Improvements in Carriers for Postmen's Letter Bags and Cases and for other Articles for use with Velocipedes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 15th Jan., 1898
Improvements in Carriers for Postmen's Letter Bags and Cases and
for other Articles for use with Velocipedes.
I, SIMEON THEODORE KING, of Springfield, Tysley, in the City of Birmingham,
Tea Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to carriers, or collapsible or folding carriers, for postmen's
letter bags, boxes and cases, and for other articles, for use on cycles, employed by
postmen, letter carriers, telegraph messengers and others, and has for its object, a
carrier or case for securing to a cycle and adapted to hold a postmans letter bag
or the like, but which, when not required for this purpose, admits of being folded
into a small compass when the cycle can then be used by telegraph messengers
or by others.
In carrying out one form of my invention, I make up a carrier the sides of
which are composed of a series of crossing and jointed together rods arranged so
as to form a system of levers after the manner of a lazy tongs so as to admit of
the same collapsing when the carrier is out of use and of extending to any distance
within a given reach when small or large parcels, bags or articles are required to
be carried. Two such sides are taken and joined together so that one forms a
shelf-like rest and the other the back, and I propose that the joints at the meeting
edges of the back and shelf parts should be made by butt or stop hinges, having
ears to which the members of the sides are jointed so as to admit of the hori-
zontal rest part folding up against the back, which is hung from or connected by
suitable clips or other means to the ball-head sleeve or other convenient part of
the framing, or to the handle bars, of a bicycle, tricycle or other velocipede. The
parcels or bags to be carried may be secured upon the carrier by straps or the like.
I also propose that the horizontal frame should be jointed a little forwards of
the vertical one so that a rear extension of the horizontal frame should form a
stop or butt for the same to rest against and be rigid when folded or dropped down.
If necessary additional folding stays ties or other expedients may be employed
in conjunction with the collapsible frames.
In lieu of the folding arrangement described, I may have the members so made
as to telescope or slide over one another and so reduce their normal length and
breadth.
Instead of employing frames made of folding or collapsible rods, I may make
the carrier of a suitable number of panels or sides, arranged to distend or collapse,
and such cases, carriers or bags may contain or have two or more pockets or be
separated into two or more chambers, so as to make provision for letters to be
delivered and letters that have been collected, and although I prefer that the
said carriers be collapsible, yet the same may if required, be rigid or non folding
and be divided or partitioned off into two or more compartments as described in
connection with the preceding arrangements.

page_text: Improvements in Carriers for Postmen's Letter Bags and Cases and
for other Articles for use with Velocipedes.
I, SIMEON THEODORE KING, of Springfield; Tysley, in the City of Birmingham,
Tea Merchant, 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 to carriers or cases for containing letter bags, or.,loose
letters and small packages, for use by rural and other postmen, letter carriers,
telegraph messengers and the like and has for its object, a portable carrier or case
constructed to contain and carry letters or the like to be delivered, and letters that
have been collected, or to contain one or more letter bags, said case being adapted
to be detachably secured to the framing of a bicycle in such a manner as not to
interfere with the proper riding of the same, but which, when not required for the
purpose, admits of being readily removed from the machine, which can then be
used by telegraph messengers or others.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents a safety bicycle provided, in
accordance with my invention, with a portable letter-carrying case or box located
in the space between the members of the front part of the framing thereby afford-
ing a more convenient method of carrying mails, than ordinary loose and cumber-
some bags, particularly in country districts in which a postman or letter carrier
has to cover long distances in collecting and delivering.
Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the case or carrier, separately and upon
an enlarged scale.
Figure 3 is a topside plan of figure 2.
Figure 4 is a transverse longitudinal section, and figure 5 a longitudinal ver-
tical section of the same, with the hinged lid turned up. These latter views show
how the case is divided off vertically into two compartments, one of which may
contain letters to be delivered, access thereto being gained by a hand-hole in the
side, whilst the other compartment is designed to receive letters that have been
collected or introduced through a slit in the top of the lid and through which
letters or other postal matter may be dropped "posted" direct, instead of being
handed to the postman as is the practice in country districts, or dropped into a
letter box in the ordinary way.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawing.
The carrier, case or box a, is constructed of light sheet metal, with the edges
strengthened, such as at a¹ and a², by wired or hollow beadings, and with the out-
line shape of the same corresponding or approximating to the shape of the space
comprehended by the members such as b, 61, 63, and 63, of the front part of a bicycle
frame, within which space the said carrier is secured by clips or by straps c, passed
around the frame members and through loops in or attached to the case, or by
other suitable means, said case being of such a width as not to interfere with the
pedalling of the machine and being internally divided by the partition a³, into two
compartments, a, the former of which may contain letters or the like to be
delivered, the same being removed through the hand-hole in the side, closed
by the hinged door a, whilst the other is designed to receive letters or postal
matter dropped therein through the slit as, in the lid a", which is common to both
compartments and is kept closed down, when in position, either by the top rail b,
of the bicycle coming close upon it or by a lock or other fastening. The said slit
is covered by a loosely hinged flap a¹0, "whilst the door a, is secured by a lock,

page_text: hasp and padlock or otherwise and when the case is detached from the machine,
the lid or cover can then be opened for removing the contents of the one or of both
compartments, which may, if necessary, be adapted to contain bags for the recep-
tion of letters instead of allowing them to be loose within the case.
Instead of being made from metal, the said case may be made from celluloid or
other suitable light material.
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:-
.
A carrier or case for containing letters or other postal matters, letter bags and
the like, consisting of a flat sided box of a shape adapted to fit in the space between
the front members of a cycle framing and divided off interiorly into two or more
compartments, and which may be provided with a closing lid or hand holes and
other adjuncts, substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1897.
SIMEON THEODORE KING.
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Henry Skerrett, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.