An Improved Combined Letter-box and Receptacle for Small Goods and Parcels.
Year: 1899

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Combined Letter-box and Receptacle for Small Goods
and Parcels.
I, FRIEDRICH HEINRICH MEYER, of Nr. 54, Wiesen Strasse, Hannover, in the
Empire of Germany, Painter, 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:-
The present invention relates to an improved combined letter-box and recep-
tacle for small goods and parcels with safety means for preventing pilfering the
contents. Removal of articles from the interior of my improved box is only
possible by way of opening its door.
My invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts as
will be more fully described hereinafter.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the box as constructed according to my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of same.
Figs. 3 and 4 show in perspective view and vertical section a modification of
my invention.
The box a which may be made of any suitable material, such as wood, sheet
metal or the like, is fitted at the front with a door provided with a lock in
the usual manner. The letter admission slot is fitted in the top of an exten-
sion at the front of the box. A window e may be arranged in the door
short distance from its bottom edge in any well known manner to permit viewing
the contents of the box.
a
Small goods and parcels may be introduced into the box a through the open-
ing arranged in the side of the box. Said opening f is ordinarily closed by
the lid g. An inclined chute his fitted inside the box terminating at the bottom
of the opening f said incline preferably extends half way into the box.
Parallel with the chute and above same a partition is arranged in the interior
of the box. A rod k is fitted transversely to the lower surface of the partition i.
Said rod carries a number of spikes 7 movably suspended from same so as to
bear with their pointed and bent extremities against the inner edge of the chute h.
Said inner edge is fitted with a number of spikes m situated between the spikes 7.
The spikes are suspended from the transverse rod in such a manner that
after insertion of goods or parcels in the box and after their passage of the
chute they will swing back into their position at the edge of the chute h
Any attempt at pilfering the contents of the box by trying to obtain access
to the interior is prevented, the spikes m and opposing same as the hand would
be hurt in such attempt and the extraction of the hand or any other instrument
from the box a is impossible after they have got beyond the spikes.
In the modification of my invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 the door b
is arranged in the well known manner so as to open laterally. The slot e for
the insertion of letters is fitted at the top of the door b. The top plate n of
the box a is provided with an opening o of suitable size for the insertion of

page_text: small goods or parcels. An inclined plate p leads from the outer edge of the
opening o towards the interior of the boxa, extending half way, or approximately
so, into same. Said plate serves as a guide chute similar to the chute h previously
described. Beneath the plate p but starting from the opposite side of the box,
a second plate g is arranged which extends beyond the middle of the box. Any
goods or parcels inserted through the opening o glide down the plate 2 dropping
on to the plate from whence they reach the interior lower part of the box a
ก
The extremities of the two plates p, g extending beyond each other render it
impossible to obtain access to the contents of the box by inserting the hand or
any other instrument through the opening o.
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:-
1.) An improved combined letter box and receptacle for small goods or parcels,
the whole constructed arranged and adapted to operate, substantially as described
with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
2.) An improved combined letter box and receptacle for small goods or parcels,
the whole constructed and arranged, substantially as described with reference
to Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
1
TOMI
B. REICHHOLD,
International Patent Office,
24, Luisen Strasse, Berlin, N.W., Germany,
Agent for the Applicant.