engagement of the pin 38 with the cam slot 37 serves to rock
the cam plates 33, and carries the guard plate 34 under the fixed guard 35, so that
there is a passage between the upper and lower parts of receptacle C. But when
the box A is rocked back to the position of Figure 5, so that the mail mattor. may
be dropped from the outside into opening F, then lever 31 swings the cam plates
and guard 34 into position to complete the partition, and there is no access below
the guard to the lower part of casing C, by means of a wire or hook passed through
opening F.
Mail matter may be dropped into the openings and will fall onto the plates 34-35,.
and rest there until box A is again swung forward to normal position,, which opens.
the passage, permitting the packages to fall.
The slot 37 is of such shape as to permit a lost motion, so that the cam plates 33.
and guard 34 will be moved as described, to close the passage when levers 1 are
moved back, but will leave an opening when levers swing forward. Of course it is
immaterial at which side of the box the fixed guard 35 may be, and the movable
guard 34 can be made to correspond in its movements to the position of the fixed
guard; the object is to close the passage to the bottom of casing C; or below
the guard whenever passage F is open.
The receptacle C may be a complete box, or the side next the door may be
omitted if the door itself be utilized to form that side of the box, or all may be
omitted below the guards 34, 35. The metallic portions may be of wrought, rolled,
or cast metal, and the parts held together in any usual manner.
In fact, many
mechanical details may be changed without departing from the spirit of the
invention. The position of the lock and the boss or abutment against which the
lock bolt engages might be reversed. The movement of box A might be a sliding
instead of a swinging movement, by omitting the arms 1 and substituting tracks or
supports.
The pawl 11 might operate by a spring as well as by gravity. It is not
specially material where the part which engages the abutment is located. By a
slight change the holding part of pawl 14 might be at one side of the box A instead
of within the box.
To adapt the box for use on either thick or thin doors, the casing C is made to
attach to a rib R, instead of to the door direct. This rib R is a flange which
projects ot a right angle from the door, and has inclined slots S therein. The rib
or flange R is at right angles to the base T which is held to the door by screws or
otherwise. The flange R is attached to the door, and casing C is adjusted out or
in relatively to the door to such position as to bring the center of motion 2 of levers
in proper relation to the casing 5. The casing C is then firmly held by screws,.
or rivets o passing through the slots S and holes in the turned-in sides of the
casing.
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
claim is :-
Firstly. The letter receptacle having a stop which is detached when a letter is
inserted, causing a change of position of said receptacle to indicate its contents.
Secondly. The latter receptacle supported on arms and having the described
relation to the slot or opening into which letters may be deposited.
Thirdly. The general arrangement of the curved letter receptacle and supports
in relation to the opening through which the receptacle may move and through
which mail matter may be passed.
Fourthly. The letter receptacle supported substantially as described with

page_text: reference to the deposit opening, and the door of said receptacle held closed by the
deposit opening until the letter receptacle is projected.
Fifthly. The fixed casing and the movable letter receptacle relatively arranged
substantially as described so that the deposit of a letter causes the projection of
the receptacle.
Sixthly. The letter receptacle and the deposit receptacle having a cut off sub-
stantially as described connected to said letter receptacle.
Seventhly. The letter receptacle having movable relation to the casing, and the
pawl in said receptacle passing through a slot to engage its support.
Eighthly. The movable letter receptacle having slot for the deposit of a letter,
and the retaining pawl projecting into close relation to said slot so as to be
detached by the insertion of a letter in said slot.
Ninthly. The movable letter receptacle slotted as described, and the fixed
fingers 24 in position to enter said slots when the receptacle is swung back.
Tenthly. The letter deposit box and receptacle in connection with the adjusting
strips whereby the device may be used on doors of different thickness.
Dated this 31st day of one-- 1902
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.