Year: 1887

page_text: I, ALEXANDER ARKAJ, of Budapest in the Kingdom of Hungary and Austrian
Empire, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
and by the following statement :-
The improvements according to my Invention and hereinafter described relate to a
construction of letter box by which I obtain the following advantages.
The letter box is constructed to connect with a removeable letter case. The bottom
of the letter box is so designed that it can be drawn out together with the cover of
the letter case so as to allow the contents of the letter box to pass into the removeable
letter case, but this communication can only be effected after the letter case bas
been fixed completely and accurately under the letter box, and then the cover plate
of the letter case and the bottom of the letter box can be drawn out. The bottom of
the letter box as well as the cover plate of the letter case can only be replaced after
they have been entirely drawn out, thus ensuring the complete emptying of the con-
tents of the letter box into the letter case before it is possible to close them. The
letter case can not be removed from the letter box until the bottom of the letter box
and the cover plate of the letter case have been entirely replaced. Thus it is quite
impossible for the collector to touch any of the letters.
That my Invention may be clearly understood, I have hereunto annexed a sheet of
Drawings which make a part of this Specification, and which are marked with letters
and figures of reference corresponding with those used in this Specification.

page_text: Figures 7 to 12 inclusive are details of the mechanism.
Figures 13 to 16 inclusive show the arrangement of the whole letter box with the
letter case fixed on.
His the letter box which is made of any suitable material such as tin and is pro-
vided with the usual opening in front for passing the letters into the box. It is
provided with projections B for fastening it to the wall, or other place and with
supports y. M is the letter case which may be of any suitable material and is
connected to the letter box H as hereafter described. B is the moveable bottom
fo the letter box. c is the moveable cover plate of the letter case. It is provided
with a projection a (see Figures 5 and 6) which when the letter case is introduced
under the letter box comes against the tumbler of the lock on the bottom plate B
of the letter box and brings this tumbler into such a position that it will disengage
the arm d¹ of the lock bolt d (see Figures 9 and. 10). In Figure 9 the arm d¹ is
shown held fast by the tumbler & and in Figure 10 it is shown disengaged. The lock
bolt d is placed with the lock mechanism on the movoable bottom B of the letter box
and in moving downwards when disengaged from the tumbler b it pushes against the
tumblers e see Figures 7 and 8 and causes them to release the rod f on the frame A
of the letter case, which previously had been held by the spring retained tumblers e
which are placed on the cover c of the letter case. By thus releasing the rod f the
cover c of the letter case may be drawn out without any difficulty and at the same
time the bottom B of the letter box is drawn out by the lock bolt d which has
engaged with the cover c and the letters drop from the box H into the case M.
If on
In order to prevent the bottom B and the cover c being replaced before they have
been entirely drawn out the letter box H is provided with moveable pawls g fixed
one on each side, which take into racks placed one on each side of the bottom B.
The racks have their first and last teeth formed with an easy incline. The other
teeth are of ordinary form. The pawls g are so placed that if the bottom B and the
cover care rapidly drawn out, or shoved in by means of the handle on the cover the
pawls g will pass over the teeth hand will not catch the intermediate teeth.
the other hand the bottom Bis only partially drawn out, the pawls g catch in the inter-
mediate teeth and hold the bottom, so that the bottom plate must be entirely drawn
out before it can be pushed back. When the bottom plate B and the cover care
pushed back the box H can be locked again by means of a key i by which the
arm of the lock bolt d and thereby the lock bolt d is caused to move upwards.
When the lock bolt d reaches its highest position the connection between the bottom B
and the cover c will be severed and the tumblers e will have moved downward and
caught the rod f on the frame of the letter case, so that the letter case M and its
cover c are again secured together and the letter case reclosed.
The
In order to remove the letter case the knobs k on the sides of the case must be
pressed on. These knobs k drive back two pegs I see Figure 6, which when introducing
the case under the letter box catch into slots n on the sides m of the case.
slot n shown in Figure 1 prevents the case being removed until the cover c be com-
pletely closed over the case M. The cover c is provided with a notch which when
the knobs are pressed in serves to receive the projecting part of the peg I after
the cover has been completely closed.
P
By the upward movement of the lock bolt d the bottom B of the letter box is
tightly locked at the same time the lock bolt d lifts the double lever of the
recording mechanism Q and thereby pushes the rod 7 downwards so that the rod
by means of the pins q causes the dial plate of the recording mechanism to move
one cypher further exposing the numeral through the aperture in the front of the
letter box. The spiral spring s keeps the rod q always in connection with the pins q¹¹
and the spring prevents the dial turning by itself.
g
To enable the regularity of emptying the letter boxes to be checked each letter
box is provided with a device shown at Figure 2º which consists of a stamp which
by drawing back the handle t is pressed against a paper strip that has been inserted
for the purpose, thereby stamping the number of the letter box that has been emptied
on the paper strip.

page_text: To facilitate taking out the letters the bottom B of the letter box is provided
with ribs W which when drawing out the bottom pass through corresponding
notches W on the front bottom edge of the letter box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
⭑-
First. In a letter box, the combination of the projecting piece a on the removeable
cover c of the letter case M with the tumbler b arm d¹, lock bolt d on the bottom B
of the letter box and also with the tumblers e on the cover c and the rod f on the
case frame A for the purpose of opening and closing the letter box H and the case M
with one and the same key i and only after the letter case has been completely
introduced.
Second. The tappets g in combination with the ratchets on the cover B in
order that the case can only be taken off when the letter box has been entirely
emptied.
Third. The lock bolt d in combination with the lever p the rod 9 and the dial
plate for the purpose that when closing the letter box and the letter case the dial
plate is simultaneously turned one cypher further.
Fourth. The pegs moveable by knobs k and catching the slits n on the case
edges m in combination with a notch on the cover to take the projecting part of
the pegs for the purpose that the letter case cannot be removed from the lotter
box, unless the cover c perfectly closes the case M.
Dated this Ninth day of June 1887